Latest news with #Solomonic
The Citizen
6 days ago
- General
- The Citizen
Meyiwa trial becomes a courtroom spectacle without justice
The Senzo Meyiwa trial has turned into a legal performance filled with theatrics, questionable rulings and conflict of interest. General view during the unveiling of Senzo Meyiwa's tombstone at Chesterville Cemetery on 10 November 2020 in Durban. Picture: Gallo Images/Darren Stewart The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial continues to teeter between comedy and tragedy at the High Court in Pretoria. National icon Meyiwa was murdered in cold blood in front of a number of witnesses in 2014. The resultant legal circus being screened on national television lately at the moment is leaving viewers with many lingering unanswered questions. The spectacle that started with the initial presiding officer, Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela, seems to have found its way under the current presiding officer, Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng. If ever there was a case where the interests of justice, logic, common sense and Solomonic wisdom yearned – if not screamed – for the trial to start afresh (de novo) before a new judge, and for the five accused persons to be each represented by separate counsel, it is the Meyiwa murder trial. There is a lot that has been said and done in that courtroom in the full glare of news television cameras that dictate that this trial starts afresh before another judge. ALSO READ: 'No proper investigation was done': Defence frustrated over missing evidence in Senzo Meyiwa murder trial So far, the trial has not showcased the machinations of our justice system in action in a favourable light. One has witnessed theatrics and conduct unbecoming from the Bench and the Bar itself. Some rulings from the Bench and unsalutary comments have been made. Not all within the Bench have the necessary acumen, temperament, patience, diligence, forensic skills and tact to restrain themselves from vying for attention to win the Oscar performance for the best actor of the show. It is not the duty of the Bench to upstage any of the legal representatives appearing before it. After all, legal representatives are creatures of instructions, no matter how ridiculous the legal mandate seems to the listening spectators. The palpable bias from the Bench leaning towards the prosecution has emboldened some counsel to even threaten to quit, while the state keeps on making objections on issues where the court should exercise latitude for cross-examination. Potential conflict of interest, in itself, is sufficient for a discerning court to insist on separate defence representation. Here in this case you have two of the accused persons having made some self-incriminating admissions and confessions implicating their co-accused person. ALSO READ: Senzo Meyiwa murder trial postponed as defence seeks more evidence from state Is that not in itself real prejudice and well-grounded conflict of interest? The problem in this case is that the Bench and the Bar seem to be enjoying the news television cameras too much, at the detrimental expense of the fairness of the trial to both the prosecution and defence. Unfortunately, the Meyiwa murder trial will be remembered for the many wrong things that went down instead of solving one of the most unfortunate tragedies that befell a former goalkeeper and captain of our national team. To those versed in superstition and conjecture, it is as if the trial itself is jinxed. I rest my case.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Custody spat over New Orleans escape-artist dog settled with visitation agreement
Calling King Solomon. The wiry terrier named Scrim who had virtually all of New Orleans looking for him while he spent most of the previous year on the run – enduring a hurricane, a historic snowfall and other perils – landed in the middle of an adoption controversy among those who recently brought him to heel again and then wanted to keep him. But in a video showing them sharing a sofa with Scrim, those who helmed an effort to bring the dog off the streets to domesticity announced a Solomonic solution that would keep all of them involved in his life – though his owner would be a local animal rescue shelter proprietor who had lost him in November and ultimately reneged on an earlier agreement for a key search volunteer to adopt him. News of shelter proprietor Michelle Cheramie's change of heart had ignited a wave of social media hatred, including accusations of selfishness and her viewing the ungovernable pup as little more than 'a meal ticket' given the viral media attention his abscondence had generated. Nonetheless, in their video with Cheramie and Scrim, would-be adopters Tammy Murray and Freba Maulauizada pleaded for a stop to the acrimony that had erupted in what seemed like only the latest tale to prove the intense passions that pets can inspire in Americans – and how nothing good can truly last on the internet. 'Please, please … do not hate,' Murray said in the video, after having described herself as 'devastated and really speechless' at her foiled adoption of Scrim in an earlier social media post that prompted the digital pile-on suffered by Cheramie. 'It does not get us anywhere, and it feels awful.' Zeus' Rescues reportedly first took in Scrim after he was found astray in a south-east Louisiana trailer park on Halloween 2023. He bolted from Cheramie's home in November, doing so by chewing through a second-floor window screen and leaping 13ft on to a driveway. Scrim was staying with Cheramie – who owns Zeus' Rescues – while he recovered from having earlier gone on the lam for six months after fleeing his then-adoptive family's yard. He survived summer temperatures above 100F, Hurricane Francine in September and wounds that were suspected to have been inflicted by someone wielding an air pellet gun. He was also missing a chunk of ear as well as several teeth – and had a number of abrasions – when he was caught in October and placed in Cheramie's home to rest and await readoption. After he skedaddled from Cheramie's home in November, the trail went quickly cold after the batteries in Scrim's GPS collar died within hours. People with nets and tranquilizer darts formed search parties that scoured the city for Scrim on both of his runs, but they came up empty-handed. He eschewed baits of beef tripe and locally beloved Popeyes fried chicken while making fleeting appearances on doorbell camera videos across New Orleans, earning him international media coverage as well as a large online following within the city and beyond. Eventually, on 11 February, an apparently hungry Scrim reportedly crawled into a narrow trap designed for cats, was recaptured and returned to Cheramie. She said a veterinary exam and X-rays indicated that Scrim had tapeworms and intestinal parasites but was otherwise in good health. Murray at that point thought Scrim would be going to the home she shared with her partner, Maulauizada. The animal advocate and furniture designer, who had spent days and nights partaking in efforts to find Scrim, had submitted an application to adopt the dog through Zeus' Rescues and had gained approval. However, on 18 February, Cheramie announced on Facebook that she had decided to keep Scrim for herself after he had bonded with her dog, Scooby, and had even been received warmly by her cats. 'I had a change of heart,' Cheramie wrote. 'I wanted him to be my dog.' She acknowledged that Murray and Maulauizada 'took it hard', referred to 'a lot of hurt and pain', and expressed a desire for a time when 'we will all heal'. Murray herself confirmed that was the case in her own social media statement, writing: 'No words. Devastated and really speechless. 10+ months of my life dedicated to bringing him home to safety. Even made it official and filled out an application and got approved only to be here … not my dog.' Many sympathized with Murray. One user wrote Cheramie was acting 'selfish … and … isn't putting Scrim's needs before her emotions'. Another wrote: 'She sees him as a meal ticket.' And still another wrote to Zeus' Rescues: 'I think you have showed you can't properly take care of him. This should not be your dog.' The Louisiana news outlet reported that someone telephoned Cheramie and threateningly told her: 'You better never let me see you out on the street.' The rancorous tone of the dialogue unwittingly set off by Murray's and Cheramie's dueling statements then evidently prompted both to collaborate on defusing it. Convinced that Scrim was thriving in Cheramie's home, Murray and Maulauizada then essentially dropped their adoption claim to leave him in the care of the Zeus' Rescues proprietor, with assurances that they would still have roles in his life. They also made a conciliatory video with Cheramie and Scrim, on her lap, between them. An intermittently teary-eyed Murray said in the video: 'Our focus is on Scrim. I hope everyone can celebrate with us that this dog is just doing wonderful.' Apologizing for the statement that unleashed the backlash directed at Cheramie, she added: We really want this to end on a good note.' Cheramie, for her part, denied Scrim's measure of fame was a factor in her love for him. She said she was grateful Murray and Maualauizada engaged in 'honest and open conversations' with her about 'a painful situation' – and wanted 'what's best' for Scrim. 'I love the fact that we can have this type of relationship and that we're here now doing this,' Cheramie remarked.
The Guardian
23-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Custody spat over New Orleans escape-artist dog settled with visitation agreement
Calling King Solomon. The wiry terrier named Scrim who had virtually all of New Orleans looking for him while he spent most of the previous year on the run – enduring a hurricane, a historic snowfall and other perils – landed in the middle of an adoption controversy among those who recently brought him to heel again and then wanted to keep him. But in a video showing them sharing a sofa with Scrim, those who helmed an effort to bring the dog off the streets to domesticity announced a Solomonic solution that would keep all of them involved in his life – though his owner would be a local animal rescue shelter proprietor who had lost him in November and ultimately reneged on an earlier agreement for a key search volunteer to adopt him. News of shelter proprietor Michelle Cheramie's change of heart had ignited a wave of social media hatred, including accusations of selfishness and her viewing the ungovernable pup as little more than 'a meal ticket' given the viral media attention his abscondence had generated. Nonetheless, in their video with Cheramie and Scrim, would-be adopters Tammy Murray and Freba Maulauizada pleaded for a stop to the acrimony that had erupted in what seemed like only the latest tale to prove the intense passions that pets can inspire in Americans – and how nothing good can truly last on the internet. 'Please, please … do not hate,' Murray said in the video, after having described herself as 'devastated and really speechless' at her foiled adoption of Scrim in an earlier social media post that prompted the digital pile-on suffered by Cheramie. 'It does not get us anywhere, and it feels awful.' Zeus' Rescues reportedly first took in Scrim after he was found astray in a south-east Louisiana trailer park on Halloween 2023. He bolted from Cheramie's home in November, doing so by chewing through a second-floor window screen and leaping 13ft on to a driveway. Scrim was staying with Cheramie – who owns Zeus' Rescues – while he recovered from having earlier gone on the lam for six months after fleeing his then-adoptive family's yard. He survived summer temperatures above 100F, Hurricane Francine in September and wounds that were suspected to have been inflicted by someone wielding an air pellet gun. He was also missing a chunk of ear as well as several teeth – and had a number of abrasions – when he was caught in October and placed in Cheramie's home to rest and await readoption. After he skedaddled from Cheramie's home in November, the trail went quickly cold after the batteries in Scrim's GPS collar died within hours. People with nets and tranquilizer darts formed search parties that scoured the city for Scrim on both of his runs, but they came up empty-handed. He eschewed baits of beef tripe and locally beloved Popeyes fried chicken while making fleeting appearances on doorbell camera videos across New Orleans, earning him international media coverage as well as a large online following within the city and beyond. Eventually, on 11 February, an apparently hungry Scrim reportedly crawled into a narrow trap designed for cats, was recaptured and returned to Cheramie. She said a veterinary exam and X-rays indicated that Scrim had tapeworms and intestinal parasites but was otherwise in good health. Murray at that point thought Scrim would be going to the home she shared with her partner, Maulauizada. The animal advocate and furniture designer, who had spent days and nights partaking in efforts to find Scrim, had submitted an application to adopt the dog through Zeus' Rescues and had gained approval. However, on 18 February, Cheramie announced on Facebook that she had decided to keep Scrim for herself after he had bonded with her dog, Scooby, and had even been received warmly by her cats. 'I had a change of heart,' Cheramie wrote. 'I wanted him to be my dog.' She acknowledged that Murray and Maulauizada 'took it hard', referred to 'a lot of hurt and pain', and expressed a desire for a time when 'we will all heal'. Murray herself confirmed that was the case in her own social media statement, writing: 'No words. Devastated and really speechless. 10+ months of my life dedicated to bringing him home to safety. Even made it official and filled out an application and got approved only to be here … not my dog.' Many sympathized with Murray. One user wrote Cheramie was acting 'selfish … and … isn't putting Scrim's needs before her emotions'. Another wrote: 'She sees him as a meal ticket.' And still another wrote to Zeus' Rescues: 'I think you have showed you can't properly take care of him. This should not be your dog.' The Louisiana news outlet reported that someone telephoned Cheramie and threateningly told her: 'You better never let me see you out on the street.' The rancorous tone of the dialogue unwittingly set off by Murray's and Cheramie's dueling statements then evidently prompted both to collaborate on defusing it. Convinced that Scrim was thriving in Cheramie's home, Murray and Maulauizada then essentially dropped their adoption claim to leave him in the care of the Zeus' Rescues proprietor, with assurances that they would still have roles in his life. They also made a conciliatory video with Cheramie and Scrim, on her lap, between them. An intermittently teary-eyed Murray said in the video: 'Our focus is on Scrim. I hope everyone can celebrate with us that this dog is just doing wonderful.' Apologizing for the statement that unleashed the backlash directed at Cheramie, she added: We really want this to end on a good note.' Cheramie, for her part, denied Scrim's measure of fame was a factor in her love for him. She said she was grateful Murray and Maualauizada engaged in 'honest and open conversations' with her about 'a painful situation' – and wanted 'what's best' for Scrim. 'I love the fact that we can have this type of relationship and that we're here now doing this,' Cheramie remarked.
Boston Globe
05-02-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
‘Granny flats' hit all the right notes in Boston's push for ‘gentle density' housing
It happens that Roslindale, because of its fairly large lots, is one of the key neighborhoods on which the city is focusing. Rose Sargent is a resident of the neighborhood and is in the throes of designing and permitting an external detached ADU in her garage. She said an ADU will help her father by allowing him to come and go as he pleases. Advertisement 'My dad's been living in my guest room for a year,' Sargent said. 'He happens to be a retired architect, so the design part we can handle. It's a really lengthy process, but the city's new ADU program allows us to skip certain steps.' Despite the Solomonic wisdom they represent — keeping families together in a crowded, high-rent city and providing rental income — granny flats have traditionally met with resistance. 'I think historically we in Boston have a culture in which people believe they can have a lot of say in what their neighbors do,' said Advertisement An ADU is considered a secondary or accessory to the primary residence on the parcel. It usually has its own entrance, kitchen, bathroom, and living area. There are three main types of ADUs: interior, interior with modifications, and detached. . Outwith Studio LLC . Outwith Studio LLC . Outwith Studio LLC . Outwith Studio LLC As an architect, ADUs have been widely celebrated in popular culture for decades. Consider TV shows through the years — from Fonzie in television's ' Advertisement . Outwith Studio LLC . Outwith Studio LLC . Outwith Studio LLC Beyond our shores, ADUs have been the norm rather than the exception. Five percent of the United Kingdom's housing stock has one, according to the Boston guidebook. In Sweden, a Roslindale resident Sargent, who is planning an ADU for her 77-year-old father, sings this housing format's praises. 'It's not very appealing for my father to go to a home. He's losing his sight. It's nice to keep him part of our family,' she said. 'My kids are 10 and 12. So we have them, myself, and my father, which will make this a multigenerational house. And if my kids end up going to college in Boston, they can live here years from now.' James McCown is a Newton-based writer specializing in architecture and real estate. Send comments to , and follow us on X . Subscribe to our free real estate newsletter at . Advertisement
