Daily Archives: June 3, 2017

11 hours ago

The CW is the place to be on the small screen when it comes to superhero action, and The Flash in particular has been a big hit for the network. The third season of the Scarlet Speedster's adventures in Central City has come to an end, and the fourth season is poised to go in a new direction on the supervillain front. Now, as we look back on all that has happened so far, we've come to the realization that, as much fun as The Flash can be when at its best, there are some things that fans really shouldn't overthink if they want to enjoy the show. We've put together a list of 15 things that are probably best taken as they are and not delved into... because that's when they stop making sense. Check it out!

STAR Labs was in rough shape back in Season 1 after the fiasco of the particle accelerator, but given that the guy running it was a genius and a supervillain, we can give the show a pass for not going into detail on how Cisco and Caitlin were being paid and how all the fancy tech was funded. Then, ownership of STAR Labs passed to Barry Allen, who... has somehow kept it up and running, despite living on his salary as a CSI for the Central City Police Department.

The Flash has featured all kinds of masked characters, with everything ranging from domino masks to full cowls to entire sets of armor. In a logical world, the show would be filled with heroes and villains shoving sweaty hair out of their eyes every time they confront each other. On The Flash, we have characters who remain perfectly coiffed no matter what kind of mask they were wearing.

Although the Scarlet Speedster claims to be a crime-fighter, he commits plenty of petty crimes himself. The Flash plays it for laughs whenever Barry zips off and returns two seconds later with a pizza or eats somebody's lunch because he's feeling peckish, but those aren't victimless crimes! When Barry leaves and comes back with food in less time than it would take to ring the food up, he's stealing from either a restaurant or the people who actually paid for their food. Good guys don't steal lunches, Barry!

One of the first rules established about speedsters back in the beginning of the series was that they need friction-proof suits if they want to run at superspeed without burning anything and everything they're wearing. Unfortunately, Barry has been breaking that rule from almost the very beginning. Sometimes, his civilian clothes (or the clothes of the ladies in his arms) will catch on fire when he runs in them; other times, nothing at all.

A running joke about Barry Allen since way back when he first guest-starred on Arrow was that he was always late to work. After getting his superspeed, Barry was able to race to and from crime scenes quickly (and often without a friction-proof suit) without getting himself in trouble with his bosses. In fact, nobody at the crime scenes ever seems to notice Barry popping up with a gust of wind. Given how he used to be spotted back when he was known as the Streak, it's obviously possible for passersby to spot him.

With few exceptions, episodes of The Flash have opened on "My name is Barry Allen, and I'm the fastest man alive." It's a fun line that generally sets up whatever zany shenanigans are going to happen in a week. It's also not true. Back in Season 1, Barry was slower than Reverse Flash. Back in Season 2, Barry was slower than Zoom. Throughout Season 3, Barry was slower than Savitar. Even Kid Flash was catching up! Sorry, Barry, but you are not the fastest man alive.

The Flash always played itself as much lighter and less gloomy than its sister series Arrow, but there's something seriously dark about Team Flash's decision to keep metahuman criminals captive without trial in the STAR Labs Pipeline. Barry and his pals were illegally holding an awful lot of people against their will in cells that were quite small and visibly lacking in plumbing or sources of sustenance. Even Oliver at his most murderous wouldn't indefinitely detain bad guys in his lair! Some of the folks stuck in the Pipeline weren't even all that bad. Did Peek-a-Boo really deserve the Pipeline?

The civilians of Central City have honored the Flash over and over again through the years. He has a coffee named for him and action figures made of him and a city-wide day dedicated to him. Considering that some of the biggest catastrophes to strike Central City have been because of the Flash, it's a bit hard to take seriously. Did Barry really deserve Flash Day after he very nearly got Central City destroyed? If anything, that should have been Firestorm Day in honor of the dearly (re)departed Ronnie. The folks of Central City don't need to hate him, but do they have to love him that much?

Of course, Central City would have probably been destroyed by metahumans several times over by this point if not for the efforts of the Flash. That said, what about all the crimes committed by non-metas? As a food thief himself, we might not want to expect him to go after everybody with sticky fingers. Still, what about those violent crimes? People are murdered and assaulted in Central City, even if not quite as much as in Star City. Team Flash could really make a difference on non-meta crime.

Obviously, Barry does not consider Iris to be his sister, and Iris has stopped thinking of Barry as her brother, so we don't have to ignore any Lannister vibes going on between them. Still, Joe does consider both of them to be his kids, so why doesn't it really squick him out that his kids are totally hooking up? If Barry is his kid as much as Wally is his kid, then Barry/Iris probably should have made him at least a little bit uncomfortable.

For a group that started out calling Oliver Queen a crazy person for killing, Team Flash really came around to killing villains pretty quickly. Admittedly, there have been some villains in The CW's superhero universe that absolutely could not be permitted to live, but not all of the ones that Team Flash has taken out really needed to be smote from the Earth. Was Griffin Grey so bad that he had to be forcibly aged to death? He was 19 years old and confused! Come on, Team Flash.

The turning point of Season 3 came with the big reveal that the man beneath that Savitar armor was none other than a time remnant of Barry. As soon as Team Flash recovered from their shock that Savitar was in fact an evil version of their lovable pal Barry, the first thing to do would have been to totally cut Barry out of all plans to take Savitar down. Savitar knew everything that Barry knew; if the rest of the team had simply worked out a strategy without Barry, H.R. might not have had to die.

While the big romance of The Flash Season 3 was undoubtedly Barry and Iris, Jesse and Wally had a cute little thing of their own going on. In fact, they liked each other enough that Jesse moved from Earth-2 to Earth-1 to be with Wally, which is super sweet... except for the fact that she gave up being the hero of her Earth so she could come canoodle with Wally. Jesse had to give up being THE Flash on Earth-2 to come play third-string to Barry and Wally.

Barry and Iris moved out of Joe's house and into a gorgeous apartment of their own in Season 3. Our boy Barry actually found and put the money down on the place before even showing it to Iris, which was... bold. The question is how the junior CSI and the reporter are able to afford the place, even pooling all their available resources. Then again, if Barry doesn't pay for all his food, maybe he has quite the savings built up.

Given all the messes that have been made on The Flash due to time travel (case in point: Flashpoint), Barry is actually almost always right when he says no to messing with timelines. That said, his refusal to go back and save Cisco's brother because of what had happened when he saved his mom doesn't entirely track. Barry raced back 16 years and changed a huge event that shaped many lives; Dante had only been dead -- and killed by a drunk driver, not a vengeful speedster -- a matter of weeks when Cisco wanted Barry to go back and save him. The fallout for saving Dante would have undoubtedly been far less than when Barry saved his mom.

The Flash will return to The CW for Season 4 this fall. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV news, and don't forget to check out our summer TV premiere schedule to discover all your viewing options now and in the coming weeks. Be sure to drop by our rundowns for cable/streaming and broadcast TV renewals and cancellations as well. If streaming is more your style, our Netflix premiere schedule will help you out.

View original post here:

15 Things You Really Shouldn't Overthink About The Flash - Cinema Blend

Lou Raguse, KARE 8:07 PM. EDT June 02, 2017

A courtroom sketch from the jury selection of the Jeronimo Yanez trial. (Photo: Nancy Muellner)

ST. PAUL,Minn. - Only two more jurors are needed before attorneys start whittling down the numbers to select a final jury in the manslaughter trial of Officer JeronimoYanez.

KARE 11's Lou Raguse says Friday's juror selection included seven white men, and all of them are gun owners. The first was a man in his 40s who recently moved to Minnesota from Dallas. During questioning he expressed empathy for the number of times Philando Castile had been pulled over for minor traffic offenses before the fatal night he was shot by Yanez.

"I've been pulled over for similar things. I think there's honestly a problem there with how minor things grow and become warrants. And when you live where you can hardly afford fines, it seems like it's rigged against you," the man said.

The second juror approved is an Air Force veteran in his 30s, who told attorneys and Judge William Leary he knows little about the case. The third juror, a light rail train operator, also said he did not know much about the shooting of Castile.

Following a short break a fourth juror was also forwarded to the approved pool.

One man, a member of the NRA, was challenged by the prosecution but eventually approved by the judge.

Another man who was approved works for the MN sex offender program and says he has ties to St. Paul but travels to Moose Lake and St. Peter. He also said he works with law enforcement.

Prosecutors and the Yanez defense team need an approved pool of 22 jurors before they begin using their strikes, to get down to the 12 jurors and three alternates needed to hear the case. So far, two people of color have been approved, though one -- an Ethiopian-American woman -- was challenged, so the defense could come back and strike.

The defense team has made it clear Yanez plans to testify in his own defense.

THURSDAY

Jury selection passed the halfway point by the time court dismissed Thursday in Ramsey County in the trial of the officer accused of killing PhilandoCastile.

So far 14 jurors have been approved, meaning nine more need to be approved before the pool can be narrowed down to the 12 jurors and three alternates who will decide the Officer Jeronimo Yanez's fate.

One juror approved raised a challenge by the defense, because the man, who is white, said he attended a vigil for Philando Castile in the days following the shooting and cried. The man, a scientist at a local college, admitted he has a bias against Officer Yanez based on what he's heard so far about the case. But he said he could set aside those feelings and make a decision based on the evidence.

Judge William Leary rejected the challenge and allowed the man to pass onto the next round, saying, "The totality of the questioning shows he is suitable to serve. Attending a vigil in and of itself is not a point for disqualification."

Another potential juror raised a challenge from the defense, because the woman didn't understand much about the U.S. Criminal Justice System. Under questioning by attorney Earl Gray, the 18-year-old woman who immigrated from Ethiopia admitted not knowing the meaning of "negligence," "credibility," or even what the U.S. Criminal Justice System is.

Judge Leary again rejected the challenge, stating that not many 18-year-olds would be able to answer those questions.

Jury selection, in effect a process of elimination, begins with questioning of the initial pool of 50 jurors. If a potential juror appears to be too biased, or has extenuating circumstances in their life, the judge dismisses them from the pool. When a total of 23 jurors are approved to move to the next phase of the selection process, the defense will strike (eliminate) five of them, and the prosecution will strike three, leaving the 15 who will hear the case.

Earlier Thursday morning, three additional jurors were approved, bringing the total of those approved to nine. The first was a woman in her 60s who knows little of the case, and what she does know is based on the initial coverage of the shooting of Philando Castile. In a rare moment of levity when asked why she enjoys watching Judge Judy (she confessed to that fact on her questionnaire) the woman responded "I like how she doesn't fool around. She makes a decision and that's it."

The second juror moved to the next round of selection was a 24-year-old Caucasian woman who told attorneys "I honestly don't know anything about the case at all. Questioning for the woman lasted 30 to 40 minutes, significantly shorter than all previous jurors.

Prosecutors and the Yanez defense team also approved a third juror, a white male in his 40s who recently moved to Minnesota from Colorado. He said the first he heard of the shooting of Castile was when the judge spoke of it. The only topic of concern for attorneys was that the man seems to have feelings about the criminal justice system where what he called "victimless crimes" are prosecuted far too often. He also said he believes marijuana should be legalized, a view that could concern the Yanezteam as they plan to make an issue of the fact Castile had allegedly used marijuana before the fatal interaction with the officer.

Two jurors, both who admitted knowing a lot about the case, were excused.

A white woman in her early 20s began crying while she was being questioned by Judge Leary. She said, I've been struggling really hard with the possibility of taking on that role. I don't think I could be an impartial juror."

And a white man in his 50s or 60s said he under normal circumstances he would be able to be an impartial juror, but current family financial issues would cause too much of a distraction during the trial.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 31

Jury questioning is proceeding at a very slow pace in the trial ofJeronimoYanez, the St. Anthony Police officer who fatally shot motoristPhilandoCastile.

After court dismissed Wednesday, 40 of the 50 potential jurors remain to be questioned. Five jurors have been dismissed for various reasons. And five will remain in the final pool from which the jury will be selected.

The first juror to be dismissed was a woman who is a relative ofYanez. She was excused Tuesday. On Wednesday morning a pregnant woman with five children was allowed to go home, and a middle-aged woman who runs her own business and cares for her sick husband was excused as well.

The first juror to be dismissed was a woman who is a relative ofYanez. She was excused Tuesday. On Wednesday morning a pregnant woman with five children was allowed to go home, and a middle-aged woman who runs her own business and cares for her sick husband was excused as well.

RELATED: Yaneztrial: How we got here

Five people have been passed for cause, meaning they still have a chance to make the final jury unless the prosecution or the defense uses a strike to eliminate them later this week.

Perhaps the most surprising development in the jury selection process is how little potential jurors say they know about this high-profile case involving the death of an African American motorist. One potential juror, a black man in his20s, remembered hearing about the shooting when it happened but said he can't recall many details. He incorrectly assumed Diamond Reynolds is a minor.Yanezattorney Tom Kelly extensively questioned the man about his feelings on officer-involved shootings, particularly shootings of unarmed black men.

RELATED:What potential jurors are being asked

"I think, 'How does this happen? He was unarmed,'" the man said about another case he had heard about. "But it's not something you could put against every cop."

The man admitted he sometimes feels people with money or power "get off" by hiring high-priced attorneys but he said he wouldn't hold againstYanezthe fact he's hired three lawyers in this case.

The second juror kept in the pool was a middle-aged white woman who said she hasn't heard a thing about the shooting ofPhilandoCastile. "Not a word," she said. "I don't watch the news." The potential juror did admit she knew of protests that took place on the freeway following the shooting of Castile, but did not know what those protests were for. "There were protesters who walked out onto the freeway and stopped traffic."

During questioning the woman told attorneys she has served on a jury in a previous criminal trial in Ramsey County, and that they found the defendant guilty on one charge and not guilty on four others.

After a short break prosecutors asked the judge to dismiss the potential juror from White Bear Lake, saying they found posts on her Facebook page expressing support for law enforcement. Prosecutors did not object to the tone of the posts, but the fact that the woman under oath she had not shared posts of that nature on her social media accounts. "The only thing I share on Facebook is recipes," she was quoted as saying.

When confronted with printouts of the posts the woman said she didn't remember sharing them but agreed that she must have. Still, the judge denied the motion to excuse her for cause, meaning she could still end up on the jury.

The third potential juror to be questioned, an African American woman in her40s, knew a lot more about the Castile shooting than the two people who came before her. "I think the police officer was careless when he opened fire. That wasn't right," she wrote in her juror questionnaire. "The shooting wasn't fair plus there was a a woman and child who could have been injured." Despite her opinions, the woman told Judge William Leary III she believed she could be fair and impartial if seated on the jury.

The fourth juror, a white man in his50s, also said he hadn't heard about theYanezcase until he read a newspaper article about it Tuesday night. The judge earlier on Tuesday had asked jurors to avoid news coverage of the case. The juror had gone through a firearm training course and was enthusiastic about the chance to serve on the jury. The judge allowed him to remain in the pool.

Juror #6 is a white man in his60swho is allowed to remain in the pool. He is a gun owner, has heard very little about the case, and respects law enforcement.

Juror #7 was a white man in his40sor50swho was dismissed after he told the just there is no way he can giveJeronimoYaneza fair trial. "To unload a gun into a car with a child inside, there's just no reason, in my mind," the man said.

Prosecutors and theYanezdefense team will select 12 jurors and 3 alternates to hear the manslaughter case.

Jury selection will resume Thursday at 9 a.m.

2017 KARE-TV

More:

Yanez Trial: Approved jury pool nearly filled - WKYC-TV

Wisconsin Capitol.(Photo: Michael Sears / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

A pair of bills proposed by state lawmakers would target the demand for sex traffickingby cracking down on those who repeatedly patronize prostitutes.

One of the bills, a bipartisan effort to toughencriminal penalties for frequent offenders, would make the third conviction a felony. Its lead sponsors are state Reps. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) and Amanda Stuck (D-Appleton) and Sen. Dan Feyen (R-Fond du Lac).

"Gone are the days where prostitution is viewed as a victimless crime," Kleefisch said. "When it comes to human trafficking, we need to attack on all fronts."

He said part of the drive for pimps to push prostitutionis the demand, so reducing that demand will help combat trafficking. Adding that many trafficking victims are "forced, coerced or violently pushed into prostitution," Kleefisch said those who hire prostitutes especially repeatedly are "enablers at the very least."

The legislation was requested by law enforcement officials in the Fox Cities, and has the support of the state Department of Justice, Kleefischsaid.

A secondbillproposed by state Rep. Andre Jacque (D-DePere)would require people convicted of soliciting or patronizing prostitutes or keeping a place of prostitution to pay $5,000. The money would be used to providetreatment and services for victims of sex trafficking, and for investigations and law enforcement related to Internet crimes against children.

"The federal government acknowledges the link between prostitution and trafficking in women and children as a form of modern-day slavery," Jacque wrote to fellow lawmakers seekingco-sponsors for his bill.

The sponsors of both bills noted that Milwaukee is known as a hotbed of sex trafficking.

"Milwaukee has become a huge hub for human trafficking, and these victims are then sent across the rest of the state and other parts of the country," Kleefisch and Stuck wrote.

RELATED: Asha Project brings hope to domestic abuse, sex trafficking victims

ARCHIVE: Finding a second chance: One woman's sex trafficking ordeal

It's notoriously difficult to collect data about sex trafficking, but experts estimate there have been hundreds of victims in Milwaukee.

Milwaukee's reputation as a hub for sex trafficking stems, in part, fromhigh-profile prosecutions and other law enforcement actions

Court cases here have revealed generations of pimps and a group of traffickers some of whom prostituted dozens of women who regularly participated in "pimp roundtables," during which they discussed their practices

RELATED: 'Pimpin' Paul' faces new sex-trafficking charges

RELATED: Milwaukee man sentenced to 25 years in sex trafficking case

RELATED: Milwaukee pimp groomed as a teen gets 10 years

In 2013, a nationwide FBI sting on human trafficking recovered 10 children in Milwaukee the second-highest number in the country

A study that sameyear by the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission found that 77 children had been sexually exploited in Milwaukee in a two-year period a number experts said was likely a gross underestimate, as it only tracked the number who had made contact with police

But there is no reliable ranking of cities in terms of child sex trafficking or the number of children recovered from sex trafficking, according to the Polaris Project, which runs the National Human Resource Center Trafficking Hotline.

Attorney General Brad Schimel has said the effort to combat human trafficking is one of the toughestchallenges facing Wisconsin.

Read or Share this story: http://jsonl.in/2s42osN

See original here:

Wisconsin sex trafficking bills target repeat patrons of prostitutes - Stevens Point Journal