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Bill Kurtis, anchor of the popular true-crime TV series Cold Case Files and American Justice, used to support the death penalty. But after observing the machinations of the justice system for thirty years, he came to a stunning realization that there can be no real justice in America until it is abolished.

In Death Penalty on Trial, Kurtis revisits two harrowing murder scenes, studies the evidence, and explores the tactical decisions made before and during trial, which sent two innocent men to death row. Through these cases, we encounter the eight main reasons why the wrong people are condemned to death, and we see why new forensic science techniques could touch off a revolution of reform. Ultimately we come to a remarkable conclusion: The possibility for error in our justice system is simply too great to allow the death penalty to stand. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Well thought out, well written
Its been a few months since I read this book so the information is not fresh in my mind.

My impression is that Mr. Kurtis did an excellent job of leading the reader to the conclusions he was striving for.
He uses wording carefully and it is evident he put a lot of thought into each point he was trying to make.His book is thought provoking, and is rather hash on American justice.As a result of reading this book I am now less likely to support the death penalty when there is any doubt as to the person's guilt.When there is absolutely no doubt I still support the death penalty, especially for cop killers.This country spends an enormous amount of money to defend people charged with crimes, but the justice system does make mistakes - which Bill so amply points out to the reader. Another good e.g. is the case of Tim Cole from Texas.He died in prison while serving a rape conviction that was horribly mishandled.I would suggest you Google for a review.This case and the two e.g.'s presented by Bill Kurtis are very troubling.They speak poorly of how some cases are judged in America, especially for poor or low income people.I would highly recommend this book.

Short but interesting
Written by the host of the TV show Cold Case Files, this book is quite short. It quickly covers 2 death penalty trials. It shows how easily innocent people can get convicted on scanty evidence by prosecutors who have more money to spend on the investigation and more talent to sell their case to the juries. Most defense attorneys who handle death penalty cases have no extra training and get paid very little by the state to defend the poor. The author argues that the U.S. trial system makes too many mistakes to be used as a death sentence.

If You Care About Justice, You Will Read This Book
I remember Bill Kurtis from when I was a teenager living in Chicago and watching him report the local news every night. I didn't know then that he had a law degree or a sharp-as-a-tack mind. Now I know both, and I'm thankful that he has put both to use in researching and writing this book.

The two case histories he profiles make for an engrossing read. They sound the alarm that something is definitely wrong in this country when it comes to our justice system.

This is a must-read for anyone who cares about the American justice system or the death penalty. The compelling case that Kurtis makes for abolishing the death penalty cannot be ignored.

Essential Reading!
Kurtis, an attorney and crime reporter, formerly supported the death penalty. However, Kurtis reports reversing his position upon learning of Illinois'Governor Ryan's decision to commute all the State's death sentences to life in prison after learning that 13 death row inmates had been subsequently found innocent. The book also summarized a nationwide study of 23 years of capital cases and found reversible errors in about 70%. (Similar findings from other studies were also briefly mentioned.)

Kurtis then provides details of how two death row inmates had been wrongly convicted. The first involved a fellow Phoenix-area resident - Ray Krone, found guilty in 1992 of murder on the basis of bite marks on the victim that supposedly matched Krone's teeth. Krone was sentenced to death. (There were no supporting fingerprints, and Krone had an alibi via a friend.)

Fortunately for Krone, a cousin who worked with dentists took interest in the case, and showed the bite-mark evidence to a forensic expert who immediately concluded that there was no match. Starting with an affidavit to that effect, the cousin then began efforts for a new trial, which was granted on the basis that the first trial's "bite-mark expert video" had been introduced too late for adequate defense review. In the subsequent retrial it was also brought out that the original prosecution bite-mark "expert" was actually a novice, and that his mentor had also concluded that Krone's teeth did not match. (This information had been kept from Krone's defense.) Nonetheless, Krone was again convicted, though this time the judge had doubts and sentenced him to life in prison.

Finally, after additional defense efforts, new DNA testing techniques were brought to bear on a previously untested piece of the victim's clothing. This time the results completely exonerated Krone, and identified the real killer (already in prison).

The "good news" is that Ray became the 100th person freed from death row since 1973; the "bad news" that he had spent about ten years in prison, and it required the strong efforts of relatives and about $120,000 from them for legal research.

Other common major problems cited in the book include inexperienced defense lawyers, prosecutors who lied or suppressed evidence, unreliable eyewitnesses, jailhouse informants trading "information" for leniency, and coerced confessions obtained by disreputable interrogation means.

The "bottom-line" for Kurtis is that our legal system is too unreliable for imposing the death penalty.

Very logical and thought out!
Whether or not you agree with the death penalty, this is a good book to check out. Kurtis gives eight solid reasons why one should be against the death penalty, and then uses two cases to back those reasons (he gives different examples on the video he has on the same subject for those who believe that only two examples are cursory).

Once a death penalty advocate himself, Kurtis changes his mind after Gov. George Ryan commutes the sentence of 164 men after DNA evidence exonerated 13 men (not 2 like the previous reader who couldn't stand it when people falsify info in book reviews said, haha). After hearing about these events, Kurtis looked deep into the judicial system to discover why so many men on death row were found innocent. The flaws he found are listed in the book.

A good read for someone who likes to strengthen their own ideas or find out what the opposition is saying. The language is easy to understand and interesting as opposed to technical. If this book doesn't make you at least think a little, you don't think! :) ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Illinois River boat people will love this book
If you are "into" the river, from the Midwest or love boating, you will love this book.It's not for the casual reader who loves beautiful pictures.It is an individual, personal and moving tale through one person's "very personal feelings" about boating the Illinois River and those feelings and views.Very worth the price for a lover of all this.

Excellent book!
Gary Marx paints a facinating picture of the history and geography of the Illinois River and peoples it with such interesting individuals and their stories! The gorgeous photographs of Daniel Overturf and the maps tie it all together. You do not have to live in Illinois to enjoy this book but it makes you want to live there! I recommend it highly.A River Through Illinois ... Read more

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Celebrate the compelling richness of the Kansas landscape with this new collection of photographs from Kansas! Magazine.The 160-page hardcover book also celebrates the life of former Kansas! editor Andrea Glenn. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Forever Kansas
I bought this as a gift for someone who had spent a few years working in Kansas but is now leaving.I wanted her to remember our state, and the book beautifully accomplishes this. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Must for the "live" reporter!
In all my years in the profession and as an educator, I have found few books as useful and relevant as this one. Mr. Arya is among the top live reporters in the country. He has earned some of the top honors in all of journalism. If you want to learn how to report live, buy it. If you want to get better at live, buy it. There is no other book like it! It is an easy read that hits every nail right on the head.

Great Resource
This is a great resource for aspiring reporters and for those who have been in the business for just a couplle of years. Mr. Arya presents a straight forward - honest look at what it takes to be a good live reporter in a very difficult field. The tips are very valuable to students and thosejust starting out in this field. They are also good to those who areworking in live television but who are uncomfortable with the livepresentation. This is a nice resource for all live reporters - a reminderof what it takes to make it work successfully. ... Read more

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With devotion and artistry, photographer Jon Ortner has captured the essence of the sacred lands and ancient traditions of the world's most mysterious region.

Retracing the journeys of holy men and shamans, he has traveled thousands of miles, over more than two decades, to portray spectacular landscapes, architectural marvels, and mystical peoples.

His inspiring images--more than 300 in full color--vividly bring to life Asia's revered topography, from the highest mountains and deepest gorges of the Himalayas to the once forbidden temples of Myanmar and Cambodia. Here are the world's oldest city, Varanesi on India's Ganges River, majestic Angkor Wat, the largest temple ever built, and the volcanic peaks of Bali--magical landscapes infused with sanctity. His portraits of people are equally compelling, ranging from simply clad ascetics engaged in ancient rites to gorgeously costumed dancers performing at the same sites as their ancestors.

The compelling narratives that accompany these haunting photographs trace the evolution of Hinduism and Buddhism as well as provide a travelog of the region and an appreciation of the teaching of these holy peoples, making this a book that will be welcomed by those who have traveled to spiritual Asia and by those who have yet to experience these unique lands. ... Read more

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When most people think of the Chicago metropolitan area they usually don't envision captivating natural beauty, but within a 55-mile radius of the city there are no less than five distinctive ecosystems, including tall-grass prairies, oak savannas, forests, lakeshores, and wetlands. Several of the natural communities preserved here are among the rarest in the world, including 181 species listed as endangered or threatened. These spectacular color photographs uncover Chicago's natural wonders, including vistas of shooting stars at Chiwaukee Prairie, blazing star and goldenrod at Gensburg-Markham Prairie, a luscious green canyon at Camp Sagawau, a pair of sandhill cranes feeding along the banks of the Fox River, a carpet of trilliums in Messenger Woods, fog rising over the Volo bog, and a fox family venturing out at dawn. ... Read more

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Chapters: Louise Brooks, William Inge, Vivian Vance, Bill Kurtis, Gareth Porter, Johnny Rutherford, Mildred "Micky" Axton, Sheila C. Bair, William Wadsworth Hodkinson, Kenneth Mcfarland, Helen Foster, Claude Wendell Horton, Sr., Ron Kenoly, Harry Hines Woodring, Dave Baker, Eva Jessye, Sam Avey, James Grauerholz, Carrie Ingalls, Denver David Hargis, Scott Hastings, Maxwell Davis, Phil Ehart, Mary Howard de Liagre, Cynthia Sikes, Ron Warner, Omar Knedlik, Wade Flemons. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 117. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Mary Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 August 8, 1985), generally known by her stage name Louise Brooks, was an American dancer, model, showgirl and silent film actress, famous for popularizing the bobbed haircut. Brooks is best known for her three feature roles including two G. W. Pabst films: in Pandora's Box (1929), Diary of a Lost Girl (1929), and Prix de Beauté (Miss Europe) (1930). She starred in 17 silent films and, late in life, authored a memoir, Lulu in Hollywood. Born in Cherryvale, Kansas, Louise Brooks was the daughter of Leonard Porter Brooks, a lawyer, who was usually too busy with his practice to discipline his children, and an artistic mother who determined that any "squalling brats she produced could take care of themselves". Myra Rude was a talented pianist who played the latest Debussy and Ravel for her children, inspiring them with a love of books and music. None of this protected her nine-year old daughter Louise from sexual abuse at the hands of a neighborhood predator. This event had a major influence on Brooks's life and career, causing her to say in later years that she was incapable of real love, and that this man "must have had a great deal to do with forming my attitude toward sexual pleasure....For me, nice, soft, easy ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=187904 ... Read more

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Onboard a ship of mercy, the Anastasis, (translated as “resurrection”) gives true meaning to her name. A 522-foot floating hospital “gives back life” to the rejected souls that come out in droves to be treated by the skilled volunteer doctors and surgeons on board.Shunned by society and often treated as outcasts in their communities, these victims of gross deformities come with hope in their heart for healing.Share their stories of challenges and victories as we view modern day medical servants in action. Meet the doctors who hear the call of God to ease the suffering of the afflicted. Meet the patients as they cope with horrible disfigurements and difficult conditions prior to surgery. Watch the miraculous recoveries as doctors perform medical makeovers that really matter. Without the help of Mercy Ships, many of these patients would die.On this DVD, you will learn the meaning of volunteer service for God, and witness sacrifices the volunteers and their families make to become more like Jesus. Experience the cultures of the patients and what they must endure as their society misunderstands their condition, often laying the blame on “evil spirits”. Watch people transformed as Mercy Ships delivers their gift of healing to needy patients, one exclaiming, “It is a Gift from God”!
A Total Living Network Production, hosted by Bill Kurtis.
Total run time approximately 44 minutes, plus DVD extras.
As seen on television.
... Read more

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This stunning book/CD combination features the famous and infamous moments of the 20th century as announced in actual news broadcasts. The words and images that define these 47 history-changing events have forever etched these moments in our minds. 150 photos & 50 duotone photos.Amazon.com Review
Beginning with the explosion of the dirigibleHindenburg in 1937, this book and double-CD collection of audiobroadcasts recalls a series of dramatic events so urgent that theyinterrupted regularly scheduled broadcasting in America. The text ofthis package includes capsule explanations of such events as theattack on Pearl Harbor and the death of Elvis, accompanied by dramaticblack-and-white stock photos. Introduced by the sonorous voice of TVjournalist Bill Kurtis, the recordings of the news broadcasts revivethe panic and thrill of some of the defining moments (mostly American)of the 20th century.

We Interrupt This Broadcast offers, in some ways, a strangeview of the past. News that interrupts broadcasts is alwayssensational, and usually tragic. Of the 39 recordings, only five or sodon't involve assassinations, explosions, death or defeat;furthermore, only the deaths of Marilyn Monroe and Princess Dianarepresent the female side of modern events. Nevertheless, theserecordings will fascinate many listeners too young to have heard theoriginal broadcasts, and those who were alive might enjoy hearing themagain in all their crackling, nostalgic glory. --Maria Dolan ... Read more

Customer Reviews (52)

A very, very interesting book.
This book "We Interrupt This Broadcast" is, from my point of view, a very, very interesting book, either just for practising spoken and written English or just for recalling those most remarkable news of recent years. Very good condition, excellent service. Highly recommended.

We Interrupt This Broadcast
The book and accompanying CD are very good and very historic, any history buff would be glad to own this book. I bought one for myself and my son and we both enjoy them greatly. We both highly recommend it.

We Interrupt this Broadcast
This book allows people to relive those news events that made history and truly were worthy of interrupting regular-scheduled programming.It seems that whenever we see the words "special report" or something similar on a television or hear it on the radio our heart skips a beat.Particularly since 9-11 this is true.But not everytime disaster or worse is being reported.Recently in Minnesota they interrupted programming with a "special report" only to inform us our professional hockey team had been sold.Big deal!

But those items included in this book are the real deal.Attacks, political happenings, murders, etc. all make their way into this book.For the real enthusiast, there are two CDs included so the events may be relived over again.

This book is a good summary of what happened, written by Bill Kurtis, who reported many of them first hand.While not the best book ever written, it will hit home to many, with an eerie sense of the fears and concerns first broadcast.

M.I.A.
Missing from this book: Mt ST Helen's eruption on 5/18/80, Passing of Ronald Regan,Space Shuttle Columbia should be added in the next edition. Regular broadcasting was inerupted for these stories. Otherwise this book is worth it.

If you like history you will want to have thisbook
Perhaps one of the most innovative ways to study and share history, We Interrupt This Broadcast contains not only information on 43 of the most important events of the 20th century but also actual audio tracks from the original radio broadcasts.The stories told and broadcasts heard range from the Hindenburg explosion to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan's Surrender, Lee Harvey Oswald's Assassination, Martin Luther King Jr.'s Assassination, Apollo 13, the Kent State Massacre, Nixon's resignation, the shooting of President Reagan, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the O. J. Simpson saga, Princess Diana's death, the 2000 election, and finally the September 11th attacks, as well as 29 other historically important events.Each event is described in detail including important facts leading up to the event and the effect it had on the U.S.We Interrupt This Broadcast is very highly recommended and should be in the library of everyone who loves or teaches history. ... Read more

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2 Cassettes. ... Read more

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This VHS documentary (50 minutes), part of the Investigative Reports series from A&E, takes a look inside the managed care HMO system of health insurance. Narrated by Investigative Reports host and producer Bill Kurtis, this video features in-depth talks with doctors who are forced by the HMO rules to monitor and heavily restrict the type of care they offer their patients. In many HMO plans, medical tests are limited, medicines are restricted, and certain doctors are ruled off-limits. Interviews with patients whose health has been affected by this lack of care bring to light the problem with managed care medicine in this country. Some HMO officials talk about their system and how it is normally supposed to work, contradicting the HMO doctors, who claim that all the insurance companies want is to make as much money as possible. ... Read more