The following stories are all taken from legitimate news media (if that's not a
contradiction in terms). They are stories which have caught my eye for any
number of reasons. Some have directly inspired stories, some sparked ideas
obliquely and others have caused me to shake my head and wonder.
All, however, continue to remind me that, while I may worry about the stories
I write being 'believeable', there is stuff happening out there in the real world that
make most of my ideas seem tame and while it is, I don't have to dream about
an IDEAS'R'US store. Although a lot show the darker side of humanity,
I hope you can get something from them too.
_________________________________________________________________
22 Oct 2010 - Canadian colonel gets life for murders
A Canadian court on Thursday sentenced Colonel Russell Williams to two
consecutive life sentences for a spree of murders, sexual assaults and burglaries
of women's homes. Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Scott described
Williams as a "sick and dangerous man". Williams will not be eligible for
parole for 25 years. Police arrested Williams in February for the disappearance
and death of a 27-year-old woman, last heard from the previous month.
He was later charged with the November 2009 murder of a female corporal
under his command at the Trenton military base, as well as in two home
invasions in which women were confined and sexually assaulted, and an
additional 82 counts of break-and-enter and attempted break-and-enter
in Ottawa, Belleville and Tweed. A stash of women's undergarments taken
by police from Williams' Ottawa residence was linked to the burglaries near
his home and job. Police also seized hundreds of photographs and videos of
the sexual assaults and murders from his home computer.
I'm not sure what I find stranger about this one; that he had such a
public profile, yet managed to get away with it for so long, or the
length of his jail term, given the two murders numerous assaults and
the 82 (?!) counts of break and enter.
And yet, I always think that if I wrote this character, I don't know if
people wouldn't be able to get past the point of
'suspension of disbelief'.
______________________________________________________
21 Oct 2009 - Woman dies after making fake 911 call
A US woman who made a bogus call to 911 was forced to phone an emergency
operator again just six minutes later when she became trapped under a garage
door, suffering fatal injuries. Melissa Farris falsely claimed to an emergency
operator there had been a car accident on a nearby highway in Caldwell, Idaho,
on October 2. Police claim Farris used the call as a diversion so an ambulance
would be called from the Canyon County ambulance station, allowing her to
sneak into the building. But Farris, a former paramedic at the station, was
pinned to the ground by the garage door as she tried to crawl inside.
In recordings of the 911 calls released by police, Farris can be heard making
her initial bogus claim under the pseudonym "Stacy". "My name is Stacy and
I am driving toward Ontario and a car went off into the median at mile
marker 22 and I am trying to get stopped," she says. But police say Farris was
really making the call from a hotel across the street from the ambulance
station, waiting for the paramedics to be called out. Authorities say they
received a second call from Farris six minutes later, in which she is
heard gasping for air. "Medic...4...help...door," she says. The operator sent a
paramedic crew to free Farris but she was unable to be revived. There was no
clear motive for why Farris was trying to get into the building, police said.
But one report by local network KBCI-TV claimed Farris may have
been trying to enter the building to access some prescription
medication in the storeroom. Farris was reportedly sacked from the station
in November 2008 after failing a drug test.
What can I say about this one? So many unanswered questions, such a
bizarre and unnecessary way to die. Death by garage door when breaking
in to an ex-employer? This is the sort of story that gets my mind
working on the back story; how can I write a story that leads
naturally, believably to this point?
__________________________________________________________
19 Oct 2009 Pet turtles sickened children in 34 states
Most parents didn't realize animals can carry salmonella, researchers say
CHICAGO - Two girls who swam with pet turtles in a backyard pool were
among 107 people sickened in the largest salmonella outbreak blamed on
turtles nationwide, researchers report. The 2007-08 outbreak involved mostly
children in 34 states; one-third of all patients had to be hospitalized. In many
cases, parents didn't know that turtles can carry salmonella.
Despite a 1975 ban on selling small turtles as pets, they continue to be
sold illegally. The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that the
number of pet turtles nationwide doubled from 950,000 in 1996 to almost
2 million in 2006. "It's very easy to think of turtles as being a very gentle and
nice pet," but many carry salmonella, without showing any signs, said Julie
Harris, a scientist at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and the report's lead author. Salmonella in turtle faeces can end up on their
shells and body, and can spread to people who handle them. An infected turtle
can spread the same strain of salmonella to others during shipping, which may
be how the outbreak occurred. Turtles involved were bought at pet shops,
flea markets, from street vendors and online. The Food and Drug Administration
contacted retailers involved and their investigation is ongoing, the report said.
This one falls into the 'Really? I didn't know that' category.
Stuff like this happens all the time and yet we
rarely hear about it. Stephen King writes this sort
of detail so well, creating a real/unreal
feel in his novels. All grist for the mill.
contradiction in terms). They are stories which have caught my eye for any
number of reasons. Some have directly inspired stories, some sparked ideas
obliquely and others have caused me to shake my head and wonder.
All, however, continue to remind me that, while I may worry about the stories
I write being 'believeable', there is stuff happening out there in the real world that
make most of my ideas seem tame and while it is, I don't have to dream about
an IDEAS'R'US store. Although a lot show the darker side of humanity,
I hope you can get something from them too.
_________________________________________________________________
22 Oct 2010 - Canadian colonel gets life for murders
A Canadian court on Thursday sentenced Colonel Russell Williams to two
consecutive life sentences for a spree of murders, sexual assaults and burglaries
of women's homes. Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Scott described
Williams as a "sick and dangerous man". Williams will not be eligible for
parole for 25 years. Police arrested Williams in February for the disappearance
and death of a 27-year-old woman, last heard from the previous month.
He was later charged with the November 2009 murder of a female corporal
under his command at the Trenton military base, as well as in two home
invasions in which women were confined and sexually assaulted, and an
additional 82 counts of break-and-enter and attempted break-and-enter
in Ottawa, Belleville and Tweed. A stash of women's undergarments taken
by police from Williams' Ottawa residence was linked to the burglaries near
his home and job. Police also seized hundreds of photographs and videos of
the sexual assaults and murders from his home computer.
I'm not sure what I find stranger about this one; that he had such a
public profile, yet managed to get away with it for so long, or the
length of his jail term, given the two murders numerous assaults and
the 82 (?!) counts of break and enter.
And yet, I always think that if I wrote this character, I don't know if
people wouldn't be able to get past the point of
'suspension of disbelief'.
______________________________________________________
21 Oct 2009 - Woman dies after making fake 911 call
A US woman who made a bogus call to 911 was forced to phone an emergency
operator again just six minutes later when she became trapped under a garage
door, suffering fatal injuries. Melissa Farris falsely claimed to an emergency
operator there had been a car accident on a nearby highway in Caldwell, Idaho,
on October 2. Police claim Farris used the call as a diversion so an ambulance
would be called from the Canyon County ambulance station, allowing her to
sneak into the building. But Farris, a former paramedic at the station, was
pinned to the ground by the garage door as she tried to crawl inside.
In recordings of the 911 calls released by police, Farris can be heard making
her initial bogus claim under the pseudonym "Stacy". "My name is Stacy and
I am driving toward Ontario and a car went off into the median at mile
marker 22 and I am trying to get stopped," she says. But police say Farris was
really making the call from a hotel across the street from the ambulance
station, waiting for the paramedics to be called out. Authorities say they
received a second call from Farris six minutes later, in which she is
heard gasping for air. "Medic...4...help...door," she says. The operator sent a
paramedic crew to free Farris but she was unable to be revived. There was no
clear motive for why Farris was trying to get into the building, police said.
But one report by local network KBCI-TV claimed Farris may have
been trying to enter the building to access some prescription
medication in the storeroom. Farris was reportedly sacked from the station
in November 2008 after failing a drug test.
What can I say about this one? So many unanswered questions, such a
bizarre and unnecessary way to die. Death by garage door when breaking
in to an ex-employer? This is the sort of story that gets my mind
working on the back story; how can I write a story that leads
naturally, believably to this point?
__________________________________________________________
19 Oct 2009 Pet turtles sickened children in 34 states
Most parents didn't realize animals can carry salmonella, researchers say
CHICAGO - Two girls who swam with pet turtles in a backyard pool were
among 107 people sickened in the largest salmonella outbreak blamed on
turtles nationwide, researchers report. The 2007-08 outbreak involved mostly
children in 34 states; one-third of all patients had to be hospitalized. In many
cases, parents didn't know that turtles can carry salmonella.
Despite a 1975 ban on selling small turtles as pets, they continue to be
sold illegally. The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that the
number of pet turtles nationwide doubled from 950,000 in 1996 to almost
2 million in 2006. "It's very easy to think of turtles as being a very gentle and
nice pet," but many carry salmonella, without showing any signs, said Julie
Harris, a scientist at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and the report's lead author. Salmonella in turtle faeces can end up on their
shells and body, and can spread to people who handle them. An infected turtle
can spread the same strain of salmonella to others during shipping, which may
be how the outbreak occurred. Turtles involved were bought at pet shops,
flea markets, from street vendors and online. The Food and Drug Administration
contacted retailers involved and their investigation is ongoing, the report said.
This one falls into the 'Really? I didn't know that' category.
Stuff like this happens all the time and yet we
rarely hear about it. Stephen King writes this sort
of detail so well, creating a real/unreal
feel in his novels. All grist for the mill.
__________________________________________
