The Forensics of Pooh; the truth is in there.

Good mobility is essential to good motility. I.e. keep walking for a healthy bowel.

That's just a clumsy way of explaining why these pictures are on a blog that has nothing to do with them.

They are of a walk I took at ten o'clock on the morning of the 18th of April. The weather forecasters say that we are going to have 28 days of rain in April so I took the opperchancity of stealing this dryish thirty minutes to take some snaps.

Spring in Scotland. It's rather soggy.

 Compared to what is going on elsewhere in the world, we are fortunate.

So here is the blog. Any pictures of the subject of the actual blog might be ....unpalatable.

 

A very clever chappie called Lawrence David has been studying the human microbiome. He was chatting one day to an ecologist who was studying diets of large African herbivores by looking at their pooh. As well as having tons of excreta at his fingertips so to speak, the ecologist also had a huge amount of  precise and well researched data/ statistics. The precision of the results of his research made David rather envious. How did the ecologist get that degree of data without watching everything the animals ate?

By examining their pooh obviously. Or to be more specific, by sequencing the DNA of matter present in the ‘animal scat’ picked up from the savanna.

Could that work with humans?

There has been a few murders solved by examining the DNA in the pooh of pigs suspected of consuming the body of a victim but this research is talking about the DNA in pooh for the welfare of the live owner.

The MIE bloggers, as they read this, might have all sorts gurgling through their intestines (Is that the first time that sentence has been written in a blog?)

I think that three of us, maybe four, will have the DNA of plant materials only, maybe a dozen or so plants at any given time. Others might have the DNA of the various animals they have consumed during the past 24 hours. While the average John will have the DNA of around 12 species of plant, some hugely healthy vegivores may have up to forty types of DNA meandering through the gut.

The analysis of DNA in human faeces seems an obvious way to get some traction on the links between diet and health, digestion and digestives issues like IBS.

With the exception of vitamins, minerals and salts, everything we eat comes from something that once lived, and things that live all have genomes with coded DNA, and the majority of that DNA goes undigested.

From looking at the sequencing of the DNA in the output, then analysing that for patterns, the pattern will suggests the diet. The diet and the patient can then be connected to look at obesity, mal absorption syndromes, gastric irritability etc. Or the absence thereof.

Are some diets, the DNA of the diet and the DNA of the person interwoven in some way that could predict malignancy of the colon, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis? The ability to lose weight or not? The ability to gain it?

Like the ability to taste coriander or to smell cyanide or to look good in a kilt,  are food allergies and intolerances DNA linked.

It has to be pointed out that mixed within the tissue being examined are the DNA of the gut cells and a massive amount belonging to the bacteria that hang around inside us, helping us to digest our lunch.

It’s often said that forensics don’t lie. And that’s true, but the way forensic evidence is interpreted is always open to interpretation. At the end of the working day, there will be trace elements of  skin cells of  15-20 of my patients somewhere about my person. That doesn’t mean I killed them, it means I treated them. If they are found dead at the bottom of somebody’s garden with my DNA on the skin of their neck… I treated them for a neck issue.

Honestly!

Patients do lie. They do it all the time. All physicians ask the same question more than once, often the other way round. ‘Did you do anything to hurt your back yesterday?’  ‘Oh no, had a nice day, relaxing.’

 Then two minutes later ask, ‘So were you busy at the weekend.’  ‘Oh yes, I cut the grass.’

They don’t mean to lie, they just do. They are often trying to be helpful, or just forget.  Smoking, drinking, how much exercise, what they eat, what they don’t eat. Are they sticking to their diet? Celiacs having a wee bit of toast?

David makes the good point that those patients most at risk from failure of nutrition- the very young, the very old, the very ill, those with cognitive issues - are the ones who cannot keep an accurate food diary. And DNA analysis of their pooh can help to rebalance any issues prescriptively.

It dawned on me while writing this that all this – the collection of pooh -  is normal to me, and to most Scottish people. I’m not sure about England. We have to do a pooh test every two years once over the age of 50.

A wee pack arrives at the house. You collect your pooh BEFORE it hits the water ( can I just point out that you do need half decent spinal mechanics for this- or a very close friend  - or cling film ), then you take a sample with the wee spoon provided, smear that onto the first sample pad and seal it and date it. Then 48 hours later you do all that again and then poop, sorry, pop it in the post.

The samples are then analysed for blood and evidence of any malignancies. Then a report comes back to you, calling you in for retest, or saying you have the all clear.

So basically, your pooh can say a lot about you.

Caro

 

Left Coast Crime: Seattle Shakedown!

Wendall -- every other Thursday

Since I’m the only representative of Murder is Everywhere who can report on the Left Coast Crime Convention first hand, I figured I should. 

 

Left Coast Crime ran April 11-14

 

The annual convention is always my favorite, because it feels, at least to me, more intimate and friendly than Bouchercon, and I’m able to connect with both readers and author friends more fully than I do elsewhere. This year, the convention took place in the Bellevue suburb of Seattle at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, which turned out to be a great, easy venue, where you could actually get food and drink when you wanted it. . . 

 

So wonderful, always, to get to hang out with Grace Koshida, next year's LCC Fan Guest of Honor!

 

Always so great to see author and filmmaker Danna Dennis Wilberg

With the ever fab Tim Maleeny

 

Our totally transcendant Toastmaster was the great Wanda Morris.

 

Wanda Morris on the left, being interviewed by Lefty Winner Tracy Clark

 

Author Guests of Honor Robert Dugoni and Megan Abbott joined Fan Guest of Honor Fran Fuller, and Ghost of Honor, John Okada. All of the living guests were as open and lovely as they could have possibly been, and I’m grateful to the convention for introducing me to John Okada’s work.

 

I never take enough pictures, but happily others do and are willing to share, so here’s the rundown of the week.

 

James and I flew out of Burbank airport early Wednesday morning and were met by my sister, Kim and her husband Ray, who took us out for a day at and around Pike Place Market. It was just as great as promised. James and I shared (thank God!) one order of biscuits, gravy, cheese, chorizo, and jalapeño while sitting by the water, and had fish and chips later, with a different stunning view. 

 

Some tourist destinations totally live up to their hype.

Biscuit Bitch extravaganza!

Perfect place for biscuits

Fantastic magic store downstairs

Bodies hanging everywhere

We were too early for anyone to throw fish at us, but James still snagged a few salmon samples. You can read about the market here: https://www.pikeplacemarket.org/

 

We got to the hotel around 4pm and, once we unpacked, I was able to meet my dear friend Baron Birtcher’s wife for the first time and join the two of them for a few martinis(!). We got to talk to various other writers who showed up on and off through the night. 

 

Matt Coyle with lobby backdrop

The martinis precluded my staying for all of the Noir at the Bar readings, including selections from friends like Matt Coyle and Terry Shames.  But by all accounts, everyone was fab, even in the corner of a bright, echoing lobby, which made it a bit more like LED at the bar.

 

For the last six years, Matt Coyle and I have partnered up as the “Screwball and Screwed Up” speed dating team, but this year we were wait-listed. We missed the stress, of course, but made up for it by having an Author Connection breakfast with a few readers. We loved meeting and talking with them.

 

Matt and I had breakfast with Marisa and she was kind enough to come to my panel

Thursday was full of interesting panels, including “Hot, Hot, Hot: Mysteries Set in Tropical Locations” where pals Baron and Leslie Karst joined Eric Redmond and Rosalie Spearman to talk about their experiences in, and writing about, Hawaii. I also loved “The Secret Habits of Writers: Routines, Superstitions, and Lucky Pens” where moderator Glen Eric Hamilton did a masterful job of getting trade secrets out of Megan Abbott, Lisa Lutz, and Wanda Morris.

 

Megan admits to having a specific time she starts writing every morning

 

Wanda, of course, was responsible for one of the highlights of the conference—Toastmaster’s Dance Night. It had been many years (too many!) since I’d done a Soul Train line and those of us who braved the floor had a blast. Thanks for such a great idea, Wanda! Happy to be too old to be embarrassed about this photo.

The whole Soul Train thing was a blur!

Friday was a bit busy. Both James and I had panels in the morning, me on the “Lefty Best Humorous Mystery Nominees” panel and him on the “Every Story is a Mystery” panel. 

 

With Jennifer Chow, Leslie Karst, Lee Matthew Goldberg, and Lucinda Surber

James explains how true crimes are still mysteries

After that, we had lunch with a few friends and then disappeared to celebrate our twentieth wedding anniversary on the lowdown. That night, we went out to a lovely French restaurant not too far from the hotel and had a stroll around Bellevue on the way back. I’m obsessed with this octopus statue, as you can tell.

 

 

Saturday we had breakfast with members of the Short Mystery Fiction Society, hit a few panels and then were whisked away by one of James’s oldest English friends for a “surprise.” It turned out to be brunch at the Salish Lodge, which stood in for the Great Northern Hotel exteriors in Twin Peaks, with a view during lunch of the waterfall and river made famous by dead Laura Palmer.

 

James's elbow and the Twin Peaks falls

Tourists still come to this viewing point

We rushed back to put together all the ridiculous animals items for our Author Hosted table. 

Animals, animals everywhere

 

Our wonderful guests

We had wonderful—and game—guests and a lot of laughs, the biggest of which was Cheap Trills winning the Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery. 

 

Note missing earring!

 

Amazing, hand carved award, filled with 300 ball bearings. . .

I still can’t believe it, and am so grateful to the conference and everyone who voted. Although I carried my napkin to the stage, lost an earring on the way, and half sobbed through most of my speech, at least I didn’t trip. I think Cyd Redondo would be proud. Other winners included Naomi Hirahara for Evergreen, Nina Simon for Mother-Daughter Murder Night, and Tracy Clark for Hide.

 

I was lucky enough to have another panel on Sunday morning, where I joined the “Dogs and Cats and Birds, Oh My!” panel with four writers who focus on dogs in their books. 

 

With fellow authors C.B. Wilson, Margaret Mizushima, Joanna Campbell Slan, and Cynthia Baxter

 

Representing the undomesticated

I was the token bird person, celebrating underrepresented/endangered creature voices. We had a blast. Then it was goodbyes and airports and home. Still exhausted, but feeling happy and so lucky to be part of this community of writers and readers.

 

--Wendall

Ghana’s Anti-LGBTQ Bill: An Update

Is Ghana’s Freedom and Justice Crumbling?

 

How We Got Here: Brief History of the Bill

The controversial anti-LGBTQ bill in Ghana, officially known as the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, was first introduced in 2021. The bill aims to severely restrict the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and includes harsh penalties such as prison terms for both LGBTQ+ individuals and those advocating for their rights. This legislation has been shaped by widespread support within the Ghanaian Parliament and is backed by various religious and traditional groups in Ghana​ (Human Rights Watch)​​ (Wikipedia)​.

Modifications of the Bill & Sponsoring Parliamentarians

The bill has undergone several readings and amendments in Parliament, reflecting intense debates on its constitutional validity and human rights implications. It criminalizes the promotion, advocacy, and funding of LGBTQ+ rights and activities. Key figures in these discussions include MP Sam George, who has been vocally supportive of the bill, positioning it as a defense of traditional Ghanaian values against foreign influence​ (Human Rights Watch)​.

Passage of the Bill

The Parliament passed the bill unanimously in February 2024 after rigorous debate and modifications. It includes provisions that impose stiff penalties on LGBTQ+ individuals and their supporters, and the law extends its reach to various aspects of public advocacy and private support for LGBTQ+ rights​ (JURIST—Legal News & Commentary)​.

The Bill Challenged in the Supreme Court of Ghana

Following its passage, the bill faced legal challenges in the Supreme Court, reflecting the significant opposition from human rights groups and concerns over its compatibility with international human rights standards. These legal proceedings are critical as they test the bill against Ghana's constitutional protections for individual rights and freedoms​ (The Star)​.

President Nana Akufo-Addo's Stance

President Nana Akufo-Addo has not yet signed the bill into law, citing the ongoing legal challenge in the Supreme Court as the basis for his hesitation. This situation has created tension between the legislative and executive branches of government, which has implications for Ghana's international relations and economic situation, as the bill could potentially affect international aid and support​ (The Star)​​ (Wikipedia)​.

Reflections

Ghana has long been regarded as a leader in Africa for its stable democracy, significant economic progress, and influential cultural contributions. It's often seen as a beacon of peace and governance standards on the continent. However, the introduction and potential passage of the anti-LGBTQ bill represent a significant departure from these progressive ideals, aligning Ghana with a troubling trend of increasing anti-LGBTQ sentiment and legislation sweeping across some African nations.

This legislative move is particularly disheartening given Ghana's reputation. It suggests a regression of human rights and individual freedoms, contradicting the global movement towards inclusivity and equality. Such actions not only impact the rights and lives of LGBTQ individuals in Ghana but also potentially tarnish Ghana's international image as a forward-thinking and open society. The enforcement of these measures can lead to increased discrimination, violence against LGBTQ individuals, and a general climate of fear and repression.

Moreover, the bill could have broader socio-economic repercussions. For instance, punitive measures against the LGBTQ community could affect international relations and economic support, as evidenced by warnings from international bodies and countries that value human rights and inclusivity​ (Wikipedia)​. The situation poses a complex challenge: balancing deeply ingrained cultural and religious values with modern human rights principles and global citizenship. This development is a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ rights and the necessity of vigilant advocacy and dialogue to uphold the dignity and rights of all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Mombasa, Then and Now

Annamaria on Monday

On my recent trip to Kenya, I had my heart set on my first visit to Kenya's first colonial capital:Mombasa, which had been famous since the Middle Ages.  Alas, the advice my fellow travelers and I received was "Now is not the time."  Radicals, evidently, are attacking their fellow Kenyans.   My fellow travelers and I opted for the nearest historic port city, Zanzibar. Boohoo.

Mombasa is the setting for the second in my Africa series, which is just now enjoying the release of a new and beautiful edition.  My planned visit would have been my first opportunity to see the legendary city in person, since when I was working on that story, my life circumstances did not allow for such travel.  How I wish that today I could have  my own firsthand description and photos to share with you.  But failing that, here is a glance at a factual (as opposed to my fictional) portrayal of the background town of Vera & Tolliver #2,

Quite a few cities on our sacred planet have become important because of their location: on an important coast with a natural, deep-river port.  Siracusa in Sicily, Cape Town. New Orleans, and New York leap immediately to mind.  Mombasa - on the Indian Ocean, became such a center of trade sometime around 900 A.D.  That trading village had early contacts with India and China and over the centuries grew, into the largest port on the east coast of Africa. with a current population of more than 1.2 million and the metropolitan region of 3.5 million.

The Portuguese arrived in the 16th Century, most famously led by the first European on the scene: Vasco da Gama in 1498.  Not finding an easy welcome, he eventually built Fort Jesus (a historic venue that appears often in my 1912 story).

After the uneasy and intermittently violent occupation by the Portuguese, next came a 1585 takeover by the Ottomans.  Mombasa's culture and language became predominantly Swahili.  Eventually, in the 18th Century, independent Sultans took charge, interrupted by a couple of years of British governance.

The British East Africa Association moved in on 25 May 1887 and came to stay.  Though the Sultan of Zanzibar retained a ten mile swath of the coast, including Mombasa, in exchange for a monetary tributes, he made the British Mombasa's governors.  The Brits went on to build the "Lunatic Express" railroad that you read about here a couple of week ago, and for a few years Mombasa was the capital of the Protectorate of British East Africa.

Mombasa continued to be largely a diverse but mostly a Muslim city, where Swahili was the local language.  (It is now the official language of Kenya.). Regardless of who was in charge, trade in Mombasa at the time was mostly in gold, ivory, sesame, millet, and coconuts. Nowadays, it is mostly coffee, tea, and food grown in the highlands and shipped to supermarkets in Great Britain.  

Kenya became an official colony of Great Britain in 1920.  From 1952 till 1960, all of Kenya suffered though the Mau Mau Rebellion or Kenya Emergency - A brutal battle on both sides. Finally, on the 12 December 1963 Kenya achieved independence.

Just three months before my failed February trip, King Charles III visited Kenya and Mombasa.  Perhaps if it was good enough for His Majesty it might have been good enough for me and my friends.  On the other hand, I would imagine the royal Brit had a better security detail than my friends and I could have mustered.  The local newpaper said, "The region has seen an increase in radicalization and militants kidnapping, or killing Kenyans."

I guess it is best we did not chance making that visit.  Mombasa has been there for 1124 years.  And Fort Jesus, the place I most wanted to see in person, has survived for 518.  There is hope that they will be there if I ever get a chance to try again.  In the meanwhile readers of The Idol of Mombasa can make the trip in my time machine.  And despite the murders in my story, nothing bad will happen to them when they take their imaginations to the exotic Kenya coast.  

A Frightening Thought Returns: Whose Woods These Are I Think I Know

 

Jeff — Saturday

 

My post last Saturday on the state of domestic violence in Greece triggered a followup topic I intended to explore today. Instead, though, I've decided to  spare the bloodshed and opt for the pastoral. 

 

We’re not talking Robert Frost here, but picture a day by quiet woods far removed from any public road. Deer graze in peace by a pasture while just beyond the borders of the farm hunters wait.  And geese drift upon a pond—still but for the ripples they create—seemingly oblivious to platter size snapping turtles lurking below.

Matt Groening's Scream travesty

Okay, so it’s more like a Stephen King pastoral, but don’t blame me for the tension of the setting, blame Jason.  And I don’t mean the one with the fleece.  I mean the Jason.  The one with the hockey mask.

For not so distant from my tranquil woods sits the actual site of the fictional Camp Crystal Lake.  From here launched one of America’s most successful media franchises, the very one that turned slasher Jason’s hockey mask into an immediately recognizable symbol of pop culture.  

My Woods

Thank you, Friday the 13^th (1980), for giving my woods that unique, special touch it lacked when the only distraction to its sylvan setting was the occasional wandering seven-hundred-pound black bear and entourage.  It makes me wonder how peacefully Thoreau would have slept had he known his beloved Walden Pond had a psycho past. 

John Blair (1802-1899)

I mean we’re talking about a sleepy, northwestern New Jersey community of less than 6000 souls nestled within the Great Appalachian Valley.  It was named after one of the richest men of the 19^th Century, John Insley Blair, who practiced philanthropy and managed his vast railroad and business empire from this rural town until his death at the age of ninety-seven--less than thirty days from the 20th Century.

Today, Blairstown is home to a prestigious private school, a private airport, and woods filled with summer camps for city kids—yes, all of the above is terrific fodder for a story, but why did they have to pick my woods for the film. 

Main Street Blairstown

 

I wasn’t living here when the movie was shot, but locals tell me they didn’t think much about it at the time.  Today, though, there’s no escaping that Friday the 13^th stands high in this community's history of significant cultural events.  Indeed, when twenty years later The Blair Witch Project launched as one of the most successful independent films of all time, some thought it another film linked to Blairstown but that distinct horror honor belongs solely to the woods of Maryland. 

Jason's woods

 

I still haven’t seen Friday the 13^th.  I spend a lot of time in those woods and have no desire to link the film’s images to my reality.  No need to be looking over my shoulder any more than the thought of it already has me doing—especially when I walk Jason’s woods after dark.  And just in case you think all this is a bit silly, Blairstown has another unique place in the history of modern American horror stories.  But this time the story is for real.

Two years after Jason first stalked Blairstown’s woods, and less than a month before he took up wearing the hockey mask in a sequel, the body of a petite fourteen to eighteen year-old female turned up murdered in a Blairstown cemetery.  She was named Princess Doe and became the first unidentified body entered into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computer system.  Nearly thirty years later, the crime remains unsolved.

 

Computer generated composite of Princess Doe

The wind is now rattling the panes of my garret window.  

Perhaps it’s a sign for me to return to fictional thoughts.  That’s not to suggest I actually believe Jason’s out there haunting my woods (he said prayerfully)…but I do have a farmer’s message for any itinerant, machete wielding wannabe: I use double-ought in my shotgun, sucker.

 

––Jeff

Jeff’s Upcoming Events

 

CrimeFest, Bristol UK

 

Panel THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2024 @ 17.00

“Overstepping the Mark: Abuses of Privilege and Power” with

Ajay Chowdhury, Alex North, Kate Ellis, Jeffrey Siger, Sam Holland (Moderator) 

 

Panel FRIDAY, 10 MAY 10 @ 17:10

“What a Thrill: Page-Turners and Cliff Hangers” with
Chris Curran, Antony Dunford, Charles Harris, Christine Poulson, Jeffrey Siger (Moderator)