Conrad Black's retirement project.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Must...suppress...urge to laugh hysterically.

But it shows you how quickly people re-discover empathy when they're actually exposed to how others live. You could make a good argument for the re-introducion of national service on the back of cases like this, if you ask me.

[gt3]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

Didn't Jeffrey Archer get all outraged about prisoners pay after his bit of stir?

[WOM]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

Connie's just pissed because, with lower incarceration rates, his cell could have had a drawing room.

[Ginger Yellow]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

I've always thought prospective home office ministers should be required to spend a month in jail before they're allowed to take the job.

[ian.64]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

I write to you from a U.S. federal prison. It is far from a country club or even a regimental health spa.

No foie gras? No executive sauna? No filet mignon served on top-clss silverware? My preconceptions dashed upon the rocks of Black's hard, unforgiving reality check.

[Donnchadh Ghairdinéir]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

Ginger Yellow wrote:

I've always thought prospective home office ministers should be required to spend a month in jail before they're allowed to take the job

Jacqui Smith's local stir is a country house open prison in Redditch. Nicky Campbell did his BBC show from it a few weeks ago. So I think she probably has (a day or two, if not a month).

[Ginger Yellow]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

I was thinking more "supermax" (eg Belmarsh) than open prison, and there's a world of difference between a month and a day or two.

[Donnchadh Ghairdinéir]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

Well, I've been inside Belmarsh. What do you want to know?

By "day or two" I meant all her aggregate visits, half an hour at a time. It's a marginal seat, and the lags' families vote.

[WOM]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

This just in: Black has just been ordered back to jail to complete his new, reduced sentence of 42 months. He's done 29 so far, and been on parole for the past year.

[ursus arctos]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

He's going home,

He's going hone,

Connie's going, home.

[WOM]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

"Lord Black's wife, Barbara Amiel, reacted by collapsing on the courtroom floor."

Of course she did.

[ursus arctos]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

They really are the gift that keeps on giving.

I wonder if Glenn Close has already optioned the movie rights.

[WOM]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

There would be so much less joy in this if only he were, in some very small way, repentant. But still, nothing. It's as if it's all a great injustice being visited upon him by someone, for some reason.

[ursus arctos]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

Because they just can't take the Truth, WOM.

I wonder if Netanyahu can gin up some sort of Likudnik nunnery where Lady Amiel could wait out the tribulations.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

Ginger Yellow wrote:

I was thinking more "supermax" (eg Belmarsh) than open prison, and there's a world of difference between a month and a day or two.

Belmarsh isn't at all typical. A "local" prison would be better, surely.

I've been to 3 prisons, Wakefield (like Belmarsh), Latchmere House (a resettlement prison), Manchester (local).

[The Exploding Vole]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

How long were you banged up, Tubby?

[Anton Gramscescu]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

The
Globe story on this was freakin' hilarious.

As Friday’s hearing began, Lord Black’s lawyers pushed hard for Judge St. Eve to give Lord Black time served.

They pointed to stacks of letters from friends and inmates, who wrote about how much Lord Black helped them. They talked about Lord Black’s charitable works, his religious faith and his constant writing that included a book and 230 newspaper articles. They spent nearly an hour talking about his work in prison, tutoring inmates, giving lectures and offering moral support. They mentioned that he gave up his $18-a-month prison salary to buy new books for the jail, offered advice to inmates on job hunting and won a standing ovation after giving a speech on African American History Day.

Man, what I would give for a video...

[ian.64]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

"Lord Black's wife, Barbara Amiel, reacted by collapsing on the courtroom floor."

It must be painful to hit something so cold and hard. And I bet Babs didn't feel so good either.

[WOM]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

And bringing this full circle, Ex-Conrad Black was released from prison in Florida this morning and is already back at the family estate in Toronto.

Of course, this was only possible because we ("we") managed to overlook his renunciation of his citizenship and his criminal record and gave him a one-year visitor's visa. It's only a matter of some well-lubed paperwork through the Conservative corridors of Ottawa before he's back with full citizenship, healthcare and Canada Pension cheques on the first of the month.

Story here.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

But he's a changed man. Margaret Atwood says so, it must be true.

[ursus arctos]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

I like the allegation that he treated the other inmates as personal servants.

[WOM]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

Haven't had a laugh at Conrad Black lately, so there's this. While he's back in Canada, and selling off a piece of the family estate to pay some bills, and having his Order of Canada revoked, he's now been banned by the OSC from acting as a director of a public company. But he can still trade his own personal stock holdings, so that's probably ample consolation.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/regulator-bans-conrad-black-as-director-officer-of-public-firms/article23224186/

[ursus arctos]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

The man's a prince.

I do remain amazed that Ms Amiel is still with him, though.

[WOM]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

You and me both. I think I've given her unfair short shrift.

[ursus arctos]

Conrad Black's retirement project.

I'm coming to the same conclusion, though she has plenty of odious views of her own.