Police Seize Joshua Powell's Van

Today seems to be a day of updates. I was just thinking about Susan Powell yesterday. I prayed for her and for her sons. I don't know Susan. I just can't help but feel sorry for her sons. I had two sons and I think that my presence in their life helped shaped the men that they became.

I saw that te police have seized Josh Powell's van for the second time. I pray that police find the evidence that will solve the mystery of Susan's disappearance.

Sometimes I wonder if Susan's relatives would be willing to let me interview them. Would they be willing to post something here about Susan. Periodically I try to put something out there on twitter with the hashtag #SusanPowell. I try to link it up to my post that contains the information for the West Valley City Police. I think it's easy for the media to forget a story when new stories appear on the horizon. I don't want Susan's story to get lost. For the sake of her boys, for the sake of her family and friends. I want Susan found and I'm willing to keep trying to help if only I knew what to do to help.

Anyone with information about this case should contact the West Valley City Police at 801-840-4000.

Update - Abraham Shakespeare Is Found Dead

A tragic end to a story that some might call a tale of rags to sudden riches.

Abraham Shakespeare won a cool $30 million dollar jackpot back in 2007. A friend accused him of stealing the winning lottery ticket, but the matter was settled in court when a judge ruled that Shakespeare could keep his millions.

Shakespeare had a criminal record that consists of several arrests and prison time for burglary, battery and failure to pay child support but winning the lottery offered him the opportunity to turn his life around. As a matter of fact his life was already beginning to change even before he bought the winning ticket when he joined a church and was baptized.

With his winnings, he bought a Nissan Altima, a Rolex from a pawn shop, a $1 million home in a gated community and talked about starting a foundation for the poor. He insisted the money wouldn’t change him. It seemed that although the money might not have changed him but it changed the people around him as many came around with their hands out for a piece of the jackpot. Shakespeare's brother, Robert Brown, said Friday that Shakespeare often wished he had never bought the winning ticket.

Not long after he bought the million-dollar home in early 2007, he was approached by a woman named Dee Dee Moore, said family and officials. She was interested in writing a book about Shakespeare’s life. She became something of a financial adviser to Shakespeare. Keep in mind Dee Dee NEVER graduated high school.

Moore had a checkered past herself which includes a year of probation after she was charged with falsely reporting that she was carjacked and raped in 2001. Officials said she concocted the scheme so her insurance company would reimburse her for the SUV, which she claimed had been stolen.

According to authorities Moore “has offered at least one person a several hundred thousand dollar house if they would make false sightings of Abraham.” Moore also put all of Shakespeare’s assets in her name and has used the missing millionaire’s cell phone to call and send text messages to his family and friends.

Acting on a tip, investigators began digging around on a property located near Plant City, Florida. According to county records, the house is owned by Shar Krasniqi who has been noted as Moore’s boyfriend.

Using heavy equipment, investigators broke up a large concrete slab and for two days they dug up dirt and sifted through it. Much of the digging was done by hand.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's detectives used fingerprints to identify Shakespeare's body, which they found buried 5 feet deep and covered by a 30-by-30 concrete slab in the backyard of a two-story ranch house.

Shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday, this missing person’s case turned into a homicide investigation. A body was found buried in the concrete slab and while a positive identification hasn’t been made, it’s presumed to be that of the missing lottery winner and authorities say it’s been there for some time now.

Sadly, it appears Abraham' naivety and willingness to trust ultimately led to his death. Everyone wants to believe that winning the lottery will be the answer to all of their problems. Sadly it changed Abraham's life in a bad way.

Did You Almost Forget Obama Was Black?

MSNBC analyst Chris Matthews, apparently in celebration of the fact that he believes we now have a "post-racial America," felt the need to congratulate President Barack Obama on his State of the Union Address by proudly claiming that he "forgot Obama was black for an hour."

I am not sure where Chris Matthews was coming from with these comments. To some extent, his remarks were shocking, and I wasn't exactly sure why they shocked me until I'd had a chance to sleep on it. During my rest, I realized that Chris Matthews' words were hurtful and irritating because they represent the kind of paternalistic racism that might come from liberals in an historically racist society. With his words, Matthews was practically applauding Obama for rising above his blackness, as if merely mentioning the words, "I am a black man," would have completely ruined Obama's brilliant speech. No one asked Matthews what he thought about the fact that the president was black, so Matthews going out of his way to mention Obama's blackness is a reminder that Matthews himself was focused on the fact that he was listening to a black man.

It's odd and interesting that in a so-called "post-racial society," the way to applaud the fact that you didn't notice something is to mention the very thing that you're claiming to not have noticed. If Matthews had been truly unaware that he was listening to a black man, he would have spent his time commenting on Obama's policies rather than the color of his skin.

Am I the only one that remembers the rebuke to those who commented on Obama being articulate is racist? Do you remember when Biden said of Candidate Obama:

I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," Biden said. "I mean, that's a storybook, man."

This brought scrutiny of "articulate" being a racist comment.

Biden then had to issue a statement saying: "I deeply regret any offense my remark in the New York Observer might have caused anyone. That was not my intent and I expressed that to Sen. Obama."

It is now Chris Matthews who is eating a little crow as he attempts to clarify his comments here:

"I grew up in a country that was driven apart by race right until the '60s. You couldn't have a black member of the U.S. Cabinet. There were no black cabinet members in the Kennedy administration. It has been such a big part of our life.... To see a president of the United States who is African Amercan, I was thinking tonight, this isn't even an issue tonight. How far we've come in just a year.... President Obama has done something wonderful. I thing he's taken us beyond black and white in our politics...and I'm loving it."

No matter what you say, no matter what you do, get used to it, you are racist.

Searchers Find Child's Body At Roanoke Landfill

This is an update to an especially tragic story I told you about earlier. Aveion Mark Lewis had been reported missing by his stepfather, 24-year-old Brandon Lockett.

Brandon had originally claimed that the child was abducted but he has since been charged with felony child neglect, improper disposal of a human body and obstruction of justice.

Sadly the child's body was found in a landfill. Tossed away like trash.

Again I ask when are we as a nation going to say enough? Enough of the violence against children! Enough of the violence against women! ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look at the charges against the stepfather. Mark my words there will be very little jail time in this case.

Tuesday would have been Lewis' third birthday.

The Remains Of Morgan Dana Harrington Found

Back on October 17th, Dana went missing. Dana, a Virginia Tech student had gone to a Metallica concert. Around 8:40 p.m., she went outside to smoke a cigarette and left her ticket inside. Her friends in the arena called her and she told them she'd find her own ride home. That was the last time anyone saw her.

Police found her purse, ID and cell phone in the parking lot, but said there was no sign of a struggle.

David Bass found the remains on Tuesday in a remote hayfield on his farm approximately 10 miles outside of Charlottesville. There is no public access to the area where the body was found. Police had not searched the area before this morning.

"I was on my tractor feeding cows on a remote part of the farm I don't normally go to," Bass told The Hook, a Charlottesville newspaper.

The remains reportedly have blond hair and were clad in black clothing. Missing-person fliers for Harrington described her as blond and said she was wearing a black T-shirt with the word "Pantera" on it, a black miniskirt, black tights and black boots when she disappeared.

"This is a horrible day" for the family, her father, Dan Harrington, told WTVR in Richmond after the remains were discovered.

Did she know her killer? Had he targeted her as a victim? Will her killer ever be found?

The Harrington family has offered a $100,000 reward for her return or information leading to the arrest of anyone involved in her disappearance. Metallica has added another $50,000 in reward money.

If you have any information please use the contact information below:

Tip Line: (434) 352-3467

State Police E-Mail:
bci-appomattox@vsp.virginia.gov

General: info@findmorgan.com

Who Is Ellie Light

Who is this prolific letter writer who wants you know that she's and "Obmama Girl."

Ellie, if in fact Ellie truly exists, has has written the same letter defending Obama to dozens of publications across the country, getting them published in at least 42 newspapers in 18 states, as well as Politico.com, the Washington Times, and USA Today. And the woman, Ellie Light, has claimed residence in many of these states.

In recent weeks, Light has published virtually identical “Letters to the Editor” in support of President Barack Obama in more than a dozen newspapers.Every letter claimed a different residence for Light that happened to be in the newspaper’s circulation area.

“It’s time for Americans to realize that governing is hard work, and that a president can’t just wave a magic wand and fix everything,” said a letter from alleged Philadelphian Ellie Light, that was published in the Jan. 19 edition of The Philadelphia Daily News. (Is that a fact? Really? Seems to me that was one of the things for which Bush was highly criticized. I mean he didn't have a magic wand.)

The letter' kept on rolling in from the woman who seems to have more homes than John McCain.

Her letter from Light in the Jan. 20 edition of the San Francisco Examiner concluded with an identical sentence, but with an address for Light all the way across the country in Daily City, California.

Variations of Light’s letter ran in:

* Ohio’s Mansfield News Journal on Jan. 13, with Light claiming an address in Mansfield;
* New Mexico’s Ruidoso News on Jan. 12, claiming an address in Three Rivers
* South Carolina’s The Sun News on Jan. 18, claiming an address in Myrtle Beach. (Wow maybe she lives near my ex mother-in-law)
* The Daily News Leader of Staunton, Virginia on Jan. 15, claiming an address in Waynesboro.
* California: The Los Banos Enterprise, listing an address of Gustine, CA.
* Maine: In addition to the Maine link above, there is another appearance of the letter in Maine: in the Bangor Daily News, in which Light lists an address of Bangor, Maine.
* Maryland: The Baltimore Chronicle.
* Massachusetts: The North Adams Transcript, listing an address of Williamstown.
* The Sheboygan Press in Wisconsin. AND the Stevens Point Journal in Wisconsin — listing an address of Algoma, Wisconsin.
* Connecticut: Another Connecticut paper, in addition to the Stamford listing: the Danbury News-Times. And here’s another: the Greenwich Time a/k/a Ctpost.com. (Address listed is Greenwich.)
* Georgia: Gainesville Times. (Her address is listed as Gainesville.)
* Massachusetts: In addition to the above, there is The Berkshire Eagle.
* New Hampshire: It appeared in the Seacoastonline, which appears to be an online version of several New England papers including the Portsmouth Herald, Exeter News Letter, and others. Light’s address was listed as Portsmouth, NH.
* Wisconsin: In addition to the above, there is the Oshkosh Northwestern (address listed is Oshkosh).
* In addition to the Californian.com link provided in the Plain Dealer story, listing an address in Salinas, CA, there are other California letters with other California addresses.
* HudsonHubTimes.com, in which Ellie listed Streetsboro OH as her hometown.
* The Willits News, with Willits CA as the hometown.
* CDAPress.com of Coeur d’Alene ID, with Ellie listing a hometown of Post Falls.
* From Ohio, the Chillicothe Gazette, with Chillicothe OH as the hometown.
* Annapolis, Maryland publication. Light lists her city of residence as Annapolis.
* She appears in Good Times, listing an address in Santa Cruz, CA.
* She also appears in TheUnion.com, listing an address of Grass Valley, CA.

Her publications list includes other papers in Ohio, West Virginia, Maine, Michigan, Iowa, Pennsylvania and California, all claiming separate addresses.

Who is Ellie? One radio caller swore it was her and claimed she was a traveling nurse hence the many locations. Interesting interview. However, Barbara Brooks is really the wife of the MAN who claims to be Ellie Light.

He is 51 year old Winston Winston Steward. Can you imagine the kind of outrage that would develop if this had been an Bush supporter?

What Does A Trillion Dollars Look Like?

Just imagine if the money had been given to the PEOPLE rather than large corporations and Wall Street Bankers.

For example the AIG bailout cost each American family $1,455.97. That might have helped some people with their mortgage payment and staved off foreclosure.

Oh and by the way, how's that working for the taxpayers? AIG, for example, has said it has not generated enough earnings to repay the remaining $62 billion it owes the government, despite recording two straight profitable quarters.

What should we do? Well I guess we need to BORROW more money. Heck I know that works at my house. If I'm deeply in debt and can't make the payments on my house or put food on the table, I just borrow even more money knowing that there's no way I can pay it back.

How much money are we going to borrow? Senate Democrats Propose $1.9T Increase to U.S. Debt Limit. I know, I know, it's all George Bush's fault. I mean after all he's the one who wants to spend even more money with the new health insurance bill but..... Oh wait that would be the Dems. Wasn't that supposed to be deficit neutral?

Appomattox Shooting Suspect Surrenders

Christopher Bryan Speight, 39, was wearing a bulletproof vest but had no weapons when he turned himself in to police around 7:10 a.m., Sheriff O. Wilson Staples said. Authorities say he fired at a state police helicopter, rupturing its gas tank and forcing it to land, but no one on board was hurt. Police still have not revealed a motive or identified the victims.

Police were concerned that Speight might have rigged the house with explosives, and state police Sgt. Thomas Molnar said bomb-sniffing dogs found a "multitude of devices inside and outside the house." Bomb technicians were exploding the devices, a process expected to continue into Thursday.

Speight, who was jailed while awaiting charges, co-owned and lived in the home where some of the bodies were found.

"This is a horrific tragedy," said state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller. "It's definitely one of the worst mass killings in Virginia, probably since the Virginia Tech tragedy."

"Abducted" Toddler Now Believed Deceased

Once again I find myself writing about a story of a missing child that has come to a tragic end. He is such a beautiful child but his life was snuffed out way too early. I wish this would be the last story like this I would report but sadly I don't believe this it will.

The Roanoke Police Department is now treating the case of a missing toddler as a death investigation.

2-year-old was reported missing last Thursday, but police say conflicting information has turned the focus on Brandon Lockett, the boys step-father. Lockett is now being questioned by Police in the death of his step-son. No charges have been filed.

Roanoke Police say that Lockett has told them the boy was dead prior to his 911 call reporting him missing.

An Amber Alert was originally put into effect for 2-year-old Aveion Malik Lewis. He was reportedly last seen wearing yellow SpongeBob Squarepants footie pajamas.

Police reported that the stepfather claimed that three men took the boy Thursday after they knocked him (the stepfather) unconscious. They left a note asking for money.

The police department says authorities have conducted ground and aerial searches and spoken to residents in the area.

It is so tragic when a young child loses his life to an adult who should have been there for him. I hope that they find the child soon to give him a proper burial.

*************UPDATE**********************

The stepfather of a missing Roanoke toddler has been charged with felony child neglect.

Roanoke police said 24-year-old Brandon Lockett also was charged Wednesday with improper disposal of a human body and obstruction of justice.

Police continued to search wooded areas and the banks of the Roanoke River for the body of 2-year-old Aveion Malik Lewis.

Virginia Shootings Leave Several Dead

A lone gunman has killed and injured a number of people in central Virginia, police in the US state say.

They say more than 100 police officers have surrounded the suspect in a wooded area just outside of Appomattox.

The violence began shortly after noon on Tuesday local time when an injured man was found on a rural stretch of road, the Associated Press reports.

A police helicopter that responded to the incident was fired on and forced to land with a ruptured fuel tank.

The officers were not injured.

Global Warming - The Other Side Part 2 of 7

Is Global Warming True? Is the Greenhouse Effect True? The answers are both true. But does the truth stop there?

Global Warming - The Other Side Part 3 of 7

How did Al Gore become the Global Warming Guru in the religion of Global Warming. Who is Roger Revelle?

Join Wyclef Jean By Donating To The Haitian Relief Effort At Participating Starbucks

The Starbucks Foundation will join your support by donating $1 million U.S. to the American Red Cross.

In-store donations in the U.S. cannot exceed $249.99. Starbucks cannot provide a tax receipt for in-store donations. If you need a tax receipt, please donate through www.redcross.org. Starbucks assistance in the Haiti relief efforts in no way constitutes an endorsement, express or implied, of any product, service, organization, opinion or political position.

Global Warming The Other Side

A computer programmer named E. Michael Smith and a Certified Consulting Meteorologist named Joseph D'Aleo join the program to tell us about their breakthrough investigation into the manipulations of data at the NASA Goddard Science and Space Institute at Columbia University in New York and the NOAA National Climate Data Center in Ashville, North Carolina.

Sarah Palin Says That Abraham Lincoln Was Her Favorite Founding Father

"Heee hee hee hee!" Oh I'm rolling on the floor laughing. That stupid Sarah Palin thinks that Abraham Lincoln was a founding father. Oh wait! That stupid person was one of the people who was deriding Sarah for being so dumb, Mika Brzezinski. Never mind. After all stupid things that liberals say really aren't newsworthy are they?

Actually, Sarah chose George Washington. Maybe Mika got confused that thought the founding fathers founded America just before the Civil War. It's OK. I can see how you can get confused.

New Earth Quake Magnitude 4.7 - Haiti Region

Earthquake Details
Magnitude 4.7
Date-Time

* Friday, January 15, 2010 at 04:04:46 PM at epicenter

Location 18.012°N, 72.333°W
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region HAITI REGION
Distances 60 km (35 miles) S of PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
130 km (80 miles) W of Barahona, Dominican Republic
155 km (95 miles) E of Les Cayes, Haiti
1185 km (730 miles) SE of Miami, Florida

Angry Haitians Block Roads With Corpses

Things are getting desperate in Haiti. The people are searching for food and water while tons of supplies remain stuck at the country's airport.

Haiti's Secretary of State for Public Safety Aramick Louis told Reuters that they have begun clearing the streets of corpses and have buried 40,000 so far. He also estimated another 100,000 have died. The stench of decomposing bodies are filling the streets.

Donations have been pouring in from all over the world. Mobil texting donations to the Red Cross have now topped $10 million. As of Thursday, The Red Cross total donations topped the $60 million mark.

The United States has pledged more than $100 million in support, with the World Bank pledging an additional $100 million. Corporations have donated over $40 million

Susan Powell Update: Carpet Cleaning Machine Found

Police found a carpet cleaning machine inside the house last week when Susan first went missing and during the early stages of the investigation. While police could not comment about the reported wet spot they did confirm a carpet cleaning machine was found in the home.

Keep in mind that taken at face value it means nothing. I have a carpet cleaning machine and my husband is still very much alive. It all goes towards the chain of evidence though. Will they find blood in the cleaning machine? Is that blood Susan's? If so how much blood was found?

Josh also rented a car when the police seized the van to search it. Josh wasn’t seen or heard from for nearly 24 hours and their is rumor that he put quite a number of miles on the vehicle. Where did he go? What was he doing? I'm certain that Susan's loved one would like to know. I'm sure a jury would be interested in just where he took the car and why.

Finally we can't forget the notebook or journal that was reportedly found at Susan’s work with entries describing an alleged threat made by her husband about a year ago. The police are quiet as to what it said.

Did it reveal a pattern of abuse? Did it document the demise of a marriage which included violence?

Where is Susan Powell? She has two young sons who love and miss her. Her family and friends miss her and love her. While I do not know Susan I am praying that someone somewhere knows what happened and they will contact the authorities.

If you have ANY information please contact the the West Valley City Police at 801-840-4000.

Michael And Joyce Khoury Killed In Murder-Suicide

I'm always especially touched when I hear of murder suicides that involve a critically ill spouse. Having cared for two different relatives during long illnesses I can tell you how stressful it can be. I took provided hospice care for my mother-in-law and it was very difficult to watch her as she faded away. This was an incredibly strong woman who became utterly helpless. When you are elderly and alone it must be even more difficult. You need to know that you aren't alone and that there are others who are there for you.

In this case it seems as though Michal Khoury's world was slipping out of his hands. His home was going to be auctioned off. He had tried desperately to make a deal with the bank in order to save his home but he was unsuccessful.

Add to this the fact that his wife was dying of cancer and two previous wives also died of cancer.

A neighbor called 911 to report the house fire. When police arrived, they found the burning truck in the driveway and the house ablaze.

Michael Khoury was found shortly after 6:15 a.m. in the doorway of his home with a gunshot wound. He was taken to St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, where he was pronounced dead. His wife was found dead in a bedroom, said spokesman Timothy Connolly.

A horse found in a barn on the property had been shot several times.

Suicide is never the answer and murder ABSOLUTELY solves nothing. Perhaps Michael felt that all his avenues were blocked. How sad that he had no one to reach out to in his time of need.

We are living in a country that taxes taxpayer money to bail out banks, gives outright bribes to Senators to vote a certain way, and we have an untold number of people like Michael and Joyce who could have used a helping hand and found none.

You can view the video from the local TV station here.

Gangs Armed With Machetes Loot Port-Au-Prince

There were sightings of gangs of young men with machetes in the Port-au-Prince's old commercial center. They were seen getting into stores and taking all the supplies they could carry. The members of the gangs were seen marching up and down the streets with machetes raised and the competition among the gangs turned quite fierce.

Food is often scarce. There is no running water or electicity and people are getting hungry and thirsty. Desperate people are doing whatever they have to do to get food.

There was no sign of police or any kind of law and order.

Survivors of the earthquake in Haiti face deadly outbreaks of diarrhea, measles and malaria after its already fragile clean water and health-care systems were destroyed.

US Red Cross Is Out Of Medical Supplies In Haiti

Conditions in Haiti are worse after a devastating earthquake struck the Caribbean nation on Tuesday. Haitians are frantically struggling to save those injured in this week's earthquake as desperately needed aid from around the world began arriving Thursday.

A spokesman for the American Red Cross says the aid organization has run out of medical supplies in Haiti.

Red Cross spokesman Eric Porterfield said Wednesday that the small amount of medical equipment and medical supplies that were available in Haiti has been distributed.

The Red Cross is sending more medical supplies to Haiti, but Porterfield says he does not know when they will arrive.

Porterfield says he doesn't know if the depletion of medical supplies is preventing victims in critical condition from being treated.

I support the Presidents efforts to help Haiti in their time of need.President Barack Obama promised an all-out rescue and humanitarian effort including the military and civilian emergency teams from across the U.S. The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson was expected to arrive off the coast Thursday and the Navy said the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan had been ordered to sail as soon as possible with a 2,000-member Marine unit.

The U.S. and other nations said they were sending food, water, medical supplies to assist the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation, where the international Red Cross estimated 3 million people - a third of the population - may need emergency relief.




If you wish to help you can refer to the following agencies:

You can text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti. Please retweet this on Twitter to help get the word out: RT @RedCross You can text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts in #haiti. You can also donate at the Red Cross web site.

Singer Wyclef Jean is from Haiti. He is using Twitter to promote relief efforts and you can donate $5 by texting YELE to 501501. Please retweet this on Twitter to help get the word out: RT @Wyclef: Help Haiti Earthquake Relief Donate $5 by texting YELE to 501 501 right now please RT For more information or to donate online, go to: http://yele.org. (I think their web site is overwhelmed right now.)

You can also help children affected by the earthquake through a donation in any amount to UNICEF through their web site. If you prefer, print a form to send your donation by mail or call 1.800.FOR.KIDS (1.800.367.5437) to donate by phone.

Haiti Hit By 7.0 Earth Quake

Haiti is an impoverished country with widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs. Sadly most Haitians live on less than $2 a day.

Yesterday, January 12, 2010 an earthquake occurred in the boundary region separating the Caribbean plate and the North America plate. This plate boundary is dominated by left-lateral strike slip motion and compression, and accommodates about 20 mm/y slip, with the Caribbean plate moving eastward with respect to the North America plate.

The earth quake caused a crowded hospital to collapse, leveling countless shantytown dwellings and bringing even more suffering to a nation that was already the hemisphere’s poorest and most disaster-prone.

As night fell in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, fires burned near the shoreline downtown, but otherwise the city fell into darkness. The electricity was out, telephones were not working and relief workers struggled to make their way through streets blocked by rubble.

Dazed survivors wandered past dead bodies in the streets Wednesday, crying for loved ones, and rescuers searched collapsed buildings as officials feared the death toll from Haiti's devastating earthquake could reach into the tens of thousands.

Cargo planes with food, water, medical supplies, shelter and sniffer dogs headed to Haiti in a much needed massive relief effort.

The international Red Cross said a third of the country's 9 million people may need emergency aid, a burden that would test any nation and a crushing catastrophe for impoverished Haiti.

Some of the biggest immediate health threats include respiratory disease from inhaling dust from collapsed buildings and diarrhea from drinking contaminated water.

President Barack Obama promised an all-out rescue and humanitarian effort and American officials said they were responding with ships, helicopters, transport planes and a 2,000-member Marine unit, as well as civilian emergency teams from across the U.S.

U.S. government is sending planes to evacuate American personnel (I guess embassy staff etc) and also U.S. citizens. They said if people wanted to be evacuated they should go to the airport.

If you wish to help you can refer to the following agencies:

You can text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti. Please retweet this on Twitter to help get the word out: RT @RedCross You can text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts in #haiti. You can also donate at the Red Cross web site.

Singer Wyclef Jean is from Haiti. He is using Twitter to promote relief efforts and you can donate $5 by texting YELE to 501501. Please retweet this on Twitter to help get the word out: RT @Wyclef: Help Haiti Earthquake Relief Donate $5 by texting YELE to 501 501 right now please RT For more information or to donate online, go to: http://yele.org. (I think their web site is overwhelmed right now.)

You can also help children affected by the earthquake through a donation in any amount to UNICEF through their web site. If you prefer, print a form to send your donation by mail or call 1.800.FOR.KIDS (1.800.367.5437) to donate by phone.

Ex-Worker Opens Fire At Penske In Kennesaw

Two people are dead and three are wounded when a 60-year-old former Penske employee opened fire inside the business.

The gunman, dressed in camouflage, entered Penske Truck Rental & Leasing at 3011 Barrett Lakes Boulevard in Kennesaw, Georgia just before 2 p.m. and opened fire, according to police. He allegedly confronted someone in the parking lot and moved to an area where there are truck bays.

The suspect worked at the business for several years but it was unclear when and why he left.

Four of the victims were employees and one was a customer.

Jesse James Warren has been arrested in connection with this crime is currently being booked into the Cobb County jail, according to the jail web site.

Angry Customer Trashes McDonalds

Sometimes a video needs very little commentary. I saw this video a few days ago and I wish I could say that I was shocked or amazed. Sadly I was not.

While most people are basically good I see more people having melt downs than I ever remember seeing when I grew up. Now I realize that I am ancient so maybe it's not a fair analysis but I NEVER remember seeing anything like this at a McDonalds ever.

My students will tell you differently. They will regularly tell you stories about customers who are cruel to them because their fries are cold. Then again I did have one student who had a customer going off at him calling him a "little F'ing Queer." The young man (my student) threw the customer's soda in his face.

While I think the customer was very WRONG and showed their ignorance, I counseled my student that he should have stepped away from stupidity and let the manager handle the moron. Ultimately, my student was fired.

This customer looks young and I can only hope that as she matures she will learn better coping methods.

I will tell you that in some school districts behavior like this is not unusual. I used to teach in a school district where TEACHERS and students were wanded down at the door. I had a student lift a desk over his head and threaten to kill me because on my first day of class he felt I should call him by his Gang name.

So does this mean that I have never witnessed this kind of behavior. I have. Does it frighten me that it is often glossed over and sometimes accepted? Absolutely. Is this a very, very troubled young lady? Obviously.

Unemployment Is Actually Going In The WRONG Directions

I realize that President Obama says that unemployment is going in the right direction but looking at the numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, I would say that blacks and teens would argue that this is far from true.

Unemployment rates for the major worker groups--adult men (10.2 percent),
adult women (8.2 percent), teenagers (27.1 percent), whites (9.0 percent),
blacks (16.2 percent), and Hispanics (12.9 percent)--showed little change in
December. The unemployment rate for Asians was 8.4 percent, not seasonally
adjusted.

Among the unemployed, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27
weeks and over) continued to trend up, reaching 6.1 million. In December, 4 in
10 unemployed workers were jobless for 27 weeks or longer.

These numbers are not not quite accurate due to the fact that these numbers would not include those individuals who are without jobs but whose benefits have run out or who were not eligible for some reason for benefits.

We do not know how many people are out there who are unemployed and have just quit looking. Some people say that if these numbers were factored in we'd have a much higher rate of unemployment.

I'm sorry Mr. President but the downward trend of unemployment is not moving in the right direction.

Josh Powell Allegedly Says" Well, It's Not Like I Stabbed Her."

I was watching the news tonight and heard that Josh Powell is going trying to sell his home. It appears he wants to move to a gated community in South Hill, an area near Puyallup to live with his father.

Later I checked the internet to discover that just yesterday there was a bit of a dusty up between Josh's brother and Tim Peterson a a member of the same LDS church ward that the Powells attend.

It appears he tried to be supportive of Joshua at first. Then he learned that Joshua Powell planned to sell his West Valley City house and pack his belongings for a permanent move to his hometown of Puyallup, Wash., Peterson grew angry and drove to the Powells' home Wednesday to retrieve a playground set he had given the family.

Peterson allegedly said to Josh's brother, "This playground was for Susan and the kids and for their enjoyment. I said, she's not here anymore and you guys don't appear to be looking for her. So just in case you haven't noticed, Susan's gone"

Peterson had been providing marriage counseling to Susan and Joshua previously but they eventually stopped seeing him. Peterson says he encouraged Susan to leave Joshua because he was an energy suck.

When Peterson finally received permission to retrieve the playground equipment his truck got caught in the mud in the front yard and the police were called.

According to Peterson he went by the Powell home two days after Susan was reported missing. Peterson says he observed severe "wind burn" on the back of Joshua Powell's hands and watched as Joshua Powell kept applying lotion to them as they talked in Peterson's front room.

Peterson said his wife asked Joshua Powell about Susan's whereabouts and Powell replied "Well, it's not like I stabbed her."

Where is Susan? The boys deserve that answers. Her parents and friends deserve the answers. Susan deserves peace. She deserves justice. I am still praying that a miracle happens and Susan is found safe and well but of course as the days go by the probability seems more bleak.

One more thing, when I retrieved the video for this post I noticed a post from someone called fleetingdays. This person said "Josh needs help. Maybe, a fund could be set up to help him with attorney fees and money for the move. Susan might be in Washington state."

Is this person kidding? Josh needs help but a lawyer won't be able to help him. God knows what happened and God's memory is long. There is no parole in eternity. I'm not advocating doing something to Joshua but he should realize that our stay here on earth is only temporary. Josh needs help because his two sons will be asking him, "What happened to Mom? Where's Mom? Why did Mom leave us? Didn't Mom love us?"

If you have ANY information please contact the the West Valley City Police at 801-840-4000.

Playboy Model's Body Found In Dumpster

Having been in an abusive marriage I don't ask the question that some people ask. I do understand why people ask the question but even I do not know the answer. The question on people's lips is always, "Why did they stay in an abusive relationship?"

Sociologist, pyschologists, and others have tried to find the answer to the question but really the answer lies in the heart of the people involved. For me, I couldn't imagine my life without my ex husband. I had grown up in an abusive family and so abuse was not alien to me. I always felt if I just a little more, did something different, things would work out in the end.

People will reach out to help you. They will speak the words that your hear knows are true. You know that you should leave but you seem almost paralyzed and caught in grip of a love that is destroying you bit by bit.

For me, the end of my marriage culminated in a violent act in which my ex-husband tried to bash my head in with a metal bed slat. I escaped with my life but my battered self-esteem craved him like a drug and would have willingly taken him back.

It took lots of introspection to take me to a place where I understood that I deserved so much better.

How could love take you to a place where you could destroy that which you profess to cherish? How can you brutalize the person you once held in a loving embrace? I don't know that we will ever know and I don't belive that Kevin could answer this question either.

Playboy model Paula Sladewski was found inside a flaming trash can in North Miami. Her body was found on Sunday, January 3, 2009. Dental records were used to identify Sladewski, because her body was "burned beyond recognition," according to North Miami police spokesperson Lt. Newl Cuevas. Police found the body in the 1400 block of Northeast 131st Street.

Paula Sladewski's family says the lovers had a volatile relationship, telling reporters that Klym recently broke the models nose, and that there had been other charges of domestic violence.

Sladewski and her boyfriend Kevin Klym, 34, who resided in both Michigan and California, had traveled to Florida to ring in the New Year with a Lady Gaga concert and a weekend of bar-hopping.

She was last seen in the early morning hours at the nightspot Club Space, where she’d gotten into a fight with Klym.

Klym told cops his girlfriend was “too drunk,” the newspaper reports, and he tried to convince her to leave the bar.

After the ensuing screaming match, he said, bouncers tossed him out - and he took a cab back to their swanky digs at a Miami Beach hotel.

She did not deserve to die this way. If anyone who saw Paula at the club or afterward contact police.

Lottery Winner Missing

We all love stories of rags to riches. Many of us have dreams that one day we will buy the lucky lottery ticket that will help us live our dreams. Oh sure we've all seen the stories of lottery winners who suffered personal and or financial downfalls after their big win. Still we are certain that if we were the lucky one, we would know how to avoid the problems.

Who doesn't remember Andrew Jackson "Jack" Whittaker, Jr.? He won $315 million and after taxes collected $113.4 million. You would like to believe his life would then be all sunshine and roses. Sadly he learned first hand the devastation his big win would bring his way.

He lost his granddaughter, whose body was found under a tarpaulin near her boyfriend's home. He was sued for wrongful death of a friend of his granddaughter and had to pay a multi-million dollar settlement. He had money stolen out of his vehicle, not once but several times, at a local strip club.

In January of 2007, Whittaker came forward to the police alleging that thieves had stole the remainder of his fortune. He stated that thieves, in a coordinated plan had cashed 12 checks effectively emptying his bank account.

Whittaker now claims to be struggling financially and barely able to make ends meet with the payouts from previous lawsuits. He has frequently stated that no amount of money lent to friends and family was ever enough and that his experiences with the lottery destroyed his life. He states that if he could do it all over again, he would have just filled up his tank, bought a sandwich and gone on his merry way.

There are some people who shake their heads at stories like this certain that this is something that never would have happened to them. Some people are secretly happy. Those kinds of people are happy at anyone's misfortune. There are other people who are of the idea that lottery wins are ill-gotten gains anyway and that any misfortune that falls upon the winner was well deserved. There are still others, like me, who have some sympathy for the human being who learned that money does not hold all the answers.

When I heard the story of Abraham Shakespeare who won $30 million in the Florida lottery in 2006 I felt truly sad.

It begins much like many other great stories do. A young man who is living a life with much to be desired. He's had been working a job making $8 an hour. He'd had some brushes with the law.

Then comes the fateful day when one lottery ticket changes his life. When he won he bought a Nissan Altima, a Rolex from a pawn shop, a $1 million home in a gated community. He talked about starting a foundation for the poor and insisted the money wouldn't change him.

His mother said he was generous, paying for funerals, lending money to friends starting businesses and even giving a million dollars to a guy known only as "Big Man."

Not long after he bought the million-dollar home in early 2007, he was approached by a woman named Dee Dee Moore, said family and officials.

Ms. Moore said she was interested in writing a book about Shakespeare's life. She became something of a financial adviser to Shakespeare, who never graduated high school.

According to The Ledger of Lakeland, the 37-year-old Moore contacted reporters at the newspaper in April, saying Shakespeare was "laying low" because people tried to suck money out of him.

His family reported him missing on November 9, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office but he's actually had no contact with his family since April.

Police believe DeeDee Moore has information about Shakespeare.

The 37-year-old Moore is believed to have offered to give away a home worth about $200,000 in exchange for making a false report to law enforcement regarding an alleged recent sighting of Shakespeare.

Detectives also say Moore paid one of Shakespeare's relatives $5,000 to hand-deliver a birthday card containing cash to Shakespeare's mother suggesting the card was from her son.

Moore began using Shakespeare's cell phone in April 2009 to text the man's relatives and friends to have them believe it was Shakespeare attempting to contact them.

His mother said: "I hope so much he is alive somewhere and I want people to know if they ever win the lottery they know how to handle the people that come after them.

"They can be dangerous."

The sheriff's office is now making a public plea for information. It's also offering a $10,000 cash reward for anyone who can lead investigators to Shakespeare.

Please Help Find Susan Powell

It is a new year and Susan Powell is still not home. Her friends and family have created a Facebook page and a YouTube page to solicit help in bring Susan home.

Susan Powell was last seen at her home in West Valley City, Utah on Sunday night, December 6, 2009. Anyone with information about this case should contact the West Valley City Police at 801-840-4000.

Paul Merhige Has Been Captured

Last night I was watching America's Most Wanted. For years I seldom missed an episode but as time went by I eventually did stop watching. I suppose I parted ways with the show when it was no longer on one of the big three stations and word of John's affair came out into the news. As a matter of fact I honestly didn't realize that it was still on the air.

One of the segments that was featured was about Paul Merhinge. Police say Merhige shot and killed his 33-year-old twin sisters, Carla Merhige and Lisa Knight (who was pregnant), both of Miami, along with his aunt Raymonde Joseph, 76, and his young cousin Makayla Sitton.

You could tell that the story of the brutal murder of a six year old really effected John, who lost his beloved son Adam at the same age. He told them not blame themselves and reminded them that there was only one person who is to blame and that is the monster who killed their beloved daughter. You couldn't help but be effected too as you watched video of Makayla Sitton singing what appeared to be a Christmas song.




Merhige sat through three hours of dinner and sing-a-longs around the piano before the shootings, Sitton has said. There were no arguments, warnings or red flags before the rampage.

Authorities have said Merhige carefully planned the killings. Sitton has said Merhige was heard saying after the shootings that he had waited 20 years to kill the relatives.

My husband looked at me and said, "This case is a case that the death penalty was made for." As the video of the little girl singing flashed on the screen, I couldn't help but agree.

Jupiter Police Sgt. Scott Pascarella said that Paul Merhige was arrested without a struggle Saturday night at a motel in the Florida Keys. Pascarella credited the TV show "America's Most Wanted" for the tip that led to Merhige's capture on Long Key.

According to US Marshals, Merhige was on his computer when U.S. Marshals and local deputies entered his motel room.

Authorities said Merhige checked into the motel in Dec. 2, using the name "John Baca" and a false Homestead address. He had the same blue 2007 Toyota Camry that had been a key part of the manhunt, but police said it was hidden with a covering at the Keys motel.

He faces four counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder in the shootings, which also injured two other people.

There was no indication Saturday that Merhige had an attorney. Authorities said he was being taken to the Palm Beach County jail.

This capture reminded me again why I always loved America's Most Wanted. In a society that proudly announces "Don't Snitch" I'm glad that there are some people out there who will help authorities and society by helping authorities.

I Take It All Back- Global Warming Is Real

That's right. I've been wrong. Mea Culpa.

Reports all point to a radical change in climatic conditions, and hitherto unheard of high temperatures in that part of the earth's surface.

It was all there for me to see but I was just too blind to see. Here is actual recorded data documenting the melting of polar ice caps:

Ice conditions were exceptional. In fact, so little ice has never before been noted. Dr. Hoel reports that he made a section of the Gulf Stream at 81 degrees north latitude and took soundings to a depth of 3,100 meters. These show the Gulf Stream very warm, and it could be traced as a surface current till beyond the 81st parallel.

Where formerly great masses of ice were found, there are now often moraines, accumulations of earth and stone. At many points where glaciers formerly extended far into the sea they have entirely disappeared.

Was Al Gore right all along? It's all there. Well it's all there except for the date when this report was published. You see this report was published in 1922.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.