Empty Chairs is a recently released narrative nonfiction by Stacey Danson that you can purchase here. User discretion is advised as it is a chilling tale of the author’s prostitution by her mother from infancy, and her struggle to escape and survive the horrific effects of childhood sexual abuse. The [...]]]>

Empty Chairs is a recently released narrative nonfiction by Stacey Danson that you can purchase here. User discretion is advised as it is a chilling tale of the author’s prostitution by her mother from infancy, and her struggle to escape and survive the horrific effects of childhood sexual abuse. The redeeming aspect of this tale is how she was able to survive and in fact go on to become a successful writer who writes in such clear and elegant prose. This is the best childhood abuse survival memoir I have read. You can read more from the writer’s blog here.

I, for one, think Casey Anthony wants to testify. But should she?

Casey is the decider, not her defense team. Many people believe that the decision for a client to testify is solely the lawyer’s prerogative. Yet, legally, the decision rests with the client, taken under the [...]]]>

Tot Mom sez are they gonna screw me now?

by Anne Bremner, originally posted here.

I, for one, think Casey Anthony wants to testify. But should she?

Casey is the decider, not her defense team. Many people believe that the decision for a client to testify is solely the lawyer’s prerogative. Yet, legally, the decision rests with the client, taken under the lawyer’s advisement. If the lawyer knows the client will lie willfully on the stand, however, the lawyer must in-camera inform the court and may have to withdraw. In a trial where many viewers might expect Casey Anthony to stand and confess, there are others who anticipate her remaining sullen and silent–as she has consistently been so far. The world is riveted by this case, wondering whether she will, or will not, testify, while legal commentators constantly debate the question, “Should she, or shouldn’t she?”

The nearly uniform opinion of the legal analysts is that she should not testify. This is because they believe she is a chronic, habitual liar. It is also because this is a case for the defense to raise reasonable doubt; to call a particularly weak defendant just might upset the applecart. Calling Casey to the stand could do far more than that. Recall the epic cross-examination question in the film Witness For the Prosecution? “Were you lying then, or are you lying now, or are you just a contemptible, habitual liar?”

Or consider the Latin phrase, Falset in unum; Falset in omnibus. False in one. False in everything. In some jurisdictions, and in any event in jurors’ minds, if a witness testifies falsely, all the testimony can be disregarded. And if this defendant testifies falsely–which she will be judged to have already done considering evidence of her contemptible history of lying–a death-penalty verdict could become a reality, where, at this time, it is only a distant possibility in her mind.

Many have correctly discussed the fact that the defense bears no burden of proof. True, indeed. Also, that there is no need for the defense to provide evidence about the drowning theory in the Casey Anthony case. False. Falset in unum. Once the defense asserts that certain evidence will be adduced in the trial, the court accedes implicitly that there is good-faith basis for the assertion.

Opening statements can be looked at as tables of content, coming attractions and road maps of what the evidence will show. They are not supposed to be flights of fantasy, conjecture or full of hopefulness with regard to the evidence. Many say Casey need not testify. Falset in omnibus. As a legal commentator, I believe Casey Anthony has to testify. There is no evidence of a drowning accident, nor of sexual abuse, nor will there be, unless Casey Anthony, herself, takes the stand. If she doesn’t, the prosecution should ask that the defense’s opening remarks be stricken. With that, the defense team could be tainted as well by the inference evoked by the web of lies, leaving it without its primary defenses of accident and abuse.

Does Casey, or doesn’t she, want to testify? Should she or shouldn’t she testify? Will she, or won’t she testify? I believe that only Casey knows. But, as we all know, she has been wrong before.

Get The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg released by Night Publishing here for $2.99 and at select times free as an ebook via the Lucky@Night offers. Read Chapter 1 here.

Accutane – the truth that had to be told.

In 2001 Hoffman-La Roche’s drug Accutane was [...]]]>

Get The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg released by Night Publishing here for $2.99 and at select times free as an ebook via the Lucky@Night offers. Read Chapter 1 here.

Accutane – the truth that had to be told.

In 2001 Hoffman-La Roche’s drug Accutane was selling in its billions worldwide as a treatment for acne. For those who suffered from extreme scarring acne, it was something of a miraculous treatment, however evidence started to mount that for others it was a death sentence. Over the next few years it was estimated that between 300 and 3,000 young people being prescribed Accutane since its launch had committed suicide or killed others.

In 2001 the father of young man in Ireland who had committed suicide approached Dr. Doug Bremner as Professor of Psychiatry & Radiology at Emory University to see if he could find a causal link between the drug and depression. His findings were that the drug did have an effect on the brain likely to cause acute depression in some patients, which was not surprising as it is a molecular cousin of Vitamin A which is known to cause depression in excessive quantities.

One might think that Hoffman-La Roche would have welcomed these findings. After all, no-one was doubting that Accutane was an extremely effective remedy in many cases, it was just that it appeared to have lethal side-effects in others.

You might like to think again on that one.

‘The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg’ is the account of what Hoffman-La Roche did next, which was to prosecute a determined, energetic and vindictive campaign against Dr. Bremner designed to suppress his findings and destroy his career and livelihood.

Nonetheless, Dr. Bremner persisted and Hoffman La-Roche have since withdrawn Accutane from the US market, not only for its potentially depressive effects, but also for the likelihood of its causing birth defects and stunting growth.

From the pen of the author of ‘Before You Take That Pill: Why the Drug Industry May Be Bad for Your Health: Risks and Side Effects You Won’t Find on the Label of Commonly Prescribed Drugs, Vitamins, and Supplements’, this is a truly riveting and emotional read detailing just what it costs to take on the full might of one of the largest corporations in the world when you have never claimed to be a saint and have no desire to become a martyr.

Publisher: Nothing But Publishing Ltd (June 23, 2011)

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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to take your breath away, June 26, 2011
By T. Hewtson LE ROUX – See all my reviews
(REAL NAME) This review is from: The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg (Kindle Edition)
Having worked for a highly ethical pharmaceutical company who if a single rat died in Asia pulled the drug worldwide immediately, I am nonethless aware of the way pharmaceuticals are marketed which, like all marketing, is a sophisticated way of bending the truth to make it more appealing than it would be warts ‘n’ all.

With chocolate bars or clothing, the high gloss endorsements of movie stars are simply ‘sales puff’, but when it comes down to drugs, burying some uncomfortable truths can actually kill people – in the case of Accutane, maybe even 3,000 or more. The misapplication of drugs is the biggest killer of people from hospital-generated causes in US hospitals, running into hundreds of thousands of deaths a year.

The power of ‘The Golden Goose’ is partly in the story itself, the detailing of the tricks used by one drugs company to bury uncomfortable facts and the purveyors of those uncomfortable facts alongside them, but it is mostly in the searing writing which immediately has you sitting on the edge of your seat wanting to hear more.

It is a very important tale stunningly well told. It also explains some of the motivations of at least this one whistleblower beyond maybe the fame of standing up for the truth to a longstanding burning anger from his childhood as to how maybe the most important truth in his world at the time was witheld from him and even distorted.

A truly fascinating read.

Ci sono tante prove che è possible creare falsi ricordi con la ripetizione e la forzatura di domande. C’e un classico esperimento di psicologia sui falsi ricordi dove vari soggeti vengono interrogati ripetitivamente riguardo un evento che sarebbe accaduto quando erano giovani: l’aver rovesciato del punch. Dopo interrogazioni [...]]]> Read this in English here.

Ci sono tante prove che è possible creare falsi ricordi con la ripetizione e la forzatura di domande. C’e un classico esperimento di psicologia sui falsi ricordi dove vari soggeti vengono interrogati ripetitivamente riguardo un evento che sarebbe accaduto quando erano giovani: l’aver rovesciato del punch. Dopo interrogazioni ripetitive i soggeti dimenticano dove hanno sentito il racconto e pensano che il ricordo è una memoria reale. Questa è chiamata amnesia di origine.

Nella sua dichiarazione scritta Amanda Knox racconta che una volta fuori della portata della polizia (dopo essersi allontanata dalla polizia) il suo ricordo dell’ accaduto sembrava “più vero” del racconto della polizia. Motivando la ritrattazione della sua dishiarazione originale.

Hyman & Billings, (1998). Individual Differences and the Creation of False childhood Memories. Memory, 6, 1-20.

Come ha fatto la polizia a confondere Amanda con falsi ricordi? La polizia ha trovato dei capelli Africani durante il sopralluogo, e un testo nel cellulare di Amanda al suo capo Patrick Lumumba, che diceva “ci vediamo;” la polizia ha pensato che questo si riferisse ad un appuntamento romantico. Hanno poi trovato che il segnale del cellulare di Patrick era vicino. Quando la polizia ha interrogato Raffaele lui ha detto che “era possibile” che Amanda fosse andata alla casa di Via della Pergola mentre lui stava dormendo. Dopo hanno detto ad Amanda che Raffaele non le ha fornito un alibi e che c’erano prove della sua presenza nella casa di Via della Pergola: La scena del reato (il che era una bugia). Hanno detto “Immagina di essera in quella casa con Patrick” e le hanno dato una possibilita. Lei è stata interrogata da dodici poliziotti, tutta la notte, ha subito una botta in testa “per aiutare la memoria”, stressando, che “c’e bisogno di dire qualcosa se vuoi vedere la tua famiglia in futuro”. Amanda è ingenua e pensa che la polizia è buona e lei ha guardato troppa televisione Americana, vuole cooperare, lei non ha un avvocato (a differanza di Laura e Filomena), e finalmente si rassegna. Senza avvocato, senza traduttore independente (la traduttrice ha detto “era successo anche a me… ho avuto un incidente e non era possibile ricordare. “Prova!”) L’ultimo giorno Amanda ha ritrattato. Ance se la “confessione” era illegale è stata letta in corte in ogni caso.

Comunque le prove dimostrano che non era possibilie per Amanda essare al luogo del delitto.

Contestazione di Faccia D’Angelo, Prima Parte

Contestazione di Faccia D’Angelo, Seconda Parte

Abbastanza DNA? E Il Testimone Cambia Il Racconto Contro Amanda Knox

Contestazione della “Confessione” di Amanda Knox

I [...]]]>

The Marching Abominables herald the beginning of the GHHS

This weekend at Emory University we are hosting the Global Health and Humanitarianism Summit (GHHS). Organized by Neil Shulman MD there are over 1000 people from around the world who are presenting on a wide range of topics related to volunteering and humanism in healthcare. You can view the program here.

I will be presenting on our Callaway Homecoming Initiative today at 1-5 pm in White Hall 208 and Sunday 1-5 pm in School of Medicine Rm 128. This is part of a panel sponsored by W2C on helping returning soldiers and their families which will include a town hall, videos of soldiers and families and other information.

You can access the handouts for the Saturday talk “Coming Home: Combat Deployment and the Family” here and “Effective Methods for Balancing the Mind of the Traumatized Soldier” here. You can view the program for our presentations here.

You can view a touching 10 minute film that illustrates some of the ideas being developed for the program here.

I have been working on a program for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in the state of Georgia that I think will be a model for the nation. The project was initiated by the non-profit organization Warrior2Citizen (W2C), started by Brig Gen [...]]]>
Bo Callaway talks with Ross Mason.

I have been working on a program for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in the state of Georgia that I think will be a model for the nation. The project was initiated by the non-profit organization Warrior2Citizen (W2C), started by Brig Gen John Owings (Ret.) and Col. Michael Roberts (Ret.), and includes Ross Mason, Vice Chairman of the Georgia Department of Public Health, Neil Shulman MD, Pastor Jimmy Haines of the First Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA and Robert Verhey, Executive Director of the Veteran’s Innovation Center (VIC) in Washington D.C. Today we met with Bo Callaway, former secretary of the Army and US representative from the State of Georgia, who made the first contribution to the program, and stated that the beautiful Callaway Gardens in Georgia (which he owns) would be available as a site for the program.

We also met with Teya Ryan, President of Georgia Public Broadcasting, who expressed her willingness to help out, and film documentary maker Dale Bell.
The program is planned to involve a 30 day retreat for returning soldiers and their families with educational and recreational activities to help them re-integrate into society and re-connect with their families.