Two Men Charged With Michael McCarthy's Murder

Fast work by the police. Two men have been charged with the stabbing death of 19 year Old Michael McCarthy in Yoakley Road, Stoke Newington last week Thursday. The two are Mustafa Demirtas and Julian Edwards, both 20, and from north London. Michael was stabbed and ran over with a car. They will both appear at Thames Magistrates court today.

The car, a grey/sliver Fiat Punto believed to be the one they drove, was later found in Welwyn Garden City on Friday afternoon ablaze.

Anarchy Alive In Hackney

I've been meaning to snap this building for a while, but since I'm always in the car I can never quite get it. I lucked out on Thursday on my way to Islington as the lights were red and got it right after a van moved out of my way.

Some of you might recognise it as Richmond Road or is it another road at the end of Richmond where it meets Kingsland????......

Camilla's Royal Ass Can Be A Pain

Hey it's Saturday morning...so allow me to be silly......

I'd love to know the story behind these pics............


Thanks to BristleKRS for the tweet.

Folks, You Will Not Find Girl On Girl Action Here

I have been getting a ton of hits from all over the world in the last 3 days since I placed a link to a comment I made on a showbiz gossip site. Although they are from all over the world, people on the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago are curious about their Miss Trinidad & Tobago, who went on to win the Miss Universe Crown last year. Never had so many people from Trinidad view this blog before. It appears Anya Ayoung-Chee (Miss Trinidad& Tobago) and Miss Japan, Hiroko Mima are caught up in a sex tape scandal that involved Anyas boyfriend some cat called Wyatt Gallery (hows about that for a name?

He's claiming that the other girl is not Miss Japan and that folks can't tell two Asian chicks apart.....yeah right. Also claims he took his computer to a repair shop in Trinidad. Who knows, he could have and they just ripped the file, although the cynical side of me tells me he put out there, everyone else is doing the same thing right?..... Anyways, I've seen the tape....wasn't that hard to find and yes it can be described as pretty much hard core, but not much girl on girl just Gallery taking turns with each gal. Poorly shot too. I think the guy is due some royalty from all those sites :-)

I was sooo over beauty queens and sex pics after Vanessa Williams in the early 80's.

Stoke Newington Stabbed Teenager Named

UPDATE: 1:00pm 21/11/09
LBC are reporting two men have been arrested.

Police want to trace the movements of a silver or grey Fiat Punto with the registration WN06 BVE.

It was seen leaving the area shortly after the incident at 11pm on Thursday and found in Welwyn Garden City the next day.

The young man stabbed last night while walking his dog on Yoakley Street has been identified as Michael McCarthy a 19 year old father whose child isn't even a year old and another one on the way. Friends say he had confided to his girl friend about a gang being after him, according to the website This is London. According to friends he knew a gang was after him.

One of my first thoughts was why they didn't describe him as a 'white youth' (not holding it against them) because we all know, everyone else and their mama was wondering what race he was - and don't let anyone tell me any different. Instead they reported that his child was called Casey although he was know as 'Fox' because he had 'ginger hair'. They then went on to mention his parents were Irish, which pretty much confirmed the race question. Not that it makes a difference. Another young person has been killed, another family is mourning and grief stricken, a community dealing with yet another senseless killing and again I feel helpless, angry and frustrated. From what I can gather he was unemployed but had worked as a scaffolder and rarely drank. Why this 'gang' had a beef with him I don't know, but from what his pals say they had it out for him for him. one friend said “I also heard on Monday he was walking to the bus stop with his girlfriend and he was being eyed up by a gang of lads he didn't recognise".

Michael had a Black staffie called missy that he was walking, could it be a dog thing? Could he have pissed someone off? Who knows. The other day I was walking two of my dogs in Springfield Park, a Yorkie cross and a Jack Russell. As usual I let them walk off leash once in the middle of the park. Some dude took umbrage to them being so close to him while he was eating his fried chicken and chips out of a box and was not pleasant about it. Being the smart ass I am, I would have responded accordingly, which would most likely have been a few obscene words, instead I called my dogs over and walked another direction. I'm not stupid and know who to pick my battles with and wasn't about to cross this jackass.

It's a whole 'nother culture out on the streets and in Hackney you just best be careful who you talk back to.

I hope missy was okay and is being taken care of. According to reports, the person who stabbed him pulled up in a silver car and drove off. This is one time I wouldn't have had a problem with a staffie tearing the shit out of a person.

Much love and condolence to his family and loved ones.

Murdered Stoke Newington Teen Was Also Struck By Car

A follow up to my earlier post. Hackney Gazette are reporting that he was also struck by a car. Maybe trying to flee his killers? Police are still hunting the killers.

The Hackney Citizen now reports the stabbing followed an altercation between two male suspects.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the incident room at Barking on 020 8345 3985, or to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Another Stabbing Death In Stoke Newington

Heard on LBC news this morning that there has been another stabbing death in The Borough of Hackney, this time in Stoke Newington on Yoakley Road, just off 'trendy' Stoke Newington Church Street. All I know is the kid is 19 and it happened late last night. He died before they could get him to a hospital. I hear parts of Stoke Newington Church St is closed off but I think it may be open now.

This hasn't been the only violent incident in the last week. Just yesterday I read in The Hackney Gazette that a man sitting in his car on Chatsworth Road in Lower Clapton was shot by a man who walked up to his car, smashed the window and then opened fire. He suffered face and chest injuries that were described as serious but not life threatening. It happened last Friday at 4.30 pm.

The other two incidents took place on Sunday/Monday. At about 9.30pm Sunday night two men sitting in a Jeep on The Pembury Estate on Pembury Road Lower Clapton were shot at, but escaped without injury. 6 hours later police were called to Leadale Road near Stamford Hill to investigate a torched vehicle a Lexus 4x4, which they believe may have been the gunman's get away vehicle.

I believe it's only going to get worse and I have no answers. Stay safe folks.

Check back on the main page for updates on last nights (19th November) stabbing.

Also see

Stabbed youth named

Gerald Butler, You Are So Outta Line

Michael would not approve of this. LOL.

43rd CMA Awards 2009 - Commenting As I Watch

It's only 11 minutes into the show and I am sooooo over Taylor Swift and still Have almost two hours of her to go. She opened the show with a cheesy skit with the broad from Crook and Chase and wiggled, slid down a pole, kept flinging her hair all over the place. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood made me giggle with their Kanye song :-) but man they are hokey and almost cringe worthy, but hey, it's Nashville. Maybe Jamie Foxx and Kanye West can host it next time. No it's not a joke I'm serious.

Darius Rucker rocks. Singing Alright.

Miranda Lambert...blah blah blah. George Strait is singing Twang his new single from same named CD....not too keen on the song myself, but loves me some George. Carrie Underwood that is not country you are singing. Her little performance could easily be a Pussy Cat Dolls act with all those half naked girls gyrating all over the place, seriously.

Vince Gill doing a Duet with Daughtry. Huh? Give me some vintage Vince. Oh well. Damn Nicole Kidman really has plumped her lips up. They don't look bad, seen worse. Keith Urban singing I guess his latest uninspiring lame song. I think I'm going to clean the toilet while he's on.

Tim McGraw now. Is it me, because I'm just not feeling so many of these people tonight and I have tons of Tim McGraw music even paid to see him concert, years ago. Sugarland oh man I hope I don't fall asleep. Brooks and Dunn with ZZ Top. Is this their bow out?

Now where talking....Jamie Johnson and Kid Rock. Oh jeez Taylor Swift again and a bunch of teeny boppers in the audience sing along about being 15 and in love...okay.

Leeann Rimes, needs a new make up artist, she looked just as dreadful at the George Strait tribute show. Brad Paisley just won Male Vocalist of the Year, beating Darius,Kenny Chesney, George Strait and Keith Urban. Love Kenny, but he's won year after year, strait has enough awards...Brad deserves it although I can think of previous hits he's had that deserved more. I just adore his tongue in cheek songs...not sure about the son he sang tonight.

Oooh here comes Reba. Looking good.

Billy Currington...... God is great and beer is good and people are crazy...love it. LeeAnn Womack and the legendary Kris Kristofferson presenting Female vocalist of the Year - Taylor Swift...blah blah....more excited to see Kris and LeeAnn

Kenny Chesney and Dave Mathews doing a duet.

Tim and Faith presenting Entertainer of the year - Oh fuck not Taylor Swift again??????????????

WHAT THE HELL? it's over? I guess we had to do with the edited version. Didn't get to see Darius receive his award, but had to see Taylor run up and get hers 4 times?

Listen, Taylor is a sweet girl and I'm sure she loves her mum, dad and puppy, but bestowing all these awards on such a new comer who is clearly bubble gum pop is ludicrous. Seems to me Nashville is now targeting high schoolers, what next Hannah Montana does the Opry? They've marketed her good and oh the hype.

All in all a very very dull disappointing show, most of the music sucked. Alan and George were not kidding when they sang Murder on Music Row. Can someone explain why the AMC 'Artist Of The Decade' show honoring George Strait in May was so much more watchable? I can't get enough of Jamie Foxx, I've even watched Taylor Swift singing 'Run' on You Tube a Zillion times. Goes to show I'm really not a Swift hater. Keith Urban amazed me with his version of an old Marty Robbins Classic, Jack Ingram put a whole 'nother slant on 'All my Ex's live In Texas' .

P.S. A big shout out to Film24 for showing it. At least they tried. Just discovered the channel and if you are into movies and behind the scenes stuff it's worth. Keeping an eye on. Lot's of old black and white British made classics from way back.

Congratulations Darius Rucker - CMA 'New Artist Of The Year' 2009

This post is a week overdue. The 43rd CMA AWARDS 2009 to be shown on Film24 - Sky Channel 157 tonight starting 8pm and repeating on Sunday.


Way to go dude. CMA 'New Artist of the Year', which is all good, but sounds a little disingenuous considering Darius Rucker has been around for years, although not not on the country music scene. Still, he became the first Black performer to win 'New Artist of the Year' and only the second Black performer since Charlie Pride in 1972 to win any major individual CMA or any other country award for that matter. So here's a MASSIVE HORRAAAAAAAY!! Some of you may know I'm a big lover of country music however, being in the UK we just don't get enough. None of the big names come here to perform and it just doesn't get air play here. CMT aired for a while in the UK but pulled out years ago and have no intentions coming back. Now that film24 have optioned to air the awards for the next 5 years, I hope they will include more country on their scheduling.

I'm not sure how popular Hootie & The Blowfish was in the UK as I wasn't living here at the height of their popularity, but in 1996 they won a Grammy for 'Best New Artist'. Darius was their lead vocal for the band. Great to see him back on the music scene, especially country music.

When he released his first country CD last year I was pleasantly surprised and even more impressed that it was getting the air play it got on the US Country stations, which was a major factor to the popularity of his CD.

You don't know how many country musicians I've heard and met that are so much more deserving than some of the crap that passes as country music today and actually make it to radio stations play lists and national attention. Unfortunately since country music had a bit of a make over in the late 80's, Nashville has become a factory churning out some sorry excuses.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those die hards who still think anything country begins and ends with Hank Williams Sr or George Jones. Far from it. I love George Jone's music. I believe one of the greatest loves songs ever recorded is a George Jones classic "He Stopped Loving Her" and I appreciate a lot of the new artists, but you have to admit some do stretch the incredulous. For example I notice a group called The Raconteurs were among the CMA nominees this year. Just Youtube them and tell me how the hell they even managed to get a mention. These guys are nowhere near country. Just as well they didn't win. Country music has evolved, there's a freshness to it it's not what my mum listened to when she was young, but for heaven sake keep some integrity in country. I love what Kenny Chesney does, love Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley and my all time favorite George Strait.

Oh and allow me a little Kanye moment here. WTF with Taylor Swift and all the awards? She's not country. I'll comment more after the show tonight.

Saw Toby Keith live last week in Hammersmith. Great show, wish more would play here.

Damn is that the time? I gotta run.

Michael Jacksons Accuser's Father Commits Suicide

Karma is certainly a mofo ain't it? The father of Jordy Chandler, Evan Chandler 65, was found dead in his Jersey City, NJ waterfront home still holding the gun with a single gunshot to his head. Although it happened on November 5th, details are only now being released.

If you remember it was the Chandler family who first accused Michael Jackson of molesting their son Jordy who was 13 at the time. He has since changed his name and lives on Long Island.

I always thought something stank about the Chandler's. Michael wasn't the creepy one it was THEM. They got what they wanted. $15 million out of court settlement and then came back looking for $60 more, claiming Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley (whom he was married to at the time) had breached the terms of a confidentiality deal, by talking about the case with ABC's Diane Sawyer during a TV interview the previous year.

Jordy became estranged from his father and even got a restraining order against him in 2006 after Evan attacked him with dumbbell weight.

Evan Chandler was a former Beverly Hills Dentist and since became an aspiring screenwriter had several cosmetic procedures, rendering him virtually unrecognizable from the way he looked since the Jackson matter, a family source said.

Chandler regularly self-administered botox and cosmetic facial fullers.
"He was a handsomer version of Rob Lowe. That's how drop-dead handsome he was [after the plastic surgeries],'' the source said.

Sounds like daddy Chandler had his own demons. He didn't even have the decency to leave a suicide note.

No More Bendy 38 Hackney To Victoria Buses

I didn't bother with pics of bendy buses, just the old Routemaster's








Keeping to one of Boris Johnson's Mayoral campaign promises of ridding London of those dreadful Bendy buses, I was happy to hear the no. 38 will be reverting back to a double decker today (14th November). Not that it's going to make much difference to me as I rarely ride the buses. In fact I can count how many times I have been on a bendy bus on 3 fingers. Good riddance.

I can't say I felt the same way the day in October of 2005 when the last of the 38 Routemasters were in operation. That day was full of nostalgia because as a teenager and young adult it was a bus route I got to know very well, living near London Fields in the late 70's and early 80's. My first Saturday job was in Victoria and I would catch it from Graham Road and ride all the way to Victoria station. It was my friends and my, gate way to the west end and I have a lot of fond memories.

When I returned to the UK 5 years ago, I lived in an apartment near Exmouth market off Rosebery Avenue for 6 months and although I had a car, whenever I had to go uptown, I'd ride on one although on a nice day I'd walk down tree lined Rosebery Avenue, to Holborn or the other direction to Upper Street in Islington. After living in California and Texas where life consisted of driving everywhere in an air conditioned car, I loved being able to hop on and off buses, jump on a tube and just feel alive been around people. It's funny how you get sentimental about certain things about your country when you are away. The end of the Routmaster buses also meant the end bus conductors another English icon now consigned to history.

The day of the last 38 Routemasters, I took a train from Essex to Hackney and then got on a 38 all the way to Victoria. Had a snack at my first Saturday job (Mcdonalds), did some shopping at House of Fraser, a few other shops and dropped everything off at a friends office near Green Park. With more shopping, this time from Harvey Nichols. I retrieved what I'd left at her office and after work we had a drink at a pub then I hopped back on the 38...she took the train to Clapham, still not 'getting' my day of nostalgia as she was a damn Kiwi :-)

Did I say good riddance to bendy?

Give A Brotha His Right Dues

It appears the press got it all wrong - AGAIN. Or was it the military? While they were all busy making Officer Kim Munley the hero who saved the day during the Fort Hood shooting, some how the person responsible for actually bringing down the gun man Major Hasan, was never mentioned.

It was Senior Sgt. Mark Todd, 42, of the Killeen Police Department. According to a witness, it appears Hasan was not wounded up to the point when Officer Munley was gunned down by Hasan, which can only mean it was Senior Sgt Todd who fired the shots that took him down and stopped him from shooting any more people. On Wednesday, Sergeant Todd’s wife, Lisa, said her husband had asked the Army to protect his identity immediately after the shootings.

Appears his anonymity was short lived as the real story of what happened that day emerged.
In my eyes they were both brave, as I hesitate to use the word "Heros"....they were just police officers doing their job, but credit where credit is due eh?


The New York times has a full and more accurate account as is the interview below with NBC's Ann Curry. Oh and have you seen Officer Munleys twitter page? Almost 5,000 followers....this from a page with only 2 tweets and a third made only this week. No I'm not one of her followers.

Jacqui Janes, You Are A Disgrace

How much were you paid by Rupert Murdoch and his hacks? I'm sorry for the loss of your son, but nit picking about Gordon Browns penmanship and spelling won't bring him back. While you should be grieving for your brave dead son you're making headlines for the wrong reason with a tabloid and The Sun of all papers.

Listen, this might sound harsh, but when any man or woman signs up for the military, they know there is a good chance they will be called to combat. At his age, he knew where he'd end up since the war started when he was in high school.

You dread the visit of bad news and in your case, they came knocking on your door to say Jamie was dead. That's the breaks lady. Brown is at an all time low and I feel for him because there is nothing worse than kicking a man when he's already down and that's what Murdoch is doing and you Jacqui, are his pawn. There's nothing better he would like than to see than this government OUT. Hey, that's one thing Murdoch and I can agree on, but this debacle is bordering on farcical, but more outright nastiness and that's just right up the alley for the Brits....I wouldn't wish Gordon Brown on my worst enemy (and I have a few of them) and wouldn't be him for all the money in the world. Give him a break, he's got the burden of a country to run, he's almost blind and has errant MP's in his party that have pretty much fucked up his wet dream.

One thing I share with Brown is gad damn awful penmanship.....my dad always said it reminded him of chicken scrawling, my mum would always remind him that his wasn't any better. My spelling? Thank heavens for google and spell checker when I remember.

I can't pretend to know what you are going through. I'm not a mother, but I'm a woman with motherly instincts and I don't want to imagine this ever happening to any of my nieces, nephew or other young people that I love. In fact if I had a son I don't think I could give him up to the military, this, despite my late father being a Naval officer and diplomat. I'd make my basement sound proof and kit it out for him until he came to his senses. Call me crazy.... From the day I was born I never lived in a country long enough to develop any allegiance, so screw patriotism....but I'm getting there with the UK....land of my birth, but not my heritage. I'm not stupid or brave enough to die for this country but your son was....so respect that and shut the fuck up.

Oh and you might learn a thing or two from Cindy Sheehan. Let's say the woman had her heart in the right place, but she was also a pawn like you, except in this instance it was for the misguided liberals. Even better

For the record, I'm an independent with liberal and Conservative leanings. You just can't peg me.

Hows About This For Customer Service - Sights Around Hackney

I couldn't help myself when I drove past what I guess is a store on Lower Clapton Road, Saturday morning. I noticed they were offering full set nails for £12 and since I'm planning on getting my nails done just before Christmas, I thought hmmm that's cheap.

It's a hair and nail studio that also offers tour and travel services, property and investment services, money transfers (western union no doubt) and for added assurance you can go to them for legal services. Eh?

I'll stick to my usual place that I go to be waxed, plucked and threaded.