Nothing Exceeds Like Excess - Michael Scripps and The Dark Side

I have to thank Oscar Wilde for giving me the inspiration for this title. This post just happened because I read the salacious details of the Michael Scripps' case in the paper. It seemed to have just about everything in it that the 'Dark Side' stands for - greed, lust, betrayal, family in-fighting, fraud, some strippers and a porn star. It was, quite simply, a bit hard to pass up.

It also demonstrates how the wheels of justice can coincide with the 'Life Cycles' 'significant years'; something I have written about several times before. In Scripps' case, he was in his all-important age 36 'Year of Revolution', as he was being found guilty of stealing $3.6 million from his mother and mentally impaired uncle. He was recently handed a 9 year prison sentence. There is no doubt his mother, Melissa Scripps (pictured here), raised him in a chaotic and dysfunctional family setting; however the decision to defraud his mother and uncle was his alone.

So let's backtrack a bit with this. Melissa Scripps was a descendant of James E. Scripps and in the 80's she inherited an $11 million share of the empire. She also took over her elder brother David's share (said to be more than hers), because he was mildly autistic. Then things got really crazy. She spent millions on her own whims; such as flying her dogs to their second home in the Caribbean by private plane, treating relatives to first class round-the-world holidays, buying two of Princess Diana's gowns, a Napoleonic tiara and teddy bears that cost thousands of dollars. Add to this her daily marijuana habit and legal bills from her four marriages and you have millions being squandered.

Now there was a fateful day (said to be around 2002, so I can't be sure, but Michael may have been in his first adult age 24 'Year of Revolution') when Melissa, Michael and a friend were together at an Atlanta strip club and the bill for the night was $90,000. Must have drank a lot of champagne. But I must say, of all the people I would feel uncomfortable with at a strip club, my mother would rank number one. Melissa must have been fully loaded when Michael took photos of her in a compromising position with an exotic dancer. If you think about this, it's completely wacky. You're with your own mother (high on booze and pot) at a strip club and she gets into a 'compromising position' with an exoctic dancer? Then you take a photo??

Michael himself, it must be stated, had already married a college student, who worked as a stripper so he knew something of the business. So, just how this went down must be quite a story. Let's say for example, he could have set her up, as he had been concerned for some time, that she was going to 'blow his inheritance' with her reckless spending. Mind you he had his own six-figure trust fund and a $3,900 monthly allowance, but it wasn't enough. He was greedy and he could also have seen this opportunity by accident and it was too good to pass up. Whatever the reason, later on when her financial advisers question the bill, he shows them the photo and she agrees to let Michael take over her and David's finances. I think blackmail is the correct word here.

Well, it wasn't long before Michael was into the moolah, courtesy of his college pal and financial adviser Richard 'Duke' Gleeson, who he appointed to manage the funds. He spent lavishly on his romantic interests :- his first wife Anna (who was a part-time stripper), to whom he gave piles of jewels and then from 2003 it was porn star Jenna Bearden (pictured below, whose stage name was Kiki Daire). He paid for her college education and an apartment in Memphis, breast enhancement surgery and diamond earrings. He was no different to his mother really. However, mum had to find out eventually and in 2006 there was quite a scene when she did. She cut off the money supply. It was reported that the relationship of Michael and Jenna was already beginning to fracture when the money dried up and one night during an argument, he held a gun to his head and demanded she call his mother. What the upshot of all this was, was not clear, but some two years later in Michael's age 31 'Year of Broken Pathways' in 2008, his fraud of $3.6 million was settled by Merrill Lynch and his actions were reported to the FBI.

Typical of how a 'Year of Broken Pathways' unfolds Scripps tried to justify his actions. His mother knew all along he said in court, he used the money to set up a real estate business, he had become a changed man and on and on it goes. However Merril Lynch (Melissa's advisers) required that as part of the settlement she notify the FBI of his criminal actions against the estate. So, we have the genesis of 'getting his hands on the money' in his age 24 'Year of Revolution', which set in train a 7 year journey to his actions being reported to the FBI in his age 31 'Year of Broken Pathways' to his eventual sentencing and imprisonment in his age 36 'Year of Revolution' (thus beginning his new age/new era).

This is exactly the same criminal 'Life Cycles' case history model, as the more infamous Jordan Belfort:- the self-styled 'Wolf of Wall Street'. How so, I hear you ask? Well, it's all in 'The Life Cycles Revolution'. Evidence so stark, so predictive of the theory, that it would convince the greatest skeptic/rationalist. Till next month :- "may the cycles always bring you good fortune".

Ronnie Biggs and The Disappearing Revolution

Hello again. I've already assumed Ronnie's character on Facebook, so I feel as if I've written this article before I start. Now, unless you're under 25 or don't listen to the news, you probably know something of the famous great train robber Ronnie Biggs, who spent years on the run in Rio and got himself quite a media profile. Some saw him as a sort of modern-day Robin Hood and others did not like the way he seemed to get away with his crimes, but he was always colourful.

What I want to do is feature him in 'Life Cycles-The Dark Side' and ask what happened in his important age 36 'Year of Revolution'? Ronald Arthur Biggs was born August 8th, 1929, so we will be looking at the period Aug, 1965 to Aug, 1966. In July, 1965, Biggs and three others escaped from Wandsworth Prison in a daring break, organised by underworld friends. He and fellow robber Eric Flower are hidden in various UK locations between July and Oct. His new age/direction took shape in October, when he was put on a boat to Antwerp and then driven to Paris. Can you see how Biggs was not really in control of these plans? The centrality of this one year in the lives of so many, combined with not being fully in control of outcomes are the defining characteristics of 'Life Cycles' theory. But you knew that already?!

Now back to Uncle Ronnie. He, along with Flower, were also to be largely guinea pigs in extensive plastic surgery operations, designed to change their appearance. It is understood this was a first-ever use of this surgery for escaped felons. This was quite painful and took them two months to recuperate. On Dec.22nd, his wife Charmain joined him for a celebration dinner in Paris, as shown in the TV series, Mrs. Biggs, and then he flew to Sydney under the name of writer, Terrence Furminger. He had now effectively disappeared and the next step was to get Charmain and the kids into Australia, as the UK police were understandably staking them out.

Biggs and Flower set up home in Botany Bay, Sydney, but when their mail is intercepted in March they move to Adelaide. In June, 1966, Charmain and family arrive in Darwin. She is now Mrs. Margaret Furminger. So Ronnie's age 36 'Year of Revolution' sees the beginning of a new age/direction as a new identity trying to act normally in Australia. Many adventures follow this, of course, but it is of interest that Ronnie eventually returned to UK of his own volition, because he needed medical treatment, in May, 2001, after a series of debilitating strokes. He was on the run for 36 years. In August, at the beginning of Bigg's age 72 'Year of Revolution', his lawyers file appeal papers for early release on medical grounds. So this time his new age/direction is about getting out of gaol through appeal. This did happen, interestingly, some seven years later, in Bigg's age 79 'Year of Broken Pathways', and in about a month's time Bigg's will be 84 and most probably in his last 'Year of Revolution'. What will be in store? The answer, as always, is somewhat unknown and we'll simply have to wait.

Crime did not pay either for Ronnie. Although the gang stole a total of 44 million pounds sterling in today's terms, each of the 16 members received an equal share of 147,000 pounds, all of which was used to pay for the escape, plastic surgery and false passports. He arrived in Australia basically flat broke and had to find work. Oh yes, one other highlight for you. When Ronnie was in his age 48 'Year of Revolution' he teams up with the Sex Pistols in Rio to record "No-one Is Innocent (A Punk Prayer)" with Biggs singing lead vocal. Always a colourful villain was Ronnie. Till next month :- may the cycles always bring you good fortune.

Just How Foxy Is Knoxy? 'Life Cycles' and Amanda Knox.

Much has been written on this now high-profile case. Around a dozen books, including the most recent by Amanda herself, for which Harper Collins reportedly paid $3.8 million as an advance in a bidding war of the six main publishers. I guess this illustrates as well as anything what the traditional publishing industry is all about. For all that, I'm told the Publishers Weekly review was underwhelming and only 36,000 copies have been sold, with refusal to publish in UK, Italy or Germany for fear of libel. That's why people usually go to the web for their information. You don't know what treasures are buried waiting for you to discover. Now I must point out, I'm not going to determine Amanda's ultimate guilt or innocence, that is supposedly up to the courts, although they haven't got a definitive answer either and the DNA evidence has been corrupted. I guess the one who could point the finger, Meredith Kercher, is unable to and this case seems mired in changed stories and self-justifications.

Now when we do a 'Life Cycles' forensic examination, we visit the 'significant years' of the protagonist. Amanda Knox gets star billing, because she has managed to polarise so many opinions, so that's what I'll be doing in this post. She was born 9th July, 1987, so she was in her first adult, age 19, 'Year of Broken Pathways' between July, 2006 and July, 2007, which is a matter of months before the actual murder. What was happening in her life then, that could be considered a direction change and an uphill challenge set to last for the rest of the years of the 12 year cycle (ie. until she turns 24)? You should note here, that this is the generic description of the theory, although you could be forgiven for thinking that it is just a personal description for Amanda.

When she was 19 she was in a rebellious phase of her young life. After attending a strict Catholic school, she wanted to break free when at the University of Washington and got herself a reputation for being a 'party girl', who liked alcohol and drugs. She was also a conscientious student by day, so friends called it a 'double life'. She rented a house on Greek Row, an area that was home to football jocks and all-male fraternity houses. Here she could escape the strict alcohol rules of university accommodation.


"She just went wild" said an acquaintance. She threw a party in June, 2007 where police had to be called and it ended up in a minor criminal conviction. It is reported that she 'hung out with the male students doing rock climbing etc.' and that she aggressively competed with other females for male attention. She wrote a story on Facebook called 'Baby Brother' in which a young woman was drugged and raped by another young woman and described the victim's pain in lurid detail. One of the defining characteristics of a psychopath is the ability to take extreme pleasure in having power over others.

After June, she couldn't wait to get an opportunity to leave the US with its strict alcohol laws and was very happy when selected as an Erasmus scholar to study in Italy. Can you see for yourselves it was the beginning of a 'slippery slope' in her life? She couldn't have been more unlike her well-behaved flatmate Meredith Kercher, who came to resent her bringing "strange men" to the house and her untidiness and general self-centred attitude.

She was reprimanded by her employer, Patrick Lumumba at the bar 'Le Chic', for being too flirty with the customers. She in turn told flatmates and her mother that she was going to quit because Lumumba was not paying her and wanted her to drink while working. It is another characteristic of a psychopath, that they are practiced liars with no sense of right or wrong. In other words they tell their audience what they believe they want to hear. Patrick Lumumba liked Meredith and may well have hired her. Is it any wonder that, at first, Amanda tried to frame Patrick for this crime. He went to gaol for a short time and lost his business as a result. Are we to gloss over this as being a result of 'confused thinking' or police interrogation? It is on record that her story changed several times to suit the occasion.


However, none of this means that she is not innocent of the charges, but it took four long years before change occurred again. At age 24 in her first adult 'Year of Revolution' her appeal was upheld and she returned to the US. Her reaction in court shows she was overwhelmed at this decision and it was a major turning point in her life and the beginning of a new age/direction. She now had a book deal and talk of a movie. She has had to 'go public' with it's release and do dozens of interviews. But this trauma will not go away. It is no secret that there would be an appeal by the prosecution. They indicated they would do this straight away. She does not exude much warmth in lead interviews like that with Diane Sawyer. This 'coolness' and sometimes inappropriate emotions she has shown throughout the trial is again indicative of a psychopathic personality. This is reflected by straw polls on the web, with a clear majority thinking she is guilty. People pick up her vibe and she doesn't naturally engender sympathy.

Recent reports suggest she is facing financial difficulty as the $1.5 mill. advance (different to the $3.8 mill. at first reported) has been swallowed up by legal fees and the cost of a PR agent, hired from the earliest possible time after the crime. Though she may never return to Italy if found guilty, because of US 'double jeopardy' laws, she will be haunted by this for years to come. She has said "I don't know what I'm going to do. The future is very unsure..." She also said she believes she will be found guilty, which will mean more costly legal process. I believe that in addition to the pro-Amanda "no definitive DNA camp", there is the inescapable view by the Italian court that Rudy Guede (the man convicted after Lumumba was let go because he had a solid alibi) could not have acted alone. So if she and her then boyfriend Raffaelle Sollecito weren't involved, then who was? This was presumably sexual assault, murder and robbery, by an as yet unnamed party or parties, who presumably knew Guede. Guede knew both Amanda and Meredith and was attracted to the flirty Amanda. Sollecito's online communications show a penchant for extreme sex. Yet someone else was involved? When you think about it, it doesn't make much sense does it? Till next month:- "may the cycles always bring you good fortune".

'Life Cycles and The Dark Side' - Let's Start With Al Capone

This cycle of twelve posts will form the Fifth Lesson for you:- 'Life Cycles and The Dark Side'. Remember, every twelve months a new lesson and a new theme? Well probably not, if you were honest, but we have been dealing with 'Life Cycles-Relationships' for the last year, which will form the core of my next book and now we move ahead to this. Why am I particularly qualified to write on this topic? Well, I'm going to share with you the fact that my early career as a psychologist, included several years working in one of our state's most well-known maximum security prisons. I have interviewed and assessed many convicted felons, but on the lighter side I have got a collection of prison stories, that only a first-hand account can do justice to. Like being an eye-witness, when the state's then most-wanted man and two others tried to break out of gaol with hand-made weapons, or the prisoner who feigned blindness so successfully, that he was transferred to minimum security, from where he escaped. They made a movie of that one. Anyway, suffice to say, I was always in demand at dinner parties to tell a story.

Today, however, I'm leaving that all behind as we examine the career of arguably America's most well-known gangster, Al Capone, from the always unique 'Life Cycles' perspective. We'll look at two 'significant years' in terms of his criminal career ie. his age 24 'Year of Revolution' and his age 31 'Year of Broken Pathways'. Mind you, I'm assuming by now you know what I mean by these terms, but if you don't, your homework will be to read some more posts to find out. Alphonse 'Al' Gabriel Capone was born Jan. 17th 1899, so he would have been in his first adult 'Year of Revolution' for most of the year 1923. The question is :- "What happened then that could be considered a new age/direction in his criminal activities or life generally?"

Following success in the Chicago-based Torrio Gang, Capone decided to bring his family out from New York to settle. In August 1923 he moved into the new family home in suburban Cicero, which became his headquarters until his arrest for tax evasion. It was also done to avoid newly-elected Reform Mayor Dever, who promised to run Capone out of the city. Here he took over management of operations for the Torrio Gang at the Hawthorn Inn, which had bullet-proof shutters on every window. It was to be his beginning at running things on a permanent basis. This was his 'new age/direction' in this year. Now we skip ahead seven years to his age 31 'Year of Broken Pathways' (1930) and ask :- "What happened to change his course and give him a new challenge and direction?"

As Public Enemy No.1 Capone was pursued with a vengeance and in 1929 Eliot Ness began to investigate his business dealings. Capone was reported to have only ever signed one cheque, so he was a wily adversary. But Revenue Agent Frank Wilson was equally determined and the breakthrough to tracing income to Capone happened in the summer of 1930, when a set of accounts was linked to him and he got a witness prepared to testify. Capone sent his attorney Lawrence Mattingly to settle 'his indebtedness to the Treasury'. Capone threatened Wilson with the remark "Be sure to take care of yourself."

However what happened in his 'Year of Broken Pathways' happens to so many others in a myriad of ways. He could not avoid his date with destiny, no matter what he did. Wilson only redoubled his efforts and gathered more evidence and threatened more witnesses. Capone was taken down in the following year. His criminal career was over, never to return. Mind you he tried to bribe his way around the prison system for a while, but eventually he landed in Alcatraz. 'Life Cycles' is as powerful a predictor in crime as it is in every other facet of human behaviour. Till next month :- "may the cycles always bring you good fortune."

Abraham Lincoln, 'Confluence' and the Age 36 Amendment

THE AGE 36 AMENDMENT

"IT IS THE DUTY AND PRIVILEGE OF EVERY CITIZEN TO MAXIMIZE THEIR OPPORTUNITIES DURING THEIR 36TH YEAR"


I am going to provide the most detailed, mathematical piece of evidence ever assembled for 'Confluence' and for 'Life Cycles' generally. Other philosophies and ideas will say to you :- "Now do you believe?", however I say to you once again :- "'Life Cycles' is not a belief system. You are not required to accept me on faith. It is like saying I require you to believe in Pythagoras' Theorem. You only have to study my evidence and to find that it's true. That's because, like everything else I write about, it's only based on biographic records. Simple as that and yet complex as that."

Now here's a question for you :- "What happens if we put two serious and career-minded 36 year old individuals, of roughly the same ability, together when they are aiming for the same job?" Well it happened when prairie lawyer and state politician Abraham Lincoln was running against volunteer soldier and national politician, General John J. Hardin, to be nominated for a term in Congress. Now here's where it gets mathematical. Lincoln was born 12th Feb. 1809 and Hardin was born 5th Jan. 1810, which means they were both 36 during the narrow window of 1 mth (between 5 Jan and 12 Feb 1846). Why this matters is because they were both aiming for the same job during this time ie. the Whig nomination for a 2 year term in Congress.

Hardin had already served one term and it was Lincoln who introduced the principle of rotation, meaning that it would be his turn next. He had never been elected to Congress. Hardin, like many another politician, did not abide by this gentleman's agreement and so in 1845 they fought a spirited contest. They were also friends, so things were bound to get sticky. Now my question is simple :- "When was this nomination settled?" Was it during the one month period of 'Confluence' that the two shared in Jan. 1846? Did it seal both their careers and ultimate fates? I have the Lincoln Log of his voluminous correspondence for research purposes.

It says explicitly that the matter was not settled at the start of the year. Then in Jan. Lincoln did some dedicated campaigning and won several key districts. Hardin could see the writing on the wall and eventually in early Feb. he formally withdrew his candidacy. Yes, this month of Jan. where the two shared 'Confluence' is when it all happened. Both being at the 'Life Cycles' major mid-life 'Year of Revolution' together. Both ambitious and talented members of the same Whig party and both wanting to be Congressman. This sealed both their fates at the one time.

Why so? Well it began Lincoln's first term in Washington. His quest for influence and his growing distaste for slavery, now saw the beginnings of a credible national profile. He co-wrote a bill to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia and spoke out against the Mexican War. Hardin, on the other hand, returned to the Illinois Militia and recruited the First Volunteer Regiment to fight in the Mexican-American War. On 23rd. Feb. 1847, he was killed at the Battle of Buena Vista, just one year later. His untimely demise did weigh on Lincoln thereafter and as President, he looked out for Hardin's widow and appointed his brother-in-law to a diplomatic post in Panama.

Does the month of Jan. again feature in Lincoln's life in one of 'Life Cycles' significant years? Does it again feature Hardin? Yes it does, but you'll have to wait for a full account in my next book "Life Cycles-Relationships". One final question for you :- "The movie 'Lincoln' featured almost exclusively one month in Lincoln's life. What month was that? Does it feature in 'Life Cycles' terms? " Till next month "may the cycles always bring you good fortune".