The Ordeal of Alexander Aan
I've been going on a bit lately about the Knox case and the mistakes that led to her and her former boyfriend's becoming unwilling cast members in the world's longest…
How To Tell If A Conspiracy Theory Is Daft
In 2011, Giuliano Mignini, the prosecutor responsible for making a pig's breakfast of the Monster of Florence case and damaging, possibly beyond repair, the futures of Raffele Sollecito and Amanda…
The Unsinkable Rubber Ducks of Italy
Update (3/26/2015): Amanda Knox and Raffele Sollecito were acquitted today by the Italian Court of Cassation. So ends their legal nightmare. I wish them both the best going forward, and I'm glad…
Support Victims of Prison Rape This Holiday Season
Being in prison during the holidays would be rough for anyone--especially in those prisons that seem to go out of their way to make inmates' lives miserable--but the victims of…
Italy, Judge Thyself
Yet another Amanda Knox trial is almost over. I feel no urge to recapitulate what I think are compelling arguments for her innocence. It was ably done some years ago…
Dear Perugia
This'll be brief, since we don't actually know each other at all. But I've noted with some interest your effort to sever the sister city relationship you have with my…
Wherein I Settle the Question of Facebook vs. Twitter
Actually, I won't be settling that question, which is closing in on "Which is the one true faith?" on the Useless-Discussion-Prompt-O-Meter. But, in response to Mary Elizabeth Williams's "Your Friend…
Where Did Spam Come From? And What Does It Mean?
A few weeks ago I made a plea for better written spam, because if we can't get rid of spam and consign its manufacturers to the Phantom Zone (oh, how…
8 Signs That You Are A Conspiracy Theorist
THEY made me write this. Just kidding. No one made me write this. Or did they? All right, enough. We can all recognize the conspiracy theorist. Sometimes we've ended up…
I’d Like To See Some Better Written Spam Please
Every so often I have take a small amount of time out of my day to delete the spam comments. And I have one request for the spammers. If you…