Los Angeles, CA —Local news coverage here is as lame is it gets anywhere!   The entertainment capitol of the world and the second largest television market puts out  pathetic   minimalist crap instead of comprehensive news. It's downright shameful! What used to be called print media has now been forcibly   moved to the Internet and they now must adapt to publishing quality video or simply become history. I don’t give a rat’s ass if you’re at the bottom position and pay grade in your news organization there’s no excuse for you being unable to make a broadcast quality news story if you come upon breaking news.   If you can’t put together a watchable story on your iPhone you need to get out of the news business.   You don’t have to be pretty or an award winning cinematographer to create a great news story.   You do need to be capable of using a little investigative effort and get some watchable video and simply tell your story. ...

Phoenix, AZ —The second attempt to get a verdict in the penalty phase of the Jodi Arias murder trial is about be get underway before Judge Sherry Stephens . Will it be death, life without parole or a 25 calendar year sentence?    Arias would get full credit for her years in pretrial custody.   Arias is understandably and desperately seeking some control over her defense and public relations matters.   The problem is that she’s woefully unqualified to make any of those decisions. The lawyers assigned to defend Arias are not exactly heavy hitters.   They are lightweights with limited skills and resources.   Arias has been widely criticized for her missteps at every turn.   This young woman is fighting for her life while dealing with complicated issues few of us will ever have to face.  For her there are no right answers.  Whatever she does turns out wrong.  The only thing I know about Arias for sure is she has given...

Rex E. Chapman (credit Maricopa County Sheriff) Scottsdale, AZ—Rex Chapman , 46 had a great 12-year NBA basketball career Playing for the Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets .     In 2006, he served as the vice president of player personnel for the Denver Nuggets.   Today he’s employed TV sports broadcaster for Turner Broadcasting .    I say that he had a great career, because it has suddenly all ended in an epic crash after his September 19 th arrest for stealing some $14,000.00 in merchandise from a local Apple Store .   The foolishness of Chapman’s caper defies logic.   Apple store records show he was present on several occasions and video shows him purloining the property with a knapsack or white Apple bags. In an even more stunning lapse Chapman apparently wasted no time selling the booty to local pawnshops.   They too keep surveillance video recordings and are required to obtain identification of anyone pawning or sel...

Dragonfly Drone  Los Angeles, CA —Let me be the first to say that I find the increasing militarization and spying by police repugnant.  Government at every level is out-of-control. Today there is a demonstration in progress at City Hall protesting the use of two small multi-rotor drones in possession of the LAPD .  This group is uninformed and unfamiliar with the limitations of these devices also called unmanned aerial vehicles.  I suspect these demonstrators are confusing these drones with the much larger, multi-million dollar weaponized drones used by or military in combat zones. However there are substantial benefits of our first responders using multi-rotor drones to deal with instances such as common disasters, searches for lost people and potentially dangerous animals on the loose in neighborhoods.  The diminutive drones can more safely enter tighter spaces than any helicopter. As a camera drone pilot, former cop and licensed private inve...