From Bangkok to Banging People on the Head

Thanks a zillion to Ron for sending links about the recent conviction of Carl Parkes for what the San Francisco Examiner calls “a July incident in which he beat an 81-year-old woman with a motorcycle helmet.” On July 23, 54-year-old Parkes “grew angry with the woman for taking a section of a newspaper from the steps of his Gough Street residence to complete the crossword puzzle inside. As the woman continued to make her way down the street with the help of a cane, Parkes called for her to come back. As she turned around, he came up from behind, hitting her repeatedly in the head with the motorcycle helmet and yelling at her to not come back to the street.” Witnesses reported the assault, an ambulance arrived (the victim received staples in her head) and “Parkes was arrested and taken into custody in lieu of $400,000 bail. He was unable to make bail and was in jail until his trial began last week,” the Examiner reports. “After a seven-day trial, a jury found Parkes guilty of misdemeanor battery, felony elder abuse and assault with a deadly weapon.” Parkes is eligible for a maximum sentence of five years in state prison. He is a travel author. He calls himself “Friskodude” at his blog, which boasts: “I have authored six guidebooks to Southeast Asia published by Avalon Travel and National Geographic. Previously, I worked as a stockbroker at Dean Witter.” His books include National Geographic Traveler: Thailand and Moon Handbooks: Philippines. It’s just sad, isn’t it? Years and years spent traveling the world (“I once made a 12-month journey across Asia, from Japan to Sri Lanka ... I've lectured on a half-dozen cruise ships, and won two Lowell Thomas Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers”) and yet your trigger is so short that a stolen crossword puzzle sparks it? The last entry on Parkes’ blog — dated July 22, the day before the beating — details the loss of wild elephant habitat in Thailand: “... elephants are magnificent animals that are slowly but surely being annihilated by progress, as their forests are cut down and destitute elephant mahouts from Surin are forced to bring their beasts into the nightclub areas of Soi Cowboy to beg for scraps and bananas from bewildered tourists. It breaks my heart.” He is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 19.