Bloody Cyclists

I run in with my ipod and thankfully don’t get electrocuted. What do you mean you haven’t read Apple’s warning about static electricity shocks from the headphones.

"When using headphones in areas where the air is very dry, it is easy to build up static electricity and possible for your ear to receive a small electrostatic discharge from the headphones."

Today the air is very dry.

They go on to recommend applying hand lotion to prevent getting an electric shock from their device. I’m not sure whether they mean to yourself or the ipod. Either way the answer is no.

I was obviously so busy try not to electrocute myself that I nearly got ran over by a cyclist. Bloody cyclists, oops shouldn’t say that, I am one, usually. Well, he was on the pavement.

As it’s hot, the question is do we continue with our games of hot and humid squash on those airless courts or do we cancel the court and go for tennis instead, which of course will cause the weather to take a turn for the wet and windy. Tough choice. My opponent decides that, come hell or high water, its tennis. Bad choice of words, he’ll regret saying that.

I've recently finished John Gisham's 'The Innocent Man', his first non-fiction book. It was rather slow and drawn out at times but it gradually gripped me.

The book tells the story of former minor league baseball player Ron Williamson of Ada, Oklahoma. He along with another guy, Dennis Fritz, were convicted of the murder of a cocktail waitress in 1982. Williamson was sentenced to death, whilst Fritz was given life in prison.



Basically it was all a miscarriage of justice and the book criticises the shoddy police work, the dubious confessions, the unreliable witnesses and the generally flimsy evidence. Luckily, since a death conviction sets in motion a series of appeals, in 1994 a fresh look at the evidence by a U.S. District Court judge halted Williamson’s execution five days before it was due. A retrial was ordered but it was another five years before Williamson and Fritz were finally exonerated by DNA evidence. Williamson had spent 11 years on death row and, never a stable man, bore the psychological scars of the experience.

The book also touches on the case of Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot for another murder, this case, although according to Grisham to be a miscarriage of justice, is as yet unproven and they are still in jail. Another case covered is the proven false conviction of Greg Wilhoit for the murder of his estranged wife. All the men were, at one point of time, on death row with Williamson.

Unfortunately the book is a bit on the unbalanced side and provides only one side of the story. There clearly was a miscarriage of justice, at least in Williamson and Fritz's case, but the book is far too dismissive of the prosecution's case against them. Although mistakes were clearly made, Grisham, who is very anti-death penalty, evidently had a bit of an agenda against those involved with the prosecution. The day after finishing reading the book, I looked up the case details on the internet and also visited the website of the Bill Peterson, who led the prosecution. It is interesting to read his views and the other facts of the case that are freely available. When you look at all the evidence it's not as clear cut as Grisham makes it sound. As regards the case of Ward and Fontenot, having read the evidence, although not completely convinced either way to their guilt, I can see understand why they are still in jail.

So tennis it is and I even buy some new balls, ones that bounce, much to my opponent’s disgust. The match result though, is much the same as at squash. Yep, I lose. Tennis used to be great game, when the courts were longer, the nets lower, the racquets less highly strung and the balls not so bouncy or is my memory just playing tricks on me?

A quick beer then back for chemistry revision.