The Harbinger...

"Sooner or later you'll go up for it.

In this town you probably could have gotten away with it.

And you didn't even have the guts to do it alone.

You put your trust in guys like these... not the most dependable of God's creatures.

Sooner or later they'll get the idea you're playing them for saps.

What'll you do then? Peel them off, one by one?

And in the meantime if any one of them breaks, you'll go down hard. 

Because they got something on you. 

Something to use when things get tough."

A Very Bad Day at Rocha Negra

The above words were taken from the 1955 movie Bad Day at Black Rock and were spoken by the late, great Spencer Tracy.


Apply to whom and whatever you will...

Goncalo Amaral and the Silence of the British Media

The silence of the British media in the missing Madeleine McCann case has always been a bone of contention for many knowledgeable people.  They failed to report extensively on the important negative aspects of missing Madeleine's case.  Negative aspects affecting Madeleine's parents, that is.


Not reported in much detail was a witness sighting who identified Mr McCann as the possible 'abductor'.  Yet reported extensively was Ms Tanner's unreliable sighting of a person walking this way, that way and carrying a bundle, a child or maybe she was looking at her own reflection?


Not reported in any detail were either of the Gaspar statements or Leicestershire Police's failure to forward them to the Portuguese authorities until 6 months down the line.  Yet reported extensively were false sightings, balloon releases and urges for more, more, more money.


There is a myriad of press that the media have failed to report, instead they have chosen to paint the sunny side of the saintly parental 'victims'.


They failed to question why the Portuguese AND British police had suspicions of the parents.  And they failed to question just what that cadaver dog marked in Apartment 5a, on Mrs McCann's clothing and on Madeleine's favourite toy, Cuddlecat.


The British media failed.  They failed to remember that Madeleine McCann is the only victim in this case and should have reported accordingly.  The only victim in this case is still missing, the British media should be seeking the truth instead of simply reporting the parents' and their friends' differing and contradicting version of events.


We have been purged with inacurate articles about Keystone Cops, failures in investigations and corrupt policemen.  One in particular was lead investigator, Goncalo Amaral.  The British media encouraged their readership to believe that Senor Amaral was sacked, disgraced, took two hour lunchbreaks and drank more wine than a night out at the Tapas.  This was all untrue.  The man was truly smeared in the worst possible fashion.


It seems now that it's Goncalo Amaral's turn to silence the British media.  Almost 12 hours after the news surfaced about the overturning of his book being banned, only one British paper carries the news... The Guardian.  Even this report is misleading in relation to the Attorney General's statement... please point me to the part where he says the McCanns are 'entirely innocent'.   Several other media sources all over the world have been reporting for hours that the books are to be back on the shelves, dvds can be viewed and Senor Amaral can openly speak again about his views on the case.  Yet only a squeak from the great British media - has no-one called Sky?  They claim to be 'first for breaking news'... another massive fail.


What a travesty that in this case, 8 parents can go out to a restaurant for the night, leaving all their children alone in empty apartments to fend for themselves.  This results in one child going missing and cadaver odour being detected left, right and centre.  Yet the one person to appear in court is Goncalo Amaral.  For what?  Seeking the truth?


I sincerely hope that Senor Amaral sees this silence as a green light and takes a leaf from the Book of McCann... the British media certainly owe this man an apology at the very least.

Zahra Clare Baker

I've been following this case briefly on Twitter with the hope of news that the child was found.  Call me naive, but I was shocked to hear that the Amber Alert for Zahra had been cancelled and a homicide investigation had begun.  And also that Zahra's father and step-mother may be involved in her disappearance.


The latest news is that the police have no idea where to search, as they have no idea how long Zahra has been missing.  Outside her parents, no-one else has seen her for a month.


I'm normally a level-headed, caring person but this case has affected me surprisingly badly.


What a tragedy that this little girl, who not only survived bone cancer but also coped daily with her disabilities, has possibly had her life ended at the tender age of 10 years old.


Zahra has already escaped the clutches of death once - she deserves a medal and the right to a long life ahead of her, certainly not death at the hands of others.

McNobbled...?

I came across an interesting word tonight and thought I'd share it with you... nobble, the inspiration for which I have to give a right royal thanks! 


At first glance, it appears to be a friendly little word... nicely rounded with an even amount of letters.  On closer view however, it actually has a nasty meaning which gets quite sinister if you investigate further...


nobble [ nóbb'l ] 
(3rd person present singular nobbles, present participle nobbling, past and past participle nobbled)
transitive verb 


Definition :

1. accost somebody: to make contact with somebody, especially in order to persuade that person to do something
2. influence somebody: to influence or persuade somebody using underhand or illegal means such as lies, threats, or bribes... an attempt to nobble the judges
3. disable racehorse: to prevent a racehorse from winning a race by drugging or disabling it
4. cheat somebody: to swindle or defraud somebody
5. steal something: to steal something from its owner
6. seize somebody: to seize hold of somebody


Now, I'm weighing up those definitions in one hand, and in the other hand I have everything that I've sucked in like a hungry sponge over the last three and a half years.   You could be forgiven for wondering if a nice bit of nobbling came into the equation somewhere along the line?


Schoolchildren eagerly setting up jumble sales.
Elderly people giving their last. 
Witnesses being visited by strangers. 
Glass-eyed men - this comes under multi-nobbling but by just how many?
Forums, blogs, threads, all gone.
Journalists and reporters writing half truths and inane dribble.


Just how many individuals and high rankers have been accosted by our sinister little word nobble?


The new Crack Team - have they been deployed to seek and find or seek and nobble?  Are they only semi-permanent because you just can't manage nobbling full time?


Wide awake nightmares of being nob nobbled, nib nabbed and being the big, bad nobbler.  Who was nobbled, who did the nobbling and did the nobbling actually work?  Are you paid to nobble or do you do it for free?  Does nobbling come with a guarantee or is it simply nobble and be gone? Do you become a nobblette once you've been nobbled?


Well... all this talk of mind-boggling nobbling is making my eyes water!  Looking at definition number 3, I always knew there was a reason Red Rum kept popping up in this case... or was that Mur Der?

Top 10 McCann Clangers

Or in other words, gobsmackers or things that made my jaw drop.  To be honest, there are far more than 10 things, but these are just off the top of my head...

Random Photographs
There are many to choose from, but those infamous 'happy' photos taken outside the church in Praia de Luz on the 12th May 2007, just 9 days after their daughter vanished without a trace are just too much.

Press Conferences
Most of these appear to be read from a script including their plea to the 'abductor' on the 4th May, and later only certain questions were privy for an answer.

Two press conferences have stuck in my mind - the first showed the waiting press pack during mid-May 2007.  All eagerly awaiting confirmation that the monies donated would be well spent on private investigators to aid the Portuguese police.  After all, everyone expected it, especially those who donated - instead we were informed about the crack team of lawyers hired and details of the position of Campaign Manager - no PIs.  If a pin had dropped, it most certainly would have been heard...

And secondly is perhaps one of the most well known... gutsy Sandra Felgeiras asks the question of the moment - did you know Robert Murat?
Did you know Robert Murat?

A Cowering Child
Kate McCann describing the moment she discovered Madeleine missing to Oprah Winfrey, she checked to see if she was cowering in the wardrobe... cowering?


Forward Thinking?
We've had a search fund created, future events planned and the delayed release of information and photographs.  All things long-term.  Yet short-term, not much - there is very little mention of the huge reward on offer and it appears that no-one has ever tried to claim it.  It really did appear that Madeleine's discovery would not happen any time soon.

The Good Parenting Guide
Mr McCann stating that everything they had done was within the realms of responsible parenting!  What idiot told him that, I wonder?  I can only guess on that one.

The McCanns Never Physically Searched
From the horse's mouth in an interview with Jane Hill from the BBC.
Search? We've been working really hard...

Intimidating Witnesses?
Brian Kennedy, backer and funder of the McCanns apparently making visits in person to witnesses and the other arguido in the case, Robert Murat.

The Gaspar Statements
These statements were given very early in the case to Leicestershire Police, and withheld for 6 months before being passed onto the Portuguese police.  These statements gave another view of the case which may or may not have steered the whole investigation into another grimmer direction.  Irrespective of what you think of these statements, they should have been passed on immediately.
Drs Katherina and Arul Gaspars' Statements with thanks to Pamalam.

The Dogs
The results of the dogs' presence in Praia de Luz really has me dumbfounded and perhaps the most compelling thing that makes me question what really happened to Madeleine.  Out of numerous locations, these dogs only marked the scent of a dead body in the McCanns apartment, car and clothing.  And on Madeleine's cuddlecat toy.
The Dogs in Action

And the McCanns' Response?
This imo was not normal... your daughter is missing, the scent of a dead body is found in the apartment she went missing from and in your hire car.  Wouldn't you demand that the police investigate the previous occupants and users of both the apartment and car thoroughly?  Wouldn't you show the slightest concern for your missing child?  Or would you try to excuse the 'smell' by blaming it on rotting food and dirty nappies?