News and Media Books

I really liked The Serious Kiss by Mary Hogan. For her first book, she did a great job making her characters believable and easy to relate to. Although I haven't had to experience all of the awful things that Libby, the main character, had to go through, I can sympathize with her. I feel very lucky not to have an alcoholic father who loses everything and forces our family to move to a retirement trailer park with a grandma that i've never met in the middle of no where. But most of all, I am extremely happy not to be Libby and have to leave my house, school, best friend and almost boyfriend. This book makes you really think about your own life and hopefully realize like I did, that life isn't always as bad as it seems. Things could always be worse ot could even get better.

i loved this book.it is so crazy with the characters libby is so awsome and whe she kisses the guy it is so so romantic.i would recommended this book to my 7th grader friends and to anyone else thats in love.it totally rocks!!!!!!!!!

I bought this book because I LUV the cover! It looks just like my dog, PeeWee. But, when I read it, I quickly saw that it's much more than a book about a dog. The story was so great, I read every night after I was supposed to be a sleep. It's totally REAL. Like real life. Awesome! Why aren't there more books like this?? I can't wait to read Mary Hagen's next book!!

Libby is struggling against Creation. You know the big debate, nurture vs. nature? Well, either way, Libby is in trouble, with her alcoholic father and a mother who overeats, and whose idea of a wholesome meal is a large pizza from Dominos or a red and white bucket from KFC. But amidst the chaos, Libby is determined to experience It. True love in the form one perfect, unforgettable kiss from the One. And with the way things are going, her dream may not be that far off.

But all of her plans are disrupted when her father's drinking leaves him jobless, friendless, and ultimately, their family homeless. Libby's family must pack up and leave the only home she's ever known and move out in the middle of nowhere. She's devastated, humiliated, and hurt. But slowly she'll learn to find peace within herself, and maybe come to find beauty and life in the middle of the desert.

The Serious Kiss is quite an accomplishment of a first novel. It deals with many heavy issues at once in such a way that you can only feel deep empathy for Libby and at the same time deep admiration for her as she's dealt blow after blow, but still manages to bounce back. The characters are all far from perfect, but each is honest and significant. Hogan has a way with details that breathe life into each element of the story, giving the reader a more realistic reading experience. Eye-opening, a bit quirky, humorous, and poignant, The Serious Kiss is the sort of book that won't leave you any time soon, and it'll very easily become a favorite as this resilient heroine still manages to move on and learn to let go.

The Serious Kiss is a great book. I love all of the crazy characters in this book. It's about a girl named Libby that has a crazy family and her best friend and she had made a deal that they each would have a serious kiss before the end of the school year. But everything goes wrong when her family moves to the desert and she finds out that she has a grandmother that she thought was dead and they end up moving into a trailer park. Her grandmother had the trailer put right next to hers, which makes everything even worse. Her dad and her grandmother hadn't spoken to each other in 20 years and she doesn't fit in at her new school. Also, her family is different from other families. So if you love the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series by Louise Rennison I am positive you will like this book also.

Shadow Cats was such an exciting story-and I am not even a cat lover. A dog person like me would never have guessed that rescuing kittens on the streets and back alleys of New York City could be so fraught with drama. J. Jensen took me places I never knew existed and I've lived here for 20 years. Her sensitive descriptions of felines made me want to own one. She proves that nature provides us with adventure no matter where we live. I've read stories about safaris in Africa that weren't half this enthralling.

This book is a combination of suspenseful drama, personal journey, and expose of inner city feral cats and those who love them. I couldn't put it down. I wanted to know what happened next to these feral cats with names and personalities, living on the edge of living or dying. Janet Jensen's writing was suspenseful and personal, making me care for these otherwise unwanted and unnoticed creatures of the night. I became acutely aware of an underground of cat lovers who take many risks in order to care for these unwanted orphans. Although it reads like a novel, the book is also full of useful and fascinating information.

Janet Jensen is a one of kind feral friend. She not only helps the feral cats in NYC, she understands their nature & needs. I have read many books on feral cats. Most approach them as wild, separate unapproachable animals. Janet challenges that conception. She shows how respect & love for our fellow creatures through understanding & care can cut through red tape, help mobilize caring people and keep a watchful, loving eye on animals that both need us & need their space. A must read for any feral activist.

I just loved this book. I was recommended it by my dogwalker of all people (http://www.petaholics.com). It is a very interesting book, don't miss it.

Heartwarming look at cats not quite so lucky as those who share our laps and hearts. It also is a facinating portrayal of people who go the extra mile for cats who cross their paths. You do not have to be a cat lover to appreciate this book but by the end of the book you may be one

The Best Review Yet by Kourtney Howard







Full House the Substitute Teacher
By: Cathy East Dubowski

Michelle Tanner is your normal average girl. She's really nice and cool. Michelle loves to spell.


When Michelle gets to school she has a sub. So she asks her friends if they want to sink the sub. So when they take roll they all say the wrong names. Then after a few more pranks he quits and makes Michelle the teacher. Then she had to teach three kids how to spell their spelling words. When she gets home she tells her dad what a good day she had.


Michelle Tanner's school


Michelle and her class pull pranks on the substitute.


I loved this book because it took me on a lot of adventures.

Full House The Substitute Teacher
By:Cathy East Dubowski


Michelle Tanner is your regulare avrage girl.Shes smart and realy good in spelling.Shes realy nice to her friends and is cool.


When Michelle gets home from schoolshe tells her Uncle Jesse,that she is going to have a substitute teacher for the next few days.So he tells her how they would always try to sink the sub.So she tells her friends about that. Now they want to do that so they switch names. When he calls role they all say the wrong names. Then after a few more pranks, Mr. Kalowskie quites and makes Michelle and Lee teach the class. Then she has to teach three second grade kids how to spell their splelling words. When she gets home she tells her dad what a great day she had.


Michelle Tanner's school


They have a sub and they pull pranks on him.

I love this story because it was entertaning and takes you on alot of adventures.

Michelle and her friends try to trick the substitute teacher and then find out it's his first time substituting. They keep doing it. I thought it was an excellent book. You should read it.

Read this if you enjoy school like I do.. Or if you are the type who likes to play tricks on substitutes...

I recommend everyone this book because it tells us about we should not be bad to a teacher even if it's a substitute. We should not play tricks on them. And we should not listen to Uncle Jesse and Joey.

This is a short book (80 pages) about cats, and the weird things they do. There really isn't a lot of reading involved - this is more of a pictorial. Very good, descriptive pictures portray the things we love about cats the most - their weirdness and individuality (or so you thought until you see this book & realize ALL cats do this stuff!)

For the cat lover - this book is a must! You will thoroughly enjoy this fun loving book! Included is a Kitty Weirdness Scale (KWS) so that you can score your own cat and compare him/her to other cats. One excerpt; 275 points or more "Verify that your animal is not a Tasmanian Devil."

A few of my personal favorites in this book include Laziness, Drinking, Body Language, and (I'm sorry to say it) Barfing. These pictures are the best in describing cats and the (definately weird) things they do!!

Enjoy! I sure did!!

1smileycat :-)

Very interesting, had very good drawings of real live cats. This entertaining piece of mind, had sub-topics and scoring. Most enjoyable for your inner love of cats. Covers most antics of cats, from vainess to drooling. Last, but not least, my personal favorite, the kws scale (kitty weirdness scale). Has a delightful description on every level. I highly reccomend this book.

Great book with brilliant art pictorial descriptions of weird behavior. I am afraid that all of mine are off the scale. However it id difficult to find a behavior that is not in the book. With the exception of washing the caned food in the water dish like some sort of raccoon.
In the back of the book is an attempt to help you deal with these little (ok maybe big) wierdies.

This is one funny book! I have finally found someone who is as crazy about cats as am I. Missy Dizick clearly knows cats and cat owners. Plus, her art is beautiful!I know that my cats are crazy and that is one thing that I love about them. Dogs are . . . BORING. I recommend this book to all of my cat-loving friends and they tell me that they love it also. Thanks, Missy.

My cats...you should meet them, they're insane. And until I bought this book, I thought that a) I was the only one with odd cats and b) perhaps my perceptions were clouded. No, it's true, my beadspread sucking, flapping and screaming, last pair of pantyhose shredding, gettin' stuck on the roof overnight, fighting with the wrong dogg kitties, all 12 of them, just test really high in the KWS, or Kitty Wierdness Scale. Missy Dizick writes from the perspective of a person who could only have many very wierd cats who shred seedlings, eat wierd stuff, and so on. Even after 30 or so readings, this book still has me rolling on the floor every time. I laugh so hard that my abs are improving just from this book. It's been loaned to so many cat loving friends it's falling apart. You must have this book. Its so funny you won't believe it.

I am a first year Veterinary Student. My study partner did not have as much of a base in biochem as I did. While trying to bring her to my level, I found this book. When I loaned it to her, she showed it to her boyfriend, a resident in the Teaching Hospital. He promptly asked to borrow it to use to prepare an upcoming talk. This is obviously a book for those who need a quick reminder, as well as those who are very smart and need to learn this info.

Although the book is only in two colors, the diagrams are clear and helpful, and the text is wonderful. I can't wait to get it back!

An outstanding biochemistry textbook presented in a functionally and clinically relevant manner.
Although there are numerous biochemistry textbooks available, none of the available texts presents the information in a dynamic, easy to read manner as Dr. Engelking's textbook does. Numerous diagrams in the book are excellent visual aids to understand clinical biochemistry. Metabolic disorders and the disease processes resulting from biochemical defects are presented succinctly in this book. Biochemistry and physiology, and anatomical principles are skillfully integrated in this book by the author. Such a presentation makes this an extremely helpful resource text for the Veterinary Medical students. This textbook will be extremely helpful to the clinicians as a quick and easy to understand reference source.

This text has been written for well-prepared veterinary students who have had prior undergraduate training in biochemistry, for interns and residents, and for practicing veterinarians who wish to update their general knowledge of physiological chemistry. Emphasis has been placed upon instructional figures and tables, while text material has been held to a minimum. Several multiple choice questions at the end of each chapter aid in gauging the reader's comprehension of the subject matter, while overviews at the head of each chapter summarize key concepts.

Care has been exercised in the preparation of this text to present a clear and concise discussion of the basic physiological chemistry of mammalian cells, to relate events at the cellular level to biochemical processes in the whole animal, and to cite examples of deviant biochemical events where appropriate. Emphasis has been placed upon metabolism, with topics appropriately sequenced to permit the development of a broad and in-depth knowledge base in physiological chemistry.

Although care has been exercised to include relevant subject matter in a concise, up-to-date and reliable fashion, all authors are fallible, with this one being no exception. Therefore, when errors or serious omissions are detected, or if clarity of presentation should be improved, mature and constructive feedback via an e-mail directly to the author (rather than through Amazon.com) would be genuinely appreciated.

This is a clinically relevant book ! I can not imagine practicing
without it in my reference library. It is well organized and particularly
helpful in managing chronic diseases such as diabetes and
chronic nephritis. A good practice investment.

There are two basic types of biochemistry texts. One emphasizes biomolecules and their reactions, while the other concerns itself with biochemical explanations of physiological phenomena. This text manages to merge the two approaches with concise, accurate, and comprehensive writing, and with illustrations that are almost self-explanatory. It should be strongly considered by those seeking a clear, lucid and readable account of the metabolic machinery of animals.

I hav'int read this book but by the way this girl skakes her mini i can tell she been used up a bad bok bt still you should read it, it's GOOD!!

This book was terrific! It is a must read for all teenagers. It has a quick plot with at least one character that everyone, no matter who you are, can identify with. I'd recommend it to everyone!!!

Though it was set in the cold muddy tundra of Alaska, 'Unseen Companion' reminded me of 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. Dove Alexie is as mysterious and haunting as Boo Radley, though he's a completely different kind of character. The reader is left with a sense of outrage at the racial injustice that takes place, and yet there is humor to lighten the darkness. The characters of Lorraine and her mother are particularly enjoyable. Though the narrators (four of them) are all teenagers, this is not just a book for teens, any more than 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is a children's book because the narrator is a child. The narrators speak in an authentic vernacular, and yet the writing is lyrical and beautiful. The images of stars and planets wheel in the background, along with the wonder of man's first step on the moon. I expect this book to become a classic.

"Bethel, Alska- a small community in a stark landscape where a powerful and richly textured story spins together, one voice at a time.
It is late 1960s as beaten teenaged Dove Alexie sits in prison. One day, Dove suddenly vanishes, and there is nothing in the prison records to mark his arrival and departure. Out of the tundra, four young people step forward with their sotries.
Lorianne Hobbs, a precious loner who brings meals to the prison; Annette Weinland, the local ministers daoughter, who volenteers at the prison; Thelma Cooke and Edger Kwaigly, two yup'ik adolescents orphand and displaced from their native communtites.
At the core of each narriation is Dove - and the mystery of his disaperance.
lIke planets in the solar system, these four young people travel in seperate orbits with an unseen companion,..... Dove! Denise Gsoliner Orenstein's masterpiece of interviewing voices captures the complexities of human exisitence with humor and insight."

After reading that I can tell that there are going to be alot of discription, because they way she ties the solar system into the review of the story, I know she has imagination.
So I would really want you to read this book!

This book was recommended by a friend, and I have to say I am eternally grateful to her. I couldn't put it down. Ms. Orenstein writes with compassion and understanding of the complexities which bind and separate people. And in a single paragraph I was often moved to both laughter and tears.

In addition to a compelling plot -- a young man who is jailed and then seemly disappears (the book is also a bit of a mystery story!) -- the author rights authoritatively about Alaska, making you almost believe you have visited the town of Bethel, and have wandered its street, and feel your heart tugged by the relentless poverty and isolation. More than anything, she writes of the terrible toll this takes on the children, who have no escape.

READ THIS BOOK! I hope it finds its way into many hands, and that the author receives the recognition she deserves. Barbara Johnson

The only problem I had with this book is that I was on a short vacation with my family and was constantly being dragged away to go have some fun. I couldn't wait to get back to it.
Brian Gari is a terrific writer and storyteller. I felt as if I were right there with him and could almost taste the pain, joy, heartbreak and excitement as he navigated his way through that incredible experience.
One of the best things about this book is that it tells a great deal about what the theater on Broadway is like. I would say that almost all of us out here in the hinterland have no idea how a play gets to Broadway. If you're interested in that aspect, this book will enlighten you.
If you want to read a good book, try this one.

When Brian Gari goes into reminisce mode, two things happen: You feel like you were there, and you feel his joy/pain/frustration/laughter/amazement at how the Broadway business worked back then, and frankly not much has changed except the budgets. Brian has crafted a wonderful book, that frankly, would make a great movie, or Broadway show itself. If you love the innerworkings of show business, you will love this book.

The musical that I once collaborated on opened Off-Broadway and never did make it to Broadway. Mr. Gari's book reminded me of just how difficult the "process" was.
The lyricist fights with the script writers, the composer fights with the lyricist (At least Mr. Gari, lyrics AND music, didn't have to fight that fight) and everyone fights with the director - who usually wins. And, of course, EVERYONE knows how to make the show work - but no one is on the same page.
A noted Broadway composer once grinned and asked me, "How do you like the process?" He knew!
Congratulations to Mr. Gari for bulling his way through the nonsense and the egos and getting to Broadway, and congratulations for his very enjoyable book, filled with pain and laughter. All prospective Broadway writers should read this book - and then take some time to brace themselves for a roller coaster ride to the theater.......
My thanks to Brian Gari for a fine reading experience.

If you're a "Theater Queen" ( or King ! ),don't make any immediate plans once you start reading Mr. Gari's book, because you may not want to put it down for a while.
It's the engrossing tale,told from the inside, of the creation of a musical from the germ of an idea to Opening Night ( or Nite ! ) on Broadway,to, sadly, its closing not too long after. You get to see the very real people and the process behind the making of a musical.
Brian Gari documents everything so thoroughly that you just may see your own name in the book - - or at least that of a friend !
Recommended.

For everyone who thinks making it in show business looks easy, Brian Gari has provided an unusually candid and entertaining account of its highs and lows.

Brian conceived a musical called "Late Nite Comic," based on an eventful personal relationship and convinced others that the show should be produced. He recounts in fascinating detail the excitement of bringing the musical to life tempered by the many disappointments borne of competing egos and creative differences. Especially interesting is the parade of actors and actresses who were considered for roles in "Late Nite." Some names are familiar to Broadway fans. Equally compelling is the story Brian tells of pouring his heart and soul into song after song about his ill-fated love affair, some of the effort coming after it became clear even to him that "Late Nite Comic" was troubled.

The story ends on a very positive note as Brian details his efforts once the show closed to record and promote the score. The reader can't help but notice that once Brian assumed promotional responsibilities for his material, awareness of the show increased. To this day, the original cast album of "Late Nite Comic" remains available, a tribute to Brian's determination and the appeal of the music itself.

Brian writes terrific pop tunes. Reading this story and his commitment to getting his music heard is refreshing. He is one of the good guys and you can't help but pull for him. Seldom is passion pursued with such vigor. It's too bad "Late Night Comic" did indeed bomb in New London. But in its wake it at least produced this excellent, readable and informative book.

If you like Broadway and cabaret performing , you have to own this book.

Roger Schmelzer

There are so very few books that convey a sense of "being there" when it comes to the Kennedy assassination. This outstanding book takes the reader back to that fateful weekend of November 22nd 1963 in Dallas, Texas and does so in an open, honest and compelling manner.

"When the News Went Live" is written by four journalists who were in Dallas on that day covering the presidential visit. Bob Huffaker and the other three newsmen share many interesting stories that you will not find elsewhere and that have been untold for many years no doubt to all but their personal friends. This is why the book is such a valuable contribution to the historical record. Such first hand observation regarding not just those few seconds in Dealey Plaza, the murder of Officer Tippet and the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby, but how in fact the entire story unfolded, makes fascinating reading.

As an aid to anyone interested in the assassination, this book is a must have. I would emphasize - rarely do you find first hand knowledge like this - much of what is written on this subject is written by people many steps removed from the event where fact and fiction merge into one. Not so here. A fabulous book which is refreshingly free of the conjecture and myth that is so common in the Himalayan pile of work on the Kennedy assassination and is highly recommended.

We have become accustomed (yea, verily, some would say desensitized)to horror unfolding before our eyes in our very own living rooms. Bob Huffaker's book brings us back to a time before the desensitization, when we could scarcely believe what our eyes were telling us. I recommend this book highly to those who were there, watching as I was, and even more so to those who were not there. The young, raised in an era of suicide bombers, need to understand that it was not always thus.

1963 nov 22 brought to life again but with more professionalism.some very interesting facts that confirmed my own thoughts .

I stayed up all night reading when my copy of When The News Went Live, Dallas 1963 arrived. This book is a classic and should be included in the curriculum of every journalism and political science classroom in America.

Huffaker, Mercer, Phenix and Wise have written the Texas story of the Kennedy assassination, the inside scoop on Oswald's murder and the history of the evolution of modern journalism. These four men were Dallas television reporters, on the scene and on their own, in the middle of the news story of the century.

It is a salute to their training and their integrity as newsmen that their coverage under duress stands today as a compelling rendering of those fateful moments. I am glad they were the early ones on the scene, for they were the ones who broke the news to me in my elementary classroom. The story gives their perspectives more fully; all these years later, this book helps me understand the events and how they affected Texas and the nation.

Bob, Bill, George and Wes were there in Dallas with their Southern sensibilities. They weren't easily pushed around or manipulated that dark day and still aren't. They were taught to tell the truth as objectively as possible, and they reverted to that training and their good common sense when placed in positions lesser men might have blown or exploited. These four men cared about truth and justice and fairness and still do. I hope all young journalists will read this and learn about balanced reporting.

"With three shots from a mail-order rifle, Lee Oswald set off a worldwide tragedy that developed too fast to print. .... Broadcast journalism came of age in that crisis of grief and uncertainty, and as it drew its mourning audience, it helped to hold the nation together." -- Bob Huffaker; From the Preface of "When The News Went Live: Dallas 1963"

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"When The News Went Live: Dallas 1963", published in 2004, paints a vivid word picture of many of the incredible events that surrounded President John F. Kennedy's assassination in November of 1963, as seen through the eyes of four journalists -- Bob Huffaker, Bill Mercer, George Phenix, and Wes Wise -- who covered those events as they happened for CBS affiliate KRLD-TV and Radio in Dallas.

President Kennedy's shocking and appalling assassination on November 22, 1963, was the very first really big "Watch It Unfold Live On TV" news event of the television era, with four full commercial-free days being devoted to nothing but exclusive assassination-related coverage by all three major TV networks (with KRLD's on-the-scene Dallas reporters frequently feeding CBS-TV headquarters in New York).

And the four reporters whose intriguing stories unfold within this 224-page hardcover volume were right smack in the thick of things during the rapidly-developing events -- from the initial sketchy bulletins that told of the President being shot in Dealey Plaza during a motorcade drive through the city of Dallas -- to the announcement of JFK's death at Parkland Hospital -- to the capture of the accused assassin (Lee Harvey Oswald) in a nearby movie theater -- to Oswald's very own murder on live TV (with Bob Huffaker reporting live from the basement of the Dallas Police Department, where the single gunshot from Jack Ruby's pistol added yet another hard-to-believe chapter to the weekend's nightmarish story).

It was a mesmerizing weekend in American (and television) history, to say the least. And those days are re-lived with clarity in this engaging book by way of the recollections of four men who lived through and reported on those events when they were occurring.

"When The News Went Live" contains several excellent black-and-white photographs, too (some of them I haven't seen published elsewhere).

On a personal level, I have had the pleasure of communicating (via e-mail) with Bob Huffaker several times. He has been very cordial and gracious whenever answering the questions that I had for him. His personal insights into the events revolving around JFK's death are fascinating glimpses into the past, and are insights that I have enjoyed reading immensely.

A sample e-mail excerpt from Mr. Huffaker:

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"David, you're right about the presidential visit and motorcade being the main attraction that all Dallas media were covering, of course. But all our stations had limited capabilities for doing mobile TV, which then demanded either cables or microwave dishes--as well as a receiving dish within line-of-sight beaming or bouncing.

Hence the pool TV arrangements, limited to three planned locations. The local TV stations did live TV from the FTW {Fort Worth} breakfast, Love Field, and the Trade Mart. But this was, indeed, the day the news went live on television, unplanned.

WBAP-TV in Fort Worth had a non-running TV van, which they had towed all the way from Cowtown to Dallas Police headquarters, and we sent both of our KRLD-TV vans into duty--the Bread Truck at DPD and the Blue Goose on the 24th to the county jail, etc.

This was the first time in TV history when on-the-spot news suddenly demanded to go live from the scene. Before that, radio news on-the-spot descriptions such as ours that day were common (like the Hindenburg broadcast--radio only), and live TV was usually reserved for major speeches, sports, etc.

Bob" -- E-mail to this writer; May 30, 2006

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Relating to the subject of "WHEN THE NEWS WENT LIVE", I'd like to offer up the following observations as an extension of this book review.....

To those JFK conspiracy theorists who seem to favor the Oliver Stone-like or Robert Groden-promoted assassination scenarios (that feature a minimum of three gunmen and anywhere from 6 to 10 gunshots being fired at President Kennedy in Dallas' Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963) -- I always suggest to them that they ought to dig up some of the originally-aired "As It Is Happening" live TV or radio broadcasts from that dark Friday in American history.

After performing that exercise of watching a few hours of the November 22 television coverage of the assassination (in real time), or listening to some of the radio broadcasts in real time (which works just as well) -- I challenge anyone to then arrive at the same conclusion that was slapped up on the big theater screen in 1991 via Director Oliver Stone's blockbuster, conspiracy-laden motion picture "JFK".

Watching the day's events unfold "live" in front of you (or listening to them unfold on the radio as it was happening) should, in my opinion, provide everyone with a good general idea of how utterly impossible a task it would have been to have "faked" so much stuff that was being IMMEDIATELY reported to the world on live television and radio within minutes and hours of the President's assassination (and within a very short space of time following Police Officer J.D. Tippit's murder as well).

Via those original live TV/Radio broadcasts, you're not going to hear a SINGLE report that resembles anything close to the Oliver Stone/Jim Garrison-endorsed nonsense of:

"Three gunmen fired six shots at President Kennedy's motorcade today here in Dallas!!"

What you will hear, instead, is live coverage, as it happened, of a ONE-GUNMAN assassination taking place from where the majority of witnesses said it took place (the Texas School Book Depository Building), with no more than three shots having been fired by the SINGLE SHOOTER, which is a shot count that over 91% of the witnesses concur with -- including the small percentage of witnesses who heard only one or two shots, who are witnesses that certainly don't do Mr. Stone's "6-shot ambush" theory any favors.

Upon evaluating virtually all of the TV networks' live assassination footage from November 22nd, 1963, there is no possible way that a reasonable person could arrive at a conclusion that JFK was shot by three assassins, firing from both front and rear. Let alone arriving at an even more-cockeyed "8-to-10-shot" shooting scenario, as purported by Mr. Groden and some other CTers, which is an outlandish conspiracy-flavored scenario that has John Kennedy and John Connally being shot by way more than just the two Warren Commission-backed Mannlicher-Carcano bullets from Lee Harvey Oswald's rifle.*

* = And Mr. Groden's theory (that sports from 8 to 10 gunshots) also features an additional hunk of lunacy, in that Groden thinks it's very likely that NONE of these eight to ten shots came from the "Oswald window" in the Book Depository! (I'm not making this crazy stuff up here. I promise. Anyone who owns a copy of Robert Groden's 1993 book "The Killing Of A President" can check out Groden's preposterous theory for themselves, on pages 20-40.)

The bottom line is -- Very nearly all of the information being reported on TV and radio that November day favored a "Lone Assassin" shooting scenario (including the info concerning the Tippit murder in Oak Cliff), with very little evidence and information being broadcast that would support any type of a "conspiracy" whatsoever; and certainly no "conspiratorial" evidence that has ever panned out and "proved" that a multi-gun plot ended JFK's life in Dallas.

This is quite a telling "One Killer" fact. Because, in my view, if a vast conspiracy and subsequent "cover-up" had been in place on November 22nd (given the immense amount of TV and radio coverage, with reporters scrutinizing everything coming across their desks and digging hard for any type of case-solving clues during those first hours and days after JFK and J.D. Tippit were killed), I think that at least SOME pieces of the conspiracy would have leaked through to the sweeping television and radio coverage surrounding the two Dallas murders.

And I'm guessing that every reporter and newsman in the country (including Messrs. Huffaker, Mercer, Phenix, and Wise) would have loved to dig up some "conspiracy"-proving angle during that weekend in November of '63. Being the person who uncovered such a huge story would certainly be a feather in that reporter's cap, to be sure. But, as it turned out, nothing of that nature occurred....and has yet to occur all these many years later.

To think (as many theorists do) that these conspirators were so smart and so quick to have had the capabilities to immediately eliminate virtually every last scrap of information leading to a conspiracy plot of some kind, making sure that none of the "multi-gunmen shooting event" details seeped through to the media (multiplied by TWO separate murders as well, counting Tippit's!), is to think that any such evil-doers had powers similar to "Superman".

For example -- Almost every one of the initial reports concerning the number of gunshots heard by witnesses stated "3 shots". And while it's true that the very first report of the shooting from UPI's Merriman Smith (which was broadcast over all the television networks) stated "Three shots were fired...", it's also worth noting that Smith's initial bulletin was not the ONLY "three shots" account that was reported during those early hours just after the shooting.

For instance, Jay Watson of ABC affiliate WFAA-TV in Dallas (who happened to be in Dealey Plaza during the shooting and nervously reported the first bulletins to the unaware Dallas TV audience) is heard multiple times on November 22nd saying he heard "3 shots" fired.

Plus, several other members of the media are also on record stating their own PERSONAL beliefs that exactly three shots were fired by the assassin, including Robert MacNeil, Jack Bell, Bob Clark, Jerry Haynes, and Pierce Allman, among still others.

Some of the other "Three Shot" witnesses who were riding right in the Presidential motorcade itself include -- Photographers Tom Dillard, Robert Jackson, Mal Couch, and James Underwood. Plus, both John and Nellie Connally, who were riding in the same car with President Kennedy.

In addition, Presidential aides Ken O'Donnell and David Powers, who were both riding in the Secret Service follow-up car directly behind JFK's limousine, can also be added to the lengthy list of witnesses who heard precisely three gunshots.

And then there's also amateur filmmaker Abraham Zapruder, who took the most famous 26-second home movie in history when he captured the entire assassination with his 8mm Bell & Howell movie camera -- Zapruder showed up on live TV about 90 minutes after the President's murder took place and gave a graphic account of the horrifying event that had taken place in front of his very eyes.

Mr. Zapruder told the WFAA-TV viewing audience that he had heard two or three shots (but definitely no more than three), and he also demonstrated on live television where on the President's head he had seen the effects of the fatal gunshot. Zapruder puts his hand over the right-frontal portion of his own head to demonstrate where he saw the blood coming from JFK's head.

That's pretty amazing "LIVE" stuff from Mr. Zapruder's own lips (within approx. an hour-and-a-half of the assassination). And it's especially incredible and amazing if there had actually been many more than just two or three shots fired at the President, and if the fatal shot had actually (as many CTers believe) caused a huge hole in the BACK of John Kennedy's head, instead of the location where Zapruder placed it on live television -- i.e., the RIGHT SIDE AND FRONT portion of the head.

How could the so-called "conspirators" have possibly gotten THAT lucky with respect to Abraham Zapruder's live "on-the-air" WFAA-TV statements and head-wound "demonstration"? How?

And -- Could these ultra-clever conspirators have somehow managed to "manipulate" several reporters who were relaying the news live to the world immediately after the event, and have them ALL report on hearing just "three shots" (or, in a few cases, hearing only TWO shots, which is a number that certainly does not favor a "Multi-Shooter Conspiracy Plot")?

Or did the plotters just happen to get really, really LUCKY (again) when virtually all of the news reports favored the "Three Shots Fired" conclusion? With this 3-shot scenario matching the precise number of bullet shells that were found on the 6th Floor of the Book Depository after the shooting; and also perfectly matching the exact number of shots heard by TSBD witness Harold Norman, and also perfectly matching the precise number of bullet shells (3) that Norman heard hitting the plywood floor directly above his 5th-Floor location within the Depository.

Which, per Oliver Stone's movie, would mean that a full 50% of the ACTUAL number of gunshots were somehow inaudible to the enormous majority (91%+) of the earwitnesses! And, remember, Oliver has NONE of the shots within his movie's six-shot assassination ambush being "synchronized" in order to merge together with the sound of some of the other shots.

And yet, per Mr. Stone, we're supposed to actually believe that approximately 9 out of every 10 witnesses somehow missed hearing HALF of the gunshots fired that day! A reasonable thing to believe....or not? I ask you.

Were these so-called conspiratorial shooters so good that they could make 4 to 10 shots sound like only three to the vast majority of witnesses scattered all throughout Dealey Plaza? Highly doubtful, to say the least.

Again -- I'd advise all conspiracy theorists to sit down and watch the live TV footage....or listen to some of the surviving 11/22/63 radio tapes....and then try to find a "Multi-Gunmen Conspiracy" lurking within ANY of those original broadcasts. If anybody finds proof of a conspiracy via those means, please let me know. And let the world know too.

David Von Pein
December 2006
January 2007

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