Prior to 1914, few governments regulated narcotics, and many modern controlled substances were readily available to much of the world’s population. For a time, cocaine was a readily accepted ingredient in both soft drinks and children’s cough suppressants. Sigmund Freud lobbied for its use as though he had a significant financial stake in the global… Continue reading Vienna: A Drug Trafficker’s El Dorado
I first fell in love with Austria and Bavaria in June, 1994, and Vienna in particular in March, 2001. If we ever meet I person, I promise to tell you the story about the late-night bar over a few drinks. I digress. I returned for a writer’s retreat in November, 2017, and the city felt… Continue reading Vienna: Fact versus Fiction
The Sicilian Mafia is an infamous crime syndicate that is known worldwide, with their perceived lifestyle portrayed in different movies such as, ‘The Godfather,’ and ‘Goodfellas.’ The Sicilian Mafia gained a lot in terms of money and power, ruling through death contracts and creating fear in the hearts of the people of Sicily. The prominence… Continue reading Sicilian Mafia (Organised Crime)
The holidays have always been a tough time for me. Growing up in a divorced family, my siblings and I try diligently to make everyone happy, see all sides of the family for an equal amount of time. It’s never actually worked out that way and we always fail at it. As the oldest child,… Continue reading The Holidays (Hell-a-days)
With election season in its final, desperate death throws, I thought it would be worth sharing how special events, public rallies, and protest/counter-protest (AKA “modern political dialogue”) look from our perspective. I’ve had the distinct honor of working more than my share of these events and I can tell you that it almost doesn’t matter… Continue reading Protested Overtime
…is nonexistent. Or, is it? After all, isn’t that exactly what a secret agent might say? First, I would like to correct the misnomer, at least from the CIA’s perspective, that its field employees are called “officers,” not “agents.” I will agree, though, that “secret officer” just doesn’t have the same ring to it. Sounds… Continue reading My Training to be a Secret Agent…
One would think that fluoridating public drinking water isn’t something to be concerned about. The US has been adding fluoride supplements to public drinking supplies since 1945 and it is generally accepted by the American people. In fact, there are 25 total countries in the world that add fluoride to their public water systems on… Continue reading The Fluoride Conspiracy – Mass Sedation?
Serial killers have long held a macabre sort of fascination with people. Writing letters to them in prison, collecting ‘killer’ trading cards and otherwise obsessing over the depravity of these individuals has become big business over the years, and there are plenty of serial killers to study. One of the most prolific and nausea inducing… Continue reading Jeffrey Dahmer – The Milwaukee Cannibal
So, to be fair to the firefighters and EMS folks, they deserve their comedic due here, as well. At least an Honorable Mention, right, despite my obvious bias. They actually get to span the gap between the patrol cops and detectives and live a bit in both worlds. Their crews are sometimes first on-scene, and… Continue reading Water Jockeys Are People, Too
A serial killer that operated in Northern California during the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Zodiac Killer named himself in a series of taunting letters sent to the local press. Authorities have attributed seven confirmed victims to the unknown murderer, which includes two survivors. In his letters, however, the killer claimed to have been… Continue reading The Zodiac Killer – An Unidentified Menace
