LAS VEGAS (AFP) – A Las Vegas judge has rejected former US football star OJ Simpson’s request for a new trial after he was convicted in October for robbing two sports memorabilia collectors.

Nevada judge Jackie Glass said Simpson and co-defendant Clarence Stewart had not made strong enough arguments to merit a new hearing.

Simpson, 61, whose trial for the brutal 1994 murder of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman ended up in his acquittal, was found guilty on October 4 of 12 charges in the armed robbery and kidnapping of the two collectors in the Las Vegas Palace Station casino on September 13, 2007.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081107/ts_alt_afp/entertainmentuscrimetrialsimpson;_ylt=AtHXA2.PnySFti7jwRrpGTNvzwcF

JUPITER, FL, — The Feast of Little Italy at the Abacoa Town Center gets underway today.

The Feast of Little Italy is the largest Italian event in the tri-county area and admission is free.
Friday Highlights:
Ribbon Cutting at 3:30pm with local dignitaries Over 100 vendors will be set up for anyone interested in tasting the food “live” at 3:30pm.
Francis Ford Coppola wine tastings at 6pm.
Stage Performances: Louie Prima’s daughter LENA PRIMA at 8pm.
Jupiter Hammerheads Kids area-NEW will be all day from 3pm-10pm

Saturday Highlights:
Cooking demos from the Sorrento Cheese Chefs at noon, 2pm, 4pm .
Maltz Jupiter Theatre COPA performance at 4:00pm-4:45pm.
Danny DiVito’s Lemoncello Bar will be the HOT SPOT & Comcast street block party with a live DJ (10am-10pm)
Headliner: Deana Martin (Dean Martin’s daughter) (available for weekend segment in studio TV, interview on site at concert available, get a one on one about Dean Martin and his contribution to music and the Italian culture .

Sunday Highlights:
JOE NAMETH will be on stage for a check presentation for the charity at 5:45pm.
The Legends of Doo Wop in concert at 6pm. .
About Feast of Little Italy

http://www.wptv.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=31569cc8-009c-4a02-bc0c-563a8f7bdc02&rss=762

Flags of Florida

Florida

Provisional military flag of Florida adopted 13 January 1861 by Devereaux D. Cannon, Jr., 05 February 2000

PROVISIONAL MILITARY FLAG OF FLORIDA Florida did not have a state flag at the time state forces seized the federal Pensacola Navy Yard on January 12, 1861, just two days after the state voted to secede from the Union. After the United States flag was hauled down, it was reported that initially “a dingy white flag” that “looked like an old signal flag with a star put on it” was hoisted the next day in its place. Colonel William H. Chase, commanding Florida state forces at Pensacola, issued orders one day later establishing a provisional military flag. It was to be used until such time as civil authorities designed a state flag.

Colonel Chase chose a pattern that simply altered the United States flag. Chase’s General Order No. 3 of January 13, described a flag of thirteen alternating red and white stripes, with one large white star on a blue field (canton). The order further stated that it was to be displayed at the Navy Yard, forts, barracks, and hospital in possession of Florida state troops.

It seems likely that these provisional Florida flags may have been made from existing stocks of captured United States flags from the Navy Yard. U.S. flags could have been easily altered by stripping the stars and replacing them with a single large one. The large star apparently represented the recently seceded sovereign state of Florida. On January 14, the first of these flags was raised. A Union ship in Pensacola harbor recorded in its logbook: “Florida forces hoisted the American flag with lone star.” Another reference to this flag occurred on February 22, when southern and northern forces around Pensacola commemorated George Washington’s birthday with cannon salutes. Observers on the same Union ship reported that the “flag of one star and many stripes” was visible flying over Fort Barrancas. This lone star pattern was not unique. The Texas navy also used this pattern from 1836 to 1845.

Although no official order discontinuing use of this flag is known, events in March 1861 appear to have led to its demise. Control of the Navy Yard and surrounding forts was transferred from state to Confederate national authority. Colonel Chase resigned and Brigadier General Braxton Bragg was later appointed area commander. On March 4 the recently formed Confederacy adopted its new national flag, which apparently soon replaced Florida’s provisional flag. Units from other southern states, including Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, were also gathered in the Pensacola area, so the need existed for a unifying symbol. The close similarity in appearance between Florida’s provisional flag and that of the United States made the flag impractical during wartime. No examples of these provisional Florida flags are known to have survived. It is quite possible that they were recycled, with the material being used to construct Confederate first national flags.

No references have been found that indicate that this flag saw use by Florida forces outside of the Pensacola area. Likewise, no documentation is known that this flag pattern was used as a unit flag by Floridians.

Florida state flag adopted 13 September 1861 by Devereaux D. Cannon, Jr., 05 February 2000

FLORIDA STATE FLAG, 1861 PATTERN As the question of possible secession arose in late 1860, the state legislature considered adopting a state flag and state uniform. No decision was made before adjourning at the end of the year. The issue came up again in early 1861, with legislative agreement that a state flag was needed. On February 8, a law was enacted authorizing and directing the governor, “with the advice and consent of his staff,” to “adopt an appropriate device for a State flag which shall be distinctive in character.”

Since more than six months elapsed before a design was chosen, Governor Madison Stark Perry must have had more pressing war-related priorities. On September 13, 1861, Governor Perry reported that “the Flag has been deposited in the Executive Chamber.” The secretary of state then recorded a detailed description of Florida’s state flag.

The Confederate first national flag greatly influenced the design chosen by the governor of Florida. In fact, the Florida state flag can be viewed as a modification of the national pattern. The flag kept the red, white, and red bars, expanded the blue canton to form the left half of the state flag and replaced the stars with a unique seal representing Florida. The new seal was in the shape of a vertical oval, called an ellipse. The edge of the ellipse or oval band formed a frame bearing the inscriptions of the early statehood period motto above: “In God Is Our Trust” and the state name below: “Florida.” The seal itself was complex as the description notes: “In the center of the ellipse is a single strong Live Oak Tree. Beyond is seen the Gulf of Mexico, with vessels in the distance. In front of and near the foot of the Oak is a piece of Field Artillery. Beyond the gun, and resting against the boll of the Oak, is seen a stand of six colors-the Confederate and State Flags to the front. To the left of the Field Piece are Four Muskets stacked. To the right and near, balls piled and a drum.”

The timing of the introduction of the flag, in the closing weeks of Governor Perry’s administration, is interesting. It would appear that the flag was produced mainly to comply with the legislative directive. There are no indications that the incoming governor, John Milton, made any attempts to promote his predecessor’s state flag design, or to produce and distribute multiple flags. The lack of a state flag tradition, combined with the difficulty of reproducing a rather complex seal design, were no doubt factors working against the production of more flags. Additionally, the delay in choosing a design, along with the rise of southern nationalism and the popularity of the Confederate first national flag, further undercut the demand for a state flag. No further period references have been found to this state flag or to its use. There is a distinct possibility that no additional state flags were produced, beyond the one official example. This flag is not known to have survived and the illustration is based on the written description.

The New York Times today laid out the seamy tale of Seth Tobias, a hedge fund manager worth $25 million who was found floating face down in his swimming pool in Jupiter, Florida. While the paper reports that “police did not consider his death suspicious” (he died of a heart attack), a battle between family members over the estate is raising murder accusations and exposing details of the investment manager’s lifestyle which included a South Florida go-go boy named Tiger.

The NYT reports: “Mr. Tobias’s four brothers and Mrs. Tobias are locked in a legal battle over the estate, which is worth at least $25 million. And, in a civil complaint, they have gone so far as to accuse her of murder. The brothers, Samuel, Spence, Scott and Joshua, claim Mrs. Tobias drugged her husband and lured him into the pool. Bill Ash, a former assistant to Mr. Tobias, said he had told the police that Mrs. Tobias confessed to him that she had cajoled her husband into the water while he was on a cocaine binge with a promise of sex with a male go-go dancer known as Tiger. Mrs. Tobias’s lawyers call the claims outrageous. She has not been accused of any crime. The mystery deepened when it emerged that Mrs. Tobias spent $9,628 to have the pool drained and resurfaced days after her husband died, according to documents filed in an unrelated case…”

“…Even after the couple reconciled, they fought constantly, mostly over money, according to several friends, who asked not to be identified for fear of being subpoenaed in connection with the case or because they were worried that their professional reputations would be harmed by being associated with the case. At one point, Mrs. Tobias bought a Porsche on her credit card and then cried when Mr. Tobias told her to return it, one friend recounted. They also secretly frequented a gay bar called Cupids in West Palm Beach, in a strip mall along a main thoroughfare. It was there, according to Mr. Ash, that Mr. Tobias first met Tiger. ‘Seth used to come in here back when it was crazy,’ said Adiel Hemingway, the longtime manager of Cupids. As a flat-screen television blared hard-core gay pornography, he said that Mr. Tobias often came to the club with his wife. Mr. Hemingway took out a picture of Tiger in his office. Tiger is blond and covered with tattoos that look like stripes. ‘I know exactly who he is, but I’m not telling you,’ Mr. Hemingway said. The Tobias brothers have subpoenaed Tiger, using the address of Cupids, but have been unable to learn his true name.”

Welcome to Nordwave Florida Division!!

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