Cirque: Drawn to Life

Posted on by Thor

Cirque at Disney Village is presenting Drawn to Life during a pandemic which has killed over one million 300.000 Americans. Pam has been wanting to see this show for several years but we have held off because of the pandemic. With her niece in town we finally relented and went down to Disney.

I packed my smallest sketchbook and minimal supplies. I knew Disney guards would be on the lookout for any sign of creativity to shut down. Our plan was to have Pam carry in my sketch bag. We ended up being pulled over and checked anyway. The bag was fully inspected but they didn’t confiscate any art supplies. I had to empty all my pockets and my mountain of snot wads filled the bin along with my phone and wallet. I then had to be metal checked by a wand and my crotch kept beeping. We did eventually did get into Disney Springs.

After we parked, I thought I would get away with just wearing my cloth mask while we were outdoors, but when I saw the insanely packed throngs crowded together, I had to layer in my KN95 as well. Literally no one in the crowd was masked. It was a dystopian nightmare. This was the perfect place to spread disease all around the world. It is a small world after all.

Pam did her homework and found seats that were at the back of a section on the aisle, so we didn’t have people breathing down out necks. No one sat in the caged off section next to me but Pam’s niece had to deal with a rude dude who was “man spreading” and leaning into her. With so many empty seats in the theater, I don’t know why he had to sit right next to her. That kind of detracted from her enjoyment of the show.

Oh yes, the show. The set was like a Disney animators desk, and since I sit at mine every day it felt familiar. The story involved a dead dad telling his daughter she should create. There is always a dead parent in any Disney tale. The villain was a wad of crumpled up animation paper and the Disney executives were represented as two foot high trolls who carried large garbage cans on their backs. Some actors wore masks which I appreciated.

The thing the production truly got right was a crew of guys who shot large rubber bands at each other. One of them shot a large rubber band out into the audience and mimed for the audience member to shoot it back. The audience member tried but shot it backwards into the row behind him. Scenes in the paper animation days were held together with large red rubber bands, There were many rubber band wars in the Disney studio and you could build a reputation not just by how you drew but how accurately you could fire off a rubber band. Animation desks were barricades in an endless ongoing rubber band war. Out of nowhere a rubber band might bounce off the ceiling and land hard on the drawing you were working on to remind you that there was no truce or cease fire.

The athletics in this show were rather tame compared to other Cirque shows Pam and I have seen. There was a lot of actors “acting” like they were drawing and plenty of projections from past animated scenes. The show actually made me a bit sad. Disney built it’s reputation on creating amazing hand drawn animation and then threw that tradition away. This felt like looking at a quaint bygone era of ancient vaudeville, and an ancient, lost, hand drawn art form.

The Deadliest Place on Earth

Posted on by Thor

Walt Disney World has plans to open July 11, 2020 followed by Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Animal Kingdom on July 15, 2020. The Orlando parks will have social distancing and wellness measures, including temperature screenings, wearings masks, keeping guests six feet apart while lining up for attractions and a guest reservation system to limit capacity.

Fireworks, parades, and character meet and greets have been suspended. Disney World also isn’t selling any new tickets for now, it will focus on guests who have existing tickets and reservations, like those who made bookings prior to the pandemic and had to postpone, as well as annual pass holders.

Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground on June 22, 2020. Disney Springs shopping and dining area reopened May 20, 2020 with limited parking, fewer entrances, temperature screening before entry, masks required, physically distanced lines and barriers, reduced hours, no entertainment and more sanitation and disinfectants. Plenty of images circulated online however of guests not wearing their masks. One rumor circulated is that if you are holding a drink you don’t need to wear the mask. The bottom line is that enforcement seemed lax to non-existent. Americans in particular seem to resist the idea of protecting others by wearing a mask.

I spoke with one character actor who dreads the idea of getting back into a costume. Universal Studios opened the week of June 1, 2020. Many of the character meet and greets will still exist, but the characters will be kept in areas separate from the guests. Additionally, the characters will be wearing masks. This allows for picture-taking and conversation to continue, without any of the contact.

Universal Character actors will not share the same costumes throughout the day. Each costume must be laundered before someone else can wear them. Typically there will be more than one of each costume so multiple performers can be the same character on the same day.

It seems smart of Disney to wait and see if the way Universal is showcasing characters will result in a spike in Covid-19 cases among talent and or the guests. Though the Disney parks will have enhanced health and safety measures, guests are advised to follow all posted instructions while visiting. There is an inherent risk of exposure to Covid-19 in any public place where people are present. Covid-19 is an extremely contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death. According to the CDC senior citizens and guests with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable. By visiting theme parks all visitors voluntarily assume all risks of exposure to Covid-19. I assume that character performers also sign away any liability for possibly being exposed to the virus when they get in to their costumes.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the pandemic is worsening globally after new cases reached a record high on Sunday, June 7, 2020. Have a great vacation!

The Goat Herd

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In California, a large herd of goats escaped into the suburbs. They of course have no concept of what social distancing might mean as they bumped shoulders and ate flowers from people’s front years. Watching the hilarious video it is easy to see that herding goats is much like herding cats. They go wherever they want. This is America after all.

Disney Springs will be opening May 20, 2020 in phases. I should imaging that people who have been couped up inside for months will of course want to go there to shop and try the restaurants. Someone on twitter made the analogy that the herd of goats reminded him of a herd of tourists being unleashed into Disney Springs. Re-opening has its complications because it’s not simply a matter of reopening the doors and greeting guests once again. Many venues laid off employees, who are possibly now collecting unemployment if they made their way through the difficult to navigate online and phone system. Restaurants will need to scramble for supplies, and work on implementing whatever safety changes are necessary. Many will probably take a wait and see approach, keeping a close watch on other restaurants to see how things go. Only select third parties are reopening during the initial phase.

Venues opening include, 4 Rivers Cantina Food Truck, Polite Pig, STK, Wine Bar George, Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill, Chicken Guy, Blaze Pizza, Erin McKenna’s Bakery, Frontera Cocina, Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream Kiosk, Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company, Sunshine Churros, YeSake Kiosk.

I saw pictures of Shanghai Disney‘s opening day and large bowed were painted on pavement in the lines. The boxes showed a pair of feet surrounded with a red circle with a line through the feet. This was clearly and attempt to maintain some social distancing. However many stood IN the boxes, right behind the people in front of them. Everyone was required to wear face masks. In the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic, not wearing a mask was illegal. That pandemic killed over 250,000 people in America. More died from the virus than in WWI. Yet today, the POTUS refuses to wear a mask himself. I choose to wear one when I go out, because I care about the people around me.

Closing Statements in the Noor Salman Trial

Posted on by Thor

There is some sensitive content and disturbing details included
within. If you feel you may be affected, please do not read this post.

 The court day began with Judge Paul G. Byron wanting to get a confirmation from Noor Salman that she did not want to testify in court. She spoke for the first time with a quiet “No.” Sarah Sweeney presented the prosecution’s closing statements. She would go through the several hundred items of evidence and use that to prove what Salman knew and what she did leading up to the attack. She said that everything Salman did was a green light for her husband to attack. Exhibits 1-99 covered Noor Salman’s written statements and evidence from her apartment. Exhibits 100-199 revolved around Pulse and the exhibits from 200 and up involved banking and spending.

The first part of the prosecution’s case involved proving obstruction of justice. She pointed out that Noor gave misleading information to Lieutenant William Hall, Agent Christopher Mayo, Agent T.J.Sypniewski, and Agent Ricardo Enriquez. She gave false statements and partial statements tat were intended to obscure the full truth. She claimed that Omar Mateen disconnected Facebook in 2013 and yet she communicated with him via Facebook in 2014. She claimed that her husband didn’t use the Internet in their apartment. She claimed that her husband was moderate, but an ISIS flag was found in the apartment and he had videos of be-headings on his computer. Mateen left their apartment on June 11, 2016 with a firearm but she claimed he only had one gun. Yet she knew there was a riffle case in their car since she wanted it removed before she took her drivers test. She lied twice saying he was at dinner with Nemo on June11, 2016. The broadest lie was that she didn’t know he was going to plan a terrorist attack.

Sweeney changed tack from everything said during the course of the trial saying that the target of the attack that night was NOT the Pulse Nightclub but rather Disney Springs. She also claimed that Noor knew the target was Disney. That would explain Noor’s odd comment when Lieutenant William Hall asked her to leave her apartment for questioning. She said, “Are they going to bring me to Disney?” Sweeney also claimed that Noor was confused during questioning and thought that Pulse was at Disney. When Noor could not reach her husband on the night of June11, 2016, she knew that he had committed the attack.

The couples finances consisted of an average monthly credit card bill of $1500. But From June 5 to 15, 2016 the couple spent $26,000. There were gaps in Mateen’s Internet browsing activity between 2:09a.m. and 9a.m. in which he might have shown his wife his intended target although it might not have been Pulse. Google history ended on his computer on June 10, 2016 and started again on June 12, 2016 with his search for Eve. 

Proving aiding and abetting was the prosecution’s biggest challenge. They needed to show that Noor provided material support to ISIS.  Showing Omar’s material support was easy. Sweeney showed a still from the Pulse surveillance camera that showed Omar shooting people at point blank range. But did Noor provide the same support as she slept at home?

The defense closing arguments by Charles Swift brought up some new points in Noor’s defense. A baby carriage and doll were found by Omar Mateen’s rental van parked near Pulse. But his son is too old for such a carriage. The new theory was that Omar intended to use the baby carriage to transport his rifle into Disney Springs without raising suspicion. If that were the case and Noor was an accomplice, wouldn’t it make more sense to have her push the baby carriage? Was she a victim or accomplice? Swift argued Mateen had no reason to involve his wife in his plan
to carry out mass murder June 12, 2016. “Why would he tell her?” he said. “I cannot think of an earthly reason for
it. I cannot think of one. What could she help him with?”

The defense acknowledged the heartbreaking grief of the community but reminded the jury to look at all the facts. Defense attorney Lisa Morino reminded the jury that Noor simply struggled educationally. She painted a picture of her as a simple housewife who loved her
child and was more concerned with reading romance novels that in world
politics.That she could not accept money for baby sitting a friends child. Pulse she stressed was a random target. “Where are all the girls at?” Omar asked the Pulse security, meaning he didn’t know where he was. Omar didn’t respect his wife. Why would he confide in her? She was dependent on him not the other way around. If he didn’t know what his target was that night, how could she know? The dead have been given the truth in this trial. The tragedy shouldn’t be pinned on Noor. The true terrorist was already killed by police on the evening of the attack. “Don’t makeNoor Salman the last victim of Omar Mateen.” Swift concluded.


After closing statements, Judge Byron read the 57 pages of jury instructions. Basically they had to decide on two counts. One was obstruction of justice and the other was aiding and abetting.

The jury instructions said convicting Salman “Requires proof that
(she was) intentionally associated with or participated in the crime,
not just proof that (she) was simply present at the scene of a crime or
knew about it.” The help can be just
about anything including, “financial services, lodging, safe houses,
false documentation or identification, communications equipment,
facilities and weapons.” If convicted, Noor could face life in prison.

A Day Without a Jury or Defendant in the Noor Salman Trail

Posted on by Thor

There is some sensitive content and disturbing details included
within. If you feel you may be affected, please do not read this post.

 One day of the trial had no jury or defendant. Noor Salman had the day off. The courtroom 4B rules were relaxed and I was permitted to sit inside courtroom 4B as a member of the public. I was issued a blue slip and told to sit on the court right general public spectator benches.  The day was spent going over a laundry list of what the jury must consider when coming to a verdict. The jury would have to be  unanimous on the charge that Noor aided and abetted her husband Omar Mateen in the mass murder committed at Pulse Nightclub. The prosecution went over a list of what items would be considered aiding and abetting.

1. Noor texted Omar on the night of the attack and told him to tell his mom that he is out with Nemo. This cover story made it seem like Noor was covering for her husband’s actions.

2. The “casing” activities at City Place in West Palm Beach  on June 4-5, 2016. The timeline for this activity was later debunked with cell phone data. There was not enough time for the casing to have occurred. It was still a strange trip to take very late at night with their son Zac who usually went to bed by 9 PM.

3. A May 31, 2016 purchase of ammunition for Omar’s work firearm at Walmart Supercenter. Noor and her son Zac were on that shopping trip. The prosecution wanted to imply that she encouraged the purchase. Omar’s work firearm was not used in the Pulse Nightclub attack.

4. The fact that Noor knew about the new rifle gun case in the family car, because she didn’t want it in the car when she took her driving test. The prosecution claimed that she was getting a Florida driver’s license for the first time because she knew Omar would not be around to drive after the Pulse attack, and the defense said she wanted to be able to drive to bring her son to school.

5. On June 8, 2016, four days before the attack, Noor got her license, shopped at bass Pro shop where Omar got Ammo, went to the Florida Mall where Omar bought her some very expensive jewelry. The woman who sold them the ring noticed a tear in Noor’s eye. Was she happy or sad? The purchase of the over $7000 ring was considered an enticement to lie or
at least not tip off authorities to what Omar was about to do.They then went to Disney Springs, an Arab Restaurant and a mosque. It was on this night that the prosecutors though Noor and Omar went to Pulse but there wasn’t enough time to drive around for 20 minutes.

6. The excessive spending in the month of June leading up to the attack.

7. Omar made Noor a beneficiary of his savings and checking accounts in the event of his death.

The prosecution would have to prove to the jury that Noor knew of Omar’s intent to mass murder innocent civilians with his act of Jihad. They wanted to stress that she was at a repeated series of very important junctures leading up to the attack.  Going to the gun range was a red flag for prosecutors. She told no one about the purchase of the rifle.

The defense countered that the prosecution provided no evidence that Noor knew what “the Act” was going to be. There is no evidence that she supports ISIS. During the course of the trial holes were poked in each of Noor’s six statements written by FBI agent and signed by her. Since she and Omar never went to Pulse before, it seemed to imply that FBI agents had planted information in her testimony.

The afternoon was spent going over the instructions for the jury. Each paragraph was meticulously picked apart to be sure both prosecutors and the defense were satisfied with the wording.

Noor did not plan to testify and the jury would be instructed not to consider this as a presumption of guilt. The jurors would have to weigh the testimony from each witness. They would have to consider the circumstances and weather the witness was credible or reliable. They would need to consider the witnesses age, and training.

Omar provided material support to the Islamic state. Did Noor intend to aid in the material support of ISIS? The prosecution wanted to point out that aiding and abetting can be done with a happy heart, or a sense of foreboding. Did she intend to bring about the crime? On the count of Obstruction of justice, did Noor mislead FBI agents with the statement she made on the morning after the Pulse Nightclub attack. Dis she knowingly leave things out of her statements? Once someone chooses to testify, they must do so truthfully. The venue for the obstruction of justice charge was Central Florida. Since Noor lived in Fort Pierce, the prosecutors needed to prove that her statement were intended to mislead investigators in Central Florida.

The instructions acted as a framework for the jury’s deliberations.

A Tech Trail leading up to Mass Murder

Posted on by Thor

There is some sensitive content and disturbing details included
within. If you feel you may be affected, please do not read this post.

 Kim Rosencrans is an FBI Information Technology Specialist. He is part of the computer response team called CART. He analyzed the date recovered from Omar Mateen‘s Cellphone. Starting on May 20, 2016 he noticed Google searches for ISIS. On May 21, 2016 there was a search at 6:27 PM for ISIS Spit Face. This article urged Muslims to “Spit in their face and run over them with your cars.” On May 22nd, Omar viewed a video in which an ISIS spokesman urged Ramadan attacks in Europe and America. On May 27th he was searching for firearms, at the online Brass Pro Shop. he also did a search for the Saint Lucy Shooting Center and he read about the Paris Terrorist attacks. On May 28th he went to LiveLeak.com and looked at an Orange Jump Suit ISIS video. In that video ISIS put people on Orange jumpsuits and executed them. He searched for cheap flights to Istanbul, Turkey. He also began researching the FBI along with Disney live Web Cams. He read an article about a terrorist who deliberately shut off his phone for several hours to drop off the FBI’s radar right before an attack.

In June, 2016 he read an article about 9 ways that people are being spied on every day.

1, License plate readers.

2. Sidewalk Cameras

3. Public transportation.

4. Credit and Loyalty Cards.

5. On the phone.

6. While watching TV.

7. Sitting at your computer.

8. Sending and receiving e-mails.

9. Surfing the Internet.

You might think Omar would leave no trail given his research, but he was lazy leaving behind a clear road map of his every move.

In June he began researching how the FBI was entrapping suspects in the ISIS war. In a shocking revelation in court it was uncovered the Omar’s Dad was an FBI Informant from 2005 to 2016. Omar was questioned by the FBI in 2013 for bragging to co workers at his security company that he had ties to ISIS. The FBI gave up on him as a suspect perhaps because his father was an informant. In one of the “scouting” videos at Disney Springs, Noor can be seen holding Zac on her hip and then the defense pointed out another man in a blue shirt. That man was Omar’s dad who was also “scouting” the location. He thumbed through shirts hanging on a rack, while Noor took photos of her son. 

Noor texted Omar…

N.  I told your parents you are paying for Cali with points from PNC and your job.

O.  K

N.  I’ll be waiting. 😊

On June 11, 2016 Omar had plenty of ISIS searches on his phone. He powered off his phone going dark until just before the Pulse Nightclub attack. Noor texted…

N.  She (Omar’s mom) asked where you were. XOXO

N.  What time does everyone go to Mosque.

N.  If your mom calls say Nemo invited you out and Noor wants to stay home.

N.  Call your mom she is worried.

N. Love you.

N. Sabrina stopped by.

N. Getting my food to go.

N. Told mom I didn’t have the car.

N. Wanted to stay home LOL.

N. I’m home XOXO.

Omar was Googling Disney Springs on the evening of June 11, 2016 and could be seen on security footage at Disney springs. There was a large police presence at the Disney shopping area that night. Just past midnight Omar took a 17 second phone call from his mom. Omar left Disney and started searching for Downtown Orlando Nightclubs.

Noor sent Omar a text…

N.  Omar call me. We are so very worried. Please call me.

N.  Habibi where are you?

N.  Where are you?

O.  Everything OK?

N.  Your mom is worried and so am I. You know you have to work tomorrow right?

O.  You heard what happened?

N.  ????

N.  What happened?

O.  I love you babe.

N.  Habibi what happened?

FBI Counter Terrorism Information Technology Specialist Stephen Boise discussed information found on Noor Salman’s cell phone. He habitually reached up to touch the knot of his tie when he answered questions. On the evening of the Pulse Nightclub attack she was at home shopping for leather jackets. Omar had lavished many gifts on her in the weeks leading up to the attack running up over $26,000 in credit card dept. The family usually spent $1,556 on credit cards each month.

It was noted that Noor and Omar were friends on Facebook. I am amazed that this is considered important information in a mass murder trial. but Facebook photos of Noor were helpful to show that she had a wedding ring although Omar spent over $7000 on another ring in the days before the attack. Noor deleted messages on the night of the attack. Charles Swift on cross examination of Boise, asked the agent if Noor regularly deleted texts. Of the 2000 pages of texts he had researched, he couldn’t decide if she regularly deleted texts. He did not want to conceded that she might do this as habit rather than s a sure sign of guilt. There were no Islamic extremist posts from Noor no political posts. There were no searches for Pulse, guns, Disney Springs or the FBI on her phone. 

Prosecutor’s Opening Statement in the Noor Salman Case

Posted on by Thor

There is some sensitive content and disturbing details included within.
If you feel you may be affected, please do not read this post.

Case notes by Pam Schwartz

When I arrived early to secure my spot for the opening day of Noor Salman’s case, I was the ninth person in line and the 8th public member let in as per my blue public identifying slip of paper. As we began to be seated in the room, the prosecution, defense, and defendant were already all seated. Twelve boxes of paperwork and evidence were lined up next to the prosecution in front of the jury box.

James Mandolfo began his opening statement for the prosecution
(statements as given by prosecution, may or may not be actual fact as revealed
by the court hearing and jury deliberation). He began with a verbal illustration of Bobby Rodriguez being locked in a bathroom stall with Orlando Torres, when somebody who had been shot tried to crawl in with them unde the bathroom stall. Bobby tried to play dead for nearly three hours under the body of that person who died while Omar Mateen was hiding from police in the bathroom and terrorizing victims trapped inside with him.

Mandolfo claimed Noor knew that her husband Omar Mateen would do this, and that she gave him the “green light”, they had spent thousands of dollars in preparation for this night. Noor

aided and abetted Mateen with
his plan to support ISIS. He said that she knowingly obstructed justice. Every step taken was a step to help him with his plan, and every step after was an obstruction of justice. As part of the trial we would hear from FBI Agents, law enforcement, witnesses, experts on terrorism, and people who had communicated with Mateen within the weeks before the shooting. We would see bank statements, receipts, GPS data, cell phone information, laptop information, and more during the case.

May 22, 2016 Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, a spokesperson for ISIS
called for attacks in America during Ramadan. Omar watched the footage
on June 4, 2016 just 8 days before the Pulse Nightclub attack. Mateen referred to himself as an Islamic soldier for ISIS. At 2:00 am on June 12, 2016 right before he entered the club and began shooting, he posted on Facebook that America and Russia needed to stop bombing the middle east and that he supported ISIS.

While inside the club Mateen stated that he had help, that there were bombs, and that there would be more attacks. While attacking, his SIG Sauer MCX assault rifle jammed, he also had a Glock handgun as a back up. He was finally killed by police at 5:14 AM. At the time the FBI was busy looking for co-conspirators, researching possible ongoing attacks, and helping victims and survivors who had been shot multiple times. 

Lieutenant William Hall was dispatched with his team of officers to go to Mateen’s apartment in Port St. Lucie, he was warned that there could be possible booby traps and explosives. At 5:45 AM Special Agent Christopher Mayo of FBI came to the apartment and initially talked to Salman in Hall’s police car in the parking lot of the building before taking her and her son to an FBI building at 7:15 am. 

The prosecution listed several ways they felt Salman attempted to mislead law enforcement, thus obstructing justice. Law enforcement had not told her of the shooting in Orlando at a gay nightclub. When asked if her husband had enemies? She replied that he likes homosexuals and he likes America. When asked why she brought up homosexuals? She said he likes homosexuals because both homosexuals and Muslims are discriminated against. When asked about their ideology? She stated that she and Mateen were moderate but later stated that he was an extremist and had started wanting to commit Jihad. She stated he only had one pistol but that he didn’t have it with him, but later said that he had multiple weapons and ammo when he left the house. She said he had deactivated his Facebook account several years earlier and that he didn’t use the Internet at home, later she said he would watch violent Jihady materials daily. When asked why at the age of 30 she had just gotten her driver’s license for the first time? She started to say, “God rest his soul” and corrected with “God bless his soul” though the FBI had not yet told her that her husband had been killed. The FBI felt she had given a staged answer: that Mateen couldn’t have died because he had just bought them all plane tickets to go to California to see her family the next month and he had just paid all of the bills, she had even just gotten him a father’s day gift.

At 11:00 AM Ricardo Enriquez, a polygraph examiner from Miami, was called in. A polygraph was cancelled the next day and never conducted though she had consented to doing one. Though Noor’s statements were not recorded by video or audio, he said she stated the following… She was asked if there was any evidence Mateen would do it. She told him Mateen had been viewing Jihady material every day and that at some points she had to pull her son away as it was so violent.

They had been on several trips lately.Together they went to City Place in West Palm Beach and Mateen had asked her, “How bad would it be if a club got attacked?” They went to Disney Springs and Mateen disappeared for 20 minutes, came back and asked, “What would make people more upset? An attack at a club or an attack at Disney?” She said she had asked him about the rifle in his trunk and he said that is was for work. 

On June 11, 2016, the day before the
shooting, they went on a spending spree to Kay Jewelers, Victoria Secret, they also got ammo and a rifle. Mateen
had recently added her as the beneficiary of his checking and savings
accounts, giving her $1,000 in cash. She stated that her husband left home at 5:00 pm on June 11, 2016 and was going to see his childhood friend Nemo for dinner, to go to the Mosque to pray, and then come home and that he left with guns and black bag full of ammo. Enriquez asked her questions and wrote down the answers for her to review and initial in agreement. Then she chose to write a separate statement in her own hand that stated that she was sorry and that she wished she could go back to be able to tell his family and the police what was going to happen.

In another statement, Salman said Mateen had been talking about committing Jihady for several years and that she saw his buying guns and going to shooting ranges as a “green light.” He texted her at 4 am and she knew he had done it. Mr. Mandolfo stated that the evidence will show where and when they were as they made plans leading up to the shooting, as well as her encouragement and support of it. Mateen had been investigated several years earlier by FBI because of extremist comments to a co-worker. 

On May 31, 2016 Mateen and Salman went to a Walmart in Vero Beach and he bought 200 rounds of ammo for what he said was his work gun. On June 1, 2016, Mateen put Salman as the Payable at Death Beneficiary for his checking and savings account of which she previously had no access. They were expecting a $4,000 IRS deposit to that account shortly after the shooting. On June 4, 2016 Mateen spent $1,800 on a SIG Sauer MCX assault riffle and watched the Abu Mohammad al-Adnani video calling for acts of violence in America during Ramadan. 

On June 4, 2016, Mateen and Salman visited family in West Palm Beach, leaving at midnight to go further South to Delray Beach with their 3 year old son in tow. They drove around Delray for 45 minutes. At 2:00 AM a Chevron Gas Station surveillance footage shows them in Palm Beach with their child. They didn’t return to Port St. Lucie until 4 am. On June 5, 2016 Mateen purchased his Glock handgun. On June 6, 2016 Mateen and Salman went to Treasure Coast Mall and spent $8,000 at Kay Jewelers on jewelry, including a wedding ring though Salman already has one, $1,200 at Best Buy, $10,000 in total in just about 3 hours, all on credit cards and with store credit completely in Mateen’s name only. In 11 days, they spent $30,000 which was that family’s annual income. On June 8, 2016 Salman got her Driver’s License for the first time and they went to Bass Pro Shop in Orlando to purchase three magazines for Mateen’s SIG Sauer MCX assault riffle. They went to the Florida Mall and spent $800 at Zales on jewelry, $300 at Victoria Secret, and $600 at Michael Kors. They then drove to Disney Springs. The prosecutors described these trips as scouting missions.


On June 11, 2016  Mateen got a rental van and went to a shooting range where he purchased more ammo. He left his security job at G4S to take out $4,000 from his checking and $1,500 from savings. He purchase flights for the family to California for the next month and gave Salman $1,000 in cash. That evening after he left to murder 49 people in Orlando, she drove to Bank of American to deposit $500 of that cash. She bought a steak and also a father’s day gift for her husband before going home.


That night, at 5:41 PM Salman called her husband with no answer, so she texted him and instructed him to tell his mom that he was going out with Nemo and that she wanted to stay home. The text was to maintain the alibi. Mateen had his phone turned off until 7:20 pm presumably so that the FBI would not be able to track him. After all the missed messages and calls, at 7:27 he called his Mom to relay the alibi Salman had shared. At Mosque, Mateen’s Mom saw Nemo’s mom in the mosque and related that their sons were out together. Nemo’s Mom said, “No, Nemo is in medical school in Maryland studying.” Mateen’s Mom became aware that her son was lying. Mateen’s Mom left the Mosque and tried to contact him. 


At 10 PM Mateen was at the House of Blues and bought a t-shirt which he later threw away. There was apparently a strong police presence outside of the House of Blues that evening. Afterwards Mateen googled downtown nightclubs on his phone. After passing up Eve, at about 1:30-1:40 he is in the area of Pulse Nightclub where he went inside and purchased a ticket for cover and went up to the bar. Noor Salman’s Internet activity showed that she was awake and not trying to stop the attack, but was shopping for a leather biker jacket. There was evidence that she deleted some of the text messages between she and her husband before the police obtained her phone.

Noor Salman Federal Court hearing.

Posted on by Thor

Noor Salman, the wife of Omar Mateen, the Pulse Nightclub shooter was in Federal Court in Orlando on Thursday for a pre-trial hearing. Federal prosecutors say that she knew that her husband was going to attack Pulse on the evening of June 12, 2016. This hearing was set to decide which evidence could be allowed in the court case which should begin March 1, 2018. The hearing was set to  decide what evidence jurors could see or not see at the trial.

The defense wants to include testimony from a man nicknamed Nemo who is a friend of Omar’s, and he was used as an alibi when Omar was cheating on his wife. Salman told the FBI that her husband went to have dinner with Nemo on the night of the attack. Prosecutors argue that Noor came up with the Nemo story. She send a text to her husband on the night of the attack, saying, “If ur mom calls, say Nemo invited you out and Noor wants to stay home.” Was this a cover story, or was it a statement based on what she believed to be true? Nemo plans to plead the 5th amendment id asked to take the stand.

Dr. Bruce Frumkin a forensic clinical psychologist from Miami who specializes in Miranda rights and false confessions made statement to the effect that Salman was intellectually impaired. The prosecutors feel that she is in no way impaired and that statements she made on the evening of June 12 are accurate and incriminating. The doctor will be allowed to testify in March.

The defense had no objections  to evidence of the purchase of a rifle and ammunition at Walmart, or the purchase of airplane tickets and a $7000 diamond ring for Noor. She was signed up for Women, Infants, and
Children (WIC)  a special supplemental nutrition program for low income families that provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods,
health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income women. The defense argued that showing that Noor benefited from the horrific Pulse Nightclub attack would anger the jury. The judge countered that in arson cases, there are certain red flags such as the purchase of life insurance. Mateen might have made these large purchases knowing he would not be around to pay off the maxed out credit card. Mateen and Salman’s bank account records will be allowed in court.

The defense wanted to exclude video that showed the couple and their child driving to Disney Springs which is alleged to have been a possible target for the attack. The 6 minute video was shown but only lawyers and the judge could see the screens. The video also showed the couple going to a mosque that evening. The prosecutors were concerned that the child was kept up so late. Defense attorney Swift argued that they obviously aren’t familiar with Ramadan, were worshipers fast all day and then stay up late eating and gathering together. “This is not a case against Islam” judge Byron stated. I found it interesting that the defense has a new attorney who wears a hijab which is a veil worn by some Muslim women in the presence of adult males outside of their immediate family. This is a visual clue that made it seem like Noors’ religion is under attack. The judge stated that a church is just a church and the evidence would be allowed.

The defense argued that all the video shot inside the nightclub on the night of the attack was prejudicial and should not be allowed. There is so much police video footage, that it seems redundant to show it all. He said that no one denies that what happened that night was horrible, but that evidence should be limited to what Salman did to aid and abet that attack. “Lets have Ms. Salman’s trial not Omar Mateens’.” said her attorney Charles Swift.

The defense also wanted photos of the couple smiling at a gun range removed as evidence, arguing that it was inflammatory. The judge however said that he has photos of himself at a gun range and that such photos are common. If a juror were upset by a photo of someone smiling at a gun range, they would be weeded out in the jury selection process.

On the evening of the attack, Omar brought a hand gun from his security job to the club. This was a violation of his security company job. That gun was left in the van on the night of the attack. Noor Slamans’ gun range membership card will also be allowed to be shown in the March trial.

Salman has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, she could face life in prison. 

New Year’s Eve.

Posted on by Thor

I wanted to sketch a New Years Celebration while avoiding the drunk drivers after midnight.  Raglan’ Road Irish Pub (1640 Buena Vista Dr, Orlando, FL 32830) celebrated New Years at 7 PM which is midnight in Ireland.  This seemed like a good pan, celebrate, at Raglan’ Road and then watch the ball drop from home, away from the crowds.   The Pub in Disney Springs had a limited number of reservations and when Pam Schwartz called they couldn’t take any more, but walk ins were welcome.  We decided to risk it, hoping there would be a few spaces at the bar.  

The lime parking garage at Disney Springs was listed as full, but we found a parking spot rather quickly on the second level.  Disney Springs was crowded and bustling with all the holiday decorations ablaze in the night.  The Raglan’ Maitra D’ didn’t have a table available for an hour and a half but she did offer the bar.  Our spot at the bar didn’t have a good view of the stage.  After stating a sketch several patrons moved on, and we slipped into their seats with a decent view of the stage.  

Sketching at Disney always seems frantic.  Every tourist is desperate for a good time and they are in a rush to find it.  Our bar stools were at a spot which created a bottleneck between the bar and the center tables. The restless crowd flowed past and often stopped because of the tight quarters.  I was constantly trying to see around the crush of the crowd.  It is a mind game that takes tons of patience.  I ended up loosing patience with one dad who stood right in front of Pam and the stage holding up his cell phone shooting video.   I got up stood in front of him and asked him to move to his right.  After wards he apologized saying he didn’t realize he was in our way.  There is hope for humanity.  

On stage just before 7 PM, the band performed with a guitar, accordion and fiddle.  I never did sketch the fiddle player, I tried several times, she was elusive.  A line of three female and one male dancer danced an Irish jig, their upper bodies perfectly still.  At one point children from the audience were brought on stage where they were taught how to dance the jig.  Two of the youngsters knew how to dance the jig, and the audience broke out in thunderous applause. Everyone was given a complimentary champagne which couldn’t be consumed until the countdown at 7 PM.  Everyone cheered sipped and kissed.  

After New Years, Pam ordered ham and colcannon, an Irish dish of cabbage and potatoes boiled and pounded. Pam rated her meal as a 5 out of ten. I ordered gnocchi, small dumplings made from potato, served with a white cream sauce. and scallops. The meals were cool by the time we got them.  Pam ordered a Rosemary Whiskey Sour and maple drink that she rather liked I took one sip, and it was STRONG.  I just ordered a Funky Buddah beer which was decent.  I was shocked that the beer was $10. 

I recently did one of those Ancestry DNA tests and found out that I am mostly Irish.  I always thought that I was half German and certainly Thorspecken sounds German but the DNA results begged to differ. I therefor am inclined to seek out more Irish celebrations so I can document more of the culture of my people. 

Walking through Disney Springs, a huge hulk of a man noticed my John Henry crew jacked.  He asked if I had worked on the film and I told him that I had.  He simply wanted me to know that he loved that short film.  The drive home wasn’t too bad.  A few people tapped their brakes on I-4, but most people were just getting ready to go out for the night.  We settled in on the couch and watched the Times Square Ball drop on Pam’s lap top.  We had to watch the insipid time wasting banter of the hosts who interacted with the freezing crowd.  The count down finally began before midnight Eastern Standard Time.  10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5…  The streaming video live feed froze.  A small icon covered the video screen and spun.  Noooooooooo! Fireworks were exploding all over Orlando.  We searched other digital streams to see if we could find the ball drop.  There was no instant replay. We think that Verizon must have frozen the data stream to convince people to upgrade to a cable package.  Apply was just in the news for slowing down data streams on old iPhones.  It doesn’t inspire customer loyalty. It instead inspires people to stop staring at digital screens and get out to experience life in person.  

Weekend Top 6 Picks for November 11th and 12th 2017.

Posted on by Thor

Saturday November 11, 2017

10 AM to 1 PM. Free. Circling the World in a 24hr Sketch Walk! Disney Springs 1780 E Buena Vista Dr, Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830 Planet Hollywood and Coca Cola buildings. Nearly 80 Urban Sketchers chapters around the globe will hold
sketch walks in their cities and towns to celebrate Urban Sketchers 10yrs
anniversary, showcasing sketches from their cities and towns.
Orlando’s Urban Sketchers group is one of them!

 Using social media Instagram network all sketch walks will be followed
starting with the first chapter to see daylight (Auckland, New Zealand)
to the last chapter to see the sunset (O’ahu, USA).
Photos and videos from each chapter will be shared throughout the day.

Where is Orlando in all of this? We are in an awesome place in the middle! With the world’s eyes on us here in Central Florida, we will be showcasing in sketches one of our unique and iconic locations.

The renovated Downtown Disney, now called Disney’s Springs, and the newly added section provide plenty of sketch opportunities. Take a pride in our Central Florida community! Come join us!

2 PM November 10, 2017 to 4 PM November 12, 2017. Free. Sidewalk in front of Lincoln Plaza in Downtown Orlando (300 S. Orange
Avenue). Drum Schtick. As part of Noise, an Art in Odd places production, award-winning D.C. based
performance artist Brian Feldman will embark on his longest project
to date.

For 50 consecutive hours, Brian will remain at a drum kit. Brian has been trying to realize this project since 2007.

Brian is seeking up to 50 volunteers (one hour shifts) to help ensure (1) his safety, (2) the continuity of the live stream (periscope.tv/BrianFeldman),
and (3) answers to attendee questions (to the best of your ability), as
he won’t be speaking during this project. Go to Sign Up Genius if you want to help. Earplugs are provided!

Noon to 4 PM through November 19, 2017. $15 Festival of Trees: The Gift of the Holidays. Orlando Museum of Art (2416 North Mills Ave. Orlando, FL 32803) The Festival of Trees, now in its thirty-first year, transforms the
Orlando Museum of Art into a glittering wonderland filled with sparkling
trees, vignettes and stunning décor for visitors of all ages.

The Orlando Museum of Art will showcase designer Christmas trees of all
sizes, holiday vignettes, custom hand designed wreaths and table décor, a
gingerbread village, tabletop displays and more. Each piece is designed
by Orlando’s finest designers and is available for purchase.

A glamorous gala night will mark the start of the 9-day event.

The
Festival continues with musical performances, fun family entertainment
and delightful programs for all ages throughout the week at the museum.

View the museum calendar to see all of the related Festival events. Festival of
Trees is presented by Council of 101, a non-profit organization. All
proceeds benefit the Orlando Museum of Art.

For more information, please contact the Council of 101 at (407) 896-4231,
ext. 254 or by email at councilof101@omart.org.

Sunday November 12, 2017 

11 AM to 5 PM. Free. Pagans in the Park. Mead Botanical Garden 1300 S Denning Dr, Winter Park, Florida 32789. A day of connecting, workshops, readers and vendors at
Mead Gardens, Winter Park FL. Please bring a pot luck item to share!

1 PM to 5 PM Free. Family Day on the Second Sunday. The Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32803. The make-and-take craft table is open from noon-2:30 p.m., and docents are available to give mini-tours of the museum. Then it’s open house in the galleries until 4:30 p.m.

Noon to 1 PM Donation based. Yoga. Lake Eola Park near the red gazebo. Bring your own mat.

2 PM to 4 PM Free but get a drink. Kelly DeWayne Richards Pop Up Piano Bar. 1212 Country club Oaks Circle 32804.