I don't subscribe to the general media condescension toward the Chicago jury, if only because, if I were Conrad, I'd rather take my chances with the first 12 passengers on the average Chicago bus than any 12 reporters or BBC producers. Nevertheless, I was struck by this report from London:

A female Muslim juror has been arrested in Britain after allegedly listening to an MP3 player under her hijab headscarf during a murder trial, police said Monday.

The woman in her early 20s was spotted by a fellow juror listening to music as she was meant to be helping try the case of a pensioner accused of bludgeoning his wife to death after 50 years of marriage.

She could now be charged with contempt of court and, if convicted, may be punished with an indefinite jail sentence and an unlimited fine.

It's unclear what, if anything, a citizen could do to get kicked off a Chicago jury. One lady slept solidly throughout the trial, and apparently that's okay. But, if she'd piped Mantovani's cascading strings into her earplugs to serenade her to dreamland, she could be charged with contempt?

At any rate, this fortnight of jury deliberation must have opened up a whole new world for the Queen of the Narcolepts: "There's a guy called Lord Black? And he got a non-compete? When did that happen?"

Presumably that's why their discussions continue. Verdict today? I wouldn't bet on it.