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One of the most studied murder cases in American history: the case of Lizzie Borden, accused of killing her father and stepmother in 1892. Lizzie hired a superstar team of lawyers and beat the rap. Nothing like that could happen today, right?
Tags:
Lizzie
Borden
Added: 2nd October 2007
Views: 372
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Posted By: Lava1964 |

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Remember Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, and their hit song The Game of Love, from 1965? Here's some interesting facts. In 1962, he formed his group Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders and got a recording contract. He was still under contract to Fontana Records after parting with The Mindbenders. He continued on alone, using musicians under the name of the Opposition. Sometimes they were billed as the Mindbenders, or just as the Wayne Fontana band. In 2005 he fought off bankruptcy, but was arrested after police were called in by bailiffs who went to his home in Glossop, Derbyshire. It is claimed that gasoline had been poured onto the hood of a car, and set on fire with a bailiff inside. Fontana was remanded in custody on May 25, 2007, in regard to the charge. He appeared at Derby Crown Court dressed as the lady of justice, with a sword, scales, crown, cape and dark glasses, claiming "justice is blind". He dismissed his lawyers. All that being said, you have to admit he's still a talented musician. Here's a clip I put together from The Game of Love taped in 1965, and more recently during a show in 2006. They're still doing concerts, and at 63, Wayne Fontana hasn't lost it yet, at least not his voice!
Tags:
wayne
fontana
and
the
mindbenders
the
game
of
love
Added: 28th October 2007
Views: 351
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Posted By: Naomi |

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One of the most famous trials in American history was the Scopes trial of 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee. John T. Scopes, a young science teacher, was charged with violating the Butler Act, a state law that prohibited the teaching of evolution. Scopes was quickly relegated to a minor character in the trial as the two lawyers took center stage. Civil liberties groups hired famed defense lawyer Clarence Darrow (on the left) to represent Scopes. The prosecution obtained the services of former presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan (right), a renowned creationist and famous orator. The highlight of the trial occurred when Darrow called Bryan to testify as an expert on the Bible. Scopes was eventually found guilty and fined $100. The conviction was later overturned on a paperwork technicality. (Scopes was not at school on the day cited in the charges.) Nevertheless, the Butler Act remained on the books in Tennessee until 1976. The trial inspired the movie Inherit The Wind.
Tags:
Scopes
trial
Bryan
Darrow
Added: 16th November 2007
Views: 336
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Posted By: Lava1964 |

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One of the most despicable murder cases in the twentieth century was that of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, residents of suburban Chicago, who murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks in 1924. Their motive: They wanted to kill for the thrill of it and commit the perfect crime. Both Leopold, age 20, and Loeb, age 19, were exceptionally brilliant students who considered themselves intellectual supermen. On May 21, 1924 they lured Bobby Franks (a distant relative of Loeb) into a rented car. Franks was bludgeoned with a chisel and suffocated with a sock. His body was dumped into a culvert in Gary, Indiana and doused with acid to make identification difficult. The culprits mailed a typed ransom note to Franks' parents indicating that Bobby had been kidnapped. However, Franks' body was found before any ransom could be paid. Also found near the body were a pair of eye glasses that fell from Loeb's pocket during the crime. The glasses were almost unique--only three pairs had been made by a certain optician--and they led the police to Loeb. The two young men, who were reputedly homosexual lovers, were questioned and their alibis discredited. Each eventually confessed his involvement in the crime, but insisted the other was responsible for the actual murder. They were brought to trial for murder and kidnapping. Their lawyer, the famous Clarence Darrow, entered pleas of guilty in order to avoid a jury deciding the twosome's fate--which likely would have been a death sentence. Instead Darrow argued with a judge to spare his guilty clients from the death penalty. Darrow gave a rousing 12-hour oration that spared his clients' lives. Instead Leopold and Loeb were each given life sentences plus 99 years. Loeb was murdered in prison in 1936. Leopold was pardoned in 1958 and died of a heart attack in 1971. Bobby Franks, often forgotten by history, remains 14 years old forever.
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Leopold
Loeb
Franks
Added: 16th November 2007
Views: 355
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Posted By: Lava1964 |

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Actor Brad Renfro, whose career began promisingly with a childhood role in 'The Client', but rapidly faded as he struggled with drugs and alcohol, was found dead Tuesday, January 15th, 2008, in his home. He was 25. Paramedics pronounced him dead at 9 a.m., said Craig Harvey, chief investigator for the Los Angeles County coroner's office. The cause of death was not immediately determined, Harvey said, but an autopsy could be conducted as early as Wednesday. Renfro had reportedly been drinking with friends the evening before his death, Harvey said. His lawyer, Richard Kaplan, said he did not know whether the death was connected to any problems with addiction. 'He was working hard on his sobriety,' Kaplan said. 'He was doing well. He was a nice person.' Renfro recently completed a role in "The Informers," a film adaptation of a Bret Easton Ellis novel that stars Winona Ryder, Brandon Routh and Billy Bob Thornton. 'Brad was an exceptionally talented young actor and our time spent with him was thoroughly enjoyable,' Marco Weber, president of the film's production house, Senator Entertainment, said in a statement.
This clip is from the film 'The Cure', which was released in 1995.
Tags:
brad
renfro
the
client
the
cure
RIP
Added: 16th January 2008
Views: 215
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Posted By: Naomi |

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If there is a castle that comes close to matching Harlech Castle in historical importance, that castle is surely Chepstow. Chepstow is a Norman castle perched high above the banks of the river Wye in southeast Wales. Construction began at Chepstow in 1067, less than a year after William the Conqueror was crowned King of England. It was his master castle builder in the person of his loyal Norman lord William FitzOsbern. FitzOsbern's fortresses were the vehicles from which the new king consolidated control of his newly conquered lands. Chepstow Castle became the key launching point for expeditions into Wales, expeditions that eventually subdued the rebellious population.
Photos
Char
Terry Winter
becky.bryan
Red Kit
Nigel Feasey
scuba_dooba
Karen McCort
Phillip Parr
Joe Dunckley
Maggie McDonnell
mrabanalc
miss.piccolo
mrssleepy(Rachelle Sadler)
Jon Combe
Martin
Morland Marauder
Karen & J.J. Morton
Roman Solowiej
kfy
Doug Woods
TimS
Simon
Music
The Angels of Venice
dragonfly
Mediaeval Baebes
gaudete
Jeff van Dyck
medieval II
cathedral of doom
Hans Zimmer
strength and honor
Hans Zimmer and Enya
now we are free
conceived and produced by
Dale Caruso
For more information about the Castles and Abbeys of Wales Visit
http://www.castlewales.com/
And for more information about Jeff van Dyck's soundtrack track for the
PC Game Total War and for information about the game itself, visit
www.totalwar.com/
Tags:
Medieval
Castles
Wales
12th
Century
Wye
River
Normans
Added: 27th September 2008
Views: 74
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Posted By: dalecaruso |

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