Once upon a time in a land far, far away... OK, well, actually several years ago in the OC, there was an 18-year-old who at least dabbled in cocaine and she got in a fight with at least one of her parents, took their expensive sports car for a late-night high-speed drive, and got herself mangled and killed in the process. Thankfully, she did not kill anyone else.
The responding law enforcement agency documented the accident scene, including taking pictures.
Some unprofessional members of that agency leaked the pictures.
Those pictures have found no small audience online. That's bad enough.
Unfortunately, some people took to cyberbullying by sending and delivering the photos to the deceased's family.
The family has just now reached a settlement. It is too bad that taxpayers, or an insurance company hired by taxpayers, are paying for this settlement.
I've deliberately been vague about this. You really don't need to search for the pictures.
The deceased suffered for her bad choices.
Shame on those who leaked the photos.
Shame on those who have bullied the family.
Showing posts with label Darwin Awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Darwin Awards. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Don't Try This at Home (or Wherever There's a Road)
Angel Jennings reports at LATimes.com:
1. The teen is a potential Darwin Award candidate who was simply being stupid.
2. The teen was intentionally trying to commit suicide.
3. The teen was assaulted and left in the street, or suffered some sort of medical issue such as seizure, and fell down in the street (though the text of the article probably would have mentioned something about that).
It's a terrible situation no matter what, but I somehow feel numbers 1 and 2 are worse, and at first glance, I was sure it was #1.
If it was 1 or 2, then you know what we need? A National Office of Not Being Human Roadkill, perhaps with a Czar or Secretary cabinet position. We can tax gasoline even more to pay for it, and then when those revenues take a dip, we can raise incomes taxes to keep such a necessary office and the people who've been retired from it for 40 years fully funded. We'll have public service announcements, printed warnings, education programs, and we'll have to teach in our schools about prominent people in history who have been hit by cars. Or maybe not.
A teen in the Sacramento suburb of Natomas sustained life-threatening injuries after being run over by a car while lying in the street, authorities said.Did he trip? Had he been assaulted and left in the street?
The 16-year-old was in the middle of the road wearing headphones about 7 p.m. Tuesday when the Chevy ran him over on Regginald Way and Taylor Street, Fox40 News in Sacramento reported.The driver, apparently not an illegal alien with no license and no insurance, actually stopped and called the police! Yay! No charges have been filed against the driver, who is probably traumatized.
The teen was being treated at a hospital for critical injuries considered life-threatening.As far as I can tell, there are three possibilities here:
1. The teen is a potential Darwin Award candidate who was simply being stupid.
2. The teen was intentionally trying to commit suicide.
3. The teen was assaulted and left in the street, or suffered some sort of medical issue such as seizure, and fell down in the street (though the text of the article probably would have mentioned something about that).
It's a terrible situation no matter what, but I somehow feel numbers 1 and 2 are worse, and at first glance, I was sure it was #1.
If it was 1 or 2, then you know what we need? A National Office of Not Being Human Roadkill, perhaps with a Czar or Secretary cabinet position. We can tax gasoline even more to pay for it, and then when those revenues take a dip, we can raise incomes taxes to keep such a necessary office and the people who've been retired from it for 40 years fully funded. We'll have public service announcements, printed warnings, education programs, and we'll have to teach in our schools about prominent people in history who have been hit by cars. Or maybe not.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Darwin Award Candidate: Raul Garcia Jr. of Lynwood
I could probably muster up some sympathy for someone who steals food to feed their kid and gets hurt in the process. But I just can't muster up any for vandals who are injured or killed as a direct result of the commission of their crime. In fact, I kind of like reading about it. I'm hard pressed to find a more welcome recent headline than “Tagger Struck and Killed on 710 Freeway”. Raja Abdulrahim reported at LATimes.com.
"LAUSD teacher" at December 11, 2010 at 04:50 PM:
"WC" at December 12, 2010 at 06:43 AM:
A 20-year-old tagger was hit by two cars and killed early this morning on the northbound 710 Freeway in the Compton area, the California Highway Patrol said.He's 20 and he's running around vandalizing. Not getting enough coursework at the local university?
Raul Garcia Jr. of Lynwood and two other men had been tagging the center divider and, at 4:17 a.m., they began running east across the freeway, the CHP said.What a shame... a shame that a couple of drivers will forever have these memories (the second driver committed the crime of "hit and run" and I wouldn't be surprised if it was an unlicensed driver = illegal alien). And it is a shame that traffic was no doubt slowed.
Garcia was hit by a Nissan Maxima that had just merged into the far left lane, the CHP said. He was thrown into the next lane and struck by another vehicle, which drove away.
Garcia was pronounced dead at the scene. The two others were detained, and all four lanes of traffic were closed for two hours.
"LAUSD teacher" at December 11, 2010 at 04:50 PM:
These young men had opportunities in school to achieve and teachers who cared yet they chose to blight the city instead of improve their minds and their communities. It starts at home, with books instead of video games and travel instead of TV. At 20 years old he should have been working toward his future."Ome-Coatl" at December 11, 2010 at 05:45 PM:
The sad part is that he died for nothing noble.Then comes this by "BOO BOO" December 11, 2010 at 10:59 PM:
No one can even read or understand what he scrawled on the wall.
In two week's time, it will be covered up by another tagger.
Tagging is a mental illness. It is a pathological behavior of defacing the world because they are unable to "make their mark" in an authentic, productive way.
REST IN PARADISE KAUE, WE WILL ALWAYS MISS YOU!Uhm, yeah.
"WC" at December 12, 2010 at 06:43 AM:
I'm trying hard to view Garcia as someone who was more than just a worthless tagger, but then I consider the psychological trauma sustained by the driver of the vehicle that initially struck him and, it's difficult not to think the world is better off without him.What a waste. If his mother was any kind of decent mother, I feel for her. I wonder if he impressed some girl enough to get her pregnant and thus leaves behind kids?
Monday, November 08, 2010
The (Dead) Guy Next Door
Here's something for "Law & Order: Los Angeles". Andrew Blankstein at LATimes.com reports on a man found dead close to the Playboy Mansion. The initial reports had been that he had been found dead on Hugh Hefner's property, but he was actually at the adjoining Los Angeles Country Club. So I guess those dire warnings that Playboy leads to death are actually true in this case.
But let's look at motive anyway.
1. The place is famous. Maybe he just wanted to say he'd been there, although it probably wouldn't have been too hard for him to go there for some charity event. A little asking around with friends might have gotten him there for such an event. I have a brother-in-law who went to a charity event there. And, having been born and raised in SoCal, I'm like a lot of other people around here in that I am a mere two degrees separated from an actual Playboy centerfold playmate of the month. In other words, someone I know very well knows her. I'm not aware of anyone I personally know having appeared nude in the magazine.
2. Since the place is famous, maybe burglary was his motive. You know – steal something, sell it on eBay, or keep it as a trophy.
3. Maybe this was a prank he was put up to by buddies.
4. Hot young women.
That last reason is why so many men do so many stupid things. But assuming there were actually hot young women there at the time, would an intruder get anywhere near them? Probably not, And let's assume he was actually invited there. Hot young women, even ones who do nude pictorials and videos, may not be friendly, or friendly to certain guys – never mind getting to see any skin. Yes, hot young women are friendly to Hugh Hefner. On camera. For money. It doesn't mean they'd be friendly to Anthony Washington.
As far as the "hot young women" thing, I think back to a story Dennis Prager tells. He once saw a sign announcing an appearance by a Playboy playmate, and he figured he was in for some good eye candy. So he went, and if I recall correctly there were a few people sitting at a table (perhaps it was a book signing) and he actually had to ask which one was the playmate. He reasons that since he had to ask, then how much more beautiful than any other woman could she be? Of course, when someone's sitting at a table and wearing a cap and sunglasses as she probably was, she's not going to look anything like she does in pictures – and, attractive women tend to hang out with other attractive women. Regardless, though, there is truth to what Prager says. A lot of it is lighting, make-up, photo retouching, etc.
The most important thing to land that gig is the "right" facial features. If a woman is not already famous and thus wanted by the magazine editors, then she doesn't stand a chance of being featured unless she has the face for it. After that, she has to be very thin. Bust size doesn't really matter all that much, contrary to stereotype. The face, and a thin figure with proportions that will work on camera – if a young woman has those two physical attributes, and can model, then they can work with her. The people who put those images together are experienced professionals and they've done research into what turns on their target readers and know exactly what they're doing in regards to the posing, the makeup, the lighting, etc.
This is a long way of saying that just because there are hot pictures in that magazine does not mean that the women will look like that in person.
It ain't worth your life. It wouldn't be worth it even if they did look like that.
And ladies, your husband doesn't care if you don't look anything like one of those playmates. Nothing is more beautiful to him than a woman who loves him, respects him, treats him right, and enthusiastically makes love with him. Static magazine pictures or video, even of smooth skin and toned legs, just can't hold a candle.
The man who was found dead at the Los Angeles Country Club over the weekend was detained at the Playboy mansion hours before and may have been trying to get back on the grounds when he fell to his death from a tree adjacent to the sprawling Holmby Hills property, law enforcement sources said Monday.He may have been drunk, and if he was, than his motivations might not have been logical.
Anthony Washington, 36, of Santa Monica, may have been trying to get onto the grounds of the mansion when a branch he was on broke, according to sources familiar with the case. The coroner's office is classifying the death as "accidental" but did not immediately release details on the injuries suffered by Washington.
But let's look at motive anyway.
1. The place is famous. Maybe he just wanted to say he'd been there, although it probably wouldn't have been too hard for him to go there for some charity event. A little asking around with friends might have gotten him there for such an event. I have a brother-in-law who went to a charity event there. And, having been born and raised in SoCal, I'm like a lot of other people around here in that I am a mere two degrees separated from an actual Playboy centerfold playmate of the month. In other words, someone I know very well knows her. I'm not aware of anyone I personally know having appeared nude in the magazine.
2. Since the place is famous, maybe burglary was his motive. You know – steal something, sell it on eBay, or keep it as a trophy.
3. Maybe this was a prank he was put up to by buddies.
4. Hot young women.
That last reason is why so many men do so many stupid things. But assuming there were actually hot young women there at the time, would an intruder get anywhere near them? Probably not, And let's assume he was actually invited there. Hot young women, even ones who do nude pictorials and videos, may not be friendly, or friendly to certain guys – never mind getting to see any skin. Yes, hot young women are friendly to Hugh Hefner. On camera. For money. It doesn't mean they'd be friendly to Anthony Washington.
As far as the "hot young women" thing, I think back to a story Dennis Prager tells. He once saw a sign announcing an appearance by a Playboy playmate, and he figured he was in for some good eye candy. So he went, and if I recall correctly there were a few people sitting at a table (perhaps it was a book signing) and he actually had to ask which one was the playmate. He reasons that since he had to ask, then how much more beautiful than any other woman could she be? Of course, when someone's sitting at a table and wearing a cap and sunglasses as she probably was, she's not going to look anything like she does in pictures – and, attractive women tend to hang out with other attractive women. Regardless, though, there is truth to what Prager says. A lot of it is lighting, make-up, photo retouching, etc.
The most important thing to land that gig is the "right" facial features. If a woman is not already famous and thus wanted by the magazine editors, then she doesn't stand a chance of being featured unless she has the face for it. After that, she has to be very thin. Bust size doesn't really matter all that much, contrary to stereotype. The face, and a thin figure with proportions that will work on camera – if a young woman has those two physical attributes, and can model, then they can work with her. The people who put those images together are experienced professionals and they've done research into what turns on their target readers and know exactly what they're doing in regards to the posing, the makeup, the lighting, etc.
This is a long way of saying that just because there are hot pictures in that magazine does not mean that the women will look like that in person.
It ain't worth your life. It wouldn't be worth it even if they did look like that.
And ladies, your husband doesn't care if you don't look anything like one of those playmates. Nothing is more beautiful to him than a woman who loves him, respects him, treats him right, and enthusiastically makes love with him. Static magazine pictures or video, even of smooth skin and toned legs, just can't hold a candle.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
What's Up, Doc?
Crazy doctors who do foolish things for love aren’t just the stuff of TV soaps. Just check out this LATimes.com blog entry by Robert J. Lopez:
Some of the comments left on the blog entry were not especially sensitive.
"All Hallows Eve" August 31, 2010 at 08:37 PM:
A woman's decomposing body was found wedged inside her boyfriend's chimney after she tried to sneak into his Bakersfield house, authorities said Tuesday.Wonder what she was going to do when she got inside? Read further. She wasn't going to surprise him with sex.
The body of Jacquelyn Kotarac, 49, a doctor who had an "on-again, off-again" relationship with the man, was stuck in the chimney for three days before being discovered by woman who was house-sitting, the Bakersfield Police Department said.Now there's a pleasant surprise.
Kotarac had come to the home Wednesday night but the boyfriend wouldn't let her in. "To avoid a confrontation," DeGeare said, "he wouldn't let her in."Smart move.
So Kotarac used a shovel and tried unsuccessfully to force her way in through a back door, police said. She then climbed the roof and slid down the chimney. But her boyfriend had already left the house, police said.Crazy chicks are great in the sack. And that's all a lot of fun, until they get pregnant, get you fired, chop your willy off, or they kill you.
Some of the comments left on the blog entry were not especially sensitive.
"All Hallows Eve" August 31, 2010 at 08:37 PM:
I suppose the relationship is officially "off-again," yes?"Onboard skeptic" September 01, 2010 at 07:40 AM:
Why couldn't she have come in through the "bathroom window?"(paying homage to the Beatles here)."MacAndrews" September 01, 2010 at 09:26 AM:
Ho-Ho-Ho
Monday, September 14, 2009
Suspected Burglar Killed
If you've read my past blog entries on crime, you know that I think that just about anything bad that happens to you while you are trying to commit a property or personal crime is your own darn fault. I have little sympathy for someone hurt or killed while trying to harm someone else.
Jack Leonard and Robin Mayper report in this Los Angeles Times blog:
The real tragedy is that some family member of this guy will probably get lots of money from the gate manufacturer and the property owner.
Jack Leonard and Robin Mayper report in this Los Angeles Times blog:
A suspected burglar was killed early today [Sunday] when a heavy metal gate fell on him as he tried to break into a South Los Angeles business complex, authorities said.I would include the guy's name, but they didn't have it yet.
Police believe the man was trying to slip past the gate in the 1800 block of East 41st Place near Alameda Street when he was crushed, said Los Angeles Police Lt. Faryl Fletcher
The real tragedy is that some family member of this guy will probably get lots of money from the gate manufacturer and the property owner.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Suspected Copper Wire Thieves Fried
Corina Knoll of the Los Angeles Times brings us a "stupid criminal" story.
Perhaps their buddies or siblings will leave a comment here talking about how they were actually involved in some complicated and noble effort to save lives, not stealing copper for cash? Or that since they were "great guys" and never stole copper wire from them I shouldn't discuss the article here?
Call me cold hearted, but I have little to no sympathy for a person who is injured or killed while engaging in some sort of immoral or rightly illegal activity. Have I ever been immoral? Yes, many times, and I deserved every problem that came my way while being immoral.
The bodies of two men believed to have been electrocuted while stealing copper wiring were found early Tuesday on an abandoned driving range in Riverside County, authorities said.So - was it worth it?
A spokeswoman with the coroner's office said the bodies were burned beyond recognition and would possibly be identified today.Yes, we'll need those names for the Darwin Awards nomination.
"They were attempting to remove copper wire from inside what we call a pad-mount enclosure -- it's an electrical box or structure that contains high-voltage energized equipment," said Steve Conroy, a Southern California Edison spokesman.What a shame that others were incovenienced.
The fire caused a 12,000-volt line connected to the circuit to go out of service, Conroy said, and about 1,600 residences in Hemet and San Jacinto were affected by a brief power outage.
Perhaps their buddies or siblings will leave a comment here talking about how they were actually involved in some complicated and noble effort to save lives, not stealing copper for cash? Or that since they were "great guys" and never stole copper wire from them I shouldn't discuss the article here?
Call me cold hearted, but I have little to no sympathy for a person who is injured or killed while engaging in some sort of immoral or rightly illegal activity. Have I ever been immoral? Yes, many times, and I deserved every problem that came my way while being immoral.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Another Darwin Award Candidate
Another vandal has been killed in traffic. This time, it was 17-year-old Blake Locko of Riverside, California. Riverside is east of Los Angeles. Apparently, Blake was vandalizing the center divider of the 60 Freeway. Larry Gordon reports on the LATimes.com blog.
If your minor child is out at 2:30 a.m. without supervision, chances are they are not doing something legal, productive, or moral.
Blake Locko of Riverside was standing in the westbound carpool lane just east of Hall Avenue about 2:30 a.m. when he was first hit by a car and thrown over a 5-foot-high concrete divider onto eastbound lanes, where he was then hit by several other vehicles, the CHP said. Locko died at the scene, and one of the drivers was treated at Riverside Community Hospital for neck injuries.What, was he up early for work? Had he been up late studying? Where were his parents? Those drivers can sue his parents for psychological damages as well as medical bills and damage to their vehicles – as if losing their son wasn't enough pain.
If your minor child is out at 2:30 a.m. without supervision, chances are they are not doing something legal, productive, or moral.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Darwin Award Candidate Announced Today
I know we're not supposed to take glee in the death of another human being, but I can't bring myself to shed a tear for Darwin Award candidate Jaime Herrera, 25, of Los Angeles.
You see, today he was defacing public property with spray-paint graffiti - a traffic sign, no less, which is important for traffic safety – and then he ran across notoriously busy Interstate 5 near downtown Los Angeles. Yes, that freeway is busy even and 4:30am.
While he was running – trespassing after "tagging" public property - he was struck and killed by someone driving a Toyota Camry. A buddy who was with him survived, and I'm sure will have lots of good memories about what a brilliant use of their time they made with their morning today.
Here is the real tragedy in all of this:
Graffiti is one of my biggest pet peeves. And crimes of ignorance or omission or even desperation or passion are one thing. I have no sympathy for someone who chooses to engage in such senseless criminal activity such as tagging and then gets injured or killed as a result.
You see, today he was defacing public property with spray-paint graffiti - a traffic sign, no less, which is important for traffic safety – and then he ran across notoriously busy Interstate 5 near downtown Los Angeles. Yes, that freeway is busy even and 4:30am.
While he was running – trespassing after "tagging" public property - he was struck and killed by someone driving a Toyota Camry. A buddy who was with him survived, and I'm sure will have lots of good memories about what a brilliant use of their time they made with their morning today.
Here is the real tragedy in all of this:
The freeway was backed up for miles this morning as three lanes were closed for more than an hour.Click through to read the LATimes.com blog entry by Corina Knoll, and whatever comments have been approved.
Graffiti is one of my biggest pet peeves. And crimes of ignorance or omission or even desperation or passion are one thing. I have no sympathy for someone who chooses to engage in such senseless criminal activity such as tagging and then gets injured or killed as a result.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Asia Leeshawn Ferguson – Darwin Award Candidate
I feel for this guy’s family, but I will not refrain from calling him an idiot. In this Atlanta Journal-Constitution article by Rhonda Cook and Marcus Garner, we read how he died.
I bet the family still gets a settlement or at least tries to.
Didn’t even make it to 18.
Pleasant, huh?
Somebody’s going to need counseling.
Being a former theme park employee, I know that the parks go to extremes to protect people. But there’s always going to be someone who is going to kill themselves through their own stupidity. Deaths involving rides are rare enough that they always make the national news, and most of those deaths are caused by customer mistakes, not operator error, mechanical failure, or design flaw. You are probably safer in the theme park than you are getting there. I firmly believe in “rider responsibility” as long as they have access to information about the ride and what kind of stresses it puts on the body.
This guy wasn’t even on the ride, though. He was trespassing. There was no excuse to go where he did, except to save someone else’s life.
Another example of how not following the rules can be deadly.
The popular "Batman the Ride" rollercoaster at Six Flags Over Georgia remained closed Sunday while authorities continued investigating the death of a teenager who jumped over two fences and was struck by the ride.
I bet the family still gets a settlement or at least tries to.
The 17-year-old South Carolina teen who died was identified as Asia Leeshawn Ferguson, of Springfield, S.C.
Didn’t even make it to 18.
Signs about 40 to 50 feet apart on the outer fence warn that it is a "restricted area" for "authorized personnel only."
According to park officials, a sign on a locked gate at the chain link fence also reads "Danger zone" and "Do not enter."
Ferguson was decapitated when the ride struck him, police said.
Pleasant, huh?
Pierce said there were many witnesses, and the county's 911 center was almost immediately flooded with calls from people reporting what they had seen.
Somebody’s going to need counseling.
Being a former theme park employee, I know that the parks go to extremes to protect people. But there’s always going to be someone who is going to kill themselves through their own stupidity. Deaths involving rides are rare enough that they always make the national news, and most of those deaths are caused by customer mistakes, not operator error, mechanical failure, or design flaw. You are probably safer in the theme park than you are getting there. I firmly believe in “rider responsibility” as long as they have access to information about the ride and what kind of stresses it puts on the body.
This guy wasn’t even on the ride, though. He was trespassing. There was no excuse to go where he did, except to save someone else’s life.
Another example of how not following the rules can be deadly.
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