Gamblers Anonymous

Your 14-minute Thursday report in 3497 words. Part 1.

anti-corruption: Defense Ministry official busted with bribery & tampering with draft during war

NSS report says: a Colonel, who had oversight over subdivisions, received a ֏975K bribe from a conscript to transfer him to another location on Sep-13-2020. Part of the bribe was transferred to his online gambling account.
When the war began, a draft was declared and recruits began training at a location in Armenia. The Colonel took a ֏1.2M bribe from a soldier in exchange for not sending him to the front lines.
During the winter draft, the Colonel took a ֏5.2M bribe from another conscript and used his connections to send him to the desired service location. A similar ֏1M bribe was requested on January 6th from another recruit.
The Colonel took another ֏1.4M bribe to help promote a conscript and allow him to work at a hospital instead of regular service.
On October 22nd, during the war, the Colonel decided to help a friend move from bordering Khndzoresk (Syunik) hospital back to Yerevan. As a result, the clinic became understaffed and couldn't fulfill its duties. Moreover, the Colonel then helped the same friend not to be deployed on Syunik borders as a soldier and instead to handle tasks in the rear, on October 26th, in exchange for a ֏300K bribe.
On October 13th, during the war, the Colonel and his accomplices wanted to help a soldier to leave Artsakh. When they learned that the latter was already on the "deserted" list, they took steps to remove him from the list.
Then, he learned that his friends' sons received a draft notice, and use his connections to remove them from the draft list.
After the war, on Dec-13, a friend asked the Colonel to make sure that his son, who was serving in Lusakert, wasn't sent to the front lines. The Colonel contacted the Lusakert facility but learned that the soldier was not among those who were supposed to be sent to the front lines. Nonetheless, the Colonel decided to defraud his friend by claiming that "he took care of it", and received a ֏200K bribe.
The colonel and over a dozen others were arrested. Illegal weapons were found under their possession. The investigation continues to expose other possible suspects.
https://youtu.be/ifo13WJLpsU
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042334.html

bill: harsher punishment for treason, spying, espionage

BHK MPs drafted a bill to increase punishment for traitors, spies, passing of state secrets. They want to raise the maximum punishment from 15 years to 20-life. The authors explained the move by citing many media reports about alleged "treason" incidents.
The bill was discussed at a relevant Parliamentary committee. The chairman QP MP Vladimir said he supports life imprisonment as the minimum punishment. However, during the discussion, they agreed to settle on 15-20 years plus property confiscation, or a life sentence.
The committee found the espionage punishment too harsh and asked the bill author to reduce it from 15 to 12 years. The BHK author agreed.
The bill was approved unanimously and will be debated/voted on the Parliament floor later.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042354.html

Jalal is back with another position

The wounded ex-Artsakh army commander Jalal Harutyunyan will serve as the Republic of Armenia's Defense Ministry's Head of the Military Control Service. He will replace General Movses Mosi Hakobyan who quit on November 18th.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042353.html

Russian-Turkish ceasefire monitoring group begins operations

Russian troops are using ORLAN-10 and FORPOST drones to monitor Am-AZ troop locations and movements.
https://youtu.be/ToSLqUDj6OE
https://factor.am/335089.html

ECHR received Armenia's complaint against Azerbaijan regarding 228 POWs / Azeris counter-claim for 13 POWs

Armenian families submitted a petition to ECHR to require Azerbaijan to provide information regarding 228 individuals. Azeris want to know data about 13 people.
(From the language it is unclear to me whether the petition is for confirmed POWs, or it also includes families of missing soldiers who want to know whether their relatives are POWs. Likely the former.)
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042406.html

Red Cross visited 4 Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan

They were able to establish contact with families.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042428.html

Russia expects UNESCO to soon visit Armenian monuments that went under Azeri control

https://factor.am/335437.html

Russia removed tomato import ban on 13 Armenian firms

Russian regulator will allow 13 Armenian sellers to export tomato and pepper to Russia again after earlier finding a food virus in them. A similar ban was implemented against Azeri tomatoes.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042433.html

US Congressman demands an explanation from the US ambassador to Azerbaijan over "congratulatory" statement

Rep. Bred Sherman wants to know why the US ambassador to Azerbaijan Lee Litzenberger congratulated Azerbaijan's Economy Minister with "de-occupying territories and US's willingness to aid Azerbaijan with rebuilding those territories". He reminded the US officials that the US is a member of the Minsk Group and should take steps to ensure Artsakh's safety and prevention of a new war.
Bred Sherman praised Biden's appointee Anthony Blinken for stating that the US will review its military assistance to Azerbaijan after the latest war in Artsakh.
Artsakh MFA yesterday released a statement urging countries, officials, and organizations to refrain from such "congratulatory" statements.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042370.html

de-occupy Hadrut NGO

... aims to help 13,500 Hadrut residents who lost their homes during the war. It was founded during the war by activists who held protests in front of various embassies. In the early days, they received aid from President Sarkissian's office. The latter gave shelter to 25 families.
Today the NGO aims to help refugees with employment, while simultaneously lobbying for Minsk Group to de-occupy Hadrut so residents can return. "I hope that one day our NGO will shut down because Hadrut is no longer occupied," said co-founder Meri Davtyan.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042286.html

govt session: financial aid for Syunik border villagers

The government approved a new aid package for residents of Syunik's Shurnukh and Vorotan villagers. Those who lost their homes will qualify for the same aid package as Artsakh refugees: one-time ֏300K payment plus monthly ֏65K payments for 6 months. There is another pending aid package to build new houses for them.
Context: Two dozen houses in Vorotan and Shurnukh went under Azeri control because they were built on the Azeri side of the internationally-recognized borders.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042362.html

bill: disability ranking to be replaced with degrees of functionality impairment

The government approved a bill, yet to be approved by Parliament, to reform the disability system. The disability assessment process will analyze the person's level of functional impairment while taking into account surrounding conditions.
"Today, the system is run under a 1993 law that does not do a comprehensive assessment of the surrounding environment, person's ability to function in public life," says the govt.
The draft bill will repeal the 1-3 Categories and Disabled Child category. A person's functionality impairment degrees will be light, medium, heavy, or deep. Disability will no longer be considered a permanent health problem. The assessment will be based not only on the factor of health problems but also on the environmental factors of the person's activity and participation in public life.
Healthcare and Social Ministries, NGOs, the UN, and the EU worked together to create and test an assessment methodology.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042365.html
Tags: #DisabilityLaw #disabled

bill: require unknown Telegram/Facebook media channel owners identified before "linking" by mass media

QP MPs want to require social media channel operators identified before a "mainstream media" can link to them. It doesn't restrict citing "anonymous sources", however. It also requires outlets to disclose sources of revenues for transparency. Read yesterday's news for context and arguments in favor or against it.. The debate continued today.
QP MP Arthur: For example, a legitimate news organization with an editorial staff of 30 people generates information, holds interviews, etc., while a Telegram channel that we do not know where it is managed from and by whom, begins to disseminate sensationalized information and over time becomes more "legitimate" than real media outlets because media outlets "advertised" them.
This is also a national security risk because it is very possible that such sources are being operated by an adversary country to spread instability and an atmosphere of fear in the country. //
The co-author criticized the critics who "claimed that the bill intends to ban anonymous sources. That's not true. This also won't affect the protection of journalists' source secrecy."
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042357.html
If you're interested in more debates:
https://youtu.be/MTHwRa4YjgY , https://youtu.be/ThDNVwZYEp8 , https://youtu.be/S6C_NocS9N0 , https://youtu.be/3_-i2Z23ubI , https://youtu.be/wiPnmfeLNJ8
Tags: #MediaLaw #TelegramLaw #FreeSpeech

rumors and rebuttals: Artsakh army isn't being dissolved

Serj's won-in-law Mishik earlier circulated rumors that were denied by state officials. Today, Kocharyan-ally Vitali Balasanyan, who serves as Artsakh's Security Council chief, confirmed that the army isn't "disintegrating." After the restructuring process, there will be subdivisions with professional contractors, he said.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042344.html

rumors and rebuttals: Azeri flag won't fly over Artsakh govt buildings

Vitalik Balasanyan also denied rumors about Azeri flags being installed on Artsakh govt buildings in Stepanakert.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042344.html

rumors and rebuttals: Azeri families won't resettle in Stenapakert / none are shopping in market

Vitalik Balasanyan said there are false rumors about two districts in Stepanakert being populated by Azeris, and Azeris allegedly freely shopping in Stepanakert market.
"Dear citizens of Artsakh, on behalf of the authorities of the Artsakh Republic, I assure you that despite the irreparable losses inflicted on us as a result of the war, the state is always committed to fulfilling its responsibilities to ensure the security and normal life of the population. Accordingly, I urge you not to pay attention to the false news. Everything is being done to create and expand the necessary conditions for a dignified life of the people of Artsakh."
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042344.html

rumors and rebuttals: Artsakh envoy won't stop operating in Russia

The Permanent Representation of the Artsakh Republic in Russia will not be terminated, said the Artsakh govt in response to rumors.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042367.html

rumors and rebuttals: no single currency in EAEU trade bloc

EAEU would like to inform you that you've been misled about alleged plans to establish a single currency among member-states.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042427.html

location "Hollywood, Yerevan, Armenia"

There is a district called Hollywood in Yerevan, Armenia. Gamblers were caught running an underground casino in there. This is the second such bust in the past few months. The police say ֏5.5B in damages was done to the state.
https://youtu.be/sp0Sb--e_ms?t=60
https://factor.am/335320.html

anti-corruption: prosecutors charge education officials with ֏1.2B auction shenanigans

Prosecutors said: State Oversight Committee (SOC) audited the "National Center for Educational Technology" government-affiliated agency's finances between 2013-2020. Every year, the agency submitted a report on the work done by them towards servicing the education system. The bill was ֏700M annually.
It was revealed that between 2012-2015, they granted an auction-based contract to the same company. It received a combined ֏2.8B in funding. The law requires the auction-holding officials to examine the market and take other steps before the auction. They failed to do so.
Later, during 2017-2019, the same company was selected to do the job, but this time it was only paid ֏300-400M annually, far lower than during the previous years.
֏1.2B in damages was done to the state. A felony case is launched.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042389.html

re: Armenia's $750M eurobond sale / lowest % in history / $3B demand by investors / economy news

Read yesterday's news for context.
Pashinyan: The issuance of $750M eurobonds is a strong positive signal for the start of the economic year. The issuance was done under the most favorable conditions in the history of our republic, with the lowest 3.8% percentage rate. Our previous record was in 2019 at 4.2%. The demand was for $3B but we decided to issue only $0.750B.
First, it provides a guarantee of macroeconomic stability. Second, this is the first serious signal of overcoming the post-war economic shock, which shows that international investors have confidence in the economic future of Armenia and the policy pursued by the government. //
Economy Minister Janjughazyan: this was part of our long-term plan and we had planned to do it while drafting the 2021 budget. We planned to issue fewer bonds but decided to add $250M because of favorable terms. We plan to use that extra cash towards the stabilization deposit, as a safety pad, to be used throughout the year if necessary.
As long as our budget has a deficit we will have to borrow. But this is only part of the story; the country's overall debt burden is calculated based on various indicators. So far Armenia has been rated as a country with a lower debt burden.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042351.html, https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042352.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042363.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042393.html

how many people did leave and arrive after reopening air traffic with Russia?

The governments of Armenia and Russian worked on an "app" to allow mutual travel after taking a test. By February 15th, there will be 4-route flights in 2 directions. There were several flights in the past few days.
3900 left and 3400 arrived. 1423 Armenian citizens left and 1263 Armenian citizens arrived. "More people were willing to leave in December than today," noted Diaspora Committee chief Sinanyan.
"Some people flew to Russia but had to return due to a problem. This wasn't due to the COVID app implemented by us. Preliminary data shows that they went to Russia with a paper QP code which raised the suspicion of Russian authorities. We will work with them to resolve this," said Deputy PM Mher. (say what??)
"We need to better inform the public about the existence of this app. Restoring routine flights will help the tourism industry," said PM Pashinyan.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042358.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042383.html

Pashinyan about the suspended Amulsar gold mining project

He repeated his earlier position that "Decisions must be made that take into account Armenia's best interests."
"The mining industry plays a very important role in the development of Armenia's economy, including in the security context."
"We must make decisions to make investment programs acceptable for the Armenian public while taking into account interests of Republic of Armenia."
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042368.html

COVID stats

1829 tested. 147 infected. 352 healed. 11 deaths. 4637 active.
"We're negotiating for vaccines via COVAX global initiative. Separately, we're negotiating with Russia for Sputnik-V. Vaccines should be available in March. It will be targeted at specific groups. It won't be mandatory," said Healthcare Minister Avanesyan.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042341.html , https://youtu.be/vXz3pHx1BlM?t=92

the consumer market price increase in the past 12 months

Armenia's consumer market inflation was +4.5% from January to January. Food +6.4%. Alcohol & tobacco +10.8%. Clothing +2.6%. Utilities +0.6%. Appliances +5.8%. Healthcare +5.6%. Transport +5.7%. Telecom +0.5%. Leisure & culture -0.8%. Education +2%. Dining +1.6%. Misc +3.5%.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042323.html

Parliament MP stops a citizen's suicide attempt

Someone tried to jump from Kievyan bridge. QP MP Gor Gevorgyan was nearby and stopped the attempt. The police took the distressed person to a station.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042329.html

psychological support will be provided to war participants and the public

Emergency Ministry says 15-30% of people have PTSD after the war. Today the government approved a plan to provide psychological aid to war participants and others. The target group includes families of missing people, POWs and their families, those who received disabilities, families of those who died, those who fought in the war, IDPs, civilians who were affected in any way. The program will work in Armenia and Artsakh.
The government will purchase services from experienced mental health service agencies.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042403.html

Armenia will grow industrial marijuana on mass industrial scale / incentive to boost land utilization

Hemp is a type of weed that contains less of the substance that makes you feel high. The government wants to grow industrial hemp on a mass scale to boost ~~mood~~ land utilization and revenues.
Pashinyan: this is going to open room for many speculations. It's important to present the project in detail so the public will have a full understanding of what is being done. Unfortunately, "hemp" is interpreted as something else, while in reality, it is a very important industrial raw material. The growing process has risks but there are oversight mechanisms that have been tested in many countries.
Deputy PM Avinyan: the US, Russia, and China have a great experience with industrial hemp production. The practice was examined by the Economy Ministry. We're talking about industrial production only. It will significantly activate agricultural land utilization. Today, 40% of lands are gone unused. This is part of our plan to boost the production of high-value agricultural products.
https://youtu.be/ssZgr2DR3DM?t=7
https://www.healthline.com/health/hemp-vs-marijuana#marijuana
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042372.html

Education Minister says the "controversial" parts of Church/History merger were "resolved"

Education Ministry wants to merge the school subjects "Armenian Church History" and "Armenian History". Critics said it will shrink the church-related materials too much, others called it treason, while others supported the decision, stating that it's all part of our history and having a separate class is inefficient.
Education Minister Dumanyan says he met colleagues at the National Academy of Sciences and they resolved the conflicts "that caused a noise earlier." He will reveal details soon.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042379.html , https://youtu.be/V0sC3dx-gzU

Major education reforms: "education alone will not solve all problems, but there is no problem that can be solved without an education"

... said PM Pashinyan during a govt session while discussing education reforms. Kids in 1-5 grades will no longer receive grades; tt will be pass or no pass (still needs Parliamentary approval). "There will be a criticism. How can you not grade? But this is a comprehensive program that emphasizes the student's needs and preferences," said Pashinyan.
"We need to pay attention to how the time is spent in schools and what skills are being taught in school hours. It will reflect in our society 15-20 years later. It will define whether we have a technological product or not.
What we were doing in 12 years (school length) can be done within 9 years, but a 9-year school isn't the solution. Instead of shortening the school, we're trying to fill the gap in a way to have a 50% higher efficiency by the end of the 12th year.
In developed countries, education starts not from school but from preschool. The lower the education entry age the more developed the countries are," said Pashinyan. (the govt has a plan to make sure 70% of kids attend preschools by 2023)
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042394.html

cancer stats in Armenia / annual rate / drops among children / fewer abandon treatment

world
9.6 million people die from cancer annually. 1/3rd is possible to prevent. Another part can be cured with the help of early detection.
Armenia
Cancer was the 2nd leading cause of death in 2020. It has increased in the past 10 years but at a small rate. Lung cancer is more common among men, and breast cancer among women.
First time diagnosis by year: 2018 - 8762, 2019 - 7908, 2020 - 7050.
Deaths by year: 2018 - 5199, 2019 - 5434. 2020 - unavailable. (55% men, 45% women)
The cancer rate went up by 1.5x compared to 1990. However, it declined by 2x among children under 14yo.
Fewer people abandon treatment. 3 years ago 53% of lung patients did so, today it's 40%. Breast cancer treatment abandonment went from 47% to 22%. (I translated the word բարձիթողության as "abandonment". Correct me if it refers to something else.)
Artsakh
The number of cancer cases has decreased in Artsakh: from 345 to 260 YoY.
prevention
Oncologist Safaryan says the early detection helps to avoid complications and save lives, even if it's the type of cancer that is known to reappear. There are many patients who defeat cancer. "Smokers should get a lung x-ray twice a year. Those working in chemical plants should get a frequent screening. Do not ignore symptoms and չգցել ականջի հետև. You can defeat it more easily when it's at 1-2 stages. It's a lot harder when it advances to 4."
Preventing cancer isn't easy. The causes of this disease are many. Genetics, bad habits, obesity, surrounding environment. A genetic test can reveal the likelihood of suffering from illness. Some women choose to undergo a mastectomy to prevent possible breast cancer in the future.
"I decided that if 1-in-100 is destined to be cured, I will be that one," said Ashkhen, a woman who recently defeated cancer.
More: https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042291.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042364.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042405.html

cancer diagnosis, surgery, and radiotherapy are free

The treatment was made free recently. The Oncology Center urges the public to get screened as part of an early-detection initiative. The pilot program began in Vanadzor; 307 women were screened.
Cancer diagnosis, surgery, and radiotherapy are free, while the medication has a co-payment.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042423.html

today in history

2004: Mike Zuckerberg founded Facebook to steal your SSN
1949: Sri Lanka declares indpendence
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042309.html

president meets donor

Artsakh president Arayik met donor Alec Baghdasaryan and thanked him. "Only with the joint efforts of the Armenian people is it possible to quickly overcome the difficulties and to plan development programs." Alec plans more charity programs relating to education.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042326.html

donations to Artsakh & recovering soldiers

www.1000plus.am (recovering soldiers & their families)
www.HimnaDram.org (for Artsakh & Armenia)
www.ArmeniaFund.org (U.S. tax-deductible)

archive of older news

http://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/Daily_Anti-Corruption_Reports

disclaimer

All the accused are considered innocent unless proven guilty in the court of law, even if they "sound" or "appear" guilty.

3 months ago I posted a writeup about Robbin Slaughter, a 37-year-old man who vanished without a trace while walking to a convenience store in Owensboro, KY in 1993—NAMUS has forwarded my potential match with the Cleveland John Doe to law enforcement for DNA comparison!

Hi everyone! I was inspired by u/TheBonesofAutumn to post an update on Robbin Lewis Slaughter's case (original post included below) which I did a write-up on a few months ago. I had identified a set of remains from a male homicide victim found in a chimney in Cleveland as a potential match for Robbin and submitted the match to NAMUS for consideration. A few days ago, I received an email from the program officer letting me know that he will be forwarding the match to both law enforcement agencies for a potential DNA comparison!
Also, I am currently working on an extensive write-up of the case of Toni Danieelle Clark which has been nearly 3 years in the making (I've interviewed her family and friends as well as the law enforcement officers originally assigned to her case over the past few months in addition to FOIA requests) so stay tuned! My goal is to submit it to a newspaper as a long-form investigative journalism piece but I will post it on here regardless (totally a shot in the dark, but if anyone here has experience pitching articles, I'd love to speak with you!).
"A sweet and lovable person"
Robbin Lewis Slaughter was born to Dorothy ‘Dot’ Slaughter and William J. Slaughter in Owensboro, KY in the predominately black West End neighborhood. By all accounts, Slaughter––who was 36-years-old at the time of his disappearance––was a bit of a homebody. He kept his social circle small and rarely ventured outside the 5 or 6 places he frequented in town. He didn’t drive and usually got around town on foot––even his workplace was 1.3 miles (less than a 30-minute walk) from his home. He didn’t drink, gamble, or go out on the town. Slaughter’s coworkers at the Owensboro Public Works Department described the 16-year-veteran clean-up crew member as a diligent and hard worker who was never late or missed a day of work. Rudd Slaughter, Robbin’s older brother, was also employed by the department as a sanitation truck driver and the pair would sometimes work together.
“He’s a good worker. He’s very dependable,” said Cissy Gregson, director of Owensboro’s sanitation department. “He’s easygoing. He wouldn’t get in a confrontation with anybody.”
Slaughter was extraordinarily close with his family. “Even though he was grown, he lived with my mom until a couple of months before he was married,” Slaughter’s sister Kitty Board said. Dot even had power of attorney over her son’s finances up until he married Lucinda.
“He was a sweet and lovable person, but he needed looking after,” Board said.
Robbin Slaughter married his childhood friend Lucinda in 1991 after a whirlwind romance. The pair went out a few times when Lucinda was 15, although the two didn’t begin dating seriously until 12 years later when they reconnected at church. After Lucinda was critically injured in a car accident in 1990, Robbin visited her regularly during the two months she was in the hospital. Lucinda says Robbin’s frequent visits convinced her of his caring nature and she started to see him as a potential father figure for her two daughters.
Robbin’s family was skeptical of his budding romance and felt the couple was moving too fast. Both Slaughter’s brother and mother said they noticed a change in his behavior after the marriage. He used to like to listen to music and sports but “he cut back when he got married” according to Rudd.
“He changed,” his brother recalled. “He wouldn’t come out as often. He settled down, just went to work and church.” Slaughter’s mother reported that after his marriage to Lucinda, he didn’t visit as often (he used to visit her once a month).
His sister said that even after the marriage her family never accepted her brother’s wife and stepdaughters, and that there was a mutual agreement that “we don’t question each other’s lives." Lucinda herself readily admitted that Slaughter’s family didn’t get along with her, although she claims that she reconciled with Slaughter’s mother in the years following Robbin’s disappearance.
Slaughter was the polar opposite of someone who would run away to start a new life.
"He never went on any trips without family," said Slaughter's sister, Kitty Board. “He didn't stay away from home.... He never ventured out of his comfort zone. If you would say, 'Where's Robbin?' there were five or six places he could be."
Timeline –– (Google Map of important locations)
When Slaughter vanished on the evening of Saturday, November 14, 1993 it was a shock.
“He’d not been out of state and very seldom out of town,” Board said. “He’s not the type of person who would plan to leave.”
Slaughter’s wife Lucinda told police that that evening, at around 9pm, her husband left their home at 2714 West 10th Street to walk to Franey’s Food Mart which was a trip he made frequently. It was an unseasonably warm day for mid-November, with a high near 75 degrees. At night, however, the temperature dropped as a line of evening thunderstorms moved through the area so Slaughter chose to put his gray and blue sweater on over his athletic shirt. He was also wearing a pair of blue jeans and white tennis shoes.
Lucinda said that Slaughter let her know that he would be back in around 40 to 45 minutes. She told police that her husband was not distraught when he left the house and did not notice anything strange about his behavior.
The convenience store was less than a 15-minute walk from Slaughter’s home so it made a perfect destination for an evening walk. Of the two possible routes he could have taken, both went through quiet, tree-lined streets dotted with small single-family homes. Franey’s is located at the intersection of Cravens Avenue and Carter Road on the far west end of town. The southwest corner of this intersection marks the beginning of a vast expanse of farmland and open fields. On this night, however, Slaughter never made it inside the store.
The next morning at around 9 or 9:30am Lucinda Slaughter knocked on Board’s door, inquiring as to whether Board had seen her brother. When Board said that she hadn’t, Slaughter reported her husband missing.
Being a small, locally-owned chain, the cashier at Franey’s was familiar with Slaughter as he was a regular customer. Connie Carlisle, the cashier working on the night of Slaughter’s disappearance, told police that Slaughter never entered the store that evening, something which a review of surveillance footage from inside the store confirmed. One witness placed him in the parking lot at Franey’s but this report was never confirmed.
“A (teen-age) boy talked with him in the parking lot, but he (Slaughter) never came in,” Carlisle later told a reporter. According to Carlisle, Slaughter and this boy “were friends.” The police apparently talked to the teenager Slaughter was last seen with but the boy denied talking with Slaughter and said he had only seen him in the parking lot.
His mother and siblings quickly cast doubt on the idea that Slaughter chose to disappear––he was extremely close with his family and would never abandon them. Sgt. Michael Walker of the Owensboro Police Department’s criminal investigations bureau concurred with the family’s assessment, stating that “there were no extraordinary circumstances that stood out as to why he would fit the profile of someone who would want to get away from it all.” The police did not find anything in Slaughter’s background that indicated he had any reason to disappear.
"He had family here," Sgt. Walker said. "There were no significant issues he was facing that would prompt him to take off without a word to anyone."
Slaughter did not have any financial troubles or known enemies that might have led him to abandon his quiet life in Owensboro. Both Lucinda and Slaughter’s family said that he was happy in the marriage and that he cared deeply for his stepdaughters.
Even if Slaughter wanted to leave Owensboro and start a new life elsewhere, he would need to either get a ride from someone or take public transportation because he didn’t have a car. A year and a half before Slaughter’s disappearance a new bus terminal opened at 1216 E. 2nd Street with daily service to Evansville and Henderson. The terminal is just over a 3 mile walk from the Franey’s Food Mart where Slaughter was last seen and would take him roughly an hour to travel there on foot. Besides, a number of Slaughter’s relatives lived close by.
At the same time, there was no evidence a crime had taken place. Yet police see no other possibility aside from foul play.
“They should have done this years ago”: Investigating (and excluding) Lucinda as a suspect
The police investigation quickly hit a dead end in 1993, which is perhaps partially due to a number of problems impacting the department. Chief Ulysses Embry, a 40-year veteran of the Owensboro Police Department, retired in May of 1992 and left the department in need of new leadership. Tensions between the Police Department and City Hall reached a fever pitch in 1993 when disgruntled patrol officers with the Fraternal Order of Police organized a Back the Blue campaign. The department had also recently hired a number of new officers, most of whom were young and inexperienced.
“The police department has got some young boys,” Embry told reporters in 1993. “These boys mean well, but they will learn that they have got the responsibility of their job.”
The police were slow to investigate Slaughter's disappearance initially and none of the news reports mentions a search being conducted for him. The extent of the police investigation in 1993 appears to have consisted of two 'witness' interviews (the clerk and the teenage boy) and a review of surveillance footage from Franey's. It wasn't until 2002 that police are known to have conducted a physical search for Slaughter.
Two searches of Lucinda Calhoun’s (she remarried in the years following Robbin's disappearance) former property at 2714 W. 10th Street were conducted in 2002 and a portion of the property was excavated after cadaver dogs alerted to the location. A separate portion of the adjoining backyard of 2710 W. 10th Street, Lucinda's mother's house, was also excavated. Officers originally identified Lucinda as a possible suspect in the early weeks of Slaughter’s disappearance based on rumors that she had harmed her husband. Lt. Ken Bennett declined to disclose how authorities obtained the new information but said that “it’s more detailed [...] than the earlier rumors." Lucinda gave police permission to search and excavate the backyard, but on the second day of the search police returned with a search warrant for the home on the property because they expected to conduct a “much more elaborate” search.
[Photos of the search]
Authorities dug two holes on Lucinda’s property––one 6-feet deep by 10-feet wide portion was excavated along the back fence with a second 3-feet deep by 3-feet wide excavation site in the center of the backyard. Before dawn on the second day of the search, detectives used Luminol inside the home to search for blood and seized a handful of items––including a door––for additional testing.
“They said they would do this quietly, and they’re here at church time,” Lucinda told reporters during the search. “They should have done this nine years ago.”
After the searches of Lucinda’s property came up empty in 2002, police officially classified Slaughter’s disappearance as a cold case. Lt. Bennett told the media at the time that the case would remain cold until new information surfaces. In the meantime, Lt. Bennett said that the Owensboro Police would continue to treat Slaughter’s disappearance as a noncriminal missing person case.
Lucinda accused the police of harassment, claiming that they unfairly targeted her as a suspect in her husband’s disappearance. Members of the St. Louis-based Universal African People’s Organization joined Lucinda’s family and friends in gathering in front of Lucinda’s former home to provide moral support and call attention to what they described as "police harassment." Representatives of the group later met with Mayor Waymond Morris and Owensboro Police Chief John Kazlauskas.
Morris told the media that he had a “very cordial conversation” with the group, although he dismissed the accusations of harassment as unfounded.
“I just listened to what they said, and I told them I’d look into it,” Morris recalled. “They said they wanted me to look into possible harassment. I think they feel like that maybe on several different occasions the police department has been overaggressive in searching.”
Police excluded Lucinda as a suspect in her husband's disappearance after the search in 2002. She has always maintained her innocence and continues to search for answers in his case.
Racism
While researching this case, I came across an online forum page for Owensboro where residents apparently discuss community issues (in reality it seems to be used to gossip/harass people). One of the posts, created a month ago, concerns Robbin’s nephew who still lives in the town and reads:

“I wonder if that loud mouth n***** still works at Hunter Douglas, I quit because I got sick of listening to his loud mouth, he is one worthless n*****!!!”

Obviously this is an anonymous comment posted online so it has to be taken with a grain of salt but the fact that the poster uses the n-word (which appears uncensored in the original post) is noteworthy. While Robbin’s social circle was small, the Slaughter family was well-known in Owensboro. Kitty Board was (and still is) heavily involved in the West End community and openly spoke out against the gun violence plaguing the neighborhood. In fact, Board was quoted extensively in the local newspaper four months prior to her brother's disappearance in an article about illegal firearms.
The Owensboro police have also been accused of racial profiling and police brutality. The town has quite the storied legacy when it comes to questionable law enforcement tactics. In 1968, after a young black man named Jerry Brown was shot and killed at a local white-owned nightclub, protests broke out in “the Negro West End” of the city. 20 people were arrested. Then Mayor Irvin Terrill pledged to “dissolve the militant influence” which he claimed was behind the violent outbreak, namely, the “Negro gangs.” Police Chief Vernie Bidwell doubled down on the mayor’s threat, warning that the police were “tired” of being cursed by “young punks” and would crack down.
Mayor Waymond Morris came under fire in 2000 for his lackluster response to protests over the fatal shooting of Tyrone Clayton Jr. Clayton was shot twice by Owensboro Police Officer Lorhn Frazier after he was pulled over for reckless driving. The Mayor sent a letter to NAACP attorney Evan Taylor to inform the group that he would no longer be meeting with them at city hall.
Accidental death?
There are hundreds of acres of farmland just 100 feet from the convenience store which one could ostensibly get lost in easily especially at night. The issue with this theory is that Slaughter disappeared in mid-November, which is after fall planting season. The fact that the field would have been recently plowed coupled with the flat terrain of the area would make it exceedingly difficult for someone to get lost.
Satellite images show a small retention pond on this nearby farm located roughly 730 feet from intersection near Franey’s which could most easily be reached by walking parallel to the rear of the houses on Carter Road. The pond is bound by fields on three sides so it is possible that Slaughter wasn’t able to see it if he was walking in the dark. From what I was able to find out, the catch basin was created in 1987 by the local government to reduce flash flooding on Carter Road, so it would have been there at the time of Slaughter’s disappearance.
Most retention ponds have a depth of 4-6 feet so if the water level was high, Slaughter (who was 5’ 7”) may not have been able to stand. If Slaughter didn’t know how to swim, it’s possible that he fell in and struggled to get his bearings on the thick layer of sediment on the bottom of the pond and drowned. Since his lungs would have filled with water, his body would have sunk to the bottom of the pond and subsequently covered by sediment. Retention ponds are typically dredged every 5-10 years, however, so if Slaughter’s body was there, I would assume that some of his remains would have been discovered. Also, because the retention pond appears to be owned by the city itself, they presumably would be able to search it without a warrant.
Questions
I honestly have nothing but questions about this case.

Did police ever search the area around Franey's food mart? From what I can tell, they only searched Lucinda's property. If they didn't search the area––why not? Did the police take the case seriously from the beginning?
Given the fact that Slaughter's mother had power of attorney over his finances until he was in his 30s and he didn't drive, it seems highly unlikely that he could have disappeared on his own (although he has no motive to run away). The only scenario in which a voluntary disappearance makes sense to me is if Slaughter met someone and the two planned on starting a new life together somewhere else. But who?
As far as I know, Lucinda was eliminated as a suspect after the searches in 2002 leaving the police with zero other leads. Was this a random crime of opportunity and Slaughter just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? Could he have seen something he shouldn't have and been kidnapped and killed in retaliation?

There are no unidentified persons on NAMUS matching Slaughter's description except one. In 1999, a furnace installer in Cleveland was attempting to clear a blockage in the chimney when he discovered what appeared to be human remains. The partial remains were later identified as those of a black male, age 37-47 (Slaughter disappeared nine days before his 37th birthday), who died "by violence of undetermined origin." The unidentified man was 5'7" (same height) and had died sometime between 1900 and 1999.
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the two.
The only things that don't line up are the location and the clothing found on the body. John Doe was found in a chimney in Cleveland, OH––a 7-hour drive from Owensboro, KY. Slaughter didn't drive and he had never left the state so if this were him, he must have been taken to Cleveland alive and then killed at some point (but why drive someone 7 hours away?). John Doe's clothing also doesn't match the description of when Slaughter was last seen, although if he was taken so far away he might have changed clothes.
EDIT: Thanks so much everyone for taking the time to read about this case and for kind words––Robbin's disappearance is very confusing and troubling (as well as basically unreported outside of Owensboro) so I'm happy that more people can learn about his story!
EDIT 2: I submitted Robbin as a potential match for the Cleveland John Doe and will post an update if I hear back.
EDIT 3 (11/3): The NAMUS regional program officer just responded to my submission of a potential match and it has been forwarded to both investigating agencies for future DNA comparison of Robbin and the Cleveland John Doe.
Sources
Joy Campbell, “Search for body comes up empty: Police follow up on new information in 9-year-old case of missing man,” Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, September 9, 2002, pg. 1-2A. [part 1, part 2]
Matthew Francis, “Protest by civil rights activists will not be heard by city officials,” Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, November 30, 2000, pg. 3.
Dan Heckel, “Case leaves family in limbo: Probe of man’s 1993 disappearance has gone nowhere,” Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, November 17, 1996, pg. 1-2A. [part 1, part 2]
––– “Family’s hoping for safe return of missing man,” Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, February 14, 1994, pg. 1-2A. [part 1, part 2]
Stewart Jennison, “Buses coming to town: Daily trips will link Owensboro with Evansville,” Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, May 16, 1992, pg. 9.
James Mayse, “Unfinished Business,” Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, April 20, 2015, pg. A1.
Tracy McQueen, “Mayoral candidates agree: Police morale needs improvement,” Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, October 31, 1995, pg. 1.
––– “Police Chief Embry to retire: Announcement brings 40-year career to close,” Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, May 7, 1992, pg. 1.
“Police looking for missing 36-year-old man,” Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, November 18, 1993, pg. 21.
Justin Willis, “Police call off second search of yard: Effort to locate missing man for 9 years continues,” Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, September 13, 2002, pg. 1-2A. [part 1, part. 2]
––– “St. Louis group extends support in investigation of missing man: Organization claims police harassing woman whose 1st husband disappeared,” Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, October 30, 2002, pg. 1-2A. [part 1, part 2]
––– "Woman: Police causing ‘heartaches and harm,’” Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, October 4, 2002, pg. 1-2A. [part 1, part 2]

I'm interested in speaking with problem gamblers in Ireland.

Deadlier of the Species - Chapter 12

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Link to the Wiki page, with additional links to Clan information and background Lore.
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Chapter 12: The Spider And The Fly
Aborting the gravity-assist maneuver and rendezvousing with the other ship took time.
Samara used that time to make her final preparations, but far sooner than she would have liked the other vessel was looming large outside the porthole, a mere stone’s throw away. Azrael had already shot a line over, not trusting one from her ship, the tether secured automatically by one of Rook’s remotes.
“You do not have to do this,” Xeno said quietly, as they stood before the airlock.
“In fact, I do,” she told him, placing a gloved hand on his shoulder, still in her suit. “Just be ready to depart once I give the word.”
“We’ll be ready,” he assured her, covering her hand with his.
Samara smiled at the gesture, and the sentiment behind it. She had made few enough friends since joining the Protean Clan, and many of those she could have claimed were either long since departed, or had chosen the opposite side of the struggle like Azrael. In fact, other than Xeno and those others aboard the Rächerin, she could only think of one or two individuals who would even come close.
She chuckled to herself for a moment, wondering what Maggie would think if she listed her as a confidante?
But the moment soon passed, as she squared her shoulders. “Time to go,” she nodded, mostly to herself, as she palmed the airlock control. The hatch slid open as she stepped inside, turning to gaze back at Xeno as he lifted his arm in a silent farewell. Even though he couldn’t see her, she returned the gesture, before sealing the hatch and cycling the atmosphere. A minute later and the outer door slid open, climbing out and snapping her carabiner to the waiting tether, before pulling herself hand over hand towards the waiting ship.
“I’ll be honest, this is the last thing I would have expected from you,” she heard over the suit radio.
“No one is more surprised than I am, Azrael,” she sighed, as she made her way across the chasm between the two ships.
“Then why?” he asked. “Why sacrifice yourself? If you were planning on giving up so easily, we could have settled this down on the surface.”
“Because this is between you and me,” she answered. “It has nothing to do with the others, and they don’t deserve to have my sins spilling into their lives.”
“How noble,” Azrael answered, and there was no mistaking the mocking tone in his voice. “The problem I am having, Samara, is that this act of self-sacrifice is so very un-like you. Which leads me to the inescapable conclusion you have something else in mind.”
“What could I possibly be planning?” she demanded, as she drew nearer to his ship. “I’ve agreed to all your terms, I’m alone and unarmed, so just what is it you think I’m up to?”
“I don’t know, and that’s what concerns me,” he mused. “You are at your most dangerous when you appear the most disarming.”
Samara came to a halt. “Would you prefer I go back then?” she asked. “Would that put you at ease?”
“In fact it would, as I could easily destroy your ship from here,” he pointed out.
“Fine,” she snapped, reversing direction before starting back the way she’d come.
“Samara…” he sighed, “obviously that is not what I want. But even you have to admit this is all very much out of character for you, given our past relationship.”
“Let’s just say my last mission has made me reevaluate a few things,” she replied, as she reversed direction once more and continued on her original course.
“Ah yes, your trip to Earth,” he said thoughtfully. “Perhaps I should call you ‘Samara Al-Hajjah’ now.”
“If you like,” she shrugged. “I doubt I could explain it to you.”
“I imagine you’re correct about that.” There was a brief pause. “I have you on visual. You should arrive at the outer hatch in approximately five minutes. I will see you then.” The suit radio clicked off as Azrael disconnected.
“...looking forward to it…” she muttered under her breath, as she continued pulling herself to his vessel.
It seemed much longer than the five-minute estimate Azrael had given her, but then EVA’s and suit work always did. As she reached the end of the tether the outer airlock hatch opened, beckoning her inside. Unhooking from the safety line and making her way in took another minute as the hatch closed behind her. Through the transparent section of the inner hatch she spotted Azrael waiting for her, his cynical eyes tracking her every movement with undisguised suspicion.
Keeping her arms down at her sides so as not to spook him further, Samara waited for the airlock to complete its cycle, though it seemed to take longer than usual. If Azrael was being as wary as she suspected…
Her thoughts came to a crashing halt as a red strobe flashed in the chamber, while a message appeared on the monitor facing the hatch:
☣ BioHazard Detected ☣
Azrael scowled with sudden fury as she cursed her luck. Samara lunged for the emergency release while shouting into her suit radio, “Gideon, now!” Smashing her gloved fist against the safety switch she grabbed a handy stanchion and held on for dear life as the hatch slammed back open, the sudden release of atmosphere tearing at her grip. Part of her had been tempted to let the escaping air do just that to hasten her escape, but then she would have zero control over her trajectory and velocity. Dangerous even under the best of circumstances, but here and now it was something she dare not risk.
The craft shuddered as Gideon worked his destructive magic, while Azrael disappeared from sight to deal with the unexpected crisis they had just dumped into his lap. With her opponent occupied, it was time to leave, so Samara centered herself on the Rächerin and leapt, no longer trusting the tether she had arrived on. With a single command, she activated the bottle of compressed gas on her back, using it to propel her back across the expanse to the safety of her ship.
Something flashed by, missing her by scant meters and triggering a cascade of suit alarms, while her helmet instantly polarized to shield her eyes. “Damn it, Gideon, shut down his weapons!” she howled as yet another energy beam lashed out at her, barely missing her once again. His targeting must have already been affected by her shipmate’s efforts, but they needed those weapons offline now, not later!
“He is attempting to do so,” Xeno reassured her over the com, but the information brought her little comfort. As long as his weapons were active he was still a threat, even with his aim being off. If he kept firing eventually, he’d get in a lucky shot, and that would be that.
“Tell him to expedite!” she snapped as she adjusted her course, cutting off the gas jet and watching her helmet’s heads-up display track her movement. She was certain Gideon was doing the very best he could under the circumstances, but seeing how it was her ass being hung out to dry a little directed encouragement couldn’t hurt.
Risking a quick peek over her shoulder, she could see Azreal’s ship was in trouble. Thrusters were firing at random, sending it into a gyrating tumble, though the beam weapon was still lashing out despite Gideon’s efforts. Being honest with herself, she hadn’t expected her subterfuge to work. In fact, she’d been certain Azreal would refuse her offer of surrender and blast Rächerin to bits from a safe stand-off distance.
Perhaps he’d held onto some small measure of decency, she mused, though after this stunt she could kiss that goodbye. She’d had one free shot, and she’d taken it, out of desperation and necessity, but he wouldn’t be giving her any more chances now. The next time he came after her...assuming they escaped and there was a next time...he’d strike without warning.
So be it.
“...I should have trusted my instincts,” Azrael said over the com link. “I knew there was no way you would give yourself up so easily.”
“All is fair in Love and War,” she quoted back to him, as she flipped her body around and started braking, slowing her speed so she didn’t slam into the hull. “Or had you forgotten?”
“I let sentiment cloud my judgement,” he admitted, much to her surprise. “But rest assured, it won’t happen again.”
“I expect nothing less,” she said softly, as her boots locked onto Rächerin’s metal hull. Rook had already cut the tether free, as she swung herself inside the airlock and closed the outer hatch.
“This round is yours,” Azrael informed her. “Enjoy your victory. You earned it. But next time we meet...I’m afraid I won’t be as lenient.”
“Until then,” Samara replied, gazing out the porthole as the engines came online, jetting away from the other craft. She raised her arm and sketched a salute to her opponent, still fighting his incapacitated vessel, as she closed the radio link.
Xeno hailed her on the intercom. “So. It worked.”
“It did,” she agreed, “but don’t let yourself get cocky. We were lucky.”
“Luck may be a fickle creature, but I am perfectly willing to accept her blessings when she deigns to share them,” he chuckled. “Stand by for the decontamination sequence.”
“Copy that,” she acknowledged, spreading out her arms and widening her stance as a spray of caustic chemicals coated her suit, while other jets disinfected the other surfaces within the airlock. It had been a gamble, using Persephone’s deadly mutagenic retrovirus, which is why she’d waited until she was well clear of the ship before opening the vial she’d collected and smearing the residue onto her suit. The joker in the deck was whether Azrael would scan her for BioHazards, but as she’d never made that a part of her modus operandi in the past, she’d hoped she could sneak it by him.
She should have realized he’d have all his defenses up when dealing with her.
“Samara, strap yourself in,” Xeno cautioned her as the jets shut off, “I am ready to finish the decontamination cycle.”
“Understood,” she said, locking her safety link onto the stanchion and bracing herself away from the hatch. “All right…hit it.”
The Emergency lights came on as the outer hatch slammed open with sudden force, a hurricane of air and chemicals whipping out into space before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. Hard vacuum finished the job, evaporating the remaining moisture and rendering any surviving microorganisms inert. The outer hatch closed once more as a glow of UV light permeated the space as an added precaution, as the red emergency lights changed to green. The airlock cycled once again, filling the space with air, before the inner hatch finally slid open.
Stepping into the corridor, Samara undogged her helmet, lifting it off and tucking it under her arm as she took a deep breath of semi-fresh oxygen. “Much better,” she sighed, as a wry smile played across her face.
“Welcome back, my dear,” Xeno greeted her. “Another successful mission.”
“Status report,” she queried him.
“We have Azrael’s ship on sensors,” he informed her, “and it appears to still be tumbling out of control. We are making best possible speed for deep space, en route to Qiqougii. I assume that is where you wished to go next?” he asked.
“You assume correctly, though we may need to find a spot along the way to finish repairs,” she reminded him. “If we have to run a second time, I’d like to have our means of escape operating at peak efficiency.”
“You realize Azrael is likely to consider that possibility, and begin his search there,” he pointed out.
“What other choice do we have?” Samara asked him. “As I said, we were lucky. You can safely bet Azrael won’t fall for that trick a second time.”
“I fear you are correct,” he sighed. “Very well, I will begin searching for someplace suitable...preferably one off the beaten path where few questions are asked.”
“Hmm...I may just have an idea about that,” she mused. “Think you can arrange a long-distance call that won’t be overheard and can’t be traced?”
Xeno’s smile was all the answer she needed.
“...you’re just about the last person I expected to hear from,” Remi Hadad said from the viewscreen. “No, scratch that…Maggie would be the last person I’d expect to hear from.”
The pair shared a chuckle at that. “I’m afraid I need a small favor,” she purred, playing the vamp. “Something near Aggaaddub space, where repairs can be had and anonymity is assured.” Samara flashed him her most seductive grin. “Do you think you can help me?” Her hand went to her tunic, casually giving the zipper a downward tug.
The gesture did not go unnoticed. Remi licked his lips in appreciation, before taking a deep breath and focusing on her request. “If I asked who you were trying to avoid, would you tell me?”
“I’d rather not,” she told him. “Best all around if you don’t know.”
“So it’s like that,” he hissed, mulling it over. “As it happens, I do know of a place that meets your needs, but it comes with a few strings attached,” he warned her. “First off being they don’t take credit. Hard currency only, or barter if the item is valuable enough.”
“I believe we can manage that,” she nodded, reminding herself to have a chat with Rook on the subject. “What else?”
“They’re private, and they don’t advertise. If you want in, someone they know has to vouch for you.” The Corsair chuckled. “Luckily, they do know me.”
“My hero,” she cooed, earning her a grin. “Anything else I should worry about?”
“Just one last detail. If they think they can manage it, they’ll gut you in your sleep and take your ship, and no one will ever find your bodies.” All traces of humor disappeared from his expression. “My advice? Sleep with one eye open, or better yet...don’t sleep at all.”
“Cutthroats after my own heart,” she smiled. “I appreciate the warning, dear Remi, but we’ll be fine. Send me the coordinates.”
“Sending now,” he answered, as a string of numbers appeared on her terminal. “I’d ask you to be safe, Samara, but since I know that’s not in the cards, just promise me one thing.”
“Anything,” she smiled.
“That you do unto them, before they do unto you,” he said, almost as if it were a prayer.
“...I always do,” she vowed, before cutting the connection.
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[krimewave] The Born Loser <2021-01-31>

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When 45 minutes becomes 26 years: How did Robbin Lewis Slaughter––a 36-year-old man who lived a private life and rarely left his hometown of Owensboro, KY––vanish without a trace while walking to a convenience store 5 blocks away?

This is an extremely bizarre missing persons case which I’m surprised hasn’t been covered before on this sub. Unfortunately there is very little media coverage available freely online and the media coverage the case did receive was exclusively from the local newspaper. I discovered that I can essentially make the articles available if I paid for the Newspapers.com Publisher Edition and 'clipped' them (clipped articles are public). You should be able to click on the link and it will take you to a scan of the original news source but if this doesn't work please comment and let me know!
"A sweet and lovable person"
Robbin Lewis Slaughter was born to Dorothy ‘Dot’ Slaughter and William J. Slaughter in Owensboro, KY in the predominately black West End neighborhood. By all accounts, Slaughter––who was 36-years-old at the time of his disappearance––was a bit of a homebody. He kept his social circle small and rarely ventured outside the 5 or 6 places he frequented in town. He didn’t drive and usually got around town on foot––even his workplace was 1.3 miles (less than a 30-minute walk) from his home. He didn’t drink, gamble, or go out on the town. Slaughter’s coworkers at the Owensboro Public Works Department described the 16-year-veteran clean-up crew member as a diligent and hard worker who was never late or missed a day of work. Rudd Slaughter, Robbin’s older brother, was also employed by the department as a sanitation truck driver and the pair would sometimes work together.
“He’s a good worker. He’s very dependable,” said Cissy Gregson, director of Owensboro’s sanitation department. “He’s easygoing. He wouldn’t get in a confrontation with anybody.”
Slaughter was extraordinarily close with his family. “Even though he was grown, he lived with my mom until a couple of months before he was married,” Slaughter’s sister Kitty Board said. Dot even had power of attorney over her son’s finances up until he married Lucinda.
“He was a sweet and lovable person, but he needed looking after,” Board said.
Robbin Slaughter married his childhood friend Lucinda in 1991 after a whirlwind romance. The pair went out a few times when Lucinda was 15, although the two didn’t begin dating seriously until 12 years later when they reconnected at church. After Lucinda was critically injured in a car accident in 1990, Robbin visited her regularly during the two months she was in the hospital. Lucinda says Robbin’s frequent visits convinced her of his caring nature and she started to see him as a potential father figure for her two daughters.
Robbin’s family was skeptical of his budding romance and felt the couple was moving too fast. Both Slaughter’s brother and mother said they noticed a change in his behavior after the marriage. He used to like to listen to music and sports but “he cut back when he got married” according to Rudd.
“He changed,” his brother recalled. “He wouldn’t come out as often. He settled down, just went to work and church.” Slaughter’s mother reported that after his marriage to Lucinda, he didn’t visit as often (he used to visit her once a month).
His sister said that even after the marriage her family never accepted her brother’s wife and stepdaughters, and that there was a mutual agreement that “we don’t question each other’s lives." Lucinda herself readily admitted that Slaughter’s family didn’t get along with her, although she claims that she reconciled with Slaughter’s mother in the years following Robbin’s disappearance.
Slaughter was the polar opposite of someone who would run away to start a new life.
"He never went on any trips without family," said Slaughter's sister, Kitty Board. “He didn't stay away from home.... He never ventured out of his comfort zone. If you would say, 'Where's Robbin?' there were five or six places he could be."
Timeline –– (Google Map of important locations)
When Slaughter vanished on the evening of Saturday, November 14, 1993 it was a shock.
“He’d not been out of state and very seldom out of town,” Board said. “He’s not the type of person who would plan to leave.”
Slaughter’s wife Lucinda told police that that evening, at around 9pm, her husband left their home at 2714 West 10th Street to walk to Franey’s Food Mart which was a trip he made frequently. It was an unseasonably warm day for mid-November, with a high near 75 degrees. At night, however, the temperature dropped as a line of evening thunderstorms moved through the area so Slaughter chose to put his gray and blue sweater on over his athletic shirt. He was also wearing a pair of blue jeans and white tennis shoes.
Lucinda said that Slaughter let her know that he would be back in around 40 to 45 minutes. She told police that her husband was not distraught when he left the house and did not notice anything strange about his behavior.
The convenience store was less than a 15-minute walk from Slaughter’s home so it made a perfect destination for an evening walk. Of the two possible routes he could have taken, both went through quiet, tree-lined streets dotted with small single-family homes. Franey’s is located at the intersection of Cravens Avenue and Carter Road on the far west end of town. The southwest corner of this intersection marks the beginning of a vast expanse of farmland and open fields. On this night, however, Slaughter never made it inside the store.
The next morning at around 9 or 9:30am Lucinda Slaughter knocked on Board’s door, inquiring as to whether Board had seen her brother. When Board said that she hadn’t, Slaughter reported her husband missing.
Being a small, locally-owned chain, the cashier at Franey’s was familiar with Slaughter as he was a regular customer. Connie Carlisle, the cashier working on the night of Slaughter’s disappearance, told police that Slaughter never entered the store that evening, something which a review of surveillance footage from inside the store confirmed. One witness placed him in the parking lot at Franey’s but this report was never confirmed.
“A (teen-age) boy talked with him in the parking lot, but he (Slaughter) never came in,” Carlisle later told a reporter. According to Carlisle, Slaughter and this boy “were friends.” The police apparently talked to the teenager Slaughter was last seen with but the boy denied talking with Slaughter and said he had only seen him in the parking lot.
His mother and siblings quickly cast doubt on the idea that Slaughter chose to disappear––he was extremely close with his family and would never abandon them. Sgt. Michael Walker of the Owensboro Police Department’s criminal investigations bureau concurred with the family’s assessment, stating that “there were no extraordinary circumstances that stood out as to why he would fit the profile of someone who would want to get away from it all.” The police did not find anything in Slaughter’s background that indicated he had any reason to disappear.
"He had family here," Sgt. Walker said. "There were no significant issues he was facing that would prompt him to take off without a word to anyone."
Slaughter did not have any financial troubles or known enemies that might have led him to abandon his quiet life in Owensboro. Both Lucinda and Slaughter’s family said that he was happy in the marriage and that he cared deeply for his stepdaughters.
Even if Slaughter wanted to leave Owensboro and start a new life elsewhere, he would need to either get a ride from someone or take public transportation because he didn’t have a car. A year and a half before Slaughter’s disappearance a new bus terminal opened at 1216 E. 2nd Street with daily service to Evansville and Henderson. The terminal is just over a 3 mile walk from the Franey’s Food Mart where Slaughter was last seen and would take him roughly an hour to travel there on foot. Besides, a number of Slaughter’s relatives lived close by.
At the same time, there was no evidence a crime had taken place. Yet police see no other possibility aside from foul play.
“They should have done this years ago”: Investigating (and excluding) Lucinda as a suspect
The police investigation quickly hit a dead end in 1993, which is perhaps partially due to a number of problems impacting the department. Chief Ulysses Embry, a 40-year veteran of the Owensboro Police Department, retired in May of 1992 and left the department in need of new leadership. Tensions between the Police Department and City Hall reached a fever pitch in 1993 when disgruntled patrol officers with the Fraternal Order of Police organized a Back the Blue campaign. The department had also recently hired a number of new officers, most of whom were young and inexperienced.
“The police department has got some young boys,” Embry told reporters in 1993. “These boys mean well, but they will learn that they have got the responsibility of their job.”
The police were slow to investigate Slaughter's disappearance initially and none of the news reports mentions a search being conducted for him. The extent of the police investigation in 1993 appears to have consisted of two 'witness' interviews (the clerk and the teenage boy) and a review of surveillance footage from Franey's. It wasn't until 2002 that police are known to have conducted a physical search for Slaughter.
Two searches of Lucinda Calhoun’s (she remarried in the years following Robbin's disappearance) former property at 2714 W. 10th Street were conducted in 2002 and a portion of the property was excavated after cadaver dogs alerted to the location. A separate portion of the adjoining backyard of 2710 W. 10th Street, Lucinda's mother's house, was also excavated. Officers originally identified Lucinda as a possible suspect in the early weeks of Slaughter’s disappearance based on rumors that she had harmed her husband. Lt. Ken Bennett declined to disclose how authorities obtained the new information but said that “it’s more detailed [...] than the earlier rumors." Lucinda gave police permission to search and excavate the backyard, but on the second day of the search police returned with a search warrant for the home on the property because they expected to conduct a “much more elaborate” search.
[Photos of the search]
Authorities dug two holes on Lucinda’s property––one 6-feet deep by 10-feet wide portion was excavated along the back fence with a second 3-feet deep by 3-feet wide excavation site in the center of the backyard. Before dawn on the second day of the search, detectives used Luminol inside the home to search for blood and seized a handful of items––including a door––for additional testing.
“They said they would do this quietly, and they’re here at church time,” Lucinda told reporters during the search. “They should have done this nine years ago.”
After the searches of Lucinda’s property came up empty in 2002, police officially classified Slaughter’s disappearance as a cold case. Lt. Bennett told the media at the time that the case would remain cold until new information surfaces. In the meantime, Lt. Bennett said that the Owensboro Police would continue to treat Slaughter’s disappearance as a noncriminal missing person case.
Lucinda accused the police of harassment, claiming that they unfairly targeted her as a suspect in her husband’s disappearance. Members of the St. Louis-based Universal African People’s Organization joined Lucinda’s family and friends in gathering in front of Lucinda’s former home to provide moral support and call attention to what they described as "police harassment." Representatives of the group later met with Mayor Waymond Morris and Owensboro Police Chief John Kazlauskas.
Morris told the media that he had a “very cordial conversation” with the group, although he dismissed the accusations of harassment as unfounded.
“I just listened to what they said, and I told them I’d look into it,” Morris recalled. “They said they wanted me to look into possible harassment. I think they feel like that maybe on several different occasions the police department has been overaggressive in searching.”
Police excluded Lucinda as a suspect in her husband's disappearance after the search in 2002. She has always maintained her innocence and continues to search for answers in his case.
Racism
While researching this case, I came across an online forum page for Owensboro where residents apparently discuss community issues (in reality it seems to be used to gossip/harass people). One of the posts, created a month ago, concerns Robbin’s nephew who still lives in the town and reads:

“I wonder if that loud mouth n***** still works at Hunter Douglas, I quit because I got sick of listening to his loud mouth, he is one worthless n*****!!!”

Did police ever search the area around Franey's food mart? From what I can tell, they only searched Lucinda's property. If they didn't search the area––why not? Did the police take the case seriously from the beginning?
Given the fact that Slaughter's mother had power of attorney over his finances until he was in his 30s and he didn't drive, it seems highly unlikely that he could have disappeared on his own (although he has no motive to run away). The only scenario in which a voluntary disappearance makes sense to me is if Slaughter met someone and the two planned on starting a new life together somewhere else. But who?
As far as I know, Lucinda was eliminated as a suspect after the searches in 2002 leaving the police with zero other leads. Was this a random crime of opportunity and Slaughter just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? Could he have seen something he shouldn't have and been kidnapped and killed in retaliation?

Counter-programming. 9 principles to ease away from screen addiction

Edit: I didn't write this, just copying it here to save it
Who this guide is for: Heavy tech users who worry that their digital habits might be interfering with their happiness, productivity, creativity and motivation. What’s in it: A few years of intense self-experimentation condensed to nine principles. This isn’t everything you need — not even close — but it’s a start. Reposted in its entirety from Homescreen Zero, a blog about improving life with healthy digital habits. There's a PDF available on the blog if you want this guide to go. It seems like every other post on here is about too much Facebook/vidya/Reddit, so I really hope this is helpful.
Introduction
Maybe you’ve had the experience recently of sitting down and trying to read a book, and finding your mind start to… wander. Maybe you’re having trouble focusing at work or school, sitting through movies, or even TV shows. There’s a little itch there. “This is cool, I guess… but what’s happening on the internet?” Or maybe you’re just more anxious these days. Depressed. Cynical. In a “The World Is Shit” rut. You’re thinking about all those IDIOTS out there who are ruining the planet for the rest of us. The Nazi/Fascist/Islamist/Patriarchy/Feminist/WhitePrivilege complex. Here’s what’s going on: years of heavy internet use have (literally) reprogrammed your brain. Your smartphone, your laptop your social media accounts, your streaming sites, your inbox and your favorite blogs are all working together to hijack your brain’s natural reward system. On a daily basis, you hit the brain with a barrage of chronic overstimulation that it simply isn’t adapted for. This is why it’s harder than ever to focus, to chill out, to make it through a meeting or dinner or bathroom break without stealing a glance at your phone. Your brain craves moremoreMORE. The reprogramming of your reward system is hampering your motivation and creativity. It’s stressing you out and hurting your social life. It’s decreasing your academic or career performance. It’s turning you into a smartphone-addicted zombie. And it’s convincing you that the online virtual reality world is necessary to feel human. The good news: it’s all programming, which means you can counter-program. This guide will show you how. Ready? Let’s dive in…
Monkey brains pressing dopamine buttons
The reason it’s hard to have a healthy relationship with digital media is because our monkey brains see it as a low-cost way to trigger happy feelings. Aside from fear, pleasure is the most important behavioral motivator. Pleasure is administered via the brain’s reward center, which releases feel-good neurotransmitters (such as dopamine) when we do things that have historically been linked with survival. Here are just a few of the things that trigger dopamine:
Social interaction
Sex
Punishing those perceived to “have it coming”
Novelty and the unexpected
Humor
Information intake
Winning arguments/being right
Unlike in nature, when all of these things are tightly correlated with survival, the artificial reality layer of the internet can present them in rapid sequence to be consumed endlessly from behind the safety of the screen. The internet, smartphones, your favorite blog, your inbox, your Instagram account — your monkey brain just sees these as big, shiny dopamine buttons. Press the button, get the hit. Repeat. This wouldn’t be much of a problem, except the brain is malleable—highly malleable. Sustained exposure to stimuli programs the brain to expect and value certain things. What you expose your brain to cultivates patterns within it. With respect to the internet, the programming cultivates (among other things):
Mindlessness. A need to avoid the present moment and escape into the on-screen world, which is associated with safety and comfort.
Scattered thinking. An inability to set priorities and focus on what’s important.
Ego and insecurity. When more validation comes from externalities (one’s social media profile or online rep), it’s impossible to develop real self-esteem. People struggle with neurosis and self-loathing.
Diminished motivation. When your reward system is tuned to expect easy rewards from vicarious onscreen pleasures, why pursue difficult, messy real-world achievements?
Increased anxiety. Animals are meant to handle regular stress from stressors that they can react to, like predators. But stress systems are compromised, badly, by a diet of world-is-ending-and-you’re-powerless news.
Meanness and cynicism. People get used to indulging their inner child online, ranting and complaining, and it leaks into their real life.
The good news is that, just as you programmed your brain, you can reprogram it. You can create a healthier relationship with digital that will make it easy for you to:
Think clearly
Be more productive and creative
Be kinder to yourself and to others
Introduce more stillness and contemplation into your life
Reduce anxiety and cynicism
Or, more simply: You can move from a state of perpetual scatteredness to a state of calm, clear thinking. The rest of this guide is all about how we do that.
Finding your sweet spot
Digital isn’t like cigarettes. You quit cigarettes. You don’t worry about “creating a healthy relationship” with your Marlboros. Digital is like food. We have to eat. (I guess you don’t have to use digital, but going full Amish is neither realistic nor preferable for the majority of humanity). Within that obligation, however, is a vast spectrum. We can call it the “utility/fun” spectrum. On one end, pure utility. The stuff that nourishes. Raw veggies, lean protein, eggs and tuna. Quinoa and lentils. On the other end is fun. Chili fries and movie theater popcorn. Red velvet cupcakes. Dark chocolate and red wine. What are we looking for? The sweet spot — mostly healthy, but with a few sensible indulgences. You probably can’t eat chili fries every day and maintain optimal health. You probably can enjoy a few if you’ve been eating well and working out. Certainly, a life with red wine and chocolate and a slice of birthday cake every once in a while is more fun than a life without. Our relationship with digital is very similar. On the utility side, there’s work emails and Youtube videos about proper leaf raking techniques. On the fun side, there’s BuzzFeed quizzes and snarky Tweets and porn. Your goal: figure out a “sweet spot” between utility and fun that allows you to lead an excellent, productive life while enjoying fun stuff online. But this is much easier said than done. To get to the sweet spot, you’ll need to take a REALLY GOOD LOOK at your own digital habits. You’ll have to cultivate the inner honesty to recognize what is and isn’t working. And you’ll have to commit to making real change. Sound good? Let’s jump in.
Counter-programming: 9 major principles
These are the nine major principles of counter-programming your brain. Follow these rules and you’ll dramatically increase the health of your digital habits — not to mention your overall quality of life. These have all been tested by me. They work. Put them to work for you, and watch your happiness and performance jump.
Principle 1: Be purposeful about digital.
The programming: Turn to a screen whenever you need something. Anxious? Upset? Lonely? Bored? The screen has what you need. Paw at the screen like it’s a slot machine. Trigger those hits of dopamine. Relish your superiority. It’s fine to take a spin on the hamster wheel of impulse gratification every once in a while. Where it kills you is when it becomes a way of life. When your every waking moment is filled with Instagram binges, and little tappy games, and refreshing your news apps, and texting friends, then — that’s where your dreams die. The counter-programming: Be intentional when using your digital devices. Ask: “Why am I doing this? What am I hoping to accomplish here? What’s my goal?” Your digital devices are tools to be used purposefully, not slot machines to be slapped over and over for your amusement. Remember the utility/fun spectrum? Intentionality is what lets you dip into “fun” without making it a way of life. When you purposefully decide to pull up Instagram or Facebook for a bit of social media doodling, it’s very different from compulsively pulling it up because you’re uncomfortable, or bored, or scared. You stay in control; you call the shots. Cut back on your aimless browsing. Way back. Don’t treat digital like a cheap way to fill dead air with mindless clicking. This is like eating out of boredom. Use digital when you need to, and put it down when you don’t. Reintroduce friction. Denature the “whip-out-the-phone” impulse. When you aren’t using your phone, put it away—in a bag or on a stand on a table across the room. When you aren’t using your laptop, close it and put it in a drawer. Create separation. Oh, and… SLOW DOWN. Don’t whip out your phone like you’re going to resuscitate someone with it. Try thoughtfully stopping… opening your bag… removing your phone… mindfully using it… putting it back. It sounds silly, but these are precisely the kinds of tweaks that train your mind to be more spacious and calm.
Principle 2: Displace digital from its central role in your life.
The programming: Look at your phone. Look at your TV. Look at your computer. Answer this message. Respond to this prompt. Look here. Look here. Look here. In the attention economy, your time and headspace are more valuable than ever — which has spawned a massive ecosystem of profit-driven companies who compete for it. Unguarded, you’ll find yourself doing their bidding — clicking, tapping and swiping as life goes by. The counter-programming: Instead of treating life as an undifferentiated blur — an endless series of screens from which you very occasionally look up and go “Huh?”—strive to make a clean break between your (purposeful) digital time and your everything-else, real-life time. I try to look at my phone sparingly, when I need to. I don’t use the screen to fill time, or as a safety blanket for when I’m uncomfortable. When I come home, I put it on a little stand on the table by the door. I’ll look at my inputs (email, texts, Slack etc.) regularly, but only to make sure nothing needs my immediate attention. On my schedule, I’ll go through my inputs and zero them out. But I take pains not to flit from one thing to another like a butterfly. And I never look at my phone when I’m out and about. I cringe when I catch myself text-walking. If I need to use my phone, I stop, take it out, use it, and then move on with my life. Relocate digital from the center of your universe to a tertiary planet that you occasionally drop in on. Your quality of life will go up considerably.
Principle 3: Cut out junk-food content.
The programing: The high appeal of digital “junk food”:
Endlessly novel
Highly stimulating
Fast refresh (always something new)
Gleefully immature (Think fluff subReddits, Twitter, 4chan etc.)
Accessible everywhere, on demand
But like real junk food, too much of this completely ruins your diet. You’re conditioned to crave it more and more. You equate it with substance. As Marcus Aurelius wrote, “Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.” Do you really want your thoughts to be like Twitter or Buzzfeed — endlessly sarcastic, relentlessly bitchy? Or do you want to think, act and behave like a human being? The counter-programming: You are what you eat. This is as true for content as it is for food. Tier your information diet into “Never,” “Sometimes” and "Always." Never: The stuff that is never, ever good. Complete junk, and liable to trigger a breakdown. For example, Twitter is on my no-fly list. Twitter is like 99% complaining. Every time I go, I find myself stumbling out of a rabbit hole several hours later. Frustrated, angry, and wondering where the day went. It’s useless to me. My Never list also includes: Virtually all news sites, blogs that are cruel/snarky/gossipy, political stuff. Sometimes: Sensible indulgences. Use this as a reward. Did you get up early and write? Great, enjoy some Netflix in the afternoon. Are you in the middle of a productive study session? Cool, take a ten-minute Instagram break. There are no hard-and-fast rules; you know when you’ve earned some fluff. My Sometimes list also includes: Reddit (motivational/positive subreddits ONLY), Facebook, the New York Times. Intelligently written blogs. Entrepreneurs, motivational and health content. Always: BOOKS. Read books. Not only do books train your mind to monotask on information, they're a decent screen for quality. Not every book is great and not every quality idea becomes a book, but writing a book is hard, and the standards are comparatively high, so ideas tend to be better thought out and researched. Read: philosophy, self-development, history/business/biography, quality fiction. And keep a few entertaining books around, too, like fantasy/thriller shit — perfect for winding down at the end of the day with. Get a Kindle — mine changed my life. When you feel the need to look at a screen, look at your ebook of The Meditations instead of Instagram. You’ll find there are people and blogs that are consistently good. Get on their mailing list and read their stuff when it comes out. Reward quality with attention. Don’t reward pandering. Remember: Out of sight, out of mind. Unsubscribe from negative subreddits; use Social Fixer to block unpleasant keywords/domains from your Facebook feed. Use URL blocker to block Twitter. Also remember: Triviality is suffocating. Does it really matter who did what at the Emmys last night? Does it matter that Twitter had THIS to say? Does it matter that some jackass in some other part of the world went online and said something stupid? If you want to think big, apply your mind to big things, over which you have some level of influence. Don’t scatter your thoughts among a million insubstantial flecks.
Principle 4: Stop multitasking.
The programming: Rapidly flick from one screen to the next. Notifications popping up to tell you about everything, all the time. Answer emails while walking to the coffee shop. Check your social media during the lecture. It all feels super-productive, but multi-tasking crushes productivity, increases frustrating, and saps your energies. A day spent multitasking is a day wasted. A life spent multitasking is fractious and ineffectual. The counter-programming: Reacquaint yourself with the joys of deep focus on your work, and presence with your current state of mind. Continuous multi-tasking programs your brain to go shallow. To do awesome shit, we want to go deep. Before you begin each day, have your priorities clearly in mind. Write them out if you need. Decide on what you’re going to do. Better yet, schedule time to do it — like it’s an appointment on your calendar. Make and keep this appointment with yourself. When it comes time to work, configure your environment for actual working. Disable notifications for all but the most critical, time-sensitive things on your laptop and smartphone. Keep your phone on silent. Close unneeded tabs. Put on some chill, non-distracting music (This Youtube channel is a personal favorite). Use a focus/break technique, such as Pomodoro intervals, to motivate yourself. And go do it. When you’re out in the world, resist the temptation to “multitask through life.” I’m not going to say it’s beneficial (or realistic) to NEVER look at your phone, but for God’s sake, not when you’re walking around or talking to a friend. Be present with what you’re doing.
Principle 5: Replace social media with real social interactions.
The programming: A live, always-on feed of social information from friends, family, colleagues, former dormmates, someone you met at a party once… Show off your cool life and celebrate the coolness of others. Never mind the reality — that we’re all sitting around inside looking at everyone else having fun. Never mind that even when we do “make it,” when we get the cool car or gourmet meal, we’re still posting it online, enslaved to the opinions of strangers. The human mind is hard-wired to be social, and social media offers only a simulacra that will endlessly entice but never satisfy. The counter-programming: Engage in frequent, extended social bonding with flesh-and-blood human beings. Sit across from them at the table. Navigate awkward silences. Talk. Explore. Share a meal. Call up old friends or acquaintances and go to coffee to catch up. Ask strangers out. Go out to visit a friend and just BE with them. Don’t worry about documenting it for your feed. Taper your social media use. Try to go on it less. If you’re a hardcore user, limit session time. You can use self-discipline or any number of apps that time and reduce phone usage. If you’re a light social media user, consider going on a break or discontinuing usage. I personally maintain a Facebook and Reddit account but have shut down everything else, and it feels great. Yeah, I miss out on some stuff — but I conserve headspace for other things that I place more value on. It’s all about priorities.
Principle 6: No porn.
The programming: Indulge your hedonistic desires to your heart’s content. It’s normal, healthy and free. Except… It’s not normal. The monkey brain wasn’t made for the world of on-demand, high-def, infinite-variety porn that can be delivered straight into the eye sockets of anybody with a working internet connection. Porn, like compulsive gambling and spree shopping, is an extreme example of the brain’s reward system being highjacked by an exaggerated version of a naturally healthy stimulus. Just as the gambler needs to keep pulling that lever to get their dopamine fix, so do porn addicts learn to blunt themselves into docile submissiveness with their habit. Porn usage has been clinically linked to changes in brain plasticity that mirror drug addiction. It’s tied to desensitization (a numbed response to pleasure), sensitization (powerful cravings for more), hypofrontality (weakened impulse resistance) and dysfunctional stress circuits (increased use of porn to manage stress). It’s also worth adding that the industry exploits young women, arguments about “empowerment” notwithstanding. The counter-programming: This one’s easy. Stop watching porn. If the idea of giving up porn fills you with dread, then congratulations — now you know for certain that it’s a problem. There is no reason that a healthy and well-adjusted person should need to watch porn. None. Imagination was good enough for billions of our ancestors, and it will be fine for you. Better yet — focus on intimacy with your special someone, or work on meeting that special someone. Visit /nofap or /noporn. There can be some crazy mumbo-jumbo on there, but the underlying principles/motivation are solid.
Principle 7: Screen-free mornings and evenings.
The programming: Keep your phone by your bedside. Wake up, check your inbox and Twitter and Instagram before you get up. (Associate your smartphone with safety and warmth). Look at a screen until the moment you pass out. Wake up and do it again. The counter-programming: It is critical to have a morning and evening routine that omit screen time. The first and last hours of your day should be low activity and screen-free. Honor your body’s natural wake/sleep cycles. I can’t overemphasize how critical this is. (There are only a few exceptions. You can look at a Kindle if you prefer to read eBooks. And if you have a really good reason to be looking at a screen — like, you’re writing a novel and your writing time is 5-7am — go for it. But cut it out with the aimless browsing.) Mornings are a foundation, a time to wake your mind up and ease it into the day. Choose reading, journaling, quiet reflection, stretching. Gradually ramp up the activity level. I get up around 6, but don’t look at a screen before 8. The nighttime is a time to wind down and prepare for sleep. Stop using stimulating digital (video games, social media etc.) with a couple of hours to go before bed. The last hour before bed should consist of reading and relaxation. It goes without saying, but your phone and computer don’t belong in your bedroom. If your smartphone is your alarm clock, cool — get one on Amazon for $7. (Better yet, get the Philips wakeup clock — worth every penny IMO).
Principle 8: Align values with behavior online
The programming: Act one way in person, but let your inner child run loose online. Bully people, complain endlessly, pick fights with strangers, leave nasty comments. What’s the harm? It’s not you. “On the internet, no one knows you’re a dog.” Oh wait, it IS you. You ARE the person you act like online. When you complain online, your real-life experience sours. When you obsess over doom-and-gloom news stories, your worldview darkens considerably. And when you’re mean and juvenile and nasty to perfect strangers, you’ll find your thoughts becoming sharper about the real-life people that you love. The counter-programming: You aspire (hopefully) to be a kind, generous, emotionally stable, pragmatic, thoughtful, intelligent, purposeful and motivated person. So act like it. Don’t fill the web with cruelty, snide judgements, self-deprecation and immaturity. Letting your inner child run free is dangerous business, especially in this era where online and real-life identities are thoroughly merged. Regard your public face on the web like your public face in real life. Of course, nobody's perfect. Hell, you could go through MY reddit/social media history and find some unsavory stuff. It's not about being perfect, it's about recognizing when you stray and getting back on the path. There are no points for winning fights against anonymous strangers. Yes, they disagree with you. Yes, they’re horribly ignorant and stupid and wrong. So what? You’re not going to convince them over the internet. You’ll just give them what they really want: a reaction. So don’t do it. BE POSITIVE. Don’t ever complain online. It’s pointless and narcissistic. Nobody cares about your complaints nearly as much as you do. Yes, I know that when you’re swelling up with righteous outrage, it feels really good to scream it to the world, but please — save it. Mom was right: say nice things or don’t say ‘em at all.
Principle 9: Cultivate real excellence.
The programming: Get the highest score, the most Likes, the celebrity re-tweet, the followers, the upvotes… Treasure them. These are signs of your value and worth. The counter-programming: Life is short. We all die, but death isn’t the scary part. It’s the long, slow decline beforehand. Your health, hopes and dreams will probably fade before your mind and body do. In order to meet the decline without regret, we owe it to ourselves to work on ourselves. We should aspire towards excellence. Not impossible excellence — superhuman beauty or effortless riches — but real excellence. An enjoyable, productive life filled with good experiences and good people, free of unnecessary suffering, beholden to no one. When asked if we’re happy, we should be able to say “Yes” without a moment’s hesitation. Digital can support our path to excellence, but it can no more provide excellence than a paycheck or nice car or big house in the suburbs can. (Think of how many enraged mediocrities there are with well-paying jobs and great cars). Digital can’t make us kinder, or more mindful, or appreciate a sunset any more. It subtracts more than it adds. Aspiring to real excellence gives you a path, the path of self-improvements. There’s a purpose, and a joy, to working on yourself — to watching your mindfulness and health and fitness and career flourish over time. It’s not fast, and it’s not easy, but it’s the real deal. The specifics of how to get there are beyond the scope of this article, but it’s all the usual suspects. Eat well — mostly unprocessed, whole foods. Minimize drinking, sugar and processed food. Guard your sleep like a jealous lover. Work out at an appropriate intensity. Move around — lots of long walks. The point is to do. The doing is the thing. The decline is coming. Fill it with happy memories. The rest will take care of itself.
Wrapping Up
The most important piece of this puzzle is your commitment to change. If you’ve made it this far, I think we can safely assume you’re at least part-way interested. So, congrats! Now, make it real. If you create a healthy relationship with digital it will change your life. I know this for a fact because it changed mine. I have reached a level of relative peace and happiness in my life that I genuinely never thought possible. Certainly, it didn’t seem reachable when I was an stimulus-addicted information-overloaded smartphone monkey.

Going down that road...

50x Profit SPAC Warrant Possibility - DO YOUR OWN DD

I believe I have identified a possible 50x profit or greater warrant play. The problem is, it isn't sexy. It isn't an EV bus with online gambling terminals to keep tourists occupied on their way to outer space. Also, this is unlikely to return 50x your money in the next 3 months, like the super SPACs did this year, but over the next two to 3 years, if at all.
This is a high risk, high reward play. To abuse a baseball metaphor, you will either strike out, or hit a monster home run. My instincts are that there is a less than 10% chance of 50x, and a greater than 50% chance of losing money. But honestly, there aren't many opportunities where you can see a clear path to a possible 50x return which basically involves nothing going wrong, rather than everything going insanely right.
I am intentionally posting this after market close on a Friday, so potential investors will have plenty of time to read this, research it, and come to their own conclusions. Once again, I am not an investment advisor, all of this is my own opinion and my own research. Please use this research as your own starting point, and DO YOUR OWN DUE DILIGENCE before making any decision. Anyone who buys anything based solely on my opinion is making an error in judgement.
The warrants I am describing are TZACW, Tenzing Acquisition Corp. They have signed a definitive agreement with Reviva Pharmaceuticals, a late-stage clinical development pharmaceutical company headquartered in Santa Clara, California.
http://revivapharma.com/
For everyone who didn't stop reading right there, congratulations. Pharmaceutical companies that aren't peddling potential COVID cures aren't drawing a lot of attention nowadays. But that's how you make out sized gains; you see the potential before the broader market figures it out.
From Tenzing's S-1 registration: "Parag Saxena, our Chairman, has been part of direct investments in companies that have created hundreds of thousands of jobs and that have an aggregate market value exceeding $500 billion as of June 2018 in a career spanning over 30 years. Mr. Saxena is a multi-year member of Forbes’ Midas list, which ranks the World’s best technology investors. He has a strong track record in raising capital and successful investments in both public and private markets around the world.". That statement alone was enough to convince me to dig into the details of this deal. Here is the DD I have come up with:
First, the warrant basics. There are 6,325,000 public TZAC warrants currently outstanding. Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share. These warrants will become exercisable for $11.50 as soon as the business combination is completed. Warrants can be called for redemption " if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the ordinary shares equals or exceeds $21.00 per share, for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ".
Reviva Pharmaceuticals has more than one drug, but the one that will drive returns on this stock is named Brilaroxazine. Brilaroxazine has successfully completed global phase 2 clinical trials for schizophrenia. The global market for schizophrenia drugs is about $8 billion per year. The drug is also entering phase 2 trials for bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The combined global markets for those ailments is about $42 billion per year. So, IF Brilaroxazine makes it through all of the trials, and can take 1% of the global market for those maladies, that would be about $500 million in sales, which wouldn't be terrible for a $120 million company.
The TZAC / Reviva business plan is to take $34 million in Tenzing funding, along with $5 million in debt financing and $5 million in licensing deals in Asia and South America, to pay for the phase 3 trial for schizophrenia in the U.S. as well phase 2 studies for other maladies. How long that will take isn't spelled out in the presentation, but they do mention G&A expenses for 2 years in the budget estimates for the studies.
Most of this information can be found in the investor presentation:
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1742927/000110465920087685/tm2025979d1_ex99-1.htm
However, it was the chart on page 10 of that presentation which really caught my eye. One of the "Comparable Companies in Neuroscience" is Karuna Therapeutics Inc, which is listed on NASDAQ as KRTX.
According to this website, Karuna Therapeutics had 19 employees as of Jan 1, 2020: So it is not a large company.
https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/KRTX/karuna-therapeutics/number-of-employees
Karuna Theraputics is also developing a drug targeting schizophrenia. Karuna's drug is KarXT. Karuna recently reported 2nd quarter 2020 results. The earnings release lists the upcoming clinical trial process for KarXT, and also shows that Karuna has $368 million in cash and cash equivalents on hand to fund their R&D and these trials.
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1771917/000119312520209797/d79713dex991.htm
Karuna Therapeutics was listed on the NASDAQ market on July 2, 2019, via traditional IPO. The IPO price was $16 a share.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190702005561/en/Karuna-Therapeutics-Announces-Closing-Initial-Public-Offering
Chances are you never heard of Karuna Therapeutics. Yet at the end of 2019, Bloomberg called them "2019's best performing IPO".
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-20/year-s-best-u-s-ipo-is-a-little-known-biotech-with-420-surge
On November 18, 2019, Karuna issued a press release, announcing that KarXT "Met Primary Endpoint in Phase 2 Clinical Trial of Acute Psychosis in Patients with Schizophrenia". This is the press release and the investor presentation from the 8-K filed that day:
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1771917/000119312519293845/d836305dex991.htm
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1771917/000119312519293845/d836305dex992.htm
KRTX stock was trading below $12 a share in Oct 2018, and was at $18 per share when that news was announced. By one week later, the stock was trading at $85, after hitting a high of $124 on Nov 19th. Despite early investors getting the chance to take profits off that huge gain, if you check the charts, you'll find KRTX has been trading in the range from $65 ( March COVID low) to $110 ever since.
The link for the investor presentation for Reviva is listed above. Compare the chart on page 12 of the Reviva presentation with the chart on page 17 of the Karuna presentation.
Reviva's drug Brilaroxazine is just as far along in development as Karuna's KarXT, and may be effective for more ailments than KarXT. In fact, KarXT was being tested for "Pain", it failed that trial:
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1771917/000119312520208124/d802568dex991.htm
So, these are similarly sized companies, developing medications targeting many of the same ailments. Karuna is much better capitalized, at the moment. Karuna has $368 million in cash, TZAC will have $34 million. Both are at the same point in clinical development.
Karuna has a $2.2 billion market cap, while Reviva will have an initial market cap of $120 million. Karuna has a market cap almost 20 times larger than Reviva. Even after backing out the cash on hand, Karuna is valued over $1.8 billion, that is still 15x what Reviva is being valued at.
So, what does all of this mean? Well, right now, TZACW has been selling in the 30 cent range. 50 times that is $15. Is it possible for TZACW to hit $15? That would mean TZAC would need to rise to about $27 per share. At $27 per share, TZAC would have about a $325 million market cap. That would still be about one-seventh of Karuna's market cap.
Also, take a look at the chart on page 10 of the Reviva investor presentation. The three "comparable" companies show the market caps when they were listed on the public markets, as well as their market caps today. Notice that all 3 companies have tripled or better the initial market cap. If Reviva can do that within 5 years, Reviva will sell for $30 a share.
Will any of this happen? We're back in the batter's box. Strikeout, or monster home run?
Here are the major risks:
1). The merger falls through.
This is always a risk with SPAC mergers. No date for the shareholder vote has been set. However, TZAC did post a S-4 form on 8/12. That form is both the preliminary prospectus, AND the registration form which will register the common stock underlying the TZACW warrants. TZACW warrants will be exrcisable as soon as the business combination is completed ( NO 30 day or longer waiting period! ). And TZAC has already filed the paperwork with NASDAQ to reserve the tickers RVPH and RVPHW. So far, at least, TZAC is progressing nicely towards the shareholder vote. The deadline is September 28, 2020.
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1742927/000110465920094004/tm2027235-1_s4.htm
Also, now that they have a funding path to proceed, Reviva has ( I believe this is what this page shows ) filed to begin Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials:
21 Jul 2020 Reviva Pharmaceuticals plans to initiate a phase II trial for Pulmonary arterial hypertension
21 Jul 2020 Reviva Pharmaceuticals plans a phase III trial for Schizophrenia in USA ,
21 Jul 2020 Reviva Pharmaceuticals plans phase II trials for Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
https://adisinsight.springer.com/drugs/800035778
On page 9 of the Reviva investor presentation, they show the budget estimates for these trials. The above seems to indicate Reviva has now registered to begin them. All of these are positive signs, but that is no assurance the deal does not fall through.
2). Brilaroxazine fails the Phase 3 Clinical Trials.
This is also a real risk.
"Interestingly, the POS ( probability of success ) to get from Phase 3 to approval was only 59.0%. This means that around 2 out of every 5 drugs that reach Phase 3 “confirmatory” trials still fail to win approval for the indication being investigated. Even when looking only at lead indications, still about 30% of drugs in Phase 3 fail to reach approval."
https://www.nuventra.com/resources/blog/why-do-clinical-trials-fail/
Based on the above, there is a 30 to 40% chance that brilaroxazine might fail the phase 3 U.S. schizophrenia trial.
The drug did very well in the phase 2 clinical trials:
"Reviva has already successfully completed a multicenter, multinational phase 2 clinical study for brilaroxazine in patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders where it demonstrated robust efficacy with remission in acute schizophrenia and promising efficacy for comorbid negative, cognition, depression and mood symptoms. Moreover, brilaroxazine showed an excellent safety and tolerability profile compared to the placebo with no weight gain, metabolic, cardiac or movement side effects, which resulted in good acceptance and compliance."
https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/reviva-pharmaceuticals-announces-successful-completion-of-pre-ind-meeting-with-fda-on-brilaroxazine-for-the-treatment-of-idiopathic-pulmonary-fibrosis-ipf-/
However, the phase 3 trials will be much larger, and all will be conducted in the US (previous phase 2 clinical trial was global). So there can be no assurance that brilaroxazine will prove effective for treating any of the disorders that it will be undergoing trials to alleviate.
Also, it appears brilaroxazine passed the global phase 2 trials in 2015, and has now been languishing for 5 years. Why? Good question, for which I have found no firm answer. The U.S. phase 3 clinical trial will take approximately $21.5 million to complete. It very well could be that Reviva, which has been funded "through a series of equity financing led by hedge funds, family offices, and high-net-worth professionals associated with the pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and high-tech industries since its inception", simply didn't have that cash and could not find financing until now (perhaps because of the success of KRTX).
Here is the link to the NIH report on the Phase 2 clinical trials:
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01490086
Reviva may have decided to use their limited cash pool to get brilaroxazine declared an orphan drug by the FDA so that it can be entered in trials and expedited for the treatment of IPF ( Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis ) and PAH ( Pulmonary arterial hypertension ), which they are now scheduling for trials.
https://pulmonaryfibrosisnews.com/2019/06/05/fda-provides-guidance-for-reviva-plans-on-brilaroxazine-for-ipf/
There you have it. That's where my DD ends, and yours begins. If your portfolio has a high risk, high return allocation with an extended time window, then TZACW may be worth researching and adding. I did, but I certainly would NOT "yolo" into it; especially based on anything some anonymous post on reddit recommended.
Disclosure: Long TZACW.

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anti-corruption: Defense Ministry official busted with bribery & tampering with draft during war

bill: harsher punishment for treason, spying, espionage

Jalal is back with another position

Russian-Turkish ceasefire monitoring group begins operations

ECHR received Armenia's complaint against Azerbaijan regarding 228 POWs / Azeris counter-claim for 13 POWs

Red Cross visited 4 Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan

Russia expects UNESCO to soon visit Armenian monuments that went under Azeri control

Russia removed tomato import ban on 13 Armenian firms

US Congressman demands an explanation from the US ambassador to Azerbaijan over "congratulatory" statement

de-occupy Hadrut NGO

govt session: financial aid for Syunik border villagers

bill: disability ranking to be replaced with degrees of functionality impairment

bill: require unknown Telegram/Facebook media channel owners identified before "linking" by mass media

rumors and rebuttals: Artsakh army isn't being dissolved

rumors and rebuttals: Azeri flag won't fly over Artsakh govt buildings

rumors and rebuttals: Azeri families won't resettle in Stenapakert / none are shopping in market

rumors and rebuttals: Artsakh envoy won't stop operating in Russia

rumors and rebuttals: no single currency in EAEU trade bloc

location "Hollywood, Yerevan, Armenia"

anti-corruption: prosecutors charge education officials with ֏1.2B auction shenanigans

re: Armenia's $750M eurobond sale / lowest % in history / $3B demand by investors / economy news

how many people did leave and arrive after reopening air traffic with Russia?

Pashinyan about the suspended Amulsar gold mining project

COVID stats

the consumer market price increase in the past 12 months

Parliament MP stops a citizen's suicide attempt

psychological support will be provided to war participants and the public

Armenia will grow industrial marijuana on mass industrial scale / incentive to boost land utilization

Education Minister says the "controversial" parts of Church/History merger were "resolved"

Major education reforms: "education alone will not solve all problems, but there is no problem that can be solved without an education"

cancer stats in Armenia / annual rate / drops among children / fewer abandon treatment

cancer diagnosis, surgery, and radiotherapy are free

today in history

president meets donor

donations to Artsakh & recovering soldiers

archive of older news

disclaimer

3 months ago I posted a writeup about Robbin Slaughter, a 37-year-old man who vanished without a trace while walking to a convenience store in Owensboro, KY in 1993—NAMUS has forwarded my potential match with the Cleveland John Doe to law enforcement for DNA comparison!

I'm interested in speaking with problem gamblers in Ireland.

Deadlier of the Species - Chapter 12

[krimewave] The Born Loser <2021-01-31>

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When 45 minutes becomes 26 years: How did Robbin Lewis Slaughter––a 36-year-old man who lived a private life and rarely left his hometown of Owensboro, KY––vanish without a trace while walking to a convenience store 5 blocks away?

Counter-programming. 9 principles to ease away from screen addiction

Going down that road...

50x Profit SPAC Warrant Possibility - DO YOUR OWN DD

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