Bear Walks Upright on Two Legs

This bear only has three legs and he walks upright. The video reminds me a bit of the story of Faith the Dog.

Update - Discovery Middle School Shooting

 

Ninth-grade student Todd Brown, 14, died after being taken to a hospital in Huntsville, Madison Police Chief Larry Muncey said. No one else was hurt, CNN affiliate WAFF-TV reported.

Police said it was an isolated incident between Brown and the alleged shooter, though they said the motive was still unclear.

City officials planned a meeting at a high school Sunday with church leaders, city and school officials, and counselors. The meeting is open to the public.

School Shooting at Discovery Middle School

Madison Chief of Police, Larry Muncey, has confirmed that the student shot today at Discovery Middle School is Todd T. Brown. Brown is a fourteen year old student at the school.

Chief Muncey stresses the need for prayers for the student and his family, stating that Brown is in "very critical condition".

Chief Muncey stresses the need for prayers for the student and his family, stating that Brown is in "very critical condition".

The shooter is in custody and the school was in lockdown until just before 3:00 p.m. No other students or faculty members at Discovery were harmed by the alleged shooter.

A Facebook Page had been set up called Pray for Todd Brown.

Crisis Services of North Alabama wants to remind the public of the availability of their services.

Please call their crisis line in the Huntsville/Madison area at (256) 716-1000 or toll free from Northern Alabama at 1-800-691-8426. Our trained volunteer telephone counselors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, offering a caring, confidential, and non-judgmental response.

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.