THE VERDICT IS IN: DR. JEKYLL IS GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY!

 

Please see BikinginLA for more info:

No details yet, but just got a text from DJwheels in the courthouse. Dr. Christopher Thompson has been found guilty on all seven counts.  More details as they come in.

One of the commenters said he’s facing 10 years in the state pen, sentencing is December 3 at 8:30. I think it’s likely his lawyer will appeal the verdict.

Dr. (Christopher Thompson) Jekyll’s trial underway

Both VeloNews and BikingInLA have excellent coverage of the trial, which began Monday, October 19.

From BikingInLA:

Based on his cross examination, Peter Swarth, attorney for Dr. Christopher Thompson, intends to paint a picture of a canyon plagued by angry, out of control cyclists. And portray the Good Doctor as their unfortunate, and innocent, victim — three times, no less.

October 13 Update on Dr. Jekyll (Christopher Thompson)

10/16/09 UPDATE: Biking in LA has more details.

Just found this at LA.Streetsblog.org, posted October 13:

Dr. Christopher T. Thompson is charged with 2 counts of Assault with a Deadly Weapon (245a) 2 counts of Battery with Serious Bodily Injury (243d) reckless driving (23103a) and reckless driving causing specified injury (23105a) and Mayhem (203) all stemming from the Mandeville Canyon Road Rage incident that left two cyclists broken, bleeding and lying on the road. Thompson’s case is slowly working itself through the system at the LAX Courthouse. Today, they will pick a judge to replace Judge Cynthia Reyvis and will then hear pre-trial motions. Tomorow, they start jury selection.

Read the rest of the article at the link above.

Oregon Manifest

A strangely revolutionary name for a month-long, October 2 – November 8, celebration of bikes and cycling culture. Now in it’s second year, The Oregon Manifest’s home page explains it thusly:

Oregon Manifest celebrates the art, craft and community of bicycling. Our mission is to engage a wide audience with cycling lifestyle through innovative, influential events around the bicycle.

Sponsored by Chris King Precision Components, this event (or more accurately series of events) pulls together bike designers, a traveling exhibit of Danish cycling culture, Dreams on Wheels, and even a fashion show by Momentum Magazine for those of us who concern ourselves with cycling fashion.  

The full schedule of events is here.

There’s also a nice write-up at Oregonlive.com on the festivities. Lots of bikey goodness for all.

Quick-Thinking Bank Teller

See kids, this is your brain on meth. Not quite eligible for a Darwin Award nomination, but close:

The Associated Press

HILLSBORO, Ore. —Police say a bank robbery attempt in Hillsboro failed after a teller told the woman who handed her a threatening note that she couldn’t read the handwriting.

According to police, a 30-year-old woman walked into a Wells Fargo bank branch Wednesday and handed a teller a note that said, “Need $300 or I’ll kill you. I’m serious.”

The teller told the woman she couldn’t read the writing. While the woman stepped away to rewrite her note on a bank slip, the teller hit a silent alarm and the bank manager intervened, asking the woman how he could help her.

Police and FBI agents soon arrived and arrested the woman; police say she was under the influence of drugs.

Quelle surprise. Who robs a bank for $300?

What a place this is. I’d love to know if the teller truly couldn’t read this Bank Robber Academy drop-out’s handwriting, or if it was an inspired bit of stalling?

Memorial tonight for Gordon Patterson

Another memorial is going to be held tonight in the Hudsons Bay High School gymnasium. It is open to the public. Sorry for the late notice, I just found out.

The driver who hit Gordon Patterson is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 30.

Memorial Service for Gordon Patterson

Google Doodle Mystery Solved

 

Everytime I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.

– H.G. Wells

Yes, it was all a lead up to commemorating the birth of Herbert George Wells.  And shame on you if you have to ask “Who is H.G. Wells?”:

Who is H.G. Wells? That’s what many Googlers are asking after an elaborate three weeks of mysterious logos on the Google homepage. But the company lifted the veil early this morning, explaining the series of UFO-inspired doodles.

I thought the quote was a nice tie-in with the usual cycling theme of this blog.

Happy 143rd Birthday, H.G.!

Thursday Night Vigil for Gordon Patterson

From Oregonlive.com:

A candlelight vigil for Patterson will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday outside the high school at the courtyard. Participants are asked to wear white, echoing the white lab coats that Patterson often wore in his class as well as the high school’s hallways, greeting students he knew and those he didn’t.

Interestingly, I am wearing a white shirt and sweater today, although I don’t think I can make it to the vigil.

On the driver of the car who hit him:

Cellestine has a lengthy criminal record. He either pleaded guilty or was found guilty of a series of charges ranging from assault and marijuana possession to theft and possessing stolen property going back to 2006, (Deputy Prosecutor James) David said.

There is also some indication that he (Cellestine) had once taken a class from Patterson, but the school is unable to confirm that due to privacy laws.

Vancouver, WA cyclist killed

A hit-and-run driver killed a local teacher last night, who was cycling in a bike lane.

You can read the article at Oregonlive.com

They now have a suspect in custody, an 18-yr-old. I’m so horrified by this I don’t know what to say. My deepest condolences to Gordon Patterson’s family.

Be careful out there, people.

MORE INFO: A more in-depth article is online at The Columbian, although at the writing they had not yet arrested the suspect.

One last thought:

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.  ~Henry Brooks Adams

Google’s Unidentified Flying Doodle

If you’ve been to Google’s page today, you’ve no doubt noticed their doodle with an UFO sucking up the second “o” in the word. Apparently Google is not talking about why they have chosen this particular doodle on this particular day. Normally a special doodle will link to a page of related stories. Today it simply links to a page of UFO sites, with no apparent reason for doing it today. My guess is this story which hit the interwebs on Sept. 2:

Japan’s new first lady says rode UFO to Venus

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s next prime minister might be nicknamed “the alien,” but it’s his wife who claims to have had a close encounter with another world.

 “While my body was asleep, I think my soul rode on a triangular-shaped UFO and went to Venus,” Miyuki Hatoyama, the wife of premier-in-waiting Yukio Hatoyama, wrote in a book published last year.

“It was a very beautiful place and it was really green.”

In all fairness, the book came out last year but her alleged abduction took place some twenty years ago when she was married to someone else. Actually it’s not clear she considers the incident an ‘abduction.’  Her then-husband brushed off the incident as a dream. Smart guy. If she thinks Venus is lovely and green, she hasn’t been paying attention to the various missions to Venus, which documented a hostile world and crushing (literally) atmosphere.  Clouds of sulphuric acid obscure the surface from our view, and the surface temp is a balmy 870F/465C.  According to the Wikipedia entry on Venus, the atmospheric pressure at the surface is 92 times that of Earth’s. The Soviet Union’s Venera 5 and Venera 6 probes arrived at Venus on May 16 and 17, respectively, in 1969, and managed to transmit data for approximately 50 minutes before being crushed by the atmosphere 20km up and crashing into the surface.

Anyway, that’s my guess on today’s doodle.

And since it’s raining today and no bike riding to be done, looks like a good day to go to the bookstore and use up my gift card.