Whitey Bulger, Ex-Protege Erupt In Courtroom

Laurel J. Sweet is covering the Whitey Bulger trial in Boston for the Boston Herald.

Forensic anthropologist Ann Marie Mires, who assisted with the January 2000 exhumation of three of James “Whitey” Bulger’s alleged murder victims from the mud flats by the Southeast Expressway, takes the stand today on the heels of yesterday’s raging, expletive-laced courtroom exchange between Bulger and Kevin Weeks, the protege he raised from teenhood to hatchet man.

Until Monday, Bulger and Weeks had not laid eyes on each other in more than 16 years. But after first coldly refusing to even acknowledge Weeks’ presence, Bulger yesterday lashed out at the heavy he mentored for 20 years when Weeks, 57, snapped from defense attorneys’ taunts that he was a self-serving, unremorseful back-stabber.

You can read the rest of the story and watch a local TV news clip via the below link:

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/07/whitey_bulger_ex_protege_erupt_in_courtroom

Yeah, Mon!: Our Jamaican Vacation At Sandals' Royal Caribbean Resort In Montego Bay

I've not posted in a while as I was offline while vacationing in Jamaica.

I spent a week at Sandals' Royal Caribbean Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

My wife and I love Jamaica and we have been visiting the island for more than 30 years. We've stayed at a number of hotels and resorts over the years, and one year we rented Ian Fleming's villa Goldeneye in Oracabessa, Jamaica. Fleming wrote all of his James Bond novels at Goldeneye. 

The cliff-top villa overlooks the Caribbean Sea and there are steps carved out of the cliff that lead to a secluded, private beach. Goldeneye (seen in the above photo) is a truly magical place.

This year we stayed at the Royal Caribbean to celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary.

The weather, the beach, the ocean, the pools and the clubs and restaurants on the resort were all truly wonderful. We also met and became friends with some good and interesting people there.

The top photo and below photos are of the Royal Caribbean:

Note: You can click on the above photos to enlarge. 

Hemingway Days Begin July 16 In Key West

Michael J. Palm at the Orlando Sentinel offers a piece on the upcoming Hemingway festival in Key West, Florida.

Throughout the 1930s, Ernest Hemingway lived on the tiny island of Key West, writing now-classic works that included "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "To Have and Have Not." The Nobel Prize-winning author's legacy will be celebrated Tuesday through Sunday, July 16-21, with events saluting his literary prowess and vigorous Key West lifestyle.

Hemingway Days 2013 includes a popular look-alike contest, authors' readings, an offbeat "Running of the Bulls," a marlin tournament and the culmination of a short-story contest directed by author and Hemingway granddaughter Lorian Hemingway.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/arts-and-theater/os-hemingway-days-key-west-2013-20130703,0,5221674.story

And you can read my column on Hemingway on crime via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2009/08/on-crime-thrillers-hemingway-on-crime.html

Russian Intel And NSA Leaker Edward Snowden

 

Bill Gertz, the veteran national security corrspondant, offers a piece in the Washington Times on the Russian intelligence service and NSA Leaker Edward Snowden (seen in the above photo).

Russia's SVR intelligence service, successor to the KGB, is behind a coordinated Moscow campaign to exploit the case of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden  by fueling anti-U.S. sentiment in Russia, according to U.S. officials.

 

State-controlled Russian media in recent days actively promoted an online White House petition urging a presidential pardon for Mr. Snowden. Several news websites posted links to the petition.

The media’s reporting and promoting of the petition were assessed by U.S. officials to be part of a Russian government effort against the United States, said officials familiar with intelligence reports.

The covert campaign is part of a major anti-U.S. propaganda and influence program that has been largely ignored by the Obama administration. Instead, the administration has sought to pretend that Russia and the United States are on a path of greater cooperation and harmony under the administration's so-called reset policy.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/3/inside-the-ring-russian-intel-and-edward-snowden/?page=all#pagebreak

Feds Want Kevin Weeks To ID Whitey Bulger's Handwriting

Laurel J. Sweet at the Boston Herald is covering the Whitey Bulger trial in Boston.

James “Whitey” Bulger’s henchman Kevin Weeks is expected to take the stand against his former mob boss when Boston’s trial of the century resumes Monday in U.S. District Court.

And when he does, prosecutors want Judge Denise J. Casper to permit Weeks, 57, to identify the 83-year-old Bulger’s handwriting on notes that were found by state police years ago in a safe amid a slew of handguns and submachine guns on Pilsudski Way in South Boston, the street where Weeks grew up.

In a motion filed today, prosecutors pointed out that “Weeks has extensive familiarity with James Bulger’s handwriting” as a result of “their longtime friendship and criminal association that began years before this case was indicted.” 

You can read the rest of the story via the below link:

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/07/feds_want_kevin_weeks_to_id_whitey_bulger_s_handwriting

'Enhanced Security' For Philadelphia's July 4th Celebration

Bob Warner at the Philadelphia Inquirer offers a piece on Philadelphia's increased security measures during the July 4th celebration.

Philadelphia city officials aren't talking about the particulars, but say they have detailed security plans in place to protect the large crowds expected at public events on Independence Day and the rest of the holiday weekend.

"There have been no incidents and we'd like to keep it that way," Mayor Nutter said Wednesday as he briefed reporters on the city's July Fourth plans, after reading a storybook to youngsters at the Smith Memorial Playground.

"There will be enhanced security," Nutter said. "Obviously, there are going to be a lot of people out there at a lot of different venues. . . . You'll certainly see uniformed personnel and telescoping stations and outdoor video surveillance. . . . And then there's a bunch of stuff that you won't see and that I can't talk about."

The city's July Fourth events begin with a 10 a.m. Independence Day ceremony at Independence Hall, followed by a parade.

You can read the rest of the piece via the Philly.com web site link below:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130704__Enhanced_security__for_the_city_s_Fourth.html

And to learn more about Philly's July 4th celebration you can check out the Visit Philly web site via the below link:

http://www.visitphilly.com/articles/philadelphia/fourth-of-july-in-philadelphia-wawa-welcome-america/

Prosecution Wraps Up Case In WikiLeaks Court-Martial Of PFC Bradley Manning

Reuters offers a piece on the court-martial of U.S. Army PFC Bradley Manning.

FORT MEADE, MARYLAND — Court-martial prosecutors wrapped up their case on Tuesday against the soldier charged with providing a trove of secret material to WikiLeaks in the biggest leak of classified files in U.S. history.

Private First Class Bradley Manning, 25, faces 21 charges, including espionage, computer fraud and, most seriously, aiding the enemy. Manning could face life in prison without parole if convicted.

Judge Colonel Denise Lind allowed the final prosecution witness, Daniel Lewis, a counterintelligence adviser at the Defense Intelligence Agency, to testify in a closed session. An unclassified summary of his testimony - largely about the value of the material Manning provided to WikiLeaks - will be read into the record.

Lewis was the government's 28th in-person witness since the trial started on June 3. More than 50 written statements from witnesses have also been submitted by prosecutors.

Lind set a court recess from Wednesday to Monday, when “we will proceed with the defense case,” she said.

The defense has listed 46 potential witnesses and the trial is scheduled to run to Aug. 23.

You can read the piece by visiting the Voice of America web site via the below link:

http://www.voanews.com/content/prosecution-manning-wikileaks-court-martial/1693972.html

Note: PFC Bradley Manning appears above in the U.S. Army photo.