Vancouver welcomes Ziggy Marley

The Vancouver Sun is reporting that "Reggae artist Ziggy Marley is among the next crop of musicians announced for the 2017 TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Marley appears at the Vogue Theatre on June 26." Now that's what I'm talking about.

Ziggy Marley and Lauryn Hill performed a legendary rendition of Redemption song together. Steve Marley also performed a legendary version of No Woman no Cry with the Fugees.

Nicky Jam is the next generation that remixes Reggae with Spanish music creating Reggaeton.

A dramatic rescue and a senseless fatality

There was a dramatic rescue of a driver trapped in the cab of a flat deck that was hanging over the edge on an overpass near the Surrey Delta border. The driver of a rig hooked up a chain from the flat deck to his rig so it wouldn't fall over the edge and rescue workers moved into position. Well done souljas. Saving lives one day at a time.

In contrast a traffic camera showed a different car scream through a led light right through a busy intersection at full speed in Surrey. It then t-boned another vehicle and killed one of the occupants. Police believe alcohol was a factor in the accident. What a tragedy.

One would think if someone had a bit too much to drink, they would drive slow to compensate. There was another woman in Surrey who went screaming through a red light and t-boned another vehicle. Witnesses from the Gala said alcohol was a factor in that accident as well. Only she lied and said the other party ran the red light. Locals knew that wasn't possible because at that intersection she would have had to have come to a complete stop to trigger the demand light. That woman went on to become a conservative MP.

Peter Leask Strikes Again - Update

The Vancouver Sun is reporting that "Citing an 'extremely shorthanded' judiciary, a B.C. Supreme Court judge Monday urged two lawyers to attempt to complete a two-week rape trial in five days, suggesting the prosecutor not call two Crown witnesses and limit questioning of the complainant."

"B.C. Supreme Court Justice Peter Leask, who lives and usually sits in the Lower Mainland, also said he would rather be home than in the Interior. 'Full disclosure: I live in Vancouver,' the judge said. “Kamloops is a wonderful place, but I like sleeping in my own bed.” The trial relates to allegations of ongoing sexual assaults of a teenaged girl by her stepfather in Adams Lake dating back to the mid-1970s. The stepfather is facing four charges, including rape and sexual intercourse with a female under 14 years old."

Peter Leask wants to fast track a rape trial and deny two witnesses because he is inconvenienced by having to hear the case in Kamloops when he lives in Vancouver. Fire Him! We all remember Peter Leask. He is the one that gave a Hells Angels associate house arrest for trafficking cocaine. He also let a full patch Hells Angel off when the police caught him red handed loading 52 kilos of cocaine onto a truck from His storage locker. The fact that Peter Leask is still a BC Supreme Court judge is a crime against humanity and proves things need to change.

Canada dot com printed an article by Georgialee Lang discussing why we need to elect judges in Canada like they do in the United States. Georgialee Lang is a Vancouver based lawyer who has her own blog called the Law Diva. She even has a religious affiliation.

Personally I'm not completely sold on the need to elect judges although I am not opposed to it. What we really need is a mechanism in place to get rid of bad judges because right now we have none. The fact that Peter Leask is still on the bench until he faces mandatory retirement at age 75 clearly shows the system is broken and needs to be fixed. I'm not the only one that thinks so.

Update: The Vancouver Sun is reporting that after Peter Leask denied the Crown's two star witnesses, the crown was forced to stay the rape charges. That is obscene. The Times Colonist is reporting that a complaint against Peter Leask has been filed with Canadian Judicial Council and well it should. When one bad cop does something wrong it makes all cops look bad. Likewise when one bad judge does something wrong it brings the entire judiciary into disrepute.

Accidental shooting in East Vancouver

CKNW is reporting that "What was initially reported as a shooting on Vancouver’s downtown east side Saturday morning was actually a self-inflicted accident, according to Vancouver Police. A man was taken to hospital after 2:30 a.m. when police found him on the ground in front of the Maple Hotel, 177 East Hastings St. suffering from gunshot wounds. Following interviews with investigators, police say it turns out the man had accidentally discharged the firearm on himself."

Word has it that the nature of the self inflicted injury was similar to the one created by a Hells Angels associate in Australia. Nobody said criminals were very smart. Control the muzzel and don't put one into the chamber until you're ready to fire. Idiot.

Just like that accidental shooting at a Surrey injection site. It's a good thing they gave them a clean needle before the shooting. Our good intentions have turned into criminal culpability.

Shots fired at house party in Abbotsford

The Abby News is reporting that "Four young men are in hospital with varying injuries after a shooting last night (Friday) at a large house party in central Abbotsford. The incident occurred just before midnight in the 2300 block of Beaver Street. Abbotsford Police Sgt. said police who arrived found two injured men in their early 20s both suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. They were taken to hospital. Two more men – also in their early 20s – also arrived at the hospital suffering from injuries related to the incident. Bird said one of those men had gunshot wounds, while the other sustained injuries related to blunt-force trauma. All four remain in hospital."

"Three are being treated at this time for non-life-threatening injuries. One man is in stable, but serious, condition. The canine unit was brought to the scene and a firearm has been located, but police are not releasing any details on the make of weapon at this time. Bird said the motive is currently unclear, but police believe it is related to the dynamics of whatever occurred at the house party." Crack heads. If you can't handle the booze, don't drink. Saint Paddy's Day is holy.

The Last Don Standing - Update

I have an interesting book in front of me that just crossed my desk. It's called Last Don Standing: The Secret Life of Mob Boss Ralph Natale by Larry McShane and Dan Pearson. It's not due to be released until March 21st but you can preorder it on Amazon. The publisher sent me a copy so I got a sneak peak before it was released. Larry McShane is a crime reporter that writes for the New York Daily News. Dan Pearson is a producer from Brooklyn. Ralph Natale was a bonafide leader in the Costa Nostra. Everyone knows the Costa Nostra is the real thing.

The Philly dot com is reporting that Former Philadelphia mob boss Ralph Natale – believed to be the first sitting La Cosa Nostra boss to testify against his own crime family – is finally releasing his tell-all memoir this month. So that means this book isn't just about him it was written with his assistance. It's not often a book has a movie deal before the book has been released.

Deadline dot com is reporting that: "The Last Don Standing, the book that recounts the life of Philadelphia Mob Boss Ralph Natale, known as one of the only La Costra Nostra bosses to flip and become a federal witness, is being developed as a feature film and a starring vehicle for Frank Grillo. The book from New York Daily News reporter Larry McShane and producer Dan Pearson, compiles Natale’s frank accounts of the murder of Bugsy Siegel, Jimmy Hoffa’s final days, the mob’s takeover of Atlantic City."

Everyone knows that I'm not a fan of police informants. I do believe law enforcement has a need for police informants, that's just not my thing. However, the reason I am endorsing this book is because this case is different. Ralph Natale wasn't some two bit drug dealer that ratted out his boss to get a reduced prison sentence. Ralph Natale was the boss. He was a legitimate Don in the Costa Nosta who expposes how he was betrayed and went into witness protection. It is a real life story similar to the Netflix series Lilyhammer. Lilyhammer was a hilarious series about a New York mobster who went into witness protection because he got screwed over by his own family so to speak. When they asked him where he wanted to go he said Norway because he saw it on the Winter Olympics and thought it would be a nice place to settle down.

So the big city publishers in New York gives the Gangsters Out News Syndicate an exclusive by showing us an inside look at the book before it's even published. What an honour. This guy is no Justin Bieber bitch. He is the real deal. Finally an inside look at how the business is supposed to run with dignity before the spineless dirtbags ruined it with betrayal and greed.

Philadelphia has a lot of history. Not only was it the birthplace of the Rocky movies, but it is also the home of the Liberty Bell and where the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were debated and signed. When people think of organized crime they first think of New York and Chicago. Philadelphia is right beside New York City. The crime family in Philadelphia was one of the most active American Mafia families outside of the Five Families of New York.

Synopsis

This book has a happy ending. Ralph is in a better place. It shows how times have changed. The new kids on the block have no respect for others because they have no self respect. Old School reigns supreme because the new kids on the block simply never went to school.

Mob Boss Ralph Natale was the Don. He was the one that ran the entire enterprise. When he went to prison his underlings didn't give his wife a dime. She was left with no income at all. Like WTF? In the book Ralph Natale clarifies "I became a government witness. I never wore a wire. I never entrapped anybody." He ended up doing more time than the people he testified against.

"Natale mourns the loss of the old Mafia, the world where he grew up. The whole thing was killed by men who were never satisfied with their position or their riches, men without respect for the Life or their own lives. Greed destroyed everything." It always does. Peace.

Saint Paddy's Day

It's the holy day so it is. Salute the holy land and the real Lord of the Dance but don't run around like a drunken idiot. Have a little self respect. Follow the Fellow who follows a dream. Peace.

Independent Soldiers busted in Red Deer Alberta

CBC is reporting that Two men with suspected ties to two gangs - the Independent Soldiers and the Red Scorpions - have been arrested on drug charges in Red Deer, Alta., following a three-month investigation, police say. Two firearms were seized along with a trace amount of drugs as well as Independent Soldier gear. 919 refers to the letters IS.

As we all know locally, the Independent Soldiers and the Red Scorpions are puppet clubs that sell drugs for the Hells Angels. The Red Scorpions used to work for the UN until the Surrey Six where Jamie Bacon and a few associations executed the former leaders after they made sure they were disarmed first. The Bacon brothers are notoriously hated in Surrey for being complete rejects.

Nobody uses the Red Scorpions logo anymore because the swine flu made it look like a cheap karate school. Welcome to the finger and the thumb. Next they'll be carrying around fuzzy trolls.

Another shooting in East Vancouver

News 1130 is reporting that "A suspected shooting inside a Downtown Eastside hotel is the latest in a string of violent events to hit Vancouver in recent days. Officers were called to the Regent Hotel on 160 East Hastings Street at around 2:30 p.m. for reports of gunshots. They found one man inside who appears to have been shot. The man was sent to the hospital in serious condition. No other details are being provided. The apparent shooting comes less than 12 hours after a 19-year-old man was stabbed to death on East Hastings Street, the city’s third homicide in less than a week." Crime stats in the DTES have been drastically suppressed after they closed down public access to the police station there.

This is what we refer to as a New York Minute where several different things are happening all at once. Yesterday there was a fatal shooting in Surrey and another shooting in North Vancouver.

Hells Angels prospect killed on Vancouver Island

Kim Bolan is reporting that Michael Gregory Widner, 39, was last seen March 8 in Sooke and was reported missing the following day. Rainbow Ricky has confirmed that he was a Hells Angels prospect and that his body was found Sunday.