Law and Magic Blog

An Interview With Jon Ronson (the Men Staring at Goats Guy)

eSkeptic has an interview with Jon Ronson, author of The Men Who Stare at Goats, here. The film opens wide this November.

Dog Scent Lineups and Their Accuracy

CNN covers the story of a former police officer initially questioned and suspected in the murder of his friend and neighbor; another man was eventually arrested and charged. The former officer, Michael Buchanek, says dog-scent evidence was the factor that weighed heaviest in the minds of his former colleagues and chief accusers. The use of dogs to track and sniff out suspects and related evidence has been controversial for some time. Defenders say such dogs, well trained, are reliable. Those who don't trust such evidence say dog handlers who know in advance what suspect is being sought can guide the dogs toward a particular individual. Read more about the issue here, here, here, here (from the ForensicEvidence.com site), and here, the report that people are talking about, the Innocence Project's analysis of dog-scent evidence, its uses and reliability.

Staring At Goats, Big Screen

The Guardian's Andrew Pulver has this "first look" at George Clooney's adaptation of Jon Ronson's "The Men Who Stare at Goats," which premieres at the Venice Film Festival, and is set to open wide this fall. The film centers on a U.S. army unit that investigates (and seems to believe in) psychic powers.

Former Student Gives Texas Taxidermist Strange Beast--But It's Probably a Coyote

According to this CNN story, a taxidermist in Blanco, Texas, has gotten more than he bargained for with the gift of a "dead roughly 30-pound, mostly hairless coyote-like creature." Jerry Ayer says he thinks it's a "genetically defective coyote," and scientists at Texas A&M are testing samples to see. Naturally, other folks are speculating that we have finally captured a (dead) chupacabra, the being that attacks livestock and drinks their blood. But Mr. Ayer, who got the item from a former student, says it has attracted unwanted attention and death threats. Death threats? What is wrong with some people?

Here's more from the L. A. Times, in which Mr. Ayer describes the animal.

Feline Magic

The magic of love. 

I Can Has Cheezburger.com

I know, this calculation doesn't take into account the cost of vet visits, pet food, toys, and treats. That outlay is minimal compared to feline contributions: companionship, reassurances that you look just fine as you're going out the door, and a "paws down" when you're dating the wrong someone. That's real magic.

Sawing a Cat In Half--Feline Variation One

Amusing image at 

I Can Has Cheezburger. com

You Has a Tell

What to do about feline gambling addiction?

I Can Has Cheezburger. com

Cryptozoology

MSNBC.com offers this look at the latest in cryptozoology, packaged as a career for writer Loren Coleman. Mr. Coleman is probably best known for his association with the tv series In Search Of (2002 version). Also check out MSNBC.com's X-File Odysseys.

The Magic of Harry Potter, Even in a Recession

 

I can has cheezburger.com

A link to the newest Harry Potter sensation: the Wizarding World in Orlando, which opens next year. Meanwhile, the new film has grossed a phenomenal $160 million in 5 days.

 

News Flash: BigFoot Not Sighted In Connecticut

Pity the poor driver in Fairfield, Connecticut, who encountered "an 8-foot-tall creature with a large body and 'legs like tree trunks' " last Tuesday. She almost smacked right into it. I would have reacted the same way, I think.  Raccoons with no sense of direction and hitchhiking poodles on their way to the mall are bad enough. Who expects to encounter something like that in the road, especially at 10:30 at night? But the driver did something clever: she used her high beams and "the creature covered its face and ran into the woods." Scaredy BigFoot!

Well, Scaredy BigFoot turned out to be a teenager in a "gorilla-like costume," said the police. Pseudo BigFoot! In any case, the police captured and delivered PseudoBigFoot, gorilla garb and all, into the custody of his parents. The parents are probably happy no one got hurt and may be contemplating keeping an eye on his sneakered feet indefinitely.

Smart driver, smart cops, smart parents, and a teenager enjoying the first weeks of vacation. Ah, summer.