Numbers rise higher

It is a dark week for international tragedies.

Sure enough, the cyclone's damage in Myanmar is now being truly
revealed.

Of course, it takes time to assess the damage, but like with other
natural disasters, the suffering is truly coming into focus now, 11
days after the cyclone ripped through the nation formerly known as
Burma.

UN officials say the death toll could exceed 100,000, and the
International Red Cross puts it at between 68,000 and 128,000, both
according to The Associated Press.

More than the number of dead, the frustrating news is about the slow
response due to the government's inflexibility in dealing with
international organizations. It leads to possible comparisons to our
slow response to Katrina, showing what it takes to make our FEMA look
downright effective.

And while survivors need food, clean water and other supplies,
another storm has threatened the damaged areas, compounding the tragedy.

Meanwhile, in China, a massive response to the 7.9-magnitude
earthquake by the Chinese newspaper and television media has been
noticed by The AP. Details and personal stories of the suffering of
survivors and the mourning of the dead have poured out of the nation,
perhaps part of its acceptance of being in the world's spotlight with
the soon-to-arrive Olympic games.

With the official death toll at less than 15,000, it is accepted that
it will go up as tens of thousands remain missing in various areas.

Pile on with the bombings in India, it has been a depressing week of
international news, and with these tragedies in their early stages,
it is -- as we have seen in Myanmar -- likely going to revealed to be
much worse.

Ouch: Detroit now kicked by the feds

While Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick takes to the airwaves — or at
least to the city's cable access — to move the city forward, as he
and his cronies keep saying, the city received yet another kick from
the media.
This latest minor blow comes in the final paragraph of a Tuesday
story from National Public Radio's Web site about a federal
investigation of Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch, who is in charge of
protection for federal whistleblowers. Bloch is in hot water as he is
being investigated for bringing politics into what is supposed to be
a politics-free zone.
What is most interesting in the story is in the detailed allegations
of how Bloch apparently retaliated against career employees —
including threatening to send them to Detroit.
According to the NPR, employees have accused Bloch of "creating a new
field office in Detroit and forcing them to accept assignments there
or relinquish their jobs."
Again: Ouch.
Mr. Mayor, you better get working to move the city forward. That is a
low blow, having people quit their jobs and surrender their careers
just so they don't have to move there.
Of course, I hope this doesn't get used by the city — promoting
itself as a place to open new offices so as to drive employees away,
especially with some companies looking for ways to trim their
workforces.

Sure enough, death toll climbs

As expected, the word leaking out of cyclone-ravaged Myanmar puts the
death toll at more than 22,000 with more than 41,000 other people
still missing, The Associated Press reported.
The damage to the nation, known also as Burma, and its people will be
long-lasting and devastating. Up to a million may be displaced, crops
have been destroyed, and the nation's strained political system — due
to a test with an upcoming election — could be forced into upheaval.
The headlines in this morning's papers had the death toll at 10,000,
after earlier reports put it at about 3,000.
But that is how it is when news travels slowly out of a country that
is half the world away. Plus, after disasters like this, it takes
time just to ascertain what the damage on the ground truly is.
Look at what happened in New Orleans.
In an age of perceived instant information, unfortunately sometimes
information cannot be obtained instantly. Once obtained, it can
travel the world in seconds or minutes. But it is still people taking
reports from other people.
That is why it is important for inspecting and then helping start
right away, something seemingly slowed by having to ask permission to
help — as had to be done with President Bush and the military junta
that rules Myanmar.

Again, a tragedy unfolds slowly

It takes time to learn the details after a tragedy, whether a single
home burning, a multi-vehicle traffic accident or a natural disaster.
Extra time is needed when the tragedy occurs half-way around the
world, this time in Myanmar — a southeast Asian nation also known as
Burma — where a cyclone appears to have claimed more than 10,000 lives.
Early reports put the death toll — the key statistic for
comprehending and categorizing major calamities — at about 350. By
this morning, it was at about 3,000, but this was sure to go up as
another 2,000 to 3,000 were still missing.
By mid-afternoon in Michigan, government officials in Myanmar warned
it could exceed 10,000.
Remember the numbers of dead climbing slowly after the tsunami in
2004, a Christmas-time event that killed around 230,000 in a dozen
nations around the Indian Ocean?
It took a day or so then for the full damage to be grasped by world,
and part of the shock was that so many people could die and word of
what had happened could come out so slowly.
In the first days, the officials counts were at 13,000 and then
22,000, according to stories from The Associated Press. While it was
known that thousands were still missing, the full scope was not yet
known here.
Myanmar has been in the news here in the U.S. recently, as Buddhist
monks led protests of the government, resulting in a crackdown and a
flood of coverage in the United States.
It will be interesting to see how the government, long resistant to
outside influences, handles this tragedy. So far, it is good to see
that they have requested assistance from the international community.
Let's the hope the news does not worsen as the coming days pass and
the situation is better assessed.

Horror stories prove true

A shocking story came out Austria this week, that of Josef Fritzl, who is accused of keeping his own daughter a sexual captive for 24 years in a secret dungeon -- or windowless cellar room -- in his home.

The latest is that he threatened to gas to death her and the children he had fathered with her if they tried to flee.

It is the type of story that I would expect to see in a Hollywood thriller or blockbuster, the kind of movie that would have me rolling my eyes at the fantastic plot. "Why do they insist on making things more fantastic and so unreal?" I would likely complain to my wife, despite enjoying the film and its performances.

Of course, I've learned that reality can be crazier and more disgusting that anything dreamed in the head of a screenwriter.

I've seen and heard of stories like that, covering police and courts here at The Oakland Press. 

A couple of years ago, a lawyer mentioned he had a case starting that week involving two men who had taken turned sexually abusing one of their daughters. One would commit the abuse and the other would play a video game; then they would trade.

I had already seen and heard quite a bit by then, but even I was blown away. I told the lawyer that his defense would be a pretty basic "who could believe something like this could ever occur?" He said, yes, but.

But what?

But the other man had already admitted it, pleaded guilty and been sent to prison. He would testify against the lawyer's client. So your guy is going to prison, I said.

And that is where he is today and will be for decades.

I learned never to disbelieve something based solely on its outrageousness. Skepticism is good, but I've seen that anything is possible.

Another time, as a police reporter more than a half dozen years ago, I was sent to St. Joseph Mercy hospital in Pontiac with a late Friday night report of a man who had attacked his wife, started a fire and disappeared in the massive building. Arson, domestic violence 

Every stupid cop movie -- starting with 'The Blues Brothers' and its massive police chase at the end -- I had bemoaned for an exaggerated police response suddenly was no longer that stupid. 

The story turned out to be a false report, a prank, but for the 45 minutes I stood outside on Woodward Avenue, police cars came screaming up to the building. Dozens and dozens of police cars from Pontiac, the sheriff's office, and state police arrived that Friday night, creating a surreal scene that meant every speeder in the county was going home that night ticket-free.

It was unbelievable, but there I stood among any number of possible police convention punch lines. The culprit was never caught, though I was curious about the man who had brought his son out to check the excitement. But whoever had done it had proved that it was possible to recreate a Hollywood movie set on Woodward Avenue.

And I learned for the first time to hold off when tempted to say "but that could never happen."

What is up with Michigan?

OK, a tackle from the University of Michigan looks to be the top pick
of this weekend's NFL draft.
Not much other good news coming out of the state, though Jake Long
now faces the possibility of being labeled a major bust, part of what
happens when you are number one.
The rest of the news is still downright horrible.
Forget the fiasco with the delegates not being seated because our
state's party leaders lacked the foresight to see the value of a
later primary and a need to work with the national party. Who are we
to tell national leaders how to manage their programs, when we cannot
even keep our own house in order. Just look at the mess we have here
in our mittens.
We are tops in unemployment, near the top in prison spending, our
baseball team is near the bottom of the American League standings,
and, according to the Michigan Women's Commission, we rank 47th in
pay equity.
In Michigan, women earn 69.8 cents for every dollar earned by a man,
prompting women's groups to take their complaints to Lansing. (Good
luck, seems like problems only go to Lansing to get made worse.)
Of course, the high unemployment is not helping this matter, as
workers are seemingly at the mercy of employers to keep the jobs that
they have.
A better economy would improve the job market, giving employees more
power in seeking better-paying jobs.
I'm not sure how legislation would police this, but it is one more
reason for leaders to focus their work and energy in improving the
economy.
When will we get any news that is really good, meaning an improved
quality of living for residents of this state?
I'm not holding my breath.

One year later LaCalamita on trial

It has taken a little more than a year, but Anthony LaCalamita III is
now on trial.
Some cases go quickly to a jury, sometimes as fast as a couple months
for run-of-the-mill cases. But high profile or controversial cases
can take a couple years, especially if there is an issue of mental
illness and the subsequent competency and criminal responsibility arise.
So let's hear it for Oakland County Circuit Judge Rudy J. Nichols,
who has had his share of high-profile trials and cases involving
mental illness.
LaCalamita, 39, is accused of buying a shotgun after getting fired
from his job at a Troy accounting firm, returning to the office a few
days later, and killing a receptionist and injuring two executives.
He is charged with first-degree murder, and if convicted, he must be
sentenced to life without parole.
According to accounts this morning, his attorney — Jerome Fenton —
told the jury that LaCalamita is not guilty by reason of insanity,
and the case will rest on the analysis and understanding of expert
witnesses: psychologists and mental health professionals.
Not much of a whodunit, but this will require jurors paying close
attention to the details of the case, both before, during and after
the shooting; understanding of the mental health issues; and a
comprehension of the law and legal explanations of what is defined as
insanity.
Most impressive, so far, is Judge Nichols ability to get the trial
underway in such a timely manner. He is one of the judges with a
tight control of his courtroom, helped with capable and professional
staff, who know what needs to be done to keep a case moving.
Picking such a jury in about two hours is an almost amazing feat,
especially because this shooting was one of the biggest news stories
of 2007.
Though jurors may have heard of the shooting, they must keep an open
mind when it comes to making a decision on the case.
The case will take time, as witnesses have much to explain and
attorneys have much to probe. But Nichols will keep the case moving
and will not get bogged down in needless delays, appreciating the
time taken by jurors as well as everyone else whose jobs brought them
to this trial.
Consider this: In the federal criminal trial of well-known attorney
Geoffrey Fieger, attorneys spent Monday through Thursday of last week
picking jurors, and they still had much more work to do this week.
Nichols, who has been a judge since 1991, had his jury listening to
opening statements before lunch and witnesses testifying after the
lunch break.
He is off to a great start.