#and i have many thoughts that no one has asked for regarding liam wright

[erstwhles]

hi hi i hope you're having a good weekend!

so, what if we (hear me out) started new things because work has predictably taken over my life and i don't feel like rereading drafts, which have piled up and are old, to reply when i could be writing

[sophie-zadeh]

Gable Tostee Reveals what he was Carrying after Warriena Wright fell Fourteen Storeys to her Death

After my write up of Gable Tostee’s statement and nonverbal behaviour analysis a few weeks ago, I received just short of 50 emails in response to it. This is a case that people are passionate about, many believe justice has not been served. With this in mind, I decided to take another look at the case to see whether there was more information I could gather.

At the end of my previous article, I’d found an audio recording on YouTube, it was Tostee’s recording of the night. He’d captured his time spent with Wright that fateful night, including her fall from his fourteenth storey apartment balcony, and almost two hours of what he did next after her fall. I still haven’t yet listened to the full recording, however, one small section I heard answered one question that had been preying on my mind. The same question, I believe, was asked by the jury deliberating the verdict in Tostee’s trial: What was the object seen in Tostee’s hand on CCTV footage, after Wright died? 

What was the object seen in Tostee’s hand on CCTV footage, after Wright died?

Justice Byrne told the jury not to speculate on what the object was. However, I believe, it is relevant to what happened in the apartment that night–why else would Tostee be so concerned about taking it from his apartment?

In my previous post about the case, I’d analysed some of Tostee’s statements during Part One of the 60 Minutes interview with Liam Bartlett. In one statement, Tostee had inadvertently revealed that he felt some level of guilt. Could this object hold the clue to what Tostee felt guilty about? What was the object?

Often we hear or see things that don’t consciously register in our brain. Signs that can help us successfully navigate interactions, relationships and life are all around us, however many are missed because we don’t pay conscious attention to them. I’m usually referring to nonverbal behaviour that we can observe in others, in this case, we can’t see Tostee’s behaviour, but we can hear it.

It’s Tostee who reveals, inadvertently, what the object is. Could the same audio recording, which Tostee’s lawyer claimed was the key to getting Tostee acquitted, hold the key to his level of guilt?

A fourteen second section from Tostee’s audio recording of the night gives the game away, telling us, nonverbally, what he’s doing. Just seconds later he leaves his apartment with a shiny, metallic-looking object in his hand. I know that sound and I’m sure many of you will too. I want you to hear it yourself–consciously.

Here’s my analysis of what happens immediately before and during Tostee leaving his apartment. This all takes place within a forty-three second period–a small fraction of the audio recording.

1:29:51

Tostee has just left his apartment and we hear the ding of the elevator–it’s arrived.

Let’s work backwards from here.

1:29:49

Two seconds earlier, we hear what sounds like a door closing. Most likely, it’s the door to Tostee’s apartment. His door must be close to the elevator or significantly loud. He pressed the elevator button eighteen seconds earlier which could mean:

As per Australian Standards, the door is fitted with a door closer mechanism to prevent the spread of fire and smoke throughout the building. Door closers are often set with a delayed mode, allowing additional time before closing, this can vary from seconds to minutes.

Tostee deliberately left his door open while waiting for the elevator. It’s possible he did this to retreat into his apartment, should anyone be around or to wait from the safety of his apartment, watching to make sure the coast was clear.

1:29:34

Prick your ears up for this one and you’ll hear the faint siren of emergency vehicles.

1:29:31

We hear a faint beep, probably the sound of Tostee pressing the elevator button. If so, he waits twenty seconds for it to arrive.

1:29:25

Again, this is very faint, but listen carefully to hear the siren of emergency vehicles on the streets below. Wright’s body has been discovered on the concrete floor, fourteen storeys below. Wright’s death is a tragedy, with a knock-on effect of emotional trauma for the workers who deal with the consequences–not to mention the trauma faced by her family and friends. While Tostee’s aim is to distance himself from the situation, without regard for Wright’s fate, we can only imagine the emotions of those at the scene below.

1:29:08 - 1:29:22

This is the segment of the recording in which Tostee’s behaviour reveals what the object is. It’s just nine seconds before he presses the button to call the elevator.

I’ve set the audio recording below to start close to the point where Tostee’s behaviour gives away his secret of what’s in his hand. Once it starts you can’t miss it, it’s a repetitive behaviour that goes on for fourteen seconds. After that, keep listening to hear:

Emergency service’s siren

The beep of the elevator button

Emergency service’s siren

Door closing

Elevator arrival ding

If you want to listen to it again, refresh your page to get to the same point, or go to 1:29:08.

Gable Tostee and Warriena Wright’s Audio Recording

Did you recognise the sound? It was familiar to me because I have a version of the object. I’ve replicated Tostee’s behaviour with my version, in my own home. Here’s the recording:

Replicating Gable Tostee’s Behaviour with my Version of the Object

Of Course, the conditions in my home are different. The floor surface, house layout, room size and furnishings can all make a difference to the sound. Regardless of these differences, there is no doubt in my mind, it’s the same object. What’s more, the CCTV images of Tostee caring the object, fit in with the theory–a shiny metallic object, which in some images, seems to have a ridge at the same dimension as a standard version of the object.

Have you guessed it?

Tostee is unscrewing the spin lock collar on what I speculate is a 48 cm/18” adjustable dumbbell handle, designed for lifting weights. My version is the smallest standard handle (35.5 cm/14”), that’s why it took me less time (around ten seconds) to unscrew the collar–the threaded part of the handle is shorter than that on the largest standard size, the 48 cm dumbbell handle. There are three standard lengths of dumbbell handles–35.5, 42 and 48 cm.

I had a quick look around the internet to see if anyone had previously recognised the object Tostee was carrying or its sound. From what I’d already heard, this hadn’t been identified. I did, however, find it had been mentioned and disregarded on a discussion thread on CrimeWatchers.net:

“One chilling new thing I saw today is the evidence regarding the telescope... On the recording, right after Rrie falls to her death, Tostee starts "unscrewing' something heavy, and you can hear a thud or two. I thought he was messing with his weights. And here's the telescope in bits, an alleged weapon to justify his violence. What kind of man sees/hears a woman fall to her *death* and then sits down and plays with his telescope?!”

Perhaps, the CrimeWatchers User hadn’t realised it happened only seconds before Tostee had left his apartment, not making the connection to the object in his hand.

I’m sure there are others who had also recognised the sound but hadn’t connected it to the object in Tostee’s hand. Or, who had made the connection and didn’t want to be vocal about it–perhaps those in the bodybuilding forums who were socially connected to Tostee.

Now we know what the object was, it raises a couple of questions:

Why was only one end of the dumbbell unscrewed?

Why is Gable Tostee carrying a dumbbell handle?

Why was only one end of the dumbbell unscrewed?

What’s odd about the unscrewing of the collar from the dumbbell handle, is that only one end is unscrewed, suggesting the collar and weight/s from the other end were already removed. When? I haven’t heard it being unscrewed earlier in the audio recording, that’s not to say it isn’t present.

Had Tostee been interrupted the last time he was lifting weights, leaving them partially rigged? Or, had he removed it earlier that night, before the start of the recording. If so, for what purpose? Did he use it in some way, while he was with Wright? Are there more details in the audio recording that can help us piece together the relevance and significance of the dumbbell handle?

Why is Gable Tostee Carrying a Dumbbell Handle?

In the CCTV footage of Tostee wandering aimlessly on the streets of Surfers Paradise later that night, the object is no longer in his hand–it’s been discarded. In fact, in the audio recording, there’s a clunk sound, probably the point at which he discards it. I’m leaving this for another post, but we can gain an idea of where he is by overlaying the CCTV footage after he leaves his apartment on top of the audio recording. I’ve partially completed this, but I need additional footage to fill in the gaps. If we had done this at the time, the object could have been retrieved. As it is, it’s probably buried deep in a landfill site. Could it be retrieved?

Did Tostee take it to use it as a weapon should he be challenged about Wright’s fall by passers-by, law enforcement or Wright herself–had she miraculously survived the fall? Using it as a weapon could come with significant risk and consequences. That said, we know from Tostee’s previous charges and convictions, he is prepared to take risks. Risks that most people wouldn’t come close to taking.

Or, was it a case of Tostee deliberately discarding potential evidence relating to Wright’s fall, or the lead up to it? Was he trying to conceal certain events that happened that night and why? What was it potential evidence for? Remember, we’re talking about a dumbbell with the collar and weight/s removed from one end.

With the transcript of the recording in mind, a few ideas pop into my head, but I’m not going to go into them here. I’ll leave you to put clues together with the evidence that you’ve seen or heard.

I’ll release another analysis soon.

Thanks for all your emails relating to the case, and to the person who requested the analysis.

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[njawaidofficial]

'Game of Thrones' Recap: Is Jaime Lannister Dead?

http://styleveryday.com/2017/08/07/game-of-thrones-recap-is-jaime-lannister-dead/

'Game of Thrones' Recap: Is Jaime Lannister Dead?

[Warning: this story contains spoilers for the fourth episode of Game of Thrones‘ seventh season, “The Spoils of War.”]

With the fourth hour of its seventh season, Game of Thrones delivered on yet another one of its longest held promises: dragons have returned to Westeros proper, with a vengeance — and it’s potentially very bad news for one character in particular.

The final act of the hour, called “The Spoils of War,” took a hard turn for “Battle of the Bastards” territory in the form of a massive battle between the Lannister and Targaryen forces. In one corner: Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Bronn of the Blackwater (Jerome Flynn), the curiously named Dickon Tarly (Tom Hopper) and his cruel father Randyll (James Faulkner), and countless other soldiers. On the other side of the battlefield: Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and Drogon, unleashing holy hellfire upon everyone they cross, with a huge Dothraki contingent as well. 

It’s the fulfillment of one of the show’s oldest oaths, stemming as early as the first episode of the series, when Viserys (Harry Lloyd) married Daenerys to Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) in an effort to recruit his army and win back Westeros. Both Viserys and Drogo are long gone, but the desired results of the marriage pact have finally played out, and very much in House Targaryen’s favor.

Of course, as has happened frequently this season, the battle wasn’t without at least one win for the Lannisters. In the second episode of season seven, Maester Qyburn (Anton Lesser) unveiled a new secret weapon in the campaign against Dany’s dragons: a huge crossbow, packing heat so powerful it could theoretically kill one of the fire-breathing beasts. The theory was put into practice at the end of this week’s dragon battle, as Bronn pierced Drogon’s shoulder with a well-placed arrow. The ferocious creature, up until then thoroughly ravaging the Lannister forces, howled in pain and virtually crash landed on a somewhat safe corner of the battlefield. It wasn’t enough to kill Drogon, but that’s more a matter of Bronn’s aim than the effectiveness of the weapon. As much as one hates to admit it, the giant crossbow looks likely to take out at least one of Dany’s dragons before the whole show is over.

Harming the dragon wasn’t enough of a victory for the Lannisters, however, as the battle culminated in one very foolish decision: Jaime grabbing a spear and charging straight for the wounded Drogon and the subsequently weakened Daenerys. From a distance, Jaime’s brother Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) watched on, shocked at his older sibling’s foolhardy decision to charge directly at a dragon, no matter how much pain it was in. But Jaime saw an opening to kill Daenerys and end the war in his sister and lover’s favor, and he seized it. Tyrion’s concerns were instantly validated, as Drogon reared his head up in the last few seconds before Jaime could reach Daenerys, and spewed forth a mouthful of fire.

Jaime would certainly be toast, if not for Bronn, who rode in at the eleventh hour and pushed the Lannister army’s leader into the nearby river. Both men narrowly avoided certain death by dragon fire, but for Jaime at least, the danger isn’t over. The episode ends as Jaime, weighed down by his heavy armor, slowly and helplessly sinks toward the bottom of the river. Viewers are left to wonder if the sole surviving son of Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) — or at least the only one who counts, as Cersei (Lena Headey) would tell you — is about to meet his father in the great beyond.

Of course, viewers haven’t really seen the last of Jaime Lannister. There’s no way Game of Thrones removes one of its longest-standing characters from the board without one final scene with Tyrion, especially with the estranged brothers in such close proximity on the battlefield. What’s more, would Thrones really kill off Jaime in an episode in which he lacks a single scene with Cersei? (And flipping the question, it doesn’t seem likely that Thrones would kill Cersei without one final scene with Jaime. In fact, many fans believe the two twins will ultimately die together, or one at the other’s hands.)

With that said, this is quite likely a preview of how Jaime will die eventually: foolishly rushing into a dangerous situation with no regard for anything other than his sister’s satisfaction. It’s a testament to the sad state of Jaime Lannister, as Nikolaj Coster-Waldau previously told The Hollywood Reporter before the season began: “He’s addicted to this relationship.” That addiction will very likely get him killed eventually, just not today.

Looking at the events of “The Spoils of War” from another perspective, this battle appears to be a major victory for Daenerys and her forces. Drogon and the Dothraki utterly decimated a huge swath of the Lannister army, even if they sustained some losses of their own, including the failed attempt on Drogon’s life. But in her own way, Daenerys suffered a moral defeat. The battle only came as a result of Dany feeling the heat of constantly losing against the Lannisters, a development that caused her to publicly blame Tyrion for the defeats. Hotheaded and furious, Dany wanted to charge right into Westeros, but first attempted to consult on the matter with Jon Snow (Kit Harington). 

“I never thought dragons would exist again,” says Lord Snow (or is it King Snow?) when Dany asks for his counsel. “No one did. The people who follow you know you made something impossible happen. Maybe that helps them believe you can make other impossible things happen, to build a world that’s different from the shit one they’ve always known. But if you use them to melt castles and burn cities, you’re not different. You’re just more of the same.”

Consider Jon’s advice roundly ignored, as Dany is next seen charging into battle on Drogon. The horrific carnage and haunting images of war make it clear that Dany’s actions, while effective, had terrible consequences. Pair those brutal images with the scene from earlier in the season in which Arya (Maisie Williams) befriends some kind-hearted Lannister loyalists (including Ed Sheeran), and you’re left to wonder just how far the apple has fallen from the tree where Daenerys and the Mad King are concerned. If there’s a silver lining, it’s Dany’s legitimate look of terror and concern for Drogon toward the end of the battle, perhaps a sign that she understands the scope of her devastating actions.

Returning to the subject of Jon and Daenerys, the King in the North and the Mother of Dragons inched closer together during their scenes in “The Spoils of War.” The chemistry between them is palpable when they stand together in a torchlit cave on Dragonstone, staring at the valuable dragonglass, along with ancient illustrations of the Children of the Forest fighting alongside humans against the White Walkers. (In an alternate universe in which Thrones is a comedy, Jon Snow totally mocked up those carvings on the quick and cheap to get Dany on his side.) 

Later in the episode, Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham) explicitly calls out Jon’s attraction to the Mother of Dragons. Jon quickly denies it like a school kid who has been rightfully called out on his secret crush, claiming his quest to kill the Night King is the only thing that matters now. The scene is quickly followed by one in which Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) sings Daenerys’ praises, with a sales pitch so effective that even Davos (whose friendly fondness for Missandei is quickly becoming one of the show’s quietest delights) jokes to Jon: “Would you forgive me if I switch sides?”

Clearly, Game of Thrones is building up toward some kind of romantic collision between Jon Snow and Daenerys. It’s not a shock, given the HBO series is based on a series of novels called A Song of Ice and Fire, a title that directly points toward some sort of union between Houses Stark and Targaryen. Then again, at the same time, the show is building up hype toward a reveal the audience already largely knows, even if the characters most directly involved are still in the dark: Jon Snow is secretly the son of Rhaegar Targaryen, Daenerys’ deceased brother who died at the height of Robert’s Rebellion. 

Is the show truly voyaging into territory where an aunt and her nephew are about to become the new “it” couple? There’s an awkwardly proud tradition of incest within the Targaryen family, so Jon and Dany coming together wouldn’t be out of line with their ancestors’ actions. Still, as the show positions these two as a potential romantic pair, it should come with some measure of squeamishness. 

Between Jon and Dany’s growing closeness and Tyrion’s proximity to Jaime on the battlefield, “The Spoils of War” was already rich with familial interactions. But the most explicit and satisfying family reunion occurred much further north, as Arya finally returned to Winterfell. After a scene that mirrors a moment from season one in which she tried to convince two King’s Landing guards of her identity, Arya finally infiltrates Winterfell and reunites with Sansa in the crypts of Winterfell. The two share a tender moment in which they reflect on how the statue of their late father Ned (Sean Bean) doesn’t look like him at all.

“Everybody who knew his face is dead,” Arya quietly mourns.

“We’re not,” Sansa reminds her younger sister.

The joyful reunion takes on a more somber tone as Sansa takes Arya to Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright), who remains emotionally detached due to his status as the Three-Eyed Raven. Indeed, the episode’s most non-violently devastating moment comes when Bran completely dismisses Meera (Ellie Kendrick) as she leaves Winterfell to return home to her family. In that scene, Bran tells Meera that he’s not even really Bran anymore: “I remember what it felt like to be Brandon Stark, but I remember so much else now.” The tearful Meera responds: “You died in that cave.” It’s yet another sign that the all-powerful Bran is becoming more tree than man by the day, and hopefully the start of Meera finally bringing her legendary father Howland Reed (one of the most widely anticipated, if never seen, characters from the books) into the story — though sadly, we’re not counting on it.

Speaking of trees, Bran finally meets up with Arya again beside the heart tree in the godswood of Winterfell. He proves his irrefutable power when he brings up Arya Stark’s list of enemies without her provocation. Bran offers another gift: the Valyrian dagger that was once used in an attempt on his life. Earlier in the episode, Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) presents the weapon to Bran as a sign of his loyalty to House Stark. But the mischievous manipulator is taken aback when Bran replies not with gratitude, but eerie insight into Lord Baelish’s past words: “Chaos is a ladder.” 

It’s the first meeting between two people who purportedly see everything all at once, albeit literally in the case of the young Three-Eyed Raven. Even with his extensive planning, it’s not likely Littlefinger ever imagined having to contend with someone who can actually see everything all at once, thanks to his ability to access the truth through magic. Indeed, as Littlefinger watches Arya use the Valyrian dagger in a wonderfully choreographed sparring match against Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), you get the sense that the Lord of the Vale has bitten off more than he can chew with Sansa’s siblings. Arya’s own suspicion of Littlefinger is noticeable as well, leading one to wonder if it’s just a matter of time before the Valyrian dagger finds its way back to Littlefinger, one bloody way or another.

Two final notes:

• Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) has returned to Dragonstone. The only reason he’s alive, according to Jon Snow, is that he saved Sansa from the Boltons. Otherwise, there’s no love lost between these two, who both grew up as black sheep within House Stark. Could that shared history, plus Theon redeeming himself further by saving Yara (Gemma Whelan) or serving the Starks in some other capacity, bring them closer together? In a happily ever after version of Game of Thrones, Theon and Jon would forge the same brotherly bond with one another they both had with the late Robb Stark (Richard Madden). Then again, Game of Thrones rarely if ever trades in happily ever after. Theon’s future remains one of the murkiest prospects on the board, then.

• In her scenes with Tycho Nestoris (Mark Gattis) of the Iron Bank, Cersei Lannister reveals her intention to hire an infamous group of sellswords known as the Golden Company. This should set off alarms for fans of the books: the Golden Company, founded long ago by a Targaryen bastard named Aegor “Bittersteel” Rivers, head to Westeros in George R.R. Martin’s “A Dance with Dragons,” serving a man who claims to be Aegon Targaryen, the murdered infant son of the late Rhaegar; according to his tale, the butchered baby was a double, while the real Aegon was raised in exile, as part of an eventual Targaryen resurgence. Almost nobody who reads the books actually believes this to be the real Aegon, and the show has shied away from the storyline altogether. Even if “FAegon” is unlikely to suddenly appear with only nine episodes remaining in the series, it’s starting to look likely that we’re going to see his vicious soldiers, the Golden Company, on the show, albeit working on Cersei’s behalf. It’s just the latest bit of bad news for anyone rooting against House Lannister.

Watch the video below for the Game of Thrones cast’s preview of season seven’s battles.

Follow THR.com/GameOfThrones all season long for news, interviews, theories and more.

Game of Thrones