Check out Meggan Marie's blog Quiddity.
She has been blogging for nearly ten years and that is something.
And her blog is a nice one to boot.
She has been blogging for nearly ten years and that is something.
And her blog is a nice one to boot.
Friday, July 25, 2008
'Such a coward' is right
A convicted spammer fatally shot his wife and young daughter in an apparent murder-suicide Thursday while being sought after escaping prison last weekend.
A teenage girl was shot in the neck and a baby was found unhurt in a car seat inside the vehicle where the three bodies were found, according to Arapahoe County undersheriff Mark Campbell.
The relationship between the girl, baby and the escaped convict wasn't immediately clear.
The bodies of "Spam King" Edward "Eddie" Davidson, his wife and 3-year-old daughter were found in an SUV parked in a farmhouse driveway in a rural part of Bennett, about 25 miles east of Denver.
All three had been shot, U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said."What a nightmare, and such a coward," Eid said. "Davidson imposed the `death penalty' on family members for his own crime."
A teenage girl was shot in the neck and a baby was found unhurt in a car seat inside the vehicle where the three bodies were found, according to Arapahoe County undersheriff Mark Campbell.
The relationship between the girl, baby and the escaped convict wasn't immediately clear.
The bodies of "Spam King" Edward "Eddie" Davidson, his wife and 3-year-old daughter were found in an SUV parked in a farmhouse driveway in a rural part of Bennett, about 25 miles east of Denver.
All three had been shot, U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said."What a nightmare, and such a coward," Eid said. "Davidson imposed the `death penalty' on family members for his own crime."
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Hurricane Dolly slams into Texas with 100 mph winds
Want to bet the shrub is already there with aid for those harmed by Dolly!
Hurricane Dolly gathered strength and slammed into the South Texas coast Wednesday with punishing rain and winds of 100 mph, blowing down signs, damaging an apartment complex and knocking out power to thousands.
But local officials' greatest fear - that the levees holding back the Rio Grande would fail and cause massive flooding - eased when Dolly meandered 35 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border just before coming ashore on South Padre Island as a Category 2 storm.
"The levees are holding up just fine," said Cameron County Emergency Management Coordinator Johnny Cavazos. "There is no indication right now that they are going to crest."
Forecasters warned of up to 12 inches of rain that could produce flooding in the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley. Up to 20 inches was predicted for isolated areas. Thunderstorms were attributed to Dolly as far away as Houston, 400 miles up the Texas coastline.
But South Texas residents still needed breakfast and the few stores that were open - even without electricity - were doing brisk business before Dolly fully revved up.
"Tienes tortillas?" Jorge Herrera shouted, rushing soaking wet into Johnny's Grocery and Meat Market #2. His 3-year-old son Michelangelo, sporting a Superman T-shirt and matching underpants, was in tow.Discovering the tortilla factories had closed before the storm and the store didn't have any to sell, the Herreras settled for a bag of charcoal, chocolate cookies and two tall cans of beer.
Store owners were most worried about the pounds of meat now sitting unrefrigerated in the July heat, but cashier Elvira Farias said her boss "wanted to stay open to serve the community.
We know that some people need to buy a meal for their kids."Residents were apparently staying put. Food was selling fast, but gas pumps were idle.
In Mexico, fields were filling with water, palm trees were bent over in the wind and beaches were closed to the public.
Maria Miguel, 102, and seven family members fled their wooden shack in the Mexican fishing community of Higuerilla and spent the night at a convention center-turned-shelter in Matamoros. "I don't know if my poor house will withstand the rain and wind," Miguel said.
Mexican soldiers made a last-minute attempt to rescue people at the mouth of the Rio Grande. The soldiers battled storm-charged waves in an inflatable raft to rescue at least one family trapped in their home, while others further inland were still refusing to go to government shelters, said Matamoros spokeswoman Leticia Montalvo."These are people who did not want to leave, and now they are in trouble," Montalvo said.
On Texas' South Padre Island, an apartment complex roof partially collapsed early Wednesday. Residents said they didn't believe anybody was injured. Melissa Zamora, a spokeswoman for the town of South Padre Island, said the roof collapse caused a plumbing leak and few residents were being relocated."I thought it was just a big clap of thunder, (then) saw this stuff flying around and it's the roof," said Buck Dopp, who lives in the ground floor apartment under the collapsed roof. Dopp and his family packed up and left the building, despite their plans to ride out the storm.
The causeway linking the island to the mainland remained closed early Wednesday.
Dan Quandt, a spokesman for South Padre Island emergency operations, said winds were picking up to around 50 mph and were expected to increase later Wednesday morning. He said there was a steady rain falling, but no reports of flooding.
A sign on a hotel blew off, but no one was injured and it did not pose a hazard, he said.
Power was knocked out to more than 13,000 customers in Cameron County, where Brownsville is located, utility company AEP Texas said. Cavazos said 11 power poles were down near the Port of Brownsville and transformers were popping downtown. Power also was out on South Padre Island.
In Brownsville, palm trees leaned and small debris was strewn across the all-but empty streets. The windows and doors of shops were boarded up with plywood and most businesses were closed.
Thousands of people fled to shelters in towns on both sides of the border patrolled by local police and National Guard troops. Evacuees flowed into an emergency shelter at Gladys Porter High School, even as Dolly's winds dismantled a school sign. Principal Dora Sauceda said people were lined up outside when she arrived at 4:30 a.m. The shelter was quickly nearing its 300-person capacity.
Miguel Angel Cruz and his wife Maria Hernandez brought their four children to the shelter because they feared the trailer they lived in wouldn't withstand the wind and a nearby resaca - or pond formed by a bend in the Rio Grande - would flood."Yes, we're scared," Cruz, a welder, said in Spanish as his family settled in. "It's our first hurricane."
At 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday, the storm's center had come ashore on South Padre Island about 35 miles northeast of Brownsville and was moving northwest at about 7 mph.Tornado watches were in effect for coastal counties between Corpus Christi and Houston through Wednesday afternoon.
The U.S. Census Bureau said that based on Dolly's projected path, about 1.5 million Texans could feel the storm's effects.
Gov. Rick Perry declared 14 south Texas counties disaster areas, allowing state resources to be used to send equipment and emergency workers to areas in the storm's path.
The storm, combined with levees that have deteriorated in the 41 years since Beulah swept up the Rio Grande, posed a major flooding threat to low-lying counties along the border. Beulah spawned more than 100 tornadoes across Texas and dumped 36 inches of rain in some parts of south Texas, killing 58 people and causing more than $1 billion damage.
Around Brownsville, levees protect the historic downtown as well as preserved buildings that were formerly part of Fort Brown on the University of Texas at Brownsville campus.
Outside the city, agricultural land dominates the banks of the Rio Grande, but thousands of people live in low-lying colonias, often poor subdivisions built without water and sewer utilities.
In the Gulf of Mexico, Shell Oil evacuated workers from oil rigs, but said it didn't expect production to be affected.
It also secured wells and shut down production in the Rio Grande Valley, where it primarily deals in natural gas. Mexico's state-run oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, said it had evacuated 66 workers from an oil platform off the coast of the port city of Tampico.
As Dolly approached, oil and gas producers in the Gulf of Mexico evacuated workers from 62 production platforms and eight rigs, according to the U.S. Minerals Management Service, which monitors offshore activity.
Oil production in the Gulf was down about 4.5 percent, while natural gas production was down 7.8 percent.
Dolly is the first hurricane to hit the U.S. since the fast-forming Humberto came ashore in South Texas last September. It is the 26th hurricane known to make landfall in the U.S. in July since record keeping started in 1851, according to federal researchers.
The busiest part of the Atlantic hurricane season is usually in August and September.
So far this year, there have been four named storms, two of which became hurricanes. Federal forecasters predict a total of 12 to 16 named storms and six to nine hurricanes this season.
But local officials' greatest fear - that the levees holding back the Rio Grande would fail and cause massive flooding - eased when Dolly meandered 35 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border just before coming ashore on South Padre Island as a Category 2 storm.
"The levees are holding up just fine," said Cameron County Emergency Management Coordinator Johnny Cavazos. "There is no indication right now that they are going to crest."
Forecasters warned of up to 12 inches of rain that could produce flooding in the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley. Up to 20 inches was predicted for isolated areas. Thunderstorms were attributed to Dolly as far away as Houston, 400 miles up the Texas coastline.
But South Texas residents still needed breakfast and the few stores that were open - even without electricity - were doing brisk business before Dolly fully revved up.
"Tienes tortillas?" Jorge Herrera shouted, rushing soaking wet into Johnny's Grocery and Meat Market #2. His 3-year-old son Michelangelo, sporting a Superman T-shirt and matching underpants, was in tow.Discovering the tortilla factories had closed before the storm and the store didn't have any to sell, the Herreras settled for a bag of charcoal, chocolate cookies and two tall cans of beer.
Store owners were most worried about the pounds of meat now sitting unrefrigerated in the July heat, but cashier Elvira Farias said her boss "wanted to stay open to serve the community.
We know that some people need to buy a meal for their kids."Residents were apparently staying put. Food was selling fast, but gas pumps were idle.
In Mexico, fields were filling with water, palm trees were bent over in the wind and beaches were closed to the public.
Maria Miguel, 102, and seven family members fled their wooden shack in the Mexican fishing community of Higuerilla and spent the night at a convention center-turned-shelter in Matamoros. "I don't know if my poor house will withstand the rain and wind," Miguel said.
Mexican soldiers made a last-minute attempt to rescue people at the mouth of the Rio Grande. The soldiers battled storm-charged waves in an inflatable raft to rescue at least one family trapped in their home, while others further inland were still refusing to go to government shelters, said Matamoros spokeswoman Leticia Montalvo."These are people who did not want to leave, and now they are in trouble," Montalvo said.
On Texas' South Padre Island, an apartment complex roof partially collapsed early Wednesday. Residents said they didn't believe anybody was injured. Melissa Zamora, a spokeswoman for the town of South Padre Island, said the roof collapse caused a plumbing leak and few residents were being relocated."I thought it was just a big clap of thunder, (then) saw this stuff flying around and it's the roof," said Buck Dopp, who lives in the ground floor apartment under the collapsed roof. Dopp and his family packed up and left the building, despite their plans to ride out the storm.
The causeway linking the island to the mainland remained closed early Wednesday.
Dan Quandt, a spokesman for South Padre Island emergency operations, said winds were picking up to around 50 mph and were expected to increase later Wednesday morning. He said there was a steady rain falling, but no reports of flooding.
A sign on a hotel blew off, but no one was injured and it did not pose a hazard, he said.
Power was knocked out to more than 13,000 customers in Cameron County, where Brownsville is located, utility company AEP Texas said. Cavazos said 11 power poles were down near the Port of Brownsville and transformers were popping downtown. Power also was out on South Padre Island.
In Brownsville, palm trees leaned and small debris was strewn across the all-but empty streets. The windows and doors of shops were boarded up with plywood and most businesses were closed.
Thousands of people fled to shelters in towns on both sides of the border patrolled by local police and National Guard troops. Evacuees flowed into an emergency shelter at Gladys Porter High School, even as Dolly's winds dismantled a school sign. Principal Dora Sauceda said people were lined up outside when she arrived at 4:30 a.m. The shelter was quickly nearing its 300-person capacity.
Miguel Angel Cruz and his wife Maria Hernandez brought their four children to the shelter because they feared the trailer they lived in wouldn't withstand the wind and a nearby resaca - or pond formed by a bend in the Rio Grande - would flood."Yes, we're scared," Cruz, a welder, said in Spanish as his family settled in. "It's our first hurricane."
At 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday, the storm's center had come ashore on South Padre Island about 35 miles northeast of Brownsville and was moving northwest at about 7 mph.Tornado watches were in effect for coastal counties between Corpus Christi and Houston through Wednesday afternoon.
The U.S. Census Bureau said that based on Dolly's projected path, about 1.5 million Texans could feel the storm's effects.
Gov. Rick Perry declared 14 south Texas counties disaster areas, allowing state resources to be used to send equipment and emergency workers to areas in the storm's path.
The storm, combined with levees that have deteriorated in the 41 years since Beulah swept up the Rio Grande, posed a major flooding threat to low-lying counties along the border. Beulah spawned more than 100 tornadoes across Texas and dumped 36 inches of rain in some parts of south Texas, killing 58 people and causing more than $1 billion damage.
Around Brownsville, levees protect the historic downtown as well as preserved buildings that were formerly part of Fort Brown on the University of Texas at Brownsville campus.
Outside the city, agricultural land dominates the banks of the Rio Grande, but thousands of people live in low-lying colonias, often poor subdivisions built without water and sewer utilities.
In the Gulf of Mexico, Shell Oil evacuated workers from oil rigs, but said it didn't expect production to be affected.
It also secured wells and shut down production in the Rio Grande Valley, where it primarily deals in natural gas. Mexico's state-run oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, said it had evacuated 66 workers from an oil platform off the coast of the port city of Tampico.
As Dolly approached, oil and gas producers in the Gulf of Mexico evacuated workers from 62 production platforms and eight rigs, according to the U.S. Minerals Management Service, which monitors offshore activity.
Oil production in the Gulf was down about 4.5 percent, while natural gas production was down 7.8 percent.
Dolly is the first hurricane to hit the U.S. since the fast-forming Humberto came ashore in South Texas last September. It is the 26th hurricane known to make landfall in the U.S. in July since record keeping started in 1851, according to federal researchers.
The busiest part of the Atlantic hurricane season is usually in August and September.
So far this year, there have been four named storms, two of which became hurricanes. Federal forecasters predict a total of 12 to 16 named storms and six to nine hurricanes this season.
This is how the cabal treats our troops part duex
I have seen this all over the net so I thought I would add it here as well ...
Soldier in famous photo ... dead!
Excerpt:
For most of the past five years, the 31-year-old soldier had writhed in a private hell,
shooting at imaginary enemies and dodging nonexistent roadside bombs, sleeping in
a closet bunker and trying desperately to huff away the "demons" in his head. When his
personal problems became public, efforts were made to help him, but nothing seemed to work.
They found Joseph Dwyer lying on his back, his clothes soiled with urine and feces.
Scattered on the floor around him were dozens of spent cans of Dust-Off,
a refrigerant-based aerosol normally used to clean electrical equipment.
Dwyer told police Lt. Mike Wilson he'd been "huffing" the aerosol.
"Help me, please!" the former Army medic begged Wilson.
"I'm dying. Help me. I can't breathe."
Unable to stand or even sit up, Dwyer was hoisted onto a stretcher.
As paramedics prepared to load him into an ambulance, an officer
noticed Dwyer's eyes had glassed over and were fixed.
Monday, July 21, 2008
North Carolina bullying ban dies in committee
North Carolina legislation protecting schoolchildren from bullying died Thursday in committee, Raleigh's News & Observer reported.
"The failure of this bill to pass . . . sends a bad message," state Sen. Doug Berger told the Observer.
To quote one, Gloria Brame:
"Ya reckon? Give that man the Understatement of the Year Award."
The controversy that prevented the bill from passing surrounded the addition of "sexual orientation" as a reason a student may face discrimination or bullying, the Observer reported.The Christian Action League and the North Carolina Family Policy Council objected, saying that LGBT groups would use the bill as leverage for other rights legislation.
Hurricanes in Iowa?
Actually it's only thunderstorms, but ...
Officials in Iowa say thunderstorms with winds of up to 100 mph have knocked out electricity for thousands of residents.
No injuries have been reported.State and local officials say the storms ripped up trees and power lines early today and ripped the roof off a building at the state prison for women in Mitchellville.
The utilities MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy say more than 200,000 of their customers have been blacked out. MidAmerican Energy is controlled by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
National Weather Service meteorologist Ben Moyer says there hasn't been a lot of rain with the system but winds gusted up to 100 mph.
... with winds at 100 mph they would be called hurricanes out over the water sea instead of the grassy sea.
Who else thinks the weather patterns are getting wackier!?
Officials in Iowa say thunderstorms with winds of up to 100 mph have knocked out electricity for thousands of residents.
No injuries have been reported.State and local officials say the storms ripped up trees and power lines early today and ripped the roof off a building at the state prison for women in Mitchellville.
The utilities MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy say more than 200,000 of their customers have been blacked out. MidAmerican Energy is controlled by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
National Weather Service meteorologist Ben Moyer says there hasn't been a lot of rain with the system but winds gusted up to 100 mph.
... with winds at 100 mph they would be called hurricanes out over the water sea instead of the grassy sea.
Who else thinks the weather patterns are getting wackier!?
Fish Pedicures
Ready for the latest in spa pampering?
Prepare to dunk your tootsies in a tank of water and let tiny carp nibble away.
Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the D.C. area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four months. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife, Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far."This is a good treatment for everyone who likes to have nice feet," Ho said.
He said he wanted to come up with something unique while finding a replacement for pedicures that use razors to scrape off dead skin. The razors have fallen out of favor with state regulators because of concerns about whether they're sanitary.
Ho was skeptical at first about the fish, which are called garra rufa but typically known as doctor fish. They were first used in Turkey and have become popular in some Asian countries.
*****
I wonder if it tickles or not?
OOPS!
The White House this past Saturday afternoon accidentally sent to its extensive distribution list a Reuters story headlined “Iraqi PM backs Obama troop exit plan - magazine.”
The story was about how Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told the German magazine Der Spiegel that “he supported prospective U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s proposal that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within 16 months … ‘U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right time-frame for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes,’” the prime minister said.
The White House employee had intended to send the article to an internal distribution list, ABC News’ Martha Raddatz reports, but hit the wrong button.
The gaff comes at an odd time for the shrub's foreign policy, at a time when Obama’s campaign alleges the shrub is moving closer toward Obama’s recommendations about international relations — sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, discussing a “general time horizon” for U.S. troop withdrawal and launching talks with Iran.
Regarding the Maliki announcement:
Via e-mail, a prominent Republican strategist who occasionally provides advice to the McCain campaign said, simply, “We’re fucked.”
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Random Photo
No particular reason for this photograph 'borrowed' from Grow-A-Brain.
Just struck me as funny is all.
Just struck me as funny is all.
Dolly forms in the western Caribbean
Tropical Storm Dolly formed in the western Caribbean and approached Mexico on Sunday, as Tropical Storm Cristobal edged closer to the North Carolina coast.
The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning for Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula from Campeche to the border with Belize.
At 11:45 a.m. ET, the hurricane center said the center of Dolly -- the fourth tropical storm of the Atlantic season -- was about 270 miles east of Chetumal, Mexico, and 230 miles southeast of Cozumel.
Dolly was moving northwest at about 17 mph, with top sustained winds near 45 mph.
Meanwhile, Cristobal moved "parallel and very close" to the North Carolina coast Sunday morning, but the storm was expected to drift away from the eastern coast by Monday.
"The center of the tropical storm is expected to move parallel and very close to the coast of North Carolina today and begin to move away from the coast by Monday," the hurricane center said in its 11 a.m. advisory. It is expected to dump 1 or 2 inches of rain along the North Carolina coast Sunday, it said.
A discussion posted online by hurricane center forecasters said the satellite view of Cristobal "remained unimpressive-looking" and predicted that the storm would "lose tropical characteristics" over the next two or three days.
A tropical storm warning -- meaning tropical storm conditions with maximum winds of 39 mph are expected within the next 24 hours -- was canceled for an area from north of Little River Inlet, North Carolina, to the North Carolina-Virginia border. Another warning remained in effect from north of Surf City to the North Carolina-Virginia border.
As of 11 a.m. ET Sunday, Cristobal's center was about 15 miles southwest of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, and about 70 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It was moving northeast at near 7 mph.
The storm's maximum sustained winds were near 50 mph, with higher gusts.
Cristobal evolved Saturday from a tropical depression that formed Friday.
Meanwhile, Bertha was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm Saturday evening. The storm, centered about 670 miles east-northeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland, is moving quickly into the northern Atlantic, the hurricane center said Sunday morning.
Bertha, the first hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic season, formed July 3 in the eastern Atlantic and dealt a glancing blow to Bermuda before heading north.
The storm set several records:
It is the longest-lived tropical cyclone on record during the month of July and the third-strongest July storm on record, behind Dennis and Emily in the 2005 hurricane season.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Tropical Storm Cristobal rumbles off the Carolinas
Tropical Storm Cristobal, the first tropical storm to menace the Southeast seaboard this hurricane season, sent outer bands of intermittent rain lashing the eastern Carolinas late Saturday as forecasters predicted it could dump several inches in some areas of drought-stricken North Carolina.
At 8 p.m. EDT, the center of the storm was about 130 miles east of Charleston and about 185 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras, N.C.
The National Hurricane Center said Cristobal was moving northeast at about 6 mph with maximum sustained winds of about 45 mph and some higher gusts.
"Basically the track is running parallel to the coast," said lead center forecaster Martin Nelson. "Slow strengthening is forecast for the next day or two."
At the By The Sea Motel in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., out-of-state visitors photographed outer storm bands as Cristobal churned off the coast, said hotel manager Charlie Peterson.
Intermittent light rain fell in the afternoon but that wasn't enough to chase them away.
"They've got their cameras set and they think there is going to be lightning over the water," he said.
Bradley Rose, a surf instructor at SandBarz in Carolina Beach, N.C., said surfers took the plunge.
"It looks pretty fun out there," Rose said.
Although the center of the storm was forecast to remain off the coast through the weekend, tropical storm warnings were in effect from the South Santee River in South Carolina to the North Carolina-Virginia state line, including Pamlico Sound.
Flood advisories were posted for coastal counties and Wilmington, N.C., received 2 1/2 inches of rain Saturday, said Stephen Keebler, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service there.
Cristobal's winds were not expected to be a problem, Keebler said.
Forecasters predicted up to 5 inches of rain along the North Carolina coast, with heavier amounts in some areas.
Eastern North Carolina is under a moderate drought while areas along South Carolina's northern coast are considered abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Officials have blamed the drought for a huge wildfire that has charred more than 40,000 acres in eastern North Carolina since it began June 1 with a lightning strike.
Also, on Saturday, Hurricane Fausto strengthened far off Mexico's Pacific coast, while Hurricane Bertha raced rapidly to the northeast over the North Atlantic, hundreds of miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
Neither of those storms currently threaten land.
Bertha had blustered across Bermuda earlier this week, knocking out electricity to thousands there.
Family of slain NC woman plan return to Canada
The parents of a North Carolina mother found slain near her home tearfully asked Friday for the culprit to show "a shred of decency" by confessing, while her husband's attorney said he's an innocent man who wants to grieve in private.
Nancy Cooper's body was found Monday at a construction site about three miles from her home in Cary, a Raleigh suburb.
Her husband, Bradley Cooper, told police that she went jogging on Saturday and he had not seen her since.
No suspects have been named, but a custody move for the couple's two young daughters has revealed deep tension between the wife's family and her husband.
Bradley Cooper's attorney, Seth Blum, said Friday that he has repeatedly answered questions from police and allowed them to search his home and vehicles. Authorities have said he has been cooperative.
The wife's parents won temporary custody of the children, claiming in court filings that the husband was having an affair, was emotionally unstable and posed a danger to the girls.
They claimed he recently threatened to commit suicide, was verbally abusive and prevented his wife and daughters from going to Canada by taking away the children's passports.
The wife's family didn't discuss those claims in emotional news conferences this week.
They focused on memories and praise for the mother and daughters.
The wife's father, Garry Rentz, said the girls have not even asked for their father.
He said his family's pain would only subside if her killer came forward and confessed.
"I think this is an act of extreme cowardice - whoever the person was who did this," Rentz said. "And I think if they had a shred of decency in their body, they would come forward and acknowledge their guilt."
The husband's attorney, meanwhile, took an apparent swipe at her family:
"Attending press briefings does nothing to catch a killer."
"Brad Cooper is a man in mourning," Blum said.
"Different people grieve in different ways. Mr. Cooper wishes to mourn privately."
Blum declined to answer questions about the custody battle, asking that those decisions be kept private.
Family members planned to take the girls to Canada this weekend and meet with a psychologist who was a friend of Nancy Cooper to get advice on how to explain the situation to the girls: One is 4 years old and the other turns 2 next week.
"We have not told them, and they have not mentioned to us that they know," Rentz said.
"So, we are going to walk very gingerly into this area."
After a private memorial service Friday night, the family will host a public memorial service Saturday afternoon in Raleigh.
They'll have a second service in Edmonton.
Family members planned to return next week before a Friday court hearing to decide a more long-term custody arrangement for the girls.
Police declined to discuss the case Friday.
Chief Pat Bazemore said they planned no other public updates on the case until they name a suspect or make an arrest.
"Would I like it to be over tomorrow morning? Yes, I would," Rentz said.
"Am I uncomfortable that it's not? No, and we'll allow people to take their time."
Nancy Cooper's body was found Monday at a construction site about three miles from her home in Cary, a Raleigh suburb.
Her husband, Bradley Cooper, told police that she went jogging on Saturday and he had not seen her since.
No suspects have been named, but a custody move for the couple's two young daughters has revealed deep tension between the wife's family and her husband.
Bradley Cooper's attorney, Seth Blum, said Friday that he has repeatedly answered questions from police and allowed them to search his home and vehicles. Authorities have said he has been cooperative.
The wife's parents won temporary custody of the children, claiming in court filings that the husband was having an affair, was emotionally unstable and posed a danger to the girls.
They claimed he recently threatened to commit suicide, was verbally abusive and prevented his wife and daughters from going to Canada by taking away the children's passports.
The wife's family didn't discuss those claims in emotional news conferences this week.
They focused on memories and praise for the mother and daughters.
The wife's father, Garry Rentz, said the girls have not even asked for their father.
He said his family's pain would only subside if her killer came forward and confessed.
"I think this is an act of extreme cowardice - whoever the person was who did this," Rentz said. "And I think if they had a shred of decency in their body, they would come forward and acknowledge their guilt."
The husband's attorney, meanwhile, took an apparent swipe at her family:
"Attending press briefings does nothing to catch a killer."
"Brad Cooper is a man in mourning," Blum said.
"Different people grieve in different ways. Mr. Cooper wishes to mourn privately."
Blum declined to answer questions about the custody battle, asking that those decisions be kept private.
Family members planned to take the girls to Canada this weekend and meet with a psychologist who was a friend of Nancy Cooper to get advice on how to explain the situation to the girls: One is 4 years old and the other turns 2 next week.
"We have not told them, and they have not mentioned to us that they know," Rentz said.
"So, we are going to walk very gingerly into this area."
After a private memorial service Friday night, the family will host a public memorial service Saturday afternoon in Raleigh.
They'll have a second service in Edmonton.
Family members planned to return next week before a Friday court hearing to decide a more long-term custody arrangement for the girls.
Police declined to discuss the case Friday.
Chief Pat Bazemore said they planned no other public updates on the case until they name a suspect or make an arrest.
"Would I like it to be over tomorrow morning? Yes, I would," Rentz said.
"Am I uncomfortable that it's not? No, and we'll allow people to take their time."
See what religion will get you
The military standoff between Cambodia and Thailand entered its fifth day Saturday as both sides continued to reinforce their troops ahead of scheduled talks over a disputed border area near an 11th century temple.
Some 300 more Cambodian soldiers and 100 Thais were seen arriving near the Preah Vihear temple late Friday, although commanders declined to confirm those numbers.
Earlier, Cambodian Brig. Gen. Chea Keo said Cambodia had about 800 troops against 400 Thai soldiers in the area.
The countries are to meet Monday in an attempt to defuse the conflict over territory surrounding the ancient temple, which escalated when UNESCO recently approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site.
Thai activists fear the new status will undermine Thailand's claim to nearby land since the border has never been demarcated.
Some 300 more Cambodian soldiers and 100 Thais were seen arriving near the Preah Vihear temple late Friday, although commanders declined to confirm those numbers.
Earlier, Cambodian Brig. Gen. Chea Keo said Cambodia had about 800 troops against 400 Thai soldiers in the area.
The countries are to meet Monday in an attempt to defuse the conflict over territory surrounding the ancient temple, which escalated when UNESCO recently approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site.
Thai activists fear the new status will undermine Thailand's claim to nearby land since the border has never been demarcated.
Carolina Naturally is read in ...
Some odd sounding places like:
Owosso, Michigan - Palatine, Illinois - Metuen, Massachusetts - Cary, North Carolina - House Springs, Missouri - Blue Ridge, Georgia - Bayonne, New Jersey - Ketchikan, Alaska - Vandergrift, Pennsylvania - Concord, North Carolina
OK, so some of those don't sound too odd after all.
But what about these:
Ostersund, Sweden - Palma De Mallorca, Spain - Lodz, Poland - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Crawley, England
Well, some of those are not too odd either come to think of it are they?!
It is good for this ol'Scot to see readers from Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland.
I still haven't figured out just why this blog is so popular in Almere, Amsterdam and The Hague, Netherlands but I am not complaining.
Thanks to all the readers of Carolina Naturally.
Owosso, Michigan - Palatine, Illinois - Metuen, Massachusetts - Cary, North Carolina - House Springs, Missouri - Blue Ridge, Georgia - Bayonne, New Jersey - Ketchikan, Alaska - Vandergrift, Pennsylvania - Concord, North Carolina
OK, so some of those don't sound too odd after all.
But what about these:
Ostersund, Sweden - Palma De Mallorca, Spain - Lodz, Poland - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Crawley, England
Well, some of those are not too odd either come to think of it are they?!
It is good for this ol'Scot to see readers from Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland.
I still haven't figured out just why this blog is so popular in Almere, Amsterdam and The Hague, Netherlands but I am not complaining.
Thanks to all the readers of Carolina Naturally.
Friday, July 18, 2008
As of this moment ...
Of our troops in Afghanistan:
476 brave men and women are gone.
Support our troops ... Bring them home now!
476 brave men and women are gone.
Support our troops ... Bring them home now!
How to Reach Age 99: 100 Essential Habits
Having a sense of humor is one of the most vital things to a long life ... that and following healthier habits:
No matter what you do, you must know that the odds of living to age 99 are against you. While living to experience age 99 isn’t an easy task, it can be done. One huge factor that can decrease your chances dramatically is heart disease. So, our focus is on that issue. But, your risk for heart disease can be reduced drastically with small measures, and the majority of habits listed here coul help you realize your old-age potential. The reason the ‘tips’ listed below are called ‘habits’ is because they are life-changing skills that must be repeated throughout your life to realize the possibility of reaching that age 99 goal.
Read more from How to Reach Age 99: 100 Essential Habits
As of this moment ...
Of our troops in Iraq:
4,124 brave men and women are gone.
Support our troops ... Bring them home now!
SAUT D'EAU, Haiti : Voodoo Pilgrimage
Every year, Haitians crowd into the basin of a sacred waterfall to relax and pray for a better future.
This time, they asked for relief from soaring food prices and rampant unemployment.
Thousands of pilgrims bathed and threw their clothes into the cascading veils of Saut D'Eau, where the faithful believe the Virgin Mary, known as Erzulie in Haitian Voodoo, appeared in the 1800s.
The observant lit candles and sacrificed a cow nearby.
Many traveled for days on foot or horseback to reach the holy site, which lies 40 miles (65 kilometers) northeast of Port-au-Prince.
"Whatever the Saint gives me, I will take," said 38-year-old Fifi Jean, who spent US$5.30 of her last savings to make the trip.
The former food vendor lost her Port-au-Prince market stand when she got sick.
Now, she said, she can't afford the US$17 monthly rent for her and her daughter.
Haitian Voodoo was created when African slaves fused their religious tradition with Roman Catholic saints and practices so they could continue observing their beliefs under the noses of their French masters.
Today, many move freely between the two beliefs."I used to be a Christian, but then things went bad for us," said Marie Denise, 35, who wore a blue scarf and white frock marked with the numbers of her favorite Psalms.
The single mother hopes Erzulie will provide money and help for her two daughters.
Even Haiti's most powerful showed up.
Chamber of Deputies President Eric Pierre Jean-Jacques descended concrete steps to the water's edge on the last day of the pilgrimage, flanked by guards carrying assault rifles.
Lawmakers are recovering from deadly food riots and face an impasse that has left Haiti without a prime minister for more than three months.
"I'm going to pray that the country changes," Jean-Jacques said, "that people get a better way of life."
This time, they asked for relief from soaring food prices and rampant unemployment.
Thousands of pilgrims bathed and threw their clothes into the cascading veils of Saut D'Eau, where the faithful believe the Virgin Mary, known as Erzulie in Haitian Voodoo, appeared in the 1800s.
The observant lit candles and sacrificed a cow nearby.
Many traveled for days on foot or horseback to reach the holy site, which lies 40 miles (65 kilometers) northeast of Port-au-Prince.
"Whatever the Saint gives me, I will take," said 38-year-old Fifi Jean, who spent US$5.30 of her last savings to make the trip.
The former food vendor lost her Port-au-Prince market stand when she got sick.
Now, she said, she can't afford the US$17 monthly rent for her and her daughter.
Haitian Voodoo was created when African slaves fused their religious tradition with Roman Catholic saints and practices so they could continue observing their beliefs under the noses of their French masters.
Today, many move freely between the two beliefs."I used to be a Christian, but then things went bad for us," said Marie Denise, 35, who wore a blue scarf and white frock marked with the numbers of her favorite Psalms.
The single mother hopes Erzulie will provide money and help for her two daughters.
Even Haiti's most powerful showed up.
Chamber of Deputies President Eric Pierre Jean-Jacques descended concrete steps to the water's edge on the last day of the pilgrimage, flanked by guards carrying assault rifles.
Lawmakers are recovering from deadly food riots and face an impasse that has left Haiti without a prime minister for more than three months.
"I'm going to pray that the country changes," Jean-Jacques said, "that people get a better way of life."
Gray Wolves protected again
A federal judge has restored endangered species protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies, derailing plans by three states to hold public wolf hunts this fall.
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy granted a preliminary injunction late Friday restoring the protections for the wolves in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.
Molloy will eventually decide whether the injunction should be permanent.The region has an estimated 2,000 gray wolves.
They were removed from the endangered species list in March, following a decade-long restoration effort.
Environmentalists sued to overturn the decision, arguing wolf numbers would plummet if hunting were allowed. They sought the injunction in the hopes of stopping the hunts and allowing the wolf population to continue expanding.
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy granted a preliminary injunction late Friday restoring the protections for the wolves in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.
Molloy will eventually decide whether the injunction should be permanent.The region has an estimated 2,000 gray wolves.
They were removed from the endangered species list in March, following a decade-long restoration effort.
Environmentalists sued to overturn the decision, arguing wolf numbers would plummet if hunting were allowed. They sought the injunction in the hopes of stopping the hunts and allowing the wolf population to continue expanding.
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