Traffic Accident Arnold Drive at Watmaugh Road

Heard sirens a bit ago and found this at the CHP Traffic website:

1586 5:01PM Traffic Collision - Ambulance Responding ARNOLD DR AT WATMAUGH RD


View Larger Map

Incident: 1586 Type: Traffic Collision - Ambulance Responding Location: ARNOLD DR AT WATMAUGH RD ThomasBrothers: 467 3C info as of: 10/31/2009 5:42:01 PM
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
5:18PM 1039 3A VOLK PASSAT C# 6111 BONNEAUS
5:18PM 1039 3A CROWN VICTORIA C# 6105 BONNEAUS
5:03PM 1039 REDCOM
5:02PM DEBRIS IN RDWY
5:02PM VEHS PULLED TO RHS
5:02PM ROLLING 1141 PRECAUTIONARY
5:02PM GRY TOYT CAM VS BLK SEDAN VS UNKN VEH
RESPONDING OFFICERS STATUS
5:48PM CHP Unit On Scene

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I hope no one was hurt.

Burbank Cop: Shot to the Head or to the Chest??

Seems like an easy enough question to answer - unless you are hiding something that is.

Here is one of many questions that need to asked and answered regarding the tragic death of Burbank Police Sgt Neil Gunn on Thursday, October 29, 2009.

The media is giving conflicting reports.

The Burbank Leader's first account of the supposed suicide of Neil Gunn on October 29, 2009 at 1:38pm says this: "Witnesses said the man was heavy-set and had a gunshot wound to the chest, but police would not confirm their accounts." (Source note: This article no longer exists on the Burbank Leader website but I had saved it on my blog here along with the updates http://sonomanewstoday.blogspot.com/2009/10/burbank-police-sergeant-in-fbi-probe.html. The Burbank Leader updates, by the way, say nothing of a head shot nor of a chest shot.)

However, the October 30, 2009 LA Examiner says this:
"The Burbank Leader is reporting that Sergeant Neil Thomas Gunn Sr., a 22-year veteran of the Burbank Police Department, shot and killed himself on a residential street corner Thursday morning. Police responded to the corner of North Sunset Canyon Drive and East Harvard Road at approximately 11:40 a.m., where Gunn was pronounced dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head."
(source: http://www.examiner.com/x-15017-Burbank-Community-Examiner~y2009m10d30-Burbank-Police-sergeant-commits-suicide-on-street-corner)

So, which was it... the CHEST or the HEAD???

This is important as a person committing suicide, especially a cop, would not shoot himself in the chest as his hand may jerk and he may miss the vital organs. However, a shot to the head most certainly would do the horrid job.

A FEW MORE QUESTIONS:

What was the weapon?

Where is the weapon now?

Who were the witnesses? Names please.

Who called 911 and what was said? Recording please.

Why no mention of the possibilty of foul play by either the police or media?

Gunn was a known whistleblower and he had been threatened. (source: http://semichorus.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/city-attorney-barlow-is-celebrating-dunns-suicide/)

More questions need to be asked AND ANSWERED!

Please see original post with complete Burbank Leader articles from October 29, 2009: http://sonomanewstoday.blogspot.com/2009/10/burbank-police-sergeant-in-fbi-probe.html

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AFTERNOON POST

City mourns death of officer


Candles forming the number 7943 were placed at the foot of the city of Burbank Police & Fire Department building statues on Third Street in Burbank, on Friday. Burbank police sergeant Neil Thomas Gunn shot himself at Sunset Canyon and Harvard in Burbank one day earlier. (Raul Roa/Leader)

Colleagues of Sgt. Neil Thomas Gunn grieve over veteran officer, who committed suicide Thursday in public place.

By Christopher Cadelago
Published: Last Updated Friday, October 30, 2009 10:02 PM PDT
source: http://www.burbankleader.com/articles/2009/10/31/news/blr-shooting103109.prt

DOWNTOWN — Flags outside police headquarters flapped at half-staff as candles were arranged to indicate the badge number of a sergeant who killed himself Thursday on a residential street corner.

It was the first public display of grief over the suicide of Burbank police Sgt. Neil Thomas Gunn, who died Thursday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the corner of North Sunset Canyon Drive and East Harvard Road.

Colleagues and passersby stopped in front of the police station Friday to remember the 22-year veteran of the force whose list of commendations included Ministerial Officer of the Year in 1992 and two Professional Esteem awards. Some wept, while others stood paralyzed by the silence and magnitude of the moment.

Gunn had deep roots in what officials affectionately refer to as the “City Family.”

He was also one of 12 officers named in federal grand jury subpoenas as part of an FBI investigation into possible civil rights violations and excessive use of force.

FBI officials would not specify when the probe began, how long it would last, or expand on why the officers were named. Several of the officers listed in the probe — Bill Taylor, Omar Rodriguez and Steve Karagiosian — have also filed lawsuits against the Police Department alleging racial discrimination, harassment and on-the-job retaliation.

The Glendale Police Department, which is handling the investigation, has so far found no evidence of foul play or that anyone assisted in the suicide, Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

Glendale police will backfill Burbank shifts when members of the department are unavailable to work, he said.

Residents of the hillside enclave, located below the Castaway and DeBell Golf Club, spent Thursday morning outside their homes calming neighbors who feared they were in danger as detectives confirmed Gunn had shot himself.

Erminio Iacobellis, who lives in the 1000 block of East San Jose Avenue, said he never imagined a high-profile slaying within earshot of his home.

“This doesn’t happen in the city,” Iacobellis said, staring across the police barrier. “Nothing like this happens here.”

Police were called to the intersection about 11:40 a.m. after witnesses reported seeing Gunn turn the gun on himself, Sgt. Thor Merich said. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Police Chief Tim Stehr and high-ranking members of the department evaluated the crime scene before Los Angeles County coroners arrived.

Officers sectioned off several blocks of Sunset Canyon Drive and surrounding streets, shielding views of the body from the public as detectives investigated.

“This incident is a devastating tragedy,” Lt. John Dilibert said in a statement issued by the department. “The members of the Police Department and all our city employees share in the grief with his family during this difficult time.”

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BURBANK LEADER EDITORIAL

Reporting with tact

Published: Last Updated Friday, October 30, 2009 10:02 PM PDT
source: http://www.burbankleader.com/articles/2009/10/31/opinion/editorials/blr-1editorial103109.txt

A woman throws herself off the top floor of a high-rise hotel. A man overdoses in his bedroom. A police officer shoots and kills himself on a public sidewalk.

For newspapers, assigning news value to suicide has always been a precarious dance. We don’t want to romanticize the act, but at the same time, we don’t want to be seen as ignoring “the news.”

“News” is many things to different people, but most newspapers have implemented a set of internal guidelines to help dictate which suicides get covered, and which do not.

As with most policies, especially when communicating them to a diverse public, it’s best to be blunt, so we’ll spare you the hyperbole.

Generally, we do not report on suicides taking place in a private residence, unless the person is a public official or figure, or has recently been in the news. Public suicides are typically reported, but even then, there’s a complicated set of guidelines that come into play.

On Thursday, a Burbank Police officer named in an FBI probe into the department shot and killed himself on a residential street corner. It continues to be covered extensively due to the nature of the act and his status in the federal investigation.

But when a woman jumped to her death from a top floor of the Burbank Holiday Inn this summer, it was reported as a news brief, without her name. The death occurred in the public eye, but the woman herself was not a public figure.

And in other cases, there are periodic suicides that occur in private that we choose not to report because it would either be gratuitous, or cause more harm.

The act of suicide, no matter the setting or method, represents one of the most tragic points of human desperation. Reporting them is never an easy task, nevermind the pain and suffering that only get compounded when affected loved ones see it played out in print.

But we wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t roll up our sleeves and report that tragedy when it represents a significant impact to the general public, either to a news event, public safety or otherwise.

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OTHER WEBSITES

"Meanwhile, a lot of unanswered questions about Gunn’s death. The press release from the city of Burbank/Burbank PD called the gunshot wound on Gunn’s body self-inflicted. Some, including a resident I spoke to who lives near the scene of the tragedy, doubt the suicide conclusion."
A Writer's Grove
http://www.awritersgroove.com/?p=1802#comment-5951


"Many in Burbank are asking why would an officer who works in Burbank select a residential neighborhood to end his life. Uncomfortable as it all may be many questions must be asked inorder to bring some meaning and hope to the recent events in Burbank. We need to know and understand what brought us to this dark day in Burbank History."
What's Up in Burbank
http://whatsupinburbank.wordpress.com/a-sad-day-in-burbanks-history/


"Yesterday we called out the local newspaper about their highly misleading and twice-repeated implication that there might have been a suspicious and evasive personal motive in Sgt. Gunn’s suicide. The Leader all but spelled out the relationship between Gunn and the fact that he was named as one of many BPD employees whose records were subpoenaed by the FBI as part of their ongoing civil rights investigation."
Burbank, California
http://semichorus.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/national-media-is-picking-up-on-leaders-misleading-fbigunn-innuendo/


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INTERESTING LINK

Here is Bill Taylor's lawsuit which was the last one filed so far; it gives some history of the problems in the Burbank Police Department:
http://whatsupinburbank.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/taylor-lawsuit1.pdf


Burbank Police Captain Bill Taylor
"Moral Compass"

9/22/09 Burbank Leader Article: Police Captain Sues City

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EMAILS

Received a couple of interesting emails tonight:

"It almost seems that everyone is involved!!!! Although the Mayor and City Council are usually only told what the City Staff wants them to know or believe. The Police Commission is trying to get to the bottom of things but when they ask questions, they are told that the questions were not on the Agenda and therefore cannot be discussed. The Police Commission has requested more power from the City Council. Otherwise, they are, and have always been, a group of people that have gotten direction from the Police Chief and Juli Scott, Chief Asst. City Attorney. In the past they were really kind of a joke. Now they are trying to gain more power; which I think is a good thing."

"Although a lot of people are breathing a sigh of relief that Glendale PD is investigating the suicide, the fact remains that the "City Attorney" of Glendale, is none other than Scott Howard; who happens to be the husband of Juli Scott, Chief Asst. City Attorney for the City of Burbank!!! Juli Scott has been the main advisor to the Burbank Police Dept. for the past 20 years. She is the person I feel should be taking the blame for the position the BPD is in today. Now, if the City Attorney is assigned the duty of overseeing and direction of Police Dept matters, than how is this not a conflict?? Just wondering........ Does this sound strange to you???"

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Tatton Goes to Trial

All Sonoma News Today Posts and Comments on Tatton


Greg Tatton

Thu 10/29 6 PM

Tatton ordered to stand trial

By David Bolling
INDEX-TRIBUNE EDITOR
source

Former Sonoma Valley soccer coach Greg Tatton, 43, has been charged with 20 counts of sexual misconduct with a teenage girl and was ordered to stand trial by Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Arthur Wick.

The ruling came Wednesday at the end of a preliminary hearing that was delayed for more than a week during key testimony by a detective with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department. Tatton's San Francisco attorney, Ethan Balogh, dubbed by one magazine as a "Northern California Super Lawyer," had challenged the testimony of Det. Jake Vivian, charging the detective lied in order to obtain key evidence contained in the victim's cell phone records.

Balogh's firm promotes on its Web site the success of partner Benjamin Coleman in winning appeals of criminal convictions, convincing judges to dismiss charges and obtaining complete reversals on appeal. Wick, however, ruled against Balogh's motion to strike Vivian's testimony and dismiss the case, finding instead there was enough evidence to hold Tatton over for trial. The prosecution's case presented evidence alleging that the girls' soccer coach had sex with one of his players on numerous occasions, sometimes two and three times a week, when she was 15- and 16-years-old and he was 40 and 41.

Tatton coached an elite traveling team that played games from San Diego to far Northern California. Some of the alleged sexual acts occurred during road trips, others allegedly occurred in the Sonoma Valley, sometimes in Tatton's vehicle.

He was earlier charged with 18 counts of having sex with the girl, seven counts of lewd conduct and six counts of oral copulation, but several of the charges were dropped. Tatton has entered pleas of not guilty to all charges and remains free on $150,000 bail. He is a mortgage broker now living in Southern California. Tatton has been banned for life by the California Youth Soccer Association but was once a highly successful and charismatic coach who led several girls' teams to championship seasons.

But his relationship with the victim ultimately aroused the suspicion of her parents who sought a restraining order against him and described to the court his influence on their daughter as "inappropriate" and "harmful." Police were eventually notified through a mandatory report by a psychologist from whom the victim had sought counseling.

Two parents who asked to remain anonymous and who both had daughters on Tatton's teams described his behavior as "manipulative," "calculating," "charming," and "glib." One parent said Tatton enjoyed "pushing the envelope" of risky behavior and said he drove his team members up and down the state for more than two years without a valid driver's license.

In 2007, Tatton was arrested for falsifying the registration sticker on his SUV after he allegedly photocopied a sticker and glued it to his license plate. The vehicle had allegedly gone unregistered for at least two years.

Three misdemeanor charges were dropped or dismissed after he completed a diversion program.

Tatton is scheduled to appear back in court Nov. 9 for arraignment, during which he will be read the charges against him and enter a plea.

Accident at Lovall Valley Road and Wood Valley Road Tonight

Just before 9pm tonight, heard lots of sirens in Sonoma, so checked out the CHP Traffic website and found this:

2471 8:55PM Traffic Collision - Property Damage LOVALL VALLEY RD AT WOOD VALLEY RD

Incident: 2471 Type: Traffic Collision - Property Damage Location: LOVALL VALLEY RD AT WOOD VALLEY RD ThomasBrothers: 448 5B info as of: 10/29/2009 8:58:11 PM
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
8:56PM VEH PART BLKG AND INTO A DITCH
RESPONDING OFFICERS STATUS
9:00PM CHP Unit Assigned
9:10PM CHP Unit Enroute

Here is a map:

View Larger Map

We pray for all those involved in this accident.

Burbank Police Sergeant in FBI Probe Killed

Sgt. Neil Gunn Sr.
Photo Credit: Courtesy the Gunn family/LA Times

November 10, 2009 UPDATE
Gunn Family Fundraiser Tonight Nov 10

November 9, 2009 PM UPDATE
Special Meeting for the Vote of No Confidence Nov 12, 2009

November 9, 2009 AM UPDATE
Looking Back at the Burbank Law Suits

November 8, 2009 UPDATE
Amazing Grace for the Gunn Family and for Burbank

November 7, 2009 UPDATE
Burbank Leader Editorial: Police chief should resign

November 6, 2009 UPDATE
Keep Them in Your Prayers

November 5, 2009 UPDATE
Now is the Time for Healing

November 4, 2009 UPDATE
Police Chief Asked to Go on Leave at Council Meeting

November 3, 2009 PM UPDATE
"The department turned its back on him." Mrs. Gunn

November 3, 2009 AM UPDATE
The Gunn Family Speaks

November 2, 2009 UPDATE
Autopsy for Neil Gunn? Suicide Note? Witnesses?

November 1, 2009 UPDATE
City of Burbank Family or Dangerous Nepotism?

October 31, 2009 UPDATE
Burbank Cop: Shot to the Head or to the Chest?

ORGINIAL POST October 29, 2009
The headline says Neil Gunn shot himself in my hometown in southern California, but I have come to be suspicious of any high profile suicide.

10/30/09 It is the next day and now I'm thinking, who commits suicide on a public street, esp a police officer? PLUS, the first first report says, "Witnesses said the man was heavy-set and had a gunshot wound to the chest, but police would not confirm their accounts." Who are the witnesses? And sorry to be so graphic here, but a shot to the chest may miss the heart, thus the reason most shoot into the head. This whole thing stinketh!

Scroll down for updates.


A member of the Burbank Police Department puts up barriers Thursday morning, shielding members of the public from viewing the body of Sgt. Thomas Gunn, Sr. (Raul Roa/News-Press)

Sergeant shoots self on residential street

Thomas Neil Gunn Sr. was listed in recent FBI probe

By Christopher Cadelago
Published: Last Updated Thursday, October 29, 2009 5:39 PM PDT
source

HILLSIDE — A Burbank Police sergeant who was listed in an FBI probe into police misconduct shot himself to death Thursday morning on the corner of a residential street, authorities said.

Burbank Police Sgt. Neil Thomas Gunn Sr., 50, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the corner of North Sunset Canyon Drive and East Harvard Road, Sgt. Thor Merich said.

Police were called to the intersection at about 11:40 a.m. after witnesses reported seeing Gunn turn the gun on himself, Merich said. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Officers sectioned off several blocks of Sunset Canyon Drive and surrounding streets, shielding views of the body from the public as detectives investigated the scene. The U.S. attorney’s office on Sept. 14 issued a grand jury subpoena for personnel records involving 12 members of the Burbank Police Department. The subpoena sought records on “use of force, defensive tactics, Tasers, pepper spray, or the rules and ramifications pertaining to the use of excessive force or a violation of civil/constitutional rights.”

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller earlier this month confirmed that the agency was looking into possible civil rights violations by officers, the results of which would be forwarded to the Department of Justice. She would not specify when the probe began, how long it would last, or expand on why the officers were named in the probe. Several of the officers listed in the probe — Bill Taylor, Omar Rodriguez and Steve Karagiosian — have also filed lawsuits against the Police Department alleging racial discrimination, harassment and on-the-job retaliation.

Residents of the hillside enclave spent the morning outside of their homes calming their neighbors those who feared they were in danger as detectives confirmed Gunn had shot himself.

Erminio Iacobellis, who lives in the 1000 block of East San Jose Avenue, said he never imagined a high-profile slaying within earshot of his home.

“This doesn’t happen in the city,” Iacobellis said, staring across the police barrier. “Nothing like this happens here.”

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And here is a portion of previous article from Oct 2, 2009 that mentions Neil Gunn:

"...FBI agents are also seeking Police Department records of internal affairs investigations as a result of use-of-force complaints filed as far back as 2003. The 12 officers listed in the subpoena are Omar Rodriguez, Jose Cruz Duran, Neil Thomas Gunn Sr., Christian Dereck Canales, Jon Murphy Jr., Mike George Reyes, Steve Sarkis Karagiosian, Armen Dermenjian, William Hampton “Bill” Taylor, Nick Wayne Nichols, Tommy Perez and Edgar Manuel Penaranda..."
http://www.burbankleader.com/articles/2009/10/03/publicsafety/blr-probes100309.txt

Oct 1, 2209 link to LA Times article
FBI probe of Burbank police focusing on alleged excessive force involving 12 officers

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5:59PM BURBANK LEADER UPDATED ARTICLE

Sergeant shoots himself on residential street

Neil Thomas Gunn Sr., who was listed in recent FBI probe, was pronounced dead at the scene

By Christopher Cadelago
Published: Last Updated Thursday, October 29, 2009 5:59 PM PDT
source

HILLSIDE — A Burbank Police sergeant who was listed in an FBI probe into police misconduct shot himself to death Thursday morning on the corner of a residential street, authorities said.

Burbank Police Sgt. Neil Thomas Gunn Sr., 50, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the corner of North Sunset Canyon Drive and East Harvard Road, Lt. John Dilibert said.

Police were called to the intersection at about 11:40 a.m. after witnesses reported seeing Gunn turn the gun on himself, Sgt. Thor Merich said. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Officers sectioned off several blocks of Sunset Canyon Drive and surrounding streets, shielding views of the body from the public as detectives investigated the scene.

"This incident is a devastating tragedy," Dilibert said in a statement. "The members of the Police Department and all our city employees share in the grief with his family during this difficult time."

A 22-year veteran of the department, Gunn received several commendations for his work, including the Ministerial Officer of the Year in 1992, and two departmental professional esteem awards, one in 1997 and one in 2004.

The U.S. attorney’s office on Sept. 14 issued a grand jury subpoena for personnel records involving 12 members of the Burbank Police Department. The subpoena sought records on “use of force, defensive tactics, Tasers, pepper spray, or the rules and ramifications pertaining to the use of excessive force or a violation of civil/constitutional rights.”

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller earlier this month confirmed that the agency was looking into possible civil rights violations by officers, the results of which would be forwarded to the Department of Justice. She would not specify when the probe began, how long it would last, or expand on why the officers were named in the probe. Several of the officers listed in the probe — Bill Taylor, Omar Rodriguez and Steve Karagiosian — have also filed lawsuits against the Police Department alleging racial discrimination, harassment and on-the-job retaliation.

Residents of the hillside enclave, located below the Castaway Restaurant and DeBell Golf Club, spent the morning outside of their homes calming neighbors who feared they were in danger as detectives confirmed Gunn had shot himself.

Erminio Iacobellis, who lives in the 1000 block of East San Jose Avenue, said he never imagined a high-profile slaying within earshot of his home.

“This doesn’t happen in the city,” Iacobellis said, staring across the police barrier. “Nothing like this happens here.”

The Glendale Police Department is handling the investigation.

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AT 1:38PM THE FIRST BURBANK LEADER STORY WAS THIS...

Man shoots himself to death on street corner

UPDATE: Police section off street, investigation continues

By Christopher Cadelago
Published: Last Updated Thursday, October 29, 2009 1:38 PM PDT
source

HILLSIDE — An unidentified man shot himself to death Thursday morning at the intersection of North Sunset Canyon Drive and East Harvard Road, authorities said.

Police were called to the west corner of the intersection at about 11:40 a.m. after witnesses reported seeing the man turn the gun on himself, Burbank Police Sgt. Thor Merich said.

Officers have sectioned off the 700 block of Sunset Canyon Drive and erected screens to shield views from the public as detectives investigate the scene of the shooting.

Witnesses said the man was heavy-set and had a gunshot wound to the chest, but police would not confirm their accounts.

The number of people who killed themselves in Burbank this year has more than doubled compared with last year, from six to 13, according to police records. Attempts are also up, police said.

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Photo from FOX News




October 30, 2009 UPDATE

We pray for the family and friends of Neil as well as the community of Burbank. May the truth come forth.

MAP

View Larger Map

Following are a few ways to tell murder from suicide: (source)

Where on the body the injury occurred: A shot to the side of the head, in the mouth, or to the front of the chest is usually suicide. Wounds located anywhere else are most likely homicide.

Distance of gun from the body: Most suicide shots are at contact or near contact range, causing a burn mark around the wound and leaving gunpowder residue (which can be wiped off). At contact range, and if the gun is fired just above a bone, such as the skull or the sternum, a star-like wound is produced. Anything further away is likely homicide.

Angle of the shot: Most suicide shots are angled slightly upward.

Number of shots fired: After one shot, even if a suicide victim isn't dead, he would likely be unconscious or physically unable to fire a second time. Multiple shots usually indicate homicide.

Presence of gunpowder residue on victims hand: If a man shot himself, there would be powder residue from unburned carbon on the hand that fired the gun.

Shots through clothing: A suicide victim will rarely shoot through clothing. If he shoots himself in the chest, which is unusual, he will open his shirt to expose the skin. Shots through clothing suggest homicide.

History, a note, other factors: If the victim left a suicide note, or was known to have personal problems, or if there was evidence of drug use or drinking, suicide is likely.

Evidence of a struggle: If there are scratches, cuts, bruises, homicide is likely.

How fast a person dies depends significantly on where the wound is located and how quickly he can get help. A shot to the head might kill, or it might not. A shot to the abdomen might take hours to kill the victim, or he might bleed to death in half that time. A gunshot victim can be rushed to the hospital, have a bullet removed from his abdomen, be well on the road to recovery, then die a week later from some unforeseen infection.
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Found this Burbank Leader article from September 30, 2009:

FBI probes Police Dept.


After relative silence, the City Council Tuesday revealed that the Burbank Police Department was under some stage of investigation by the FBI, Los Angeles County sheriff and an outside attorney over allegations of misconduct within the ranks.

L.A. County Sheriff's Department has also been looking into a range of claims filed against Burbank police.

By Christopher Cadelago
Published: Last Updated Wednesday, September 30, 2009 10:20 AM PDT
source

CITY HALL — Four days after the city released a statement calling the latest lawsuit filed against its Police Department “baseless and disingenuous,” Mayor Gary Bric on Tuesday said the FBI was investigating allegations of misconduct within the ranks.

He also announced that the Burbank Police Department was being investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which was to turn over its findings to the county district attorney’s office, and that the city had brought in its own outside attorney to review the allegations.

Seven current and former members of the Burbank Police Department have filed lawsuits since May, claiming everything from unfair demotion and retaliation, to sexual harassment and racial discrimination.

The City Council had remained silent on the legal action building against the city, but Bric on Tuesday blew the lid off the investigations as a way to reassure the public that “the City Council is taking every step possible to make sure all of the issues are identified” and “dealt with in a manner that ensures they are never repeated.”

“These are all very serious allegations, and I think it is clear to everyone that the Police Department is facing some major challenges,” he said at the meeting.

Last week, Capt. Bill Taylor filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court claiming he was unfairly demoted after pushing for internal investigations into allegations of officer misconduct.

It was the latest in a string of legal woes for the department.

A former decorated Japanese American police detective sued the department in July, alleging he was subjected to racial discrimination and retaliation before being unlawfully fired. Attorneys for Christopher Lee Dunn also filed a second lawsuit claiming that City Atty. Dennis Barlow and his deputy disclosed private personnel records to the Burbank Leader “and other members of the press and general public.”

And in May, four officers and one lieutenant filed a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination and sexual harassment.

The influx of lawsuits prompted the Police Commission to meet more frequently.

Department and outside agencies had thoroughly investigated the claims long before the lawsuits were filed.

“In addition to these investigations, the FBI has been conducting their own investigation into these matters, and we are cooperating with their inquiries to the city,” he said.

Reading from a statement approved by the entire City Council, Bric stressed that the majority of men and women in the Police Department were not involved in the allegations.

Last week, the city released a statement responding to Taylor’s lawsuit, contending that the former deputy chief “has chosen to deal with his own personal career disappointments with a lack of leadership and professionalism.”

The change in tone by City Hall drew a quick response Tuesday from Councilman David Gordon, who called for all future news releases to be “professional and measured” in tone and that they be approved by the council prior to release.

Bric added that the council was frustrated that it could not share more detailed information, but that the integrity of the investigations and strict legal rules prevented the council from doing so.

He also sought to reassure the public that city officials were taking the allegations seriously and investigating them fully.

“This may mean some severe consequences for any persons involved in misconduct, but we believe the integrity of our Police Department is extremely important to this community and is our paramount concern,” Bric said.

Click here or see below the full statement from Mayor Gary Bric.

Statement from Mayor Gary Bric
Burbank City Council Meeting
September 29, 2009

There has been a lot of press recently regarding issues at the Burbank Police Department and I’m sure the community is concerned and wants to make sure that these issues are being appropriately dealt with. There have been a number of lawsuits and claims filed that contain multiple allegations of improper conduct ranging from wrongful termination, discrimination and retaliation to abuse of force and various forms of covering up such activities. These are all very serious allegations and I think it is clear to everyone that the police department is facing some major challenges. All of these allegations have arisen from sources within the department or from former members of the department.

As a result of allegations prior to these lawsuits, a number of investigations have been initiated both by the department and by outside entities at the invitation of and with the cooperation of the city. These investigations began long before the filing of the lawsuits and claims mentioned above. Chief Stehr requested the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department come in and perform an independent investigation. The city also began an independent investigation using an outside attorney and an outside investigator, both of whom report directly to the City Attorney and City Manager’s office. Your Burbank City Council has met with the outside attorney in order to confirm that there are no limitations on the scope of the investigation and to indicate that any signs of lack of cooperation by anyone within the city are to be brought to the Council’s attention. The Sheriff’s department requested that the city hold off commencing its investigation until the Sheriff’s investigation was completed. In addition to these investigations, the FBI has been conducting their own investigation into these matters and we are cooperating with their inquiries to the city. It is our understanding that when the Sheriff’s investigation is complete, it will be forwarded by the Sheriff’s department to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. The city’s investigation is now ongoing and includes all of the issues raised by the lawsuits and claims that have been filed and will also include any additional issues that may arise in the future.

While we cannot legally share the details of any of these investigations, we felt it was important to share with you that the issues in the Burbank Police Department are being taken very seriously and investigated by outside independent agencies. These investigations have been taking what seems like a very long time, but the investigators know the seriousness of the allegations and are making sure they do a complete and thorough job. We are frustrated that we cannot share more detailed information with you, but the integrity of the investigations and strict legal rules governing the privacy of police officers that may be under investigation prevent us from making any further comments.

While we know the entire community is disappointed to know that there are issues within the police department, please rest assured that the City Council is taking every step possible to make sure all of the issues are identified and that steps are taken to make sure that any problems that are identified are dealt with in a manner that insures they are never repeated. This may mean some severe consequences for any persons involved in misconduct, but we believe the integrity of our police department is extremely important to this community and is our paramount concern.

With our firm commitment to discover and correct any misdeeds within the police department, I can assure you the majority of the men and women in our police department are not involved in these issues and we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize the excellent job they do protecting the safety of our community during these difficult times.

Mayor Gary Bric
City of Burbank


Reader Comments

hear me wrote on Sep 30, 2009 7:55 AM:
"It's about time that city officals step up to the plate.This is embarrassing to the city of Burbank. Thank you mayor, FBI, and the sheriff's department. For finally listening and stepping in, to find out what's going on in the good ole boys club ,the Burbank police department. Any officers involved in the harassment, should be fired, and made to pay any lawsuits that come of it. Not the taxpayers of Burbank. Thank you.
B.A. on Burbank "

sandy587 wrote on Oct 3, 2009 12:19 AM:

"It's about time someone steps in and REGULATES these unethical, ruthless, liars that serve as THE POLICE in Burbank. They are nothing more than a bunch of bullies who lie and cheat I am not surprised they are being sued by 7 members inside the department, imagine how many citizens have cases against them, or should have cases against them, due to the harrassment , intimidation and eventually false arrests you will receive from these so called cops citizens are afraid to say a word! I know first hand, this time I am not letting it slide-! ...Internal Affairs & the Federal Govt are finally going to do what's needed to be done for a long time - WATCH HOW BPD operates... they'll be disgusted! You GO IA. Thank you! "

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Note the headline in the City of Burbank news report which says, "Man dies..." as opposed to "Burbank Police Officer dies..." It seems so cold-hearted... AND suspcious.

CITY NEWS ROOM

Man dies after self-inflicted gunshot wound
Posted Date: 10/30/2009 11:00 AM

On October 29, 2009, at approximately 11:40 am, Burbank police officers responded to the scene of a reported shot fired/man down call at Sunset Canyon and Harvard Road.

Responding officers found a man down with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Fire department paramedics arrived and pronounced the victim dead at the scene.

The victim was identified as 50-year old, Neil T. Gunn, a 22-year veteran and Patrol Sergeant with the Burbank Police Department. During his career, Gunn received numerous commendations for his work, including the Ministerial Officer of the Year in 1992, and two departmental Professional Esteem awards, one in 1997 and the second in 2004.

This incident is a devastating tragedy. The members of the police department and all our city employees share in the grief with his family during this difficult time.

The Glendale Police Department is handling the investigation into Sergeant Gunn’s death.

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TOPIX COMMENTS
Note: Please read with critical thinking and discernment as agents provocateur and shill are known to mislead/confuse/attack/name-call on message boards.

Burbank police officer commits suicide on public street

Burbank officer listed in FBI probe kills self

FBI investigating misconduct allegations at Burbank Police Department

FBI focuses on excessive-force claims in probe of Burbank police

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VERY INTERESTING MUST READ BLOG POST!
City Attorney Barlow is celebrating Gunn’s suicide (and update)

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source:

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November 12, 2009 UPDATE

Received these photos taken yesterday, Nov 11th

Sonoma First City in County to Win Bicycle Award

Photo from Cathy's Camera

SONOMA
Bike-friendly city wins bronze designation

Press Democrat
Published: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 4:03 a.m.
source

The city of Sonoma has won a bronze designation as a bicycle-friendly community from the League of American Bicyclists.

The bicycling advocacy organization's designation, the first for a Sonoma County city, honors what it calls the city's commitment to improving conditions for bicycling and making a focused investment in bicycling programs and facilities.

Sonoma was recognized for implementing "long-term bicycle plans that provide quality of life improvements for their citizens," according to the organization.

The organization said it chose Sonoma because of its community support for bicycling and because of its progress in the city's bike and pedestrian plan.

Eighteen of 36 proposed bikeways and project priorities identified in the plan are being implemented.

"Sonoma is leading the way," said Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Christine Culver. "We're thrilled that the city's leadership wants to continue working toward a platinum certification."

The city applied for the four-year, renewable designation earlier this year. Fewer than 40 percent of the applicants win a four-year award. After four years, the city can be reevaluated and seek recertification to platinum, gold, silver or bronze status.

The city will host a formal awards ceremony in the Plaza amphitheater at 4 p.m. Nov. 5.

Swine Flu Hoax

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CBS "60 MINUTES" documentary on the swine flu epidemics of 1976 in the U.S. It went on air only once and was never shown again.

Swine Flu 1976 & Propaganda

Look UP, Sonoma!

About 1 hour ago, this is what I saw when I looked UP...



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More Info On Chemtrails in Sonoma and Elsewhere

Happy Birthday Lenny!

Tonight we met at Emmy's Spaghetti Shack to celebrate Lenny's birthday!



CLICK TO SEE MORE BIRTHDAY PHOTOS

Angeli Bertlow Construction Inc.

Pete Angeli and Jason Bertlow are known for their excellence as home builders.

Check out this recent video of the raising of a rotunda roof on a home being built in Sonoma by Angeli Bertlow Construction (707 938-8705) with Robert Baumann as Architect.


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Robert Duncan O'Finioan

16 Questions With Robert Duncan O'Finioan

Conducted by Winter Steel: May - June 2006

1- Q. What is Project Talent?

A. PROJECT TALENT, (a subproject of MK ULTRA) was/are the continuing experiments being done by the Nazi scientists during W.W.II in their quest for the 'perfect solider', a 'super soldier.'

Those scientists were brought here after the war via Project PAPERCLIP where they continue even today. Every few weeks there is a news item about the DoD having something "new" that can keep a solider on the battlefield longer, and make that person stronger and more deadly.

2- Q. When did you first realize you were part of a "Government Project?"

A. I knew something wasn't "right" from a young age. But in the late 1980s I was involved in a major car crash in which my head was nearly torn from my body.

When I was placed in the MRI machine and it was turned on, the world as I knew it faded away, very painfully. The only way I can describe it is like seeing hundreds of TV screens rushing at me at once, and each screen was a different memory. I suddenly realized the nightmares I had been having for years were in fact real.

During the few seconds I was in the MRI and the machine caught on fire, I began screaming, thinking I was losing my mind. Thus started my quest.

3- Q. Why do you think they choose you?

A. I believe I was chosen because of my blood lines. I'm half Irish and half Cherokee -- The two races (Celts and Indians) of people who have the highest number of children born with PSI or ESP abilities.

4- Q. Did your family know you were in this "Project?"

A. Yes. My mother and father did, most certainly. I also think my grandparents may have as well.

5- Q. Why do you think your family would send you to be in such experiments?

A. I found out only a couple of years ago that my father worked for the CIA and had heavy ties to the intelligence community. I doubt if my parents had little, if any, say in the matter.

6- Q. What exactly was your purpose within the "Project?"

A. I was one of their "super soldiers."

7- Q. When did you realize that you could do "more", or were "different" than other people?

A. From very early on. But I really saw that I was different when I started teaching martial arts.

8- Q. How did you cope with life in the meantime?

A. I stayed to myself. I trained in the martial arts. You could count the number of friends I had on one hand. Family members included.

9- Q. How many others do you think, (or can remember), were a part of Project Talent with you?

A. I was told by someone who worked closely with the project that when I was taken in 1966 there were 1000 of us. I was also told that as of five years ago there were fewer then 60 of us still alive.

10- Q. What were their jobs within?

A. Some were like me, super soldiers. Others were PSI spies, remote viewers, some acted as a living memory card, and the list goes on.

11- Q. Give us an example of what you would do.

A. My team would be briefed on an operation, and given a target. We would then take transport and eliminate the target. Not all missions were done with a team. There were many times I was sent out alone.

12- Q. Why do you think they removed your memories?

A. You can't tell what you don't know or remember. Our personalities were split by the use of pain. This is an answer that takes a few minutes to explain.

13- Q. When was your first memory of being a part of it all?

A. When I was chosen at the age of six. I was given a test along with several other children and then taken away for nearly four years.

14- Q. Why do you wish to tell the world your story?

A. I still have many blanks in my mind/memory. Terrible things were done to me and many others starting when we were children. Someone needs to answer for this. I'm not looking for money, or to be paid back, just answers.

15- Q. Are you concerned you may make someone angry, or vengeful towards you for speaking about this?

A. All the time. I have been warned more then once to stop.

16- Q. Are you concerned that people will not believe you?

A. I would say most don't. But I also know that if I keep asking questions, sooner or later, more from these PROJECTS will come forward.
If my doing what I am doing can help others, great. I have been called every thing you can think of. Sometimes it bothers me. But I know that most people will never see past what is in front of them.

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CIA Drug Trafficking

When you have a few, this is an interesting read:

"It has been alleged that the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is involved in drug smuggling, specifically in at least three significant episodes. Congress has investigated some allegations and found that CIA assets were involved in trafficking cocaine, though the question of whether or not they specifically aided is unlikely to be proved conclusive, due to an unwillingness to cooperate by the CIA. The issue of the CIA being involved with alleged malfeasance and corruption remains controversial." (continued)

And when you have more time, below is a video of the interview of former CIA assassin Chip Tatum who disappeard in 1998.

SUMMARY OF VIDEO:
This video presents one of the most provocative interviews ever conducted by Ted Gunderson, a retired FBI Senior Special Agent in Charge; it is with Gene "Chip" Tatum, a former CIA Black Ops Assassin who was also an Iran-Contra and OSG2 NWO Insider. In this video, you'll hear Chip discuss his involvement in Operation Red Rock, Task Force 160 and OSG2. Hear him reveal the names of high profile officials who were integrally involved in these CIA covert killing sprees and/or narco-trafficking, directly or indirectly: Oliver "Ollie" North, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. You'll learn from an "insider" about outrageous U.S. government felony crime and corruption and the impending New World Order destruction of America. You'll hear his amazing insight concerning the Nixon Administration and the dirty politics of the Vietnam War. This is the last interview prior to his sudden disappearance in 1998.

LATEST UPDATE:
Chip's tortured body was reported to have washed up on a beach in Panama in early 2007.


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HEADSUP
The above interview is by Ted Gunderson but we do not totally trust him.

TED GUNDERSON

"Child-abuse-network conspiracy" CIA cover-up agent.

"It appears to me that former FBI agent Ted Gunderson is indeed a Jesuit Temporal Coadjutor. He always defends the late JFK assassin, 33rd Degree Freemason, Mafia protector, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover claiming that he was not a sodomite; he never attacks the Jesuits---ever; he promotes Jesuit Coadjutors Alex Jones and Ron Paul; believes the Jesuit lie of the vision of Fatima; and defends the Papacy attacking only Satanism as did a former radio show host of years ago, "evangelical, Bible-believing," Jesuit Coadjutor Bob Larson. Like Jones, Monteith and Larson, Ted Gunderson has said some truthful things, but never, no never does he expose the power of Rome in the FBI or Spellman's past control of Hoover. (Eric Jon Phelps: Gunderson promoting Alex Jones and faked Fatima miracle)

Worked with John W. Decamp (a coverup author), Alex Jones (major disinfo agent)

See also: Boystown child abuse sex scandal." source


David Icke speaks on the video and he is another we do not trust.

DAVID ICKE

Secret society researcher (Jesuit coadjutor) (some of his work is simply dumb)

videos

He poisons the truth with a lot of fear mongering and self made fables (such as the mostly un-scientific "human-reptile theories")

He conveniently skips any real history of the Vatican and the Jesuits. See eg. this presentation.

Who is Sun Myung Moon?

But not everyone was happy Wednesday. In South Korea, one bride sat forlornly with a black jacket thrown over her white wedding dress, tears streaming down her face. "I came here against my will," she said. "I'm too young to get married. I don't understand why I have to do something like this." She refused to give her name or age, saying only that she was a student.
Source: Rev. Moon performs biggest mass wedding in decade


Couples from around the world participate in the mass wedding ceremony at a Sun Moon University in Asan, south of Seoul, South Korea Photo: AP

Moonies hold biggest mass wedding since 1999

Some 40,000 followers of the Unification Church – popularly known as Moonies – were married on Wednesday in a ceremony that crossed four continents.

By Peter Foster in Beijing
Published: 12:16PM BST 14 Oct 2009
source

The mass wedding, or "True Parent's Cosmic Blessing Ceremony" as the Church refers to it, was the church's largest since 1999. It was also notable for being almost certainly the last to be presided over by the church's charismatic founder, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon.

Now aged 89, the Rev Moon recently handed over day-to-day running of his church to his 30-year-old son, Reverend Hyung Jin Moon, who says that his father remains in excellent health.

Dressed in a simple black suit and sporting a bow-tie, the Rev Moon Snr blessed the couples, many of whom had only met two or three times, thanks to the church's controversial system of arranged marriages.

With his wife of 50 years at his side, the Rev Moon also addressed a crowd of 20,000 at the church's waterside university complex in Asan, south of the capital South Korean capital, Seoul.

"I pray that you become good husbands and wives, and men and women who can represent the world's 6 billion humankind," he told them as he clasped his wife's hands, sobbing himself at times.

As he spoke, thousands of other Moonie couples around the world – from Australia and America, to Brazil and Norway - were receiving wedding blessings via simultaneous broadcast.

In Sao Paulo, one bride, 40-year-old Laudicea Corina de Padua, said the wedding to her husband, a 38-year-old metalworker called Manoel chosen for her by church leaders, was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.

"It's a dream I've had for so long. Taking part in a mass wedding only adds to the profoundness," she said, "I barely have the words to describe what I feel."

"Marrying in this way, with so many other people around the world, will give more strength to our union," her husband added, "It feels like they are all a part of us."

The ceremony, which also marked the twin landmarks of the Rev Moon's 90th birthday and 50th wedding anniversary, was a toned-down version of the mass weddings of the 1960s and 70s which won the church its reputation for cultishness.

On Wednesday the brides wore simple white dresses while the grooms dressed in black suits, red ties and white scarves draped around their necks – sober attire compared to the priestly white gowns and headpieces of bygone years.

In those days, marriages were often arranged only hours before the blessing ceremony took place, with couples being asked to place their faith in the judgement of Rev and Mrs Moon, who are known to adherents as the "true parents of mankind".

The Rev Moon, a self-proclaimed messiah figure who says he was called at the age 15 to finish the work of Jesus Christ and styles himself "The King of all Kings", continues to hold reverential status in the movement, but the church says it has modernised its practices.

The couples married on Wednesday were all introduced a few months ago and had the chance to meet each other several times before the ceremony, not unlike arranged marriage practices in India and other parts of Asia. Afterwards, a 40-day waiting period is observed before the couples are allowed to sleep under the same roof.

In New York, 22-year-old Krystof Heller said his parents had married in a 1982 mass wedding but that he had known his new wife, 23-year-old Maria Lee of South Korea, for about four months.

"It's something you grow up with. It something you anticipate through your whole life," he said, "It's not just about a mass wedding; there is the moral emphasis. The big crowd is just the perk."

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WHO IS SUN MYUNG MOON?
Read MORE HERE!

Today it Rained... A LOT!

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We need the rain, so thank You, Lord!


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Masonic Media Agents/False Media/Awareness Control/Whistleblowers

CIA and Vatican edit Wikipedia entries
Why the Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) and the Vatican Roma (HOLY SEE) have done this kind of dirty works . . . ? They want to conceal and distort the truth and factual world history from the knowledge of the general public (worldwide). Because, there are numerous historical facts and information with several supporting authentic pictures and documents which are exposing their covert operations throughout the world.

911:Masonic media agents
http://www.wikicompany.org/wiki/911:Masonic_media

911:False media
http://www.wikicompany.org/wiki/911:False_media

911:Awareness control
http://www.wikicompany.org/wiki/911:Awareness_control

911:Whistleblowers
http://www.wikicompany.org/wiki/911:Whistleblowers

The Twitter Tool

Twitter becoming latest job-search tool

Free, fast, focused networking useful as companies move away from traditional advertising


Brett Ashton, who was laid off from HP in January, seeks job opportunities online while helping his 6-year-old daughter, Page, with her homework at his home in San Jose, on September 30, 2009.
DAI SUGANO/ SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

By PATRICK MAY
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
Published: Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 8:57 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 8:57 a.m.
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SAN JOSE — As the Internet's microblogging superhero Twitter continues to balloon with 40 million users worldwide and countless apps like Twhirl and TweetDeck, the Twittersphere has been overrun lately with refugees from the real world's recession:

Twousands and twousands of job seekers.

"Twitter's going to become more and more valuable as a job-hunting tool because you can build up a job-search network in an afternoon and effectively create a whole self-presentation in the Twittersphere," says Rodney Rumford, author of "Twitter as a Business Tool."

"And anywhere there's a place for lots of people to network and talk and share interests, the opportunities will follow."

Accessible by computer or cell phones, Twitter can be used to post a job, poke around for one, bone up on a potential boss, or simply keep your friends updated on your job hunt. It's free and it's fast. And while social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn focus on connecting you with people you know, Twitter makes it easier to broadcast messages widely and to form groups of common interest. By "following" others and having them follow you, the conversations quickly multiply.

"Twitter's a fabulous tool to help people expand what I call their 'loose network,'" says Miriam Salpeter, a job-search coach who writes about the service on her Keppie Careers site. "These are the people you're not really close to, but it's actually the network responsible for most jobs found."

It's difficult to know how many people are actually finding work this way. But it's obvious from interviews with job-seekers, employers, coaches and entrepreneurs that the Twitter phenomenon is fundamentally changing the way people search for jobs — and job candidates — in this brutal recession.

"A lot of companies aren't advertising jobs in traditional ways," says Jason Rivera, a graphic artist who teamed up with other San Francisco Twitterers "to lead the pink slip-party movement" for the networking masses. Rivera says Twitter allows companies to target easily recruitment ads and "follow" potential candidates online, while giving job hunters a backdoor peek at companies where they may be interested in applying.

"It's a great way to get up-to-the-minute information about a company and its latest products," Rivera says, "as well as give you a shot at actually talking to a hiring manager on Twitter, as opposed to having your e-mailed resume end up the 500th in his in-box. At the same time, Twitter gives managers faster, more efficient ways to get through the clutter, and that saves them money."

Paul Mabray knows that firsthand. As chief strategy officer for Napa,-based VinTank, a wine industry think tank, he used Twitter to spot and then practically stalk 23-year-old job candidate and gifted Twitterer Ashley Bellview.

"We got to learn about her persona, her work ethic and her thought process by the information she'd link to in her tweets and by how she communicated with other people on Twitter," Mabray says. "The gestalt of the whole thing was her ability to engage with the audience, and to create meaningful content within a short construct of 140 characters."

As one of Vintank's seven employees, says Mabray, Bellview now is "leveraging Twitter for our brand."

As employment rates across the country continue to scrape the ceiling, the diversity and sheer number of Twitter users and applications available to help navigate the blur of tweets is mind-boggling. Entrepreneurs behind applications such as twitterjobcast, created by laid-off Web designer David Pew, are tweaking Twitter to bust through the clutter.

Yet the "clutter" that so many Twitter app writers are claiming to be clearing up also happens to be one of Twitter's biggest weaknesses, say frustrated users.

Brett Ashton, a San Jose father of two who was laid off in January from Hewlett-Packard, has mixed feelings about Twitter. Yes, it was helpful in making him more intimately knowledgeable about companies he had staked out for jobs. But Ashton says those benefits were largely erased by Twitter's near-gridlock traffic.

"The information overload gets to be too much at times," he says. "I sort of just scan it now. I see Twitter as a huge asset as an informational tool. But I just haven't been able to use it yet to find a specific job."

Naomi Klein Speaking at Sonoma State Oct 28, 2009

Naomi Klein coming to Sonoma State

by Extra.Credit
October 6th, 2009 11:58am
source

Naomi Klein is coming to Sonoma State University. Author of “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism,” Klein is scheduled to deliver a lecture from her international bestseller at 7:30 p.m.Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Cooperage on campus.

In “The Shock Doctrine,” Klein details a theory of what she calls disaster capitalism – the rapid-fire corporate reengineering of societies still reeling from shock. It’s a strategy that did not begin on September 11, 2001, she said.

The book traces the strategy’s origins back 50 years, to the University of Chicago under Milton Friedman, which produced many of the leading neo-conservative and neo-liberal thinkers whose influence is still profound in Washington today, according to SSU.

New connections are drawn between economic policy, “shock and awe” warfare and covert CIA-funded experiments in electroshock and sensory deprivation in the 1950s, research that helped write the torture manuals used today in Guantanamo Bay, according to SSU.

Klein’s speech is expected to address the key points of her bestselling book, along with her perspective on what it means for the future.

Presented by Associated Students Productions, this event is free to SSU students, faculty and staff. General admission is $15. Tickets are available at the Student Union front desk, (707) 664-2382.

Copies of her book will be available for purchase at the event and Klein will be available for autographs.

For more information, including photos, video clips, and interviews, visit http://www.naomiklein.org/main.


Naomi Klein

Florida News on My Friend Cheryl Dunlap

Scroll down for updates

It is taking way too long for this to get resolved!
My friend Cheryl Dunlap was reported missing December 1, 2007, and her decapitated body was found two weeks later in the Apalachicola National Forest in Florida. We met at Bible school in 2000.



Other related posts on this tragic crime:
December 2007
March 2008

RECENT UPDATE:


Murder suspect Gary Michael Hilton was escorted into Leon County Courtroom 3A under heavy guard as lawyers discussed various motions, including a trial date, in front of Judge Terry Lewis on Friday.(Mike Ewen/Democrat)
Records sought in Hilton hearing

By TaMaryn Waters • DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER • September 26, 2009source

An attorney for the Tallahassee Democrat continued to press for release of documents in the Gary Michael Hilton murder case during a pretrial hearing Friday in Leon Circuit Court.

Meanwhile, prosecutors and defense attorneys couldn't agree on a trial date for Hilton, charged with first-degree murder in the 2007 slaying of Crawfordville resident Cheryl Dunlap. Leon Circuit Judge Terry Lewis earlier this year approved the release of discovery materials in the case with the condition that details that the prosecution or defense thought could prejudice a jury would be redacted.

Michael Glazer, attorney for the Tallahassee Democrat, argued that the public has a right to see the documents before the trial, just as they typically do in criminal proceedings. He said attorneys who have sought to keep pretrial evidence closed haven't done a good job of "policing themselves."

"What's important about this deals with the public's right of access," he said. "This is not about the Democrat. This is about the public's right."

The Tallahassee Democrat filed a motion to obtain the pretrial evidence and challenge the closure of any information that's customarily released. Assistant Public Defender Ines Suber said she was strongly opposed to the release of pretrial evidence and criticized previous news articles that detailed elements of the case.

"They had the nerve to do their own investigation and were harassing witnesses," Suber said of reporters. "No one was there to say you don't have to talk."

Lewis instructed the prosecution and defense to go through records in the case and highlight information they feel should be kept closed. Both sides will meet again with Lewis in an Oct. 23 hearing to discuss pretrial document closure. Lewis will make the final decision on which records should be released.

On the trial-date issue, Suber said she wouldn't be ready to go to trial until 2011 because of the number of witnesses and amount of evidence in the case. However, Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman said she saw no reason why the trial couldn't begin in the spring. Lewis told both sides he wants to set a trial date during the Oct. 23 hearing.

"2011 seems like an awful long time to get ready," Lewis said, adding that, "If you have a lot of witnesses, you want to lock them on a trial date."

Hilton, who is being held in the Leon County Jail, is serving a life sentence for the January 2008 murder of Georgia resident Meredith Emerson, and he's a suspect in the killing of a North Carolina couple.

October 6, 2009 UPDATE
Found the following article from a few months ago in which Hilton is implicated in yet another missing person. What struck me is the store clerk said the man (Hilton?) told him "he was a preacher who traveled to various campgrounds across the region" and Hilton could have used this line with Cheryl since she too did Christian service.
Killer Gary Hilton may be linked to missing Miami woman

By CHRISTIAN BOONE
Cobb County News 6:57 p.m.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionsource

The father of a missing Miami woman said a man seen with his daughter the day she disappeared bears a strong resemblance to convicted killer Gary Michael Hilton.

“It looks like [Hilton],” said Anibal Miliani, who lives in Miami. A newly circulated sketch from an FBI-trained artist is breathing new life into suspicions that Hilton may have been involved in Rossana Miliani’s disappearance. Her father hasn’t seen or talked to Rossana since Dec. 7, 2005, when the then-26-year-old was spotted with a graying stranger purchasing a backpack in a Bryson City, N.C. general store.

Hilton, sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Buford hiker Meredith Emerson and awaiting trial in the decapitation of a Florida Sunday school teacher, is the sole suspect in two other murders and has been termed a “person of interest” in a third.

The store clerk who waited on Rossana said the man accompanying her was in his late 50s or early 60s and appeared to have been wearing a hairpiece. He told the clerk (who didn’t come forward until hearing about the Miliani case some two years after she was reported missing) that he was a preacher who traveled to various campgrounds across the region.

Private investigator Steve Siske, hired by the Milianis to find Rossana, said the clerk thought Rossana appeared nervous. North Carolina’s State Bureau of Investigation told Siske they plan to interview Hilton, but so far that hasn’t happened.

"The NC State Bureau of Investigation is still considering a possible connection between Hilton and Miliani’s disappearance, but that is not the sole focus of our investigation," said Noelle Talley, spokeswoman for the North Carolina bureau of investigation.

Miliani’s father doesn’t believe his daughter, who suffers from bipolar disorder but has traveled extensively, ran away or committed suicide.

"She called me most every night, to check in" he said. On Dec. 6, 2005, she rang her dad from a Cherokee Ramada Inn roughly five miles from Bryson City. Rossana, who had taken the bus from south Florida to North Carolina earlier that day, told him she wanted to go hiking on the Appalachian Trail.

Emerson, Hilton's first identified victim, was abducted from Blood Mountain in north Georgia on New Year’s Day 2008. Authorities in North Carolina have implicated him in the October 2007 murders of an elderly North Carolina couple, John and Irene Bryant, last seen hiking in Pisgah National Forest.

Prosecutors in Leon County, Fla., plan to seek the death penalty against Hilton for killing Cheryl Hodges Dunlap. Her dismembered body was found Dec. 15, 2007, in the Apalachicola National Forest — roughly 200 miles from where Ormond Beach, Fla. stock clerk Michael Scot Louis’ decapitated remains had been located eight days earlier.

Hilton is deemed a "person of interest" in Louis’ murder.

"We know [Hilton] was in the area at the time, and dismemberment is very uncommon," said Sgt. James Gogarty with the Ormond Beach Police Department. Their evidence “links with what they [Leon County investigators] have on [Hilton],” he said.

There’s no evidence connecting Hilton to Miliani -- just a sketch and some striking similarities to other cases involving the erstwhile drifter.

“The frustration I have with the case is, if it’s not Hilton, who is it?” Siske said. “If he’s not involved, then we can eliminate the only real lead we have so far.”

Ormond Beach investigators say they, too, want to question Hilton, but he’s not talking, Gogarty said.

"It’s so painful not knowing," Anibal Miliani said. "I hope she never met [Hilton], but I want to know one way or another. It’s been almost four years."

Answers in the Louis case are also proving elusive. Investigators are waiting for DNA evidence from a California lab that might link Hilton to Louis’ murder, though officials say it could be months before results are available.


A newly circulated sketch of a man seen with a Miami woman on the day she disappeared resembles convicted killer Gary Michael Hilton, the woman's father said. The store clerk who described the man to the sketch artist suspects he was wearing a hairpiece.


Gary Hilton 1995 Mug Shot from the AJC File photo, Cobb Co. Sheriff's Office. Gary Michael Hilton was convicted in the death of missing hiker Meredith Emerson.

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Another article from last month...

Convicted murderer Gary Hilton's campsite found in Georgia woods

By Ashley Wilson • September 17, 2009 03:55 PM
Citizen-Times.com
Asheville, Virginia
source

FANNIN COUNTY, GA. — A campsite belonging to convicted murderer Gary Michael Hilton was found in northern Georgia.

Hilton is suspected in the slayings of Henderson County couple Jack and Irene Bryant, who disappeared in October 2007 while hiking near the Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah National Forest. Hilton has not been charged in their killings.

A hunter scouting for deer signs stumbled on the campsite Friday in Chattahoochee National Forest in Fannin County, Ga., near the border between Georgia and Tennessee, said Sgt. Justin Turner of the Fannin County Sheriff's Department.

The hunter contacted the U.S. Forest Service, which determined the campsite was Hilton's. He was known to frequent that area of the national forest, which is remote, Turner said.

The campsite contained personal items and camping equipment. Turner did not know if any of the items were connected to criminal activity.

All the items have now been turned over to the state Department of Law Enforcement in Florida, where Hilton is awaiting trial for the murder of Cheryl Dunlap, of Tallahassee, Fla., said John Bankhead, spokesman for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

N.C. Bureau of Investigation officials have been made aware of the campsite. Florida authorities will contact them if any items can be connected to the Bryants' killings, Bankhead said.

Hilton is serving a life sentence for the abduction and murder of Georgia hiker Meredith Emerson, 24. The campsite was located near the area of Emerson's abduction, Turner said.

The body of Irene Bryant, 84, was found in the Pink Beds area of Pisgah National Forest in November. The body of John Bryant, 80, was found three months later near Franklin.

ARTICLE COMMENTS AS OF 10/6/09

gracelyn wrote:
my sister went missing around the same time. she was in route from Atlanta to Cullowhee to her daughter's graduation from Pisgah High School. She was trying to hitch a ride. that is the last time we ever heard from her. if anyone knows how to ask this man about her or get the police to we are searching for any and all clues. her name is terri beth thomason holifield originally from Asheville. she is listed on the north american missing person's website. she was last heard from in may 2006. i will never give up trying to find out what happened to her.
9/17/2009 9:53:02 AM

sdiwbfar wrote:
Replying to gracelyn:
You should contact the FBI in Asheville, probably the closest office to Cullowhee, at 828-253-1643. I'm pretty sure the Asheville-area federal authorities are investigating for the Bryant couple and Hilton will eventually be charged in Western North Carolina court for those murders. You could also contact the FBI in the Atlanta-area and see if they have any information about any unidentified bodies found in that area.
9/17/2009 2:35:12 PM

Wolfscratch wrote:
gracelyn,
Which LE Agency is investigating her dissapearance? Has her DNA been submitted to LE?

A great resource in North Carolina is CUE Center for the Missing. Monica Caison found her childhood friend after almost 3 decades through DNA.. Our hearts and prayers go out to you and your family...
Wolfscratch
9/17/2009 9:05:47 PM

Wolfscratch wrote:
gracelyn, this is all I could find on your sister:

Persons Network Terri Beth Holifield Above Images: Holifield, circa unknown Vital ... AKA: Terry, Terri Beth Details of Disappearance ... mainly in Athens Ga, North Carolina.

Please provide some links or information on her dissapearance.
Websleuths: Search Gary Hilton or Cheryl Dunlap for an active discussion.
Wolfscratch
9/17/2009 9:14:33 PM

Elizadeath wrote:
It really sucks that we have to fear these psycho killers in the national forests, it makes me not want to go camping or hiking. This isn't the first one to kill people camping out in the woods. I don't really worry about bears or mountain lions, I worry about people. I know I shouldn't let that keep me from things I enjoy, but I can't help but think about it when I'm out there. Humans can be so cruel.

Gracelyn, I'm really sorry about your sister, and I truly hope that you find her. The suggestions made by other commentors are good ones, check with those; also try the SBI, I don't know where the closest office is here, but I would imagine they have someone involved in this case, and can help you to find out if this man is connected to your sister's disapearance. Good luck and blessings to you and your family.
9/24/2009 1:34:49 AM

Wolfscratch wrote:
White Horse Trail off Coopers Creek Rd.

I have been backtracking GMH, since 01/06/08 which began as a search for Meredith Hope Emerson's remains.

The fannin county campsite was GMH's destination on 01/01/08 but due to 2" of snow and LE working an accident in Dahlonega, he detoured to HWY 52 & endded up in the Afton Rd.(30534) dawsonville area.

There were several duffle bags with clothes & books. A trunk with the skeleton of his previous dog Ranger in it. several pistols at least one was pellet, not sure about the others. Hand trucks/dolly.
While the park official was going through one of the bags he found a plastic bag with gary hilton's name on it. Inside was a pair of lady's panties. He backed out & contacted LE at that time.
http://glennindawson.blogspot.com/
9/27/2009 11:31:38 PM

October 8, 2009 UPDATE

Just catching up - here's video clips and an article from Jan/Feb 2009

New evidence released in Gary Michael Hilton case

abc27 wtxl.tv
Posted: Jan 30, 2009 03:25 PM PST
Updated: Feb 2, 2009 02:19 PM PSTsource

Disturbing pictures to show from evidence just released in the Gary Michael Hilton case.

A judge has just released 381 pages of pretrial evidence from the case. It includes several different eyewitness accounts people say were they either saw or spoke with Hilton.

Also a Georgia couple saying they saw Cheryl Dunlap's car with a male passenger in the backseat that looked suspicious. Hilton's next case management hearing is March 13th.

Click on the video player to watch the full story.



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Detectives connecting Hilton to another murder
abc27 wtxl.tv
Posted: June 18, 2009 02:03 PM PDT
Updated: June 18, 2009 02:52 PM PDTsource

Ormond Beach, FL (WTXL)--Detectives in central Florida are connecting Gary Michael Hilton to yet another murder, this one in Ormond Beach. Investigators and dive teams swarmed the Tomoka River back in 2007 after a fisherman found the dismembered body of Michael Louis.

At the time, police didn't have any solid leads, but now evidence has popped up that has caused police to look at Hilton. All of his victims' bodies were found chopped up, the remains dumped in the woods.

Hilton is already serving time for decapitating and dismembering a young woman in Georgia and Ormond Beach. Detectives say his method of killing fits this case.

Police won't say exactly what they are testing and until they get results, there is no other solid evidence that connects Hilton to the killing. Hilton is also charged with the death of Crawfordville woman Cheryl Dunlap.



February 16, 2010 UPDATE

Next court date for Gary Hilton set for March 17

Tallahassee.com
January 27, 2010
source

During a case management conference at the Leon County Courthouse this morning, attorneys in the case of Gary Michael Hilton provided brief updates to a circuit court judge and agreed to a March 17 conference to check the status of the trial preparations.

Hilton, who is already convicted of murder in Georgia, is charged with kidnapping and killing Crawfordville resident Cheryl Dunlap. The first-degree murder trial is set for July 12.

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