Major FRAUD artist busted in the Beaches!
October 12, 2012
A U.S. attorney who allegedly ran a South African Ponzi scheme bilking investors in Canada and south of the border out of millions of dollars to support his lavish lifestyle was busted in the Beaches after being on the run for several months.
Brian Ray Dinning was arrested at a home near Queen St. E. and Hammersmith Ave. by the Toronto Police fugitive squad, and Canada Border Services Agency officers.
The 47-year-old lawyer was wanted on a warrant issued by the state of Virginia since June 6 when he was indicted by a grand jury on 25 counts of wire fraud.
“From early 2005 until the present, Dinning allegedly recruited approximately 23 individuals to invest in his numerous for-profit corporations that he had established,” United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride said in the indictment, which is posted on the FBI’s website.
“He did this by falsely advising investors that they would accrue significant financial gains from South African projects, such as a luxury Oceanside housing development, a luxury Oceanside hotel and private residence club, as well as diamond and gold mining operations,” MacBride said.
Dinning also allegedly used not-for-profit corporations “to obtain donations purportedly for charitable, environmental, agricultural medical and community projects for the tribal people of South Africa, as well as developing wildlife habitats for native African species.”
Dinning’s schemes allegedly began soon after he left WexTrust Capital, where he worked for about eight months.
That investment company scammed $100 million from clients for a scheme called Pure Africa.
WexTrust chief principals Joseph Shereshevsky and Steven Byers were convicted of fraud last year and are serving lengthy prison terms.
It’s alleged Dinning held investment seminars to lure people into his various South African schemes.
Most of the investors are fellow lawyers and physicians, but there are also families who were allegedly convinced to put up their life savings with promises their money would be doubled.
Dinning allegedly promised to build a church in the name of one investor’s 16-year-old daughter, who died of an unexpected heart attack, but the church was never built.
Most of the investors’ money, just over $2 million, was allegedly used for “personal and family gain.”
It’s alleged Dinning paid off some of his earlier investors, forked over $11,000 a month to his ex-wife for alimony and child support and put his kids through private school.
He also allegedly bought a 4,600-square-foot home in Suffolk for $975,000, which he apparently sold for $665,000 before fleeing the U.S.
Under U.S. law, each count of wire fraud carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. And unlike Canada, where sentences are served concurrently, Dinning could serve his time consecutively if he’s convicted.
CANNABIS: THE HEALING HERB
October 12, 2012
Until the advent of chemical pharmaceuticals natural ingredients were used in “patent” medicines. Cannabis was the active ingredient in the majority of over the counter potions and remedies until the 1930’s. With the wide range of illnesses and afflictions that cannabis treats, this was one of the major healing herbs used for thousands upon thousands of years. Along with the other natural herbs and substances doctors and healers used cannabis regularly in treating patients.
Recently studies showing the effectiveness of many herbs have been done, comparing the relative side effects and drug interactions of plants vs pharmaceuticals. In many cases drugs cause severe problems. Drug interactions are responsible for several thousand deaths every year on Canada. Cannabis: zero deaths. This natural herb has the same toxicity index as WATER. One study compared Prozac to cannabis in terms of anti-depressant effects. Cannabis ‘won’ hands down due to its non-toxic effects, self titration and overall increase in the patients response and well being. In that Prozac is one of the most widely prescribed drugs, it appears that doctors would much rather prescribe the chemical than the natural herb. I suspect there might be a financial aspect to this phenomena.
Health Canada will provide a legal exemption to patients for a wide range of medical problems under the Medical Marihuana Access Regulations (MMAR). This program was created in 2001 after an epileptic patient, Terry Parker, won a Charter case in the Ontario Court of Appeals. He was able to demonstrate to the court than cannabis helped with his condition and reduced or eliminated his severe siezures. A number of subsequent court cases have held that these Regulations are a violation of rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Right now another case is awaiting a decision by the OCA regarding doctors being the gatekeepers to the MMAR program. Apparently a vast majority of doctors will not sign an exemption under Section 56 for two reasons: first the healing herb does not have a Drug Identification Number and secondly they do not want to become known as a “pot doctor”. Many doctors have little or no experience with cannabis and other natural remedies. I suppose this means that herbs are grown and drugs are manufactured.
Today there are approximately 10,000 exemptions issued over the past decade since the MMAR was created. Health Canada states that over a million Canadians would qualify. The problem, of course, is that the government makes it very difficult to apply and our doctors are afraid of the Federal Government. After all, a “pot doctor” can be subject to a range of penalties like Dr. Kammermans near Bancroft. He’s been raided and jailed for daring to assist patients in getting exemptions.
Can Mary Jane Help Save Our Healthcare System?
October 12, 2012
By: Dani Stern
There I was, standing in an incredibly long line, waiting to renew my health card. For convenience sake, I had chosen an office in Scarborough and, other than one other woman in the line, I was the only person who was not a new immigrant to Canada. To my mortification, that young lady started muttering and complaining to all about her wait. What I heard her say, with a huge sigh, was “What can you expect from the Canadian Healthcare System?”
Personally, I have many issues with what she said, primarily that we were standing in an OHIP office. The ‘O’, for any who do not know, stands for Ontario. Our healthcare is provincial, not federal. Secondly, although our healthcare system is not perfect, in fact it is quite far from ideal, at least we have one. Looking around me, all I could see were Asians, Orientals and Africans who were about to receive free healthcare for the first time in their lives. Their reactions to her ravings were similar to mine. There was rolling of eyes and shaking of heads, to which she seemed oblivious. She did not even notice the collective sigh as an OHIP agent offered anyone who was renewing an OHIP card to step into another line for quicker service. The line was two people long, the complainer and I.
As a Canadian and Ontarian, I am proud to be in a place that has a healthcare system, although I do have a suggestion for its improvement. Why not take some of the burden off the Ontario Drug Benefits Program, by prescribing medical marijuana instead of some of the expensive pharmaceuticals that Canadians, especially seniors, are now taking. Medical marijuana has been shown to help combat symptoms and side effects from cancer chemotherapy management, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS symptomatic management, migraines, multiple sclerosis, pain, severe arthritis as well as spinal cord injury disease, to name just a few.
In the past few years, Canada’s seniors are becoming more educated as to the benefits of medical marijuana with the help of consumer shows such as the Treating Yourself Expo in Toronto. Many seniors find that it is difficult to function properly while on prescription drugs, whether physically or mentally. Medical marijuana does not have such harsh side effects and can be ingested or vaporized, rather than smoked, which causes harmful carcinogens. Television’s Montel Williams has fought for years to use marijuana for his multiple sclerosis, citing that the drugs that he was prescribed by doctors caused him not to be able to function in his daily life.
With so many benefits of medical marijuana, the biggest benefit is that it is very inexpensive compared to pharmaceuticals. Would that money not better be spent in Ontario on more medical staff and better equipment?
CANADIAN HEALTH CARE – IS IT REALLY UNIVERSAL?
October 12, 2012
To whom it may concern:My son, Joshua, was admitted to Cambridge Memorial Hospital emergency on June 5, 2012 after taking an overdose of his prescription medications. Joshua had been diagnosed as being bi-polar by a psychiatrist at the hospital a few years before and was under his care for medication. I would like to say that one of the drugs he was prescribed was “ Abilfy” which can cause suicidal tendencies. I had asked the doctor to put him on Zeldox which was recommended by my brother who also suffers from mental disorder but he did not. His life at this time was going in a good direction. He was a fabulous writer and had articles published in a local newspaper as well as just starting to work for the Velvet Rope Society. There was no indication of suicide.
He was hospitalized from June 5, 2012 until his death on June 12, 2012. His father took him to the emergency department at 4:00 am. The hospital contacted poison control and was told to give him charcoal medication. He was kept in emergency under a form 1 until June 6, 2012 when he was medically cleared by emerg dr. and sent to the mental health unit at the hospital. I had been told the day before that they would send him to ICU but unfortunately he got bumped before this could happen. Just before midnight on June 6. 2012 I received a call from the nurse to tell me “Joshua has gone bad”. When I asked for an explanation, she said “do you hear the screaming in the background? That’s Joshua.” It was ungodly. She told me they were rushing him to ICU. I arrived at the hospital and after waiting to see the doctor for approximately 1/2 hour, she finally arrived. I was told his ammonia levels had spiked earlier and his tongue went back. While they were trying to attend to him he became violent and it took 7 – 8 people to restrain him. They decided to keep him under full restraint and sedate him in ICU until they could stabilize him. I spent every waking moment I could with him even though he was sedated. My sister, who is a kinesiologist and works with cardiac patients, came to visit and questioned the nurses about his high heart rate, fever and trouble breathing. They could not say what caused it except that there was an infection somewhere in his body. I was never told what it was and they did not seem to be concerned. On June 10, 2012 they told me they were going to bring him out of sedation the next morning. I called the ICU at about 9:00 am and was told by his nurse that he was awake, a little angry and had been given a Popsicle. I arrived at the door to ICU at 10:00 am only to hear over the speaker “code blue-ICU- room 5”.
They swept me away and everyone came running. Within 10 minutes they had him stabilized again. I was told what had happened. Apparently he wanted to use the commode. The nurse helped him on to it. At this point his colour changed and he did a face plant on to the bed in front of him. At this point the code blue was called. I stayed with him all day except for coffee. He was very disoriented and puzzled as to why he was there. Early in the afternoon he seemed to be getting more lucid and told me he had made a mistake and was very sorry. He also indicated that he was looking forward to getting help with his bipolar problem. At this time, I arranged for a TV to watch the hockey game, since the la kings were his favourite team. I left at approximately 4:00 pm to go home for dinner and told him I would return at 8:00 pm to watch the game with him. Between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm he had visits from his step brother, father and step mother and seemed to be in good spirits. I returned at 8:00. My sister and her husband came to visit and then my other brother – in – law came to watch some of the game with us. My son also told him how sorry he was. I stayed until 11:30 pm and went home. I was very happy and assumed we were on the road to recovery with josh. I should mention that his heart rate was still high all day over 120 bpm. The next morning I phoned ICU and was told he had a hallucination during the night and pulled out his catheter but not to worry as it was ok and he could void in a bucket. I went to work since I had not been there much in the last week. I returned to the hospital ICU at 12:00 pm. My son seemed very agitated. The first thing he said to me was that he wanted me to move him to another hospital. I asked him why and he told me he overheard someone say “he doesn’t need or belong here”. I thought he was imagining it of course and told him so. Although now I believe he may have been telling the truth. He seemed very paranoid and I went to talk to the doctor. I also told the nurse that he wanted to use the commode again. She said she would call someone from physiotherapy because they were concerned about him having another episode like the day before. In the meantime I asked the doctor to send a psychiatrist and she said she would. A psychiatrist came in and talked with both of us together and then Joshua alone for a while. After he left I asked the nurse again to help josh to the bathroom since he had cramps. She called the physiotherapist and they came and helped him. Shortly after a cleaning lady came in and started cleaning the room and she said they were moving him. I asked the nurse and she said that they were moving my son to the medical unit on the fifth floor. I wondered about this given his condition, but did not question this. His heart rate was still over 120 bpm, he still had a fever, and he was still very paranoid and also had very bad diarrhea and stomach cramps. The nurse came in with a wheel chair and plunked him down. I found this a little disconcerting as earlier that day they had used a physiotherapist as they were afraid he would repeat what had happened the day before. He could not lift his feet onto the supports and she said it was ok if he wanted to leave them free. I was concerned about his feet dragging on the floor so I helped him put them on the supports. Previously to this the nurse had given him some pills and put on a portable heart rate monitor. A porter was called and we went upstairs. Again, no nurse was in attendance even though he was still extremely paranoid. It was around 3:30 pm when we got to the fifth floor. He was put in room 577 which is probably the farthest room away from the nurse’s station. It was a semi-private room and there was a patient in the other bed with a visitor when we arrived. When we got to the room, he had to go to the bathroom again. The nurse helped him to the bathroom. When he was finished she said she was going to get him into bed. I left to go and arrange a phone and pick up something at Tim Horton’s. On the way I mentioned to the nurses at the nurse’s station that they should watch him because of his paranoia. They did not respond. I was no more than ten minutes and when I returned to his room he was flipping out because he could not breathe. He said, “Mom I think I am having a panic attack and I think I am dying.” I tried for a minute to calm him down. The lady visitor called out to see if we wanted her to push the call button and I said no and pushed it myself. However, there was no response. While I was waiting, I noticed he had quite a bit of feces on his backside and I decided to clean him up. I had hoped this would help to calm him down. It did not appear as if the nurse had in fact cleaned him up at all. I found paper towels, went to the bathroom, wet them, came back and washed him. He was still very agitated and was trying to pull out his IV. I pushed the button again and after a few seconds went out into the hall looking for the nurse. At this point she was finally coming. She said she had been notified that his leads had been dislodged from the heart monitor. She did not seem to be too concerned about the situation. There was no mention of my calls to her. We went in and tried to get him to settle. She made him lie down in the bed and another nurse came to help. I was holding on to him and reassuring him. All of a sudden the original nurse left the room and I noticed his colour was changing to blue and his eyes were rolling back. I ran out into the hall to call her and told her about his colour and she said “I know. I’m going to get oxygen.” When she returned she put the oxygen on him. The last thing my son said to me was “mom, don’t let me go”. They then pushed me out of the way and pulled the curtains. I heard one of them say “he’s passed out” and then I heard the code blue. I knew in my heart he was already gone but didn’t want to believe it. I was taken to another “quiet room” while they worked on him for almost an hour but to no avail. I have since picked up all records from the hospital after three calls. They were very reluctant to give me the records but I insisted. I think it was all about numbers and they wanted the bed. I believe he would still be alive if he had remained in ICU and had been tested for the blood clot. I requested an autopsy and it was done in Hamilton. I have also requested a copy of the autopsy. The Cambridge coroner contacted me with cause of death which was pulmonary embolism. He indicated that this was caused by a blood clot from the leg to the lung. The clotting is apparently caused by lying still in the bed for so long. My son was restrained and sedated for 4 days with only being turned slightly every few hours. No machines on his legs. I have since found out there is a way to test for this and manage the clot, but this was not even mentioned. The bottom line is they were negligent in his care. My sister who knows quite a bit about this has read some of the records and there are a lot of questionable things regarding his treatment. I have also received all of his records from poison control.
Further to this, I have since read some of the medicals records, for Josh. When he was first sent from emergency to the Mental Health ward, he was medically cleared by the emerg doctor. The hospital knew at 1:05 pm that his valprioc acid and ammonia levels were spiking again. When poison control contacted them about 4 hours later, they were advised and poison control then indicated that they had not been made aware of this. Poison control then advised that they were quite concerned about complications and made some recommendations as to how to proceed. However, when the emerg doctor was contacted he said that he stood by his decision that the patient was medically clear. A second doctor was called in and all that he ordered was close monitoring. Around midnight my son’s oxygen levels dropped to around 58% and a code blue was called and he was then transferred to ICU.
As far as I can tell, they did not take any precautions other than giving him Heparin even though two of the ingested medications put him at risk for developing blood clots as well as having a BMI in the obese range and 4 days of immobilization with full restraints. They did a chest x-ray the first day in ICU with no indication of any blood clots and the chest was clear. After that there were no further tests or ultrasounds to determine whether any clots had developed. On the day before he died his oxygen levels were dropping off and on, he was having trouble breathing, his heart rate stayed above 120 bpm and his blood pressure was quite low. He also had a pinkish tinge to his sputum and an ongoing fever without any clear indication as to where a possible infection might be. All of these things are known to be symptoms of a possible pulmonary embolism developing. However, at no time were any tests conducted to ensure that this was not the case. Further to this, my son was also quite paranoid which when coupled with a high resting heart rate could easily have led to a cardiac arrest. Finally, he was having major stomach cramps and diarrhea.
On the morning my son died, the psychiatrist interviewed both my son and me and according to his report, he indicated that he was going to stay with the Form 1 as Josh’s behaviours were not stable. However, there was no nurse assigned to watch my son once he was transferred up to the fifth floor.
The primary nurse after they moved him to the fifth floor medical unit, omitted some information in her statement. I pushed the call button twice with approximately 5 minutes in between and she never mentioned this delay in response in her report. There were other people in the room (next bed) who were aware of this. Also she stated that she cleaned him but I was the one who found him with feces on his backside and cleaned him up. I am also wondering why she had to go find oxygen when there is supposed to be oxygen on the wall in every room. These things all delayed the time for my son to receive appropriate care when time was critical to his survival.
As far as I am concerned, limited bed space in the ICU may have been the determining factor in my son’s early release from ICU and transfer to a floor where he was not being appropriately monitored. He was not ready to move. Had they have done the appropriate tests and taken the proper precautions, I feel that my son would be here today.
June 26/12
I have been thinking about this some more and I realize that if the first emerg doctor had listened to Poison control recommendations on Wed June 6 my son probably would not have coded and ended up sedated and restrained. Therefore I think this negligence caused my son to develop a blood clot. Why did they wait so many hours to notify Poison control of his ammonia levels spiking and why did they not restart the antidote therapy until so much later? Had I known about this I would have got him moved to another hospital since they obviously did not know how to take care of him properly. They caused my son’s blood clot and ultimately his death. I also think by moving him in a wheel chair they hastened the pulmonary embolism. I am especially concerned about the horror by son must have endured both times.
SINCERELY
MARY-LOU PATEY – MOTHER OF DECEASED AND NEXT OF KIN
CAMEL BLUES by Mr. David Nesbitt
October 12, 2012
From mere nomad to small caravanner took Ghimal from age 17 to age 29. Good progress; better than most. Tough luck it was when one of his best camels cratered over night, behind the inn where he had made a good deal to haul stuff to Samarkand.
What to do? Lucky break! An auction was due, that very afternoon. Bad luck! Prices were beyond him, until late, when few bidders remained. And none was interested in the last camel that came to the auction pen. He did not expect to win with his low initial bid, but he did, just as the other attendees returned from their coffee-break, or whatever.
Wow! Back in business! So, off they went. Avoiding the cost of another night under a tough roof, they made tent-camp a few klicks along the route to Samarkand. This was the time to train the new boss how to treat Kamal, an elite camel of camels in his own mind. A thinking camel there…
Maybe only Ghimal knew not that this brute had connived his way into the bad-books of all the local camel-drivers. The truth soon would make itself obvious. Here is how it happened…
The desert days are hot enough to fry an egg, but the nights are crisper than merely fresh, although they usually won’t freeze water. Kamal the camel knew all about it, and what he would like to do about it. Could he pull it off? Well, here we go.
Letting Ghimal get warm and cozy after supper, Kamal made sniveling camel noises at the door of the tent. Ghimal wants to know, “What’s all this about?”
Surprise-of surprises, Kamal whimpers, “Oh, Master, the air is too cold for my poor nose; could I but put it for a moment into your tent? Long pause… … Gimall knew that camels don’t belong even a little inside any tent. On the other hand, this addition to my flock may need extra kindness, until he feels part of the team.
“O.K., says Ghimal, “but for only five minutes.” The fatal mistake.
It took about an hour of Kamal begging, and getting, his ears, then his withers, his hindquarters, and, finally, his entire tail into Ghimal’s tent. Ghimal’s tent? Not anymore!
“Oh, Master, we now are so crowded that I will not get the sleep I need to be ready to serve you tomorrow, at my best. I expect you will see the need for you to leave the warm comfort of our tent for my refreshment.” And that’s the way it was. All the way to Samark CAMELS DEVELOP and if this camel could speak English, would he be saying, “So long, sucker!” or some such?
Some former Beachers probably don’t know that the same kind of words have been directed at their taillights, as they departed their homes between Woodbine and Kippendavie Avenues. The encroachment has begun. No doubt, developers paid well for the houses they would raze. The owners might not have seen that the longer homes in the beaches remain of their traditional form, the higher the values of them may become.
Their worth is not only for the homes themselves, but also, and maybe more, for the atmosphere of relaxation, only on the edge of the frantic crowding that is destined for terrain west of Woodbine. Transformation of that ground will be building storage barns for people.
These will be called up-scale urban paradise of the future. The untouched Beaches, east of Kippendavie, might be saved from that form of devastation. To get the home-value that the ambience of the Beaches add, it is not necessary to sell to developers, or to anybody else. Have we heard of renting, or leasing? Let’s give our “loaf” a shake.
Development between Hemlock and Edgewood avenues is a done-deal. If the site of Lick’s proceeds as planned, the encroachment will be stuffed in our faces, being at a precedent for developers to cite. Opposition has been more hopeful than clever, or wise. Yet, “Hope is not a plan.” (Robert Ludlum)
We can be sure that developers are advised by lawyers, and urban planners, about how to take up the entire Beach, as offshore fishermen wield a seine. There are preventives that could thwart the err merciless graspings, but the developers are aware that Beachers are a polite, dignified, and inherently decent bunch, who prefer to forgive sins of sociopathic avarice. If there is any in this civic affair Beachers don’t see those ills in others, because they are not in them. “It takes one to know one,” and Beachers don’t see connivance that is not in them. Thus, they are ripe to be plucked from the tree of exploitation.
All is not now lost. We have our own precedent of successful self-preservation from a massive encroachment, not of condos, but of an offshore windmill farm. Where there’s a will, there may be another win. If you want to settle the condo threat, maybe for a generation, or more; give us call at 416-693-6325, or blog us at our website: www.yourwardnews.com
MUSICIANS UNDER FIRE AND T.A.M. KEEPS ON SHOOTING
October 12, 2012
Tyrants Against Music is a loose network of profiteers who benefit from some of the most valuable, yet poor members of society……musicians.
Educated citizens know that musicians have long been taken advantage of, from Chuck Berry to Jerry Lee Lewis. But how many realize that the same old song exist locally, and that the same conditions for musicians to be
“dollared-to-death” still prevail?
Street minstrels have existed since time immemorial, yet city officials demand a piece of the action, like sopranos that don’t sing. A massive petition
campaign has been launched that aims to make musicians exempt from
Toronto Municipal Code Chapters 313(44.1), 315 and 241. These codes
govern ‘Streets and Sidewalks’, ‘Street Vending’ and ‘Noise’, in that order.
Music is an inspiring and uniting force that should proceed with neither fear nor favour, as all forms of music have a loyal following. Whether it is Blues, Country, Jazz or Rock, music improves our quality of life. Our Beaches neighbourhood should be alive with music every day and every night, not just on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday one time every summer.
I, Leroy St. Germaine, publisher, promoter and life-long lover of music, hereby commit all my efforts to expanding musicians’ rights. As sure as the fact that I wrote Sandra’s ‘Swan-Song’, these rights will be won.
Please join the chorus of voices that want musicians to be exempt from unfair restrictions.
The fictional Saint-Germain is a vampire who was born approximately 4,000 years ago in the region that is now Transylvania. He was the son of his tribal leader (hence, a prince by blood) and was also dedicated to the tribal god, the older vampire who transformed him. He
experienced his first death when his tribe was destroyed by another invading tribe, together with their god, and carries hideous scars on his lower abdomen from being
disemboweled. He spent much of his early existence in Egypt, initially as a temple slave, but eventually began travelling the world shortly before the start of the Christian Era. The novels have described periods when Saint-Germain has resided in the Roman Empire during reigns of Nero and Elagabalus, France during the reigns of
Charlemagne and Louis XV, Russia during the reigns of Ivan the Terrible and Nicholas II, Germany in the 10th Century, Germany, Spain, and England between the First and Second World Wars, China during the Mongol
invasion, Peru during the Spanish invasion, and the United States in the modern era. Saint Germain is not portrayed as a typical vampire. He requires blood to live but only a small amount, which many of his “victims” (usually
female) offer voluntarily. His other victims are usually
visited in their sleep, and he can take their blood without awakening them, leaving them with an erotic dream. Unlike traditional vampires, he is discomforted by direct sunlight and by running Water, but is only damaged by them when seriously weakened; keeping a layer of his native earth inside his shoes allows him to navigate these hazards with minimal discomfort, and he always imports his native earth to build the foundations of his many homes. In keeping with the historical Count Saint-Germain’s claims, the fictional one possesses the ability transmute base metals into gold, and more significantly to make synthetic diamonds and other gems. The resulting financial resources are used to fund a variety of
alchemical (and later scientific and technical) business interests in chemistry, fuels, and aviation, among other businesses. He also often is depicted as a minor character or diplomat on the world stage, particularly as an emissary of Nicholas II attempting to stem the chaos which eventually led to the First World War. During his time in Egypt, he learned how to resurrect recently deceased individuals under certain restricted conditions, and his manservant Roger (based on the manservant of the historical Count) is presented as a Roman freeman resurrected in this fashion during the time of Nero. Such
resurrected individuals are not vampires, but more like zombies or ghouls, save with the possession of their full mental capability. The only restriction placed on them by their resurrected condition is the need to consume freshly killed, raw meat as their only sustenance (Roger is inevitably portrayed as
eating only raw poultry). Saint-Germain has the power to create new vampires but vampires are unable to live together for long. Saint-Germain has turned at least two women he loved into vampires, the 1st
century Roman Atta Olivia Clemens and the 18th century Frenchwoman Madelaine de Montalia. Yarbro has written novels about these women as well. Later novels maintain that he is only able to share blood six times before it becomes certain that his partner will become a vampire on death, though he can
hasten the process by sharing his own blood with his partner. Several of his partners choose suicide to assure they will not be resurrected, and others die violently at the hands of his—or their—enemies.
A recurring plot device is the use of manufactured letters between or involving the characters to set off the individual chapters of each novel. These letters provide supplementary information to the plot and serve to advance the action in a fashion that increases the sweep of the stories. Most of the novels are
broken into two or three sections focusing on character development of a character named at the head of the section. St. Germain, Clemens, and de Montalia are always “section lead” characters in the novels in which they appear. One recurring theme of the novels is that the villains (or sometimes anti-heroes) are often cruel and sadistic, emphasizing that man’s inhumanity to man far outstrips the legendary or fictional evil of vampires. RELIVE the horror, on DEC.22, 2012 at WISEGUYS!
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