News

A convicted bank robber discovered he could argue his case as well or better than any lawyer. He prevailed and is now out of prison.

He's planning on going to law school.

Shon R. Hopwood was not a particularly sophisticated bank robber.

“We would walk into a bank with firearms, tell people to get down, take the money and run,” he said the other day, recalling five robberies in rural Nebraska in 1997 and 1998 that yielded some $200,000 and more than a decade in federal prison.

Mr. Hopwood spent much of that time in the prison law library, and it turned out he was better at understanding the law than breaking it. He transformed himself into something rare at the top levels of the American bar, and unheard of behind bars — an accomplished Supreme Court practitioner.

He prepared his first petition for certiorari — a request that the Supreme Court hear a case — for a fellow inmate on a prison typewriter in 2002. Since Mr. Hopwood was not a lawyer, the only name on the brief was that of the other prisoner, John Fellers.

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Michael Jackson's physician pleads not guilty to manslaughter charges.
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While much of the rest of the federal government gets things done, Congress doesn't, and therefore it really doesn't matter whether our elected officials go to work or not in the blizzard weather hitting D.C.

News

It isn't any surprise at all union membership is at its lowest in a century:

All told, more than 8 million industrial jobs have been wiped out since manufacturing employment peaked in 1979. The percentage of the labor force made up of manufacturing workers has continued its steady decline, falling to less than 9 percent, from a high of 39 percent in 1939.

Perhaps the sharpest expression of the moribund character of the unions is their inability to recruit younger workers. By age, the union membership rate was highest among workers 55 to 64 years old (16.6 percent), while only 4.7 percent of those 16 to 24 were union members.

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Michael Jackson's doctor is prepared to surrender:

A lawyer for Michael Jackson's personal physician said Tuesday that the Houston-based doctor is in Los Angeles and prepared to surrender if authorities file charges against him in the pop star's death.

"I don't have any specific information that leads me to believe he is going to be charged this week," lawyer Ed Chernoff said, "but if he is, we've made it clear he's available to turn himself in."

The arrival of Dr. Conrad Murray and Chernoff, his lead attorney, from Houston set off a new round of speculation that authorities, who have been mulling a manslaughter case against the doctor since last summer, were about to file charges.

Misc

Police are wondering whether Ryan Jenkins had help in disposing of his ex-wife's body.
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The Michael Jackson saga will never end: Drugs were involved in the singer's death:

Michael Jackson died of "lethal levels" of the powerful anesthetic propofol, according to a search warrant affidavit unsealed today in Houston.

The court documents quote the L.A. County coroner's office as reaching that conclusion after an autopsy of the pop star.

The documents address one of the major unanswered questions surrounding Jackson's death. But they also raise new questions about how Jackson was treated, particularly in the hours before his death.

Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal doctor, told detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department that he had been treating Jackson for insomnia for about six weeks. He had been giving Jackson 50 milligrams of propofol every night using an intravenous line, according to the court records.

Here is a copy of the search warrant.

MJ Commentary/News

As usual the WSWS has some of the best cultural commentary around, and their piece about Michael Jackson is no exception.

The writer points out how Jackson, a product of the media, was exploited and damaged by the same media, which, after his death, praised him to the rafters:

On the other hand, celebrity itself plays an important and unhealthy role in the US. In a country where only the most constricted official debate takes place over vital issues (between right-wing and other, even more right-wing conceptions) and political life is almost entirely scripted, a voyeuristic fascination with the lives of the wealthy and famous helps fill some of the void and also diverts the attention of the population from its real needs and interests.

At the same time, however, popular frustration and discontent do not disappear. The general public’s attitude, nourished by the media, toward “celebrities” often veers between uncritical admiration and resentment. The tabloids, talk shows and “entertainment news programs” manipulate these sentiments for their own purposes. The unfortunate athlete, pop star or movie performer who falls from grace may find him or herself demonized in a truly monstrous manner.

For someone like Jackson, gifted but also psychologically deeply troubled, to be violently jerked around—adored one day, ridiculed and despised the next—must have been particularly distressing. This is a man who, according to his own words, lived for his performances on the stage and for the adulation of anonymous masses of people.

Now, the giant media and entertainment machinery will try and extract what value it can from Jackson’s death, while keeping its eyes open for its next victim.

It wasn't Michael Jackson who was a predator after all.
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MJ's mom got temporary custody of his three children.
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MJ's doctor gets a defense from his lawyer.
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MJ

The quack attending to Jackson the day he died is not considered a suspect in the singer's death.

Meanwhile, a distrustful Jackson family ordered a second autopsy of the late singer.

Last night on one of the cable news shows, it was mentioned M.J.'s most valuable asset was his music catalog, which he owned, as well as catalogs from other entertainers. Despite Jackson being heavily in debt, the fact he has sold so many CDs, downloads, etc. since he died Thursday means his estate will shortly be out of debt if not already.

His three kids stand to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars regardless of their spendthrift dad.

It's not likely anybody could be as globally popular as Michael Jackson (let alone Elvis or the Beatles) today because the music market is fragmented thanks to downloads, YouTube, and a bazillion other sources for music.

MJ's M.D.

Lots and lots of questions are being asked about Dr. Conrad Murray.

The cardiologist being sought for questioning in the investigation of Michael Jackson's death was hired by a concert promoter to accompany the entertainer to London for his comeback concert series, a Jackson advisor said today.