Tuesday, September 12, 2006

A LIFE WELL LIVED.

KING TUPOU IV

From America to Tonga:

Careful and very longtime readers of our humble blog know of our fondness for the life well lived, and the obituary well written. The NY Times reported on the death of our favourite monarch, and we feel compelled to highlight the wonderful facts of King Tupou’s life. The King was the ruler of Tonga and the 10, 000 island Polynesian archipelago.

At 460 pounds, King Tupou was regarded in 1976 as the world’s heaviest monarch. Then at age 70, he went on a health kick and lost 200 pounds through diet and exercise which included riding his bicycle on the airport’s runway in the mornings. He lived to 88 years of age, giving hope to the more rotund among us.

The King was said to hold his island’s record for pole vaulting, at ten feet, set when he was 14 in 1932.
You just don’t hear much about Polynesian Pole Vaulters these days.

A man of letters, and a college and law school graduate (From the University of Sydney, Australia) the King commissioned the first dictionary of Tongan, the Polynesian language, and led a spirited effort to have the letter “B” replaced with the letter “P” although the reasons are far from known to us, and must be Tonganian in nature. Somehow “Rumbole” doesn’t work. We liked the King, but we like the “P” more.

The King proclaimed full independence from England in 1970 and was present for the first Tongan television transmission.

In 1990 the King saw fit to take advantage of a loophole in international law and claimed the last 16 desirable and unoccupied satellite orbital spaces for Tonga’s “space program”. However the 119 nation satellite consortium awarded Tonga only six spaces. The King was accused of using the loophole to lease the spaces for profit, but claimed them in a need to “upgrade his country’s telecommunications”.

At the time, only 4, 000 citizens in his kingdom had a telephone.

You have to love a Polynesian Monarch with chutzpah.

The King toyed with the idea of establishing nuclear waste storage facilities and oil refineries on uninhabited islands in his kingdom, and authorized the selling of 30 million dollars worth of Tonga citizenships at $20,000.00 a pop.

In summary, King Tupou IV led an extraordinary life. Monarchies are on the decline and we will not see his likes again. As opposed to yesterday’s post, he was distinctly “Un American” and that is not a bad thing.

Sometimes it’s a good thing to step back from our small world here in Miami and recognize the diversity of life and lives.
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OK. Now back to the Prosecutor vs. Defense attorney debate that broke out in the comments section last night.

88 comments:

  1. Take my children out of handcuffs!

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  2. Does Gale Levine have to take some kind of medication to go on the show? Nice post above H.S.K., you are the only person I know that would throw the word "dick" into a sentence. LOL. Truth is that HSK is right, ASAs are underdogs, however, go take a look at what goes on in the "big house" aka Federal Court and you will see a completely lopsided system that favors the Government.

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  3. I think that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander.

    Since Darrin Mcgillis is always putting people under the microscope I hereby challenge all the very talented Blog posters to put Darrin under the microscope.

    Bloggers let's Google him ,check the clerk's office,check the 31 lawsuits he has been involved with over the last ten years, the news stories in the New Timesand Miami Herald and determine once and for :

    Darrin Gadfly or Nut Job?

    Report on your searches and Vote Now !

    The Profession Needs you !

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  4. No. Please do not do that. It is just not worth the time and effort and this blog is not about any one person. You are free to open and post your own website if you wish. This individual has nothing to do with the topic of the blog. I did not remove your post, but I will stop this blog from being used by anyone against any individual.

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  5. I know we just had a blog party, but I am sentimental. I would like to have one last get together of the old gang, hoist a few, and sing the Migna Song one...last...time..

    MIGNA IN 2008
    I CAN'T WAIT.

    MIGNA LOVES MIAMI
    MIAMI LOVES MIGNA
    OH (INSERT JUDGE UP FOR ELECTION IN 2008 HERE)
    JUST YOU WAIT AND SEE

    MIAMI LOVES MIGNA
    MIGNA LOVES MIAMI

    SHE'LL BE ON THE BENCH
    HELPING YOU AND MEEEEEEEEEEE.

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  6. HEY. What the hell happened?

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  7. Yeah where are those rats ?

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  8. Rumor has it that Arthur Arnau had more signs up around town than votes he garnered? Captain can you advise of the vote tally versus amount spent on signs by Arnau?

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  9. I wonder if the King smoked good bud on the island. I know if I were a monarch I'd have a sick growhouse and would baked all day.

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  10. Defense lawyers and prosecutors are different sides of the same coin.
    We should all be able to do either Job with Honor.

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  11. I have a friend who lived in Tonga.
    He told me the king was a good guy.

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  12. great blog keep up the good work

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  13. I too have a friend who lived in Tonga. He said the King was cool as a mofo. And he also smoked good reefer. Not locally grown, as the climate isnt optimal for such a plant, but imported from parts unknown.

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  14. Better Idea for a show, Gale levine, and Jay Levine have to be in a room together for 1 hour

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  15. did you know that no appellant judge has ever been voted out of office.

    could judge rothenberg be the first?

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  16. When we wrote about the good King, we did not anticipate rampant speculation about his possible marijuana use. There are other things in life you know.

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  17. Count me in on the Migna fiesta.

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  18. Will the real people behind the Alan/Chris posts please step forward so I can punch/sue them?

    Thank you.

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  19. Alan, how does this affect us?

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  20. Arthur Arnau what a joke!

    Him and his buddies Juan De Arce and Charles Safdie, election Geniuses

    I think it was a sign vote ratio of 4:1

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  21. alan, i dont have dental plan

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  22. Question for debate-

    Is it better to be a "black and white" person,,,right and wrong, nothing in between. Or is it better to be a person who is able to see both sides, or the "grey" in every situation?

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  23. chris, we had better stop

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  24. give it up migna. you suck.

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  25. alan, can he find us through our ip address?

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  26. Is the rumor true that Altschuler and the L&L twins (Lurvey and Lyons) have sort of admitted to being Rumpole?

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  27. Chris, they can't find us through the IP address, and remember little buddy, its always darkest before the dawn.

    Hang on sloopy, hang on.

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  28. THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

    For the Arthur Arnau fans, here are the numbers:

    House District 107
    Republican Primary

    The winner was Frank Carollo with 2108 votes. Mr. Carollo spent $125,628; meaning it costs him $60 for every vote he garnered.

    The biggest loser: Mr. Arnau who spent $31,128 and convinced a whopping 215 voters to punch his ballot number. The result works out to $145 per vote.

    CAPTAIN OUT ...........

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  29. Alan, I cant hang on anymore, what should I do.

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  30. do you know if that guy ever got off that bandwagon?

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  31. Anybody want to be before a judge who sees only black/white and is blind to greyish hues? Please!!!

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  32. It is me...I am still on the bandwagon. This damn thing won't stop rolling. Bardawil '08!

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  33. no chris we will have to wait until '08

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  34. and they wont stop singing that damm migna song...........helpppppppppppppp!!!

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  35. Arnau! Arnau He's our MAN!
    Runs for the Senate
    As fast as he can.

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  36. LOOK! Its Closius and Davenport! Pulling over the bandwagon!
    Someone call Catalano.

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  37. NEWS OF THE WEIRD

    A Vietnamese man who once appeared on national television to demonstrate his ability to resist electric shocks has been electrocuted while repairing a generator, an official said Tuesday.
    Nguyen Van Hung, aged in his early 40s, was killed in Tay Ninh province near the Cambodian border while repairing the generator without first cutting the power supply, a local official said.
    "When alive, he used to demonstrate at our office how he would insert two fingers into the electrical plughole without problems," the official said.

    Hung, nicknamed "Hung Electric," had appeared on television's "Strange Stories of Vietnam."

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  38. MAN VERSUS GROUPER..

    MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida diver shot a large grouper with a spear gun then apparently drowned when the fish sped into a hole, entangling the man in the line attached to the spear, investigators said Monday.
    The 42-year-old man, whose name was withheld, was free-diving in about 25 feet of water off the lower Florida Keys Saturday and speared a Goliath Grouper, Monroe County Sheriff's Detective Mark Coleman said.
    "It looks like the fish wrapped the line attached to the spear around the victim's wrist. The fish then went into a hole in a coral rock, effectively pinning the man to the bottom of the ocean," Coleman said in a news release.
    Police divers found the speared fish tightly wedged into the hole, with the man's body still tangled in the line, a sheriff's spokeswoman said.
    Goliath Grouper are the largest members of the sea bass family and can weigh hundreds of pounds.

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  39. Alan, are you still with me?

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  40. Looks like that fish got away.

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  41. i wonder if the diver was high

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  42. whats up with the runoff any word?

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  43. Of course I am lil buddy. Wanna go spearfishing this weekend?

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  44. alan and chris, if migna is for miami and miami is for migna then is subset A a part of set B or not?

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  45. yes, phil. but in this case only shelly is part of set A and B.

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  46. Anybody care that these judicial candidates haven't taken their signs down yet? Especialy the winners!

    Oh and Gail Levine is so HOT!!!!!!!!!!

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  47. Things you will not hear for the rest of 2006:

    Lawyer 1: I really want to run for Judge
    Lawyer 2: Then you must hire Juan D'Arce.
    Lawyer 1: D'Arce you say?
    Lawyer 2: He's the best. But you'd better call fast because he's already booked for 2008.

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  48. DUI Guys
    Blecher, Reiff, Best,
    the rest
    not for me.

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  49. Can we start a poll about how many of us hate Gail Levine. I'll be the first one to vote. Hate her!!
    The poll can be:

    Is Gail Levine evil or is she mentally gone?

    I vote evil.

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  50. No. We do not use the blog for petty personal grudges. Go back to your xBox and Oreos.

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  51. Other things you won't hear:

    Judge Farina: Welcome to our swearing in cermony. Now Judge, please stand, and raise your right hand, and state your name:

    Patty Marino-Culpepper-Wade: "Which one? Or do you mean all of them?"

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  52. BAD NEWS EVERYONE:

    Crime Rates Steady From 2004 to 2005


    All Things Considered, September 12, 2006 · Crime rates for 2005 remained about the same as for 2004, according to a new report from the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics. The analysis also finds that the victim of a violent crime is half as likely to report the crime to police as a victim of theft.

    The Justice Department figures show that a drop in theft helped the overall property crime rate decline in the period.

    Robert Siegel talks to Shannon Catalano, the report's author.

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  53. Other things you will not hear:

    (phone rings)
    Hello?
    Steve? Ivan here. Any openings for traffic mags in the new year?

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  54. i just cannot wait for the law offices of "hernandez, gonzalez and avvarez, P.A." they seem to work well together.

    They can rent space at the trinity church.

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  55. my question is when is hernandez's last day as a judge?

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  56. my guess is they will specialize in criminal cases and in public corruption area of the law.

    it is my view that the Florida bar should give them each a board certification in that area of law without attending the required class or test.

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  57. HEY CAPTAIN:

    YOU PROMISED US THE BREAKDOWN FOR ALL THE COUNTY RACES ON MONDAY. ARE YOU GONNA DO IT??

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  58. I am not Rumpole but I know him.

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  59. SORRY I have been out of town for a few days. Traveling today. Might not be a new post.

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  60. here is something for all you traffic ticket wizards:

    you already know that the clerk's office routinely sends old unpaid tickets to a collection agency. they tack on a huge fee and only they are in control of notifying the clerk if a fine has been paid in order to get a clearance.

    correct me if i'm off on this but once your in collection you cant get it out and the clerk wont do anything about it. is this usurping the administration of the judiciary? violating separation of powers? unlawful delegation of authority? obstruction of justice?

    why dont you ticket lawyers show your critics some of your true mettle and fight this?

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  61. True true true....a tickrt that would originally cost $ 18.00 end up costing you over $ 100.00 after th Clerks office gets the collection agency involved.....dont think they dont get a kick-back....the county is too greedy to let a collection agency get all that loot....its a racket !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  62. To those of you bashing Gail....

    Get over yourselves. The fact is that she is bright, fun and committed to the job.

    Yes, she is intense as hell. If one of my relatives or friends were killed, I can't think of anyone I'd rather handle the case, with the exception of David Gilbert and Abe Laeser.

    If you knew her outside of work you'd like her. She is a loyal and supportive friend.

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  63. The collection agencies add a 40% collection fee to unpaid tickets, keep 35% and give the remaining 5% to the clerk's office.

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  64. In my opinion, she has serious emotional issues in Court. Very very dramatic. Would not want her prosecuting the case before the jury if I had an interest in the case.

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  65. LOL. Gail is an outstanding trial attorney who wins the vast majority of her cases. You don't want her? Good luck.

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  66. What do we call Patty Marino-Culpepper-Wade now?

    JUDGE!

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  67. The trial of John Evander Couey, the sex offender charged with kidnapping, raping and killing 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, will be held in February in Miami, where officials hope it will be easier to find a fair jury, Citrus County court officials said Tuesday

    WHAT ADVICE DO WE HAVE FOR THE JUDGE AND HIS STAFF AS THEY ENTER THE WORLD OF THE REGJB?

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  68. i understand that bruce fleisher will be local counsel for the couey case. state better watch out now!!!

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  69. i thought we were talking about the King's smoking habits. how did we get to couey?

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  70. Gail is a prosecutor who gets to pick and choose the best of the best cases, investigate the hell out of them and go to trial in front of a death qualified jury when she knows she will be seeking life. I would love to see her handle one of the C caseloads with 250+ cases set for trial and no authority to offer bellow guidelines pleas. I guarntee that she would go crazier and that she would not win anywhere near the number of cases. UP FOR THE CHALLENGE???

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  71. Alan, dont worry little buddy.

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  72. WHAT ABOUT THE SIGNS? AGHHHHH!!!!!!

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  73. 2:11:36 PM is the kind of person that would say, "I'd like to see Don Shula strap on a helmet and play middle linebacker now. He sucks. Is he up for the challenge?"

    Get your head out of your ass!

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  74. 8:32,
    If you have a ticket in collections you need to file a motion with the "Lord of the Traffic magistrates" to get it out. Other than the 40% fee, it's no different than before they sent it to a collection agency. F.R. Traf. Ct. 6.600(c) specifies that if there was a failure to pay or appear a request for hearing has to be made and granted. It doesn't specify "who" grants the request but in order to avoid your scenario of usurping the judiciary, it is the judiciary, at least in Dade county, who grants/denies the requests.

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