Man Shoots and Kills Knife Wielding Prowler, Turns Out to be Own Son

Jeffrey Giuliano received a call from his neighbor telling him that someone was prowling outside of his house, about 1am, Thursday. He went outside, carrying his handgun, to investigate.

Outside he was confronted by someone wearing a mask, dressed all in black, who was wielding a gun. The knifeman came at him, and Giuliano shot and killed him.

When police were investigating the crime scene they eventually unmasked the corpse they discovered it to be fifteen year old Tyler Giuliano, Jefferey's son.

Police are trying to determine why Tyler was outside of the house, with a knife, and why he did not try and identify himself to his father. There was not known to be any trouble between the two, and both were well liked in the town of New Fairfield, Connecticut.

Amber Alert: Chloie Leverette and Gage Daniel

Tennessee police have issued an amber alert for two children, who have been missing for five days.

Nine year old Chloie Leverette and seven year old Gage Daniel had been thought to be killed in a fire Sunday, along with their step grandparents.

Investigators did find the bodies of the grandparents, but not of the children.

Chloie is described as being four foot eight and seventy-five pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.

Gage if four foot and fifty pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes.

Anyone with information should contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

Saudi Arabia Deporting a Thousand Nigerian Women

Nearly a thousand Muslim women are being held at King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The women were caught on a pilgrimage to Mecca, without any male relatives as escorts.

Authorities from the two countries have been working out details, as Saudi Arabia keeps them contained til they can be deported.

Going to Mecca is a requirement of the Muslim faith, but women can not travel without male relatives, in many countries.

Fifteen Tons of Weed Seized in Egypt

Egyptian authorities made the biggest drug bust in the country's history, Thursday.

A truck crossing out of the Sinai Peninsula toward the Nile Valley, was caught attempting to enter a tunnel that goes under the Suez Canal.

In the vehicle, fifteen tons of marijuana were found.

According to UN stats, that makes it the forty-fifth largest drug bust in the world.

Normally the US and Mexico have the largest busts.

Since the regime change, in Egypt, border security had become more porous, but the new government has been working on improving it.

Czech President Shot With Pellet Gun

Thursday afternoon, a man walked through a crowd right up to Czech President Vaclav Klaus and shot him, at point blank range, with a pellet gun.

Klaus turned, gave the man a dirty look, and then remarked to his guards, "He just shot me".

The President suffered only some bruises from the attack.

Later he could be seen joking about the incident, with his entourage.

The, as of yet unidentified, twenty-six year old man was taken into custody, by police, but not before he gave an interview to the press.

Clearly the Czech Republic needs to work on it's security a bit more.

Seven Dead in Spanish Floods

At least seven people have been killed in flash flooding that has hit southern Spain.

Houses have been destroyed and swept vehicles away.

The provinces of Andulcia, Malaga, Murcia, and Almeria have been the hardest hit.

Spain, like parts of Europe and the US, has been hard hit by drought, all summer long, causing many fires.

Rains are expected to continue until Saturday afternoon.

Fifth Victim Dies After Minneapolis Shooting

A fifth victim of the office shooting in Minneapolis, Thursday, has died from their wounds.

With the gunmen among the dead, the death toll now sits at six.

Two others are still in the hospital, in critical condition.

The shooter pulled out his gun, after being told that he was being fired.

He was apparently very specific in choosing who he shot.

When police searched his home, they found more than ten thousand rounds of ammunition and another gun.

Weekend Must See: The Four Feathers (1939)

Here’s a tale of war and empire, and one of the greatest cinematic studies on the nature and value of heroism and duty. This 1939 version was the best of seven film adaptations of the 1902 novel, a far cry from the watered down, politically corrected Heath Ledger 2002 remake.

A British soldier (John Clements) raised on intimidating tales of his ancestors' battlefield glories, horrors and hard fought victories, is faced with the choice between fighting in North Africa and staying home with his beautiful fiancé when war breaks out in the Sudan and his regiment must go. He rebels against family tradition, gives in to his fear and resigns from the Army. As a result he's branded a deserter, disgraced by his buddies' "gift" of white feathers symbolizing cowardice, and his fiancé no longer respects him.

Motivated by shame and guilt, Clements goes to prove to himself and to those he loves, that he can rise to and meet his duty and obligation. He manages to exceed those goals as he reenters the battle in disguise and redeems himself through a series of selfless and daring acts, rescuing those who doubted him and returning the feathers one by one.

The moral here is of duty to something greater than yourself, sacrificing something, maybe everything, to serve that greater cause, and in the end being made greater by serving out that duty; that there is a reward to personal honor beyond even what a medal can bestow or signify, and that the concept of empire has its advantages and benefits, worth defending and fighting for. These things were an especially meaningful and relevant theme for the British in 1939 as they were on the decline while also facing the Nazi onslaught.

The Korda brothers who made the film, producer Alexander, director Zoltan and production designer Vincent, were twice subjects of empire (first Austro-Hungarian and then British), were enthusiastically patriotic about their adopted land in a way that seems unique to immigrants, and in this movie glorified flag waving imperialism, the necessity of battle and the promise of victory, in no small part to show their new home country the shame, danger and disaster that could come from betting so heavily on appeasement, inaction and moral disarmament.

On this side of the Atlantic 1939 had a happier significance, now almost unanimously called Hollywood’s greatest year in film, and The Four Feathers is equal to any movie in that year's top tier. A rock solid story, excellent acting, gorgeous scenes and great action, massive and decorous military ceremonies and marches, a climactic jailbreak, a formal ball, sprawling battles in the Egyptian desert and steamships on the Nile, all captured with rich color cinematography that deserved its Oscar nomination. A must see on TCM, late late Saturday (actually Sunday morning) at Midnight. (also available on Criterion Blu-ray)

Find me at the Speakeasy for much more classic entertainment.

Body of Missing Northwestern Student Found

The missing Northwestern student's body was found late Thursday night, in Wilmette Harbor.

Eighteen year old Harsha Maddula had been missing since last Saturday.

He had been last seen about two miles from the harbor, and no one seems sure how he ended up there.

Drowning has been determined to be the cause of his death.

His family is demanding further investigation, stating that they believe someone did this to him, that it was not an accident.