Amazing Basket!

I saw this on the news and went hunting for the video... This kid is amazing! LOL!!

"Top Cat" LOL! (And a gripe at the end.. *sigh*)

Can you imagine walking down the street and seeing this fellow with his pal? I'm sure the regular readers of my blog know I like cats, and I think I've mentioned a while back that I have 2 cats here that "own" me. But my cats have never tried riding around on my head! LOL


I guess I'll continue the feline funnies by adding an LOL Cat...

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I'm still watching the news, both on TV and online. I just haven't found a lot to write about lately. The Casey Anthony case is progressing, both for the murder trial and for the fraud case. Apparently the prosecutors are going to try to push the fraud case ahead of the murder case. The defense for the murder case is saying they won't be ready until some time next year, so why not push the fraud case ahead.. The motions have been filed, so we'll have to wait and see what the judge says. And we'll probably have to listen to Baez whine about how unfair it is for Casey to have to face up to her theft of money from her friend and her grandparents before she has to face the music for Caylee's death.

Someone recently asked about the case against a local man that I posted about months ago, and I've done some looking around and have found absolutely nothing online about the case that is recent. The man I am talking about is Rex Archer. When I went for that drive on Sunday with my Mom and Stepdad on Father's Day, we talked about Rex and the lack of news about the case against him. (Rex Archer was accused and arrested for sexual abuse on two girls. ) There were two postponements of hearings and then suddenly there was no news at all about the case. My folks and I are thinking that Rex has pulled some strings in Yuba County.. After all, he is one of the "good old boys" over there. I'll keep trying to find out what has happened with the case.

Now, about a case that is done with. Sort of. Phil Spector. Apparently there are a few people trolling the net who object to anything being posted that is the least bit unfavorable towards thier idol, Phil Spector. They've decided my blog is a good place to play again. (Similar childishness happened back when I posted the photo of Rachelle Spector playing with a gun during the second trial for Phil.) So, since the children have decided they want to use my blog for their games, I am putting the comment moderation back into effect. If they want to post about how much they love Phil and Rachelle Spector and spread their hate for everyone that doesn't love them, I suggest they start their own blog or message board. I guess they haven't noticed that Phil Spector is only a very minor part of my blog. As the civil cases that Phil Spector is involved in advance, there may be other posts about him on here. If Rachelle Spector does any outrageous things again, there may be other posts about her. The fans of Mr. Spector and his wife need to grow up and realize that their games aren't going to change anyone's minds about his guilt or anything else. Give it a rest, kids... I'm not going to change my mind about Phil Spector. He has been found guilty of murdering Lana Clarkson. And rightly so. He has been sentenced to prison, most likely for the rest of his life. Again, rightly so. If his "fans" don't want to behave themselves in the comments here, the comments won't see the light of day. Period.

After all, this is my blog and since it is my blog, I can post my opinion whenever I want, no matter how popular or unpopular it is. (And I don't have to put up with abuse from people who oppose my views... lol)

My apologies to my regular readers and commenters. Hopefully the children will go find another place to play soon.

Happy Father's Day!

I don't know how many readers of my blog are Dads, but I'll send a wish for a lovely Father's Day out to all Dads in general. I'll be spending the day with my Mom and Stepdad today. My Stepdad decided that he wants to go for a drive today, so my chauffeur duties will be starting as soon as they pick me up. Hmm.. I should probably go grab my camera. No telling what kind of scenery we'll be seeing.

Meanwhile, here's a LOL Cat for the Dads out there....


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Caylee Anthony Autopsy Documents Released Today

George and Cindy lost their bid to have the autopsy results sealed until trial. Judge Stan Strickland ruled the autopsy report of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony would be made public despite the motion that Brad Conway filed on George and Cindy's behalf.

WFTV has raw video available for you to watch George's speech and the rest of the hearing. Click WFTV to get to the page. Watch the video and George's performance. Watch Cindy shake her head at what the judge is saying.. Can someone explain to me why the Anthony family thinks they are above the law?

I'm copying and pasting an article from the Orlando Sentinel about the documents released today with my comments in blue italics:

Autopsy of Caylee Marie released

The Medical Examiner's autopsy report on Caylee Marie Anthony released today showed there were no drugs found in the body of the 2-year-old at the time her death.

Amy L. Edwards | Sentinel Staff Writer

1:07 PM EDT, June 19, 2009

The official autopsy and other forensic reports released today indicate there were no drugs found in the body of 2-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony at the time her death. ~ From what I've read in the reports, there was no soft tissue left to test for drugs...

The Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office released dozens of pages of documents in the first-degree murder case against Caylee's mother, Casey Anthony, after a judge ruled today that the autopsy report could be made public. ~ George and the Anthony's attorney Brad Conway did their best to convince the Judge that the autopsy report needed to be sealed. George got up and spoke about how "fragile" they are and how they are still trying to cope with having a murdered grandchild. He begged the Judge to give them privacy and "dignity". He managed to cry on cue, too. But, the tears and anguished voice disappeared when the attorney for the media asked him how many times he and Cindy had been on TV talking about the case.

Also released today were reports from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, where scientists analyzed decomposed pizza and a squirrel.

Some findings from the reports:
Crime scene technicians spent more than a week scouring the wooded area at the end of Suburban Drive to locate the remains.

The autopsy report shows they collected "an almost complete skeleton of a young child with only multiple small bones missing. The missing bones include small bones from the wrists and hands, as well as fingers and ankle, hyoid and patella," the report said. ~ With the hyoid bone missing, there is no way to know whether or not Casey strangled her little girl.

The report shows several overlapping pieces of duct tape on Caylee's skull. ~ Several pieces of duct tape? That is new news. It has been publicized before that there was duct tape over the mouth area of the skull.

"Although there is no trauma evident on the skeleton, there is duct tape over the lower facial region still attached to head hair," the report said. "This duct tape was clearly placed prior to decomposition keeping the mandible in place." ~ The report confirms the location of the tape and the fact that it was still attached to the hair, but most everything I'd read up to now was talking about one piece of duct tape, not several pieces. Why on earth did Casey have to put all that duct tape over her daughter's mouth?

They also noted that a portion of her skeletal remains were intermixed with two plastic trash bags and a canvas laundry bag. "The bags have a woodsy, outdoor odor with no smell of decomposition," the report said. ~ In other words, the bags and Caylee's remains had been out in the woods long enough for the decomp smell to fade away.

Vertebrae were found clustered in an area away from the skull. ~ Evidence that animals had scavenged in those bags? How awful to think of that...

Medical examiners noted that there were multiple roots extending through portions of the plastic garbage bag and skeletal remains. At least one root was 10 centimeters in length and "completely extends through the bag."

"The roots growing into the vertebrae and bags indicate that the body was placed there months prior to being found. There is nothing inconsistent with the body being placed there soon after the day of being last seen alive." ~ In other words, Casey discarded her daughter not long after Father's Day and went merrily on her way...

Roots had also grown through the Winnie the Pooh blanket found with the plastic bags.

According to a forensic report from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, scientists performed tests that allowed them to analyze the decomposition of a squirrel and pizza.

Casey Anthony's relatives have maintained the pungent odor coming from the trunk of her Pontiac Sunfire could have come from an old pizza or squirrel.

The Oak Ridge report states that previous reports of a decomposing pizza found in the vehicle trunk were not true. But the scientists went ahead and analyzed a piece of mushroom and pepperoni pizza, in the original box, which they let decompose for several days. "It is interesting to note that no maggots were found on the pizza," the report said.

The adult squirrel – apparently the victim of a hit-and-run – was allowed to decompose outdoors for about 10 days in a trashcan with fly access. The researchers said the maggot activity and odor was "significantly less than expected." They noted, "Results of this analysis showed very little similarity to the Florida carpet sample." No sulfur compounds or chloroform were detected.

Of the 51 chemicals identified from Anthony's trunk carpet sample, 80 percent were consistent with decompositional events, the report said.

"Nearly all the compounds present in early human decomposition were detected in the trunk samples if their concentrations were high enough to detect," the report said.

~~~~~~

Here are the documents I've been able to get so far:

• Autopsy Report
• Forensic Report
• FBI Report of Examination
• Report of Skeletal Dispersal
• Toxicology Report

I can see why the Anthony's didn't want these reports released. Some of the findings clearly disprove some of the lies that the Anthony's have been putting out to the media. The "decomposing pizza", the "dead squirrel" and so on.. George and Cindy need to realize that this is not about them. Perhaps their plea for dignity and privacy might have had more weight if they hadn't been so ready to jump in front of a camera to spread the lies and propaganda to try and get their daughter out of "trouble". They say that they've only been doing the interviews to promote the "foundation" that they've started in Caylee's name.. Uhm.. Yeah, right. I don't believe it. I've said it before. They need to stay home and cope with the murder of their granddaughter and stop spreading the lies. Casey is going to stand trial for the murder of Caylee no matter what George and Cindy want.

(The Customer Is) Not Always Right

Ok, today's post is going to be a shameless plug for another blog. A blog that has had me sitting here laughing out loud... A friend on Facebook posted a link and a recommendation for the site and I've been "stuck" there ever since... The name of the blog is "(The Customer Is) Not Always Right" and it's a compilation of anecdotes of.. uhm.. strange encounters between customers and sales or service people. This site had me laughing from the very first post:

The Store, My Friend, Is Blowing In The Wind

Customer: *on the phone* “I’ve been trying to order a book from your store in Palm Harbor for the last two days, but they never pick up the phone!”

Me: “OK, what number are you calling?”

(The customer gives me the number and I check our records. She has been calling the right number.)

Customer: “I’ve been calling and calling and they never, EVER answer! It’s so unprofessional! I need you to contact them for me.”

Me: “Well, to be honest, if they never pick up for you, they’re not going to pick up for me either, but I’ll see if our manager has a suggestion.”

Customer: “Well, obviously you should try calling on the employee line!”

Me: “We don’t have that, ma’am. We call each other’s stores with the same numbers you’re using.”

Customer: “When you get through to them, tell them I want them to order this item…”

(The customer gives me all the book information and her phone number, then proceeds to complain about how frustrated and angry she is about our company’s terrible attitude. I talk to my district manager, who gives me some very important news. I relay the following to this woman’s answering machine…)

Me: “Hello, I’m calling you back about the item you wanted ordered from another store in our chain. Unfortunately, we’ve just found out that our Palm Harbor store was blown away in the recent hurricane. I’m sure this is why they’re not answering their phone. Please give us a call back any time, and let us know if we can assist you further. Have a nice day!”

If you have some time, go browse a bit and get some laughs... Although it does make you wonder about how many stupid people there are!!

The Faces of Phil Spector (Mugshots!)

Phil Spector's mugshot back in February of 2003

Phil Spector's Mugshot (with wig) from the Los Angeles County Jail after his conviction in April 2009

Phil Spector (sans wig) at North Kern State Prison, June 2009

Well, Phil's mugshot finally hit The Smoking Gun and TMZ websites today. What can I say? Uhm... Nothing. His mugshots kind of speak for themselves! There will be more mugshots of Phil in the future. The next one will most likely be the one they take when he is moved from North Kern to whatever facility they decide will be his "permanent" home.

I have to wonder if (now that his newest mugshot has hit the internet) we get to hear another media blitz from Rachelle? Or maybe she'll stay quiet this time? From what I've read, her last few interviews weren't believed by very many people... After all, who wants to hear about her sex life with Phil? I sure don't!

Here's another comparison for you... Take a look at these two photos. Compare the two women. Which one looks "older"? Lana or Rachelle?

Update (3/16/2011):

Please note that this blog post was written nearly 2 years ago.  The blog post was originally written in response to a discussion on the InSession Message board that no longer exists in cyberspace.  There was no hate involved in writing the post, which is more than I can say for the so called "anonymous" comments that are continually being submitted on this and on other  Phil Spector blog posts.  The blog is still on "moderation" and will continue to be for as long as I can foresee because I don't want the "hate" campaign in the comments on this nor any other post on my blog.  Those nasty little notes will NOT see the light of day on this blog.

It's the Start of a New Month

And I'm sitting here remembering last June... The beginning of June a year ago, I was traveling with my Mom and Stepdad. Later in June last year, California started burning. We had over 2,000 wild fires burning all over the state and the air became so smoky it was clearly visible in satellite photos. I hope we don't have a repeat of last year, although some travels again would be nice.. lol...

I'm mainly posting today because I've been having some problems with the blog. The previous post about Phil Spector keeps "hiding" from me. If I go straight to the main URL for the blog, that post is gone. But if I use the "Archive" link for 2009, the post is there.. Weird. I'm hoping that this post will show up on the main URL... If not, I get to hit the blogger help files for a while... UGH!!


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If this works, I'll see about working on some more posts.... (crossing my fingers!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, it seems to have worked... Finally... I can actually see the "missing posts" now when I go to the main URL... Don't know how it fixed itself! It only took an hour of rummaging around in the blogspot help forums and I never found anything.. Was getting ready to post and thought I'd check again.. It was fixed! LOL

Phil Spector ~ 19 years to Life

Phil Spector now has a minimum of 19 years to contemplate what happened between himself and Lana Clarkson on February 3rd, 2003. Judge Fidler handed down the mandatory 15 years to life for the Murder 2 conviction and then gave Phil an additional 4 years for the use of a gun in the commission of the crime. He could have chosen 3, 4 or 10 years for the gun enhancement, but went along with the prosecution's recommendation. I am not going to detail out what happened during the brief hearing yesterday because it's been written up thoroughly and much better than I could on other sites. For instance, check out Sprocket's Trials & Tribulations. She was there in the courtroom and was blogging in real time, giving her readers a moment by moment description of what happened in the courtroom. Go here and scroll down to the bottom of the post, then read back up towards the top.

If you want to see his face as Judge Fidler pronounces the sentence, here's a video for you:

Note that at the end of the hearing when everyone stands as the judge exits, Phil stays seated until a bailiff directs him to stand and leave the room. Phil never looked over his shoulder at his trial bride, his son nor his supporters who showed up. He also seemed to have trouble keeping his eyes open for what was going on. Speculation is that he was under pain medications still since he'd had a surgery on Wednesday to remove polyps from his throat. One has to wonder how many surgeries he's had for those polyps in the last year or so. There were two delays in the trial due to medical treatment on his throat, and now it's reported that he was at UCLA having the surgery just this week! Interesting, huh?

Phil's attorney, Doron Weinberg practically begged for Judge Fidler to order Phil's transfer into State custody as soon as possible and to have his medical records travel with him. The Judge refused to put an "order" on the record and stated that he was sure that the Sheriff would be giving Phil over to the State without much delay. Later, I found an article by Harriet Ryan in the LA Times where Weinberg "explained" why they wanted the transfer hurried up.

Spector's lawyer said his client was focused on his appeal and eager to get through with the sentencing so he could move to a prison facility nicer than the jail where he has been held since the conviction.

"Nicer"? He thinks a prison facility is going to be "nicer" than jail? Ok... I'll be interested to see which facility Phil's going to be staying in for the next 20 or so years. Not that it's likely that he will be paroled at the end of his "19 years" because parole boards usually expect a prisoner to face up to what they've done and show some remorse. Does anyone think Phil Spector is going to ever admit to what he did that morning back in February of 2003?

Rest in peace, Lana. Your murderer is now beginning his penance for the crime he committed.

Something Different; Yuba Dam

I'll leave you with some humor today.. But first I'll tell you how I found it. I was reading a newspaper article in the local paper's website that talks about a problem that is going on with one of the old cemeteries in the area. Apparently there is a huge conflict going on between the powers that be in the city of Marysville and the volunteers that are trying to restore the old cemetery. The whole story is a mess and it comes down to the city locking the volunteers out of the cemetery after the city workers destroyed some of the volunteers work while they "mowed the lawns". One of the comments below the article mentioned an old poem called "Yuba Dam" and I got curious. Good old Google found the poem for me among the books that Google has digitized. The book is "Poems" By Charles James which was printed in 1903. (By the way, the city of Marysville is in Yuba County.. Hence the reference to "Yuba Dam".. lol)

YUBA DAM

The sun was shimmering all the West,
And gilding all the yellow main,
And casting shadows from the crest
Of gilded mountains to the plain,
As laboring up a water course
A traveler pricked his weary horse;
When all at once upon his sight
Burst a fair village, clean and bright.

He asked a miner whom he met,
If he could give its name: "You bet!"
Pray do, my friend and do not sham."
The miner answered, "Yuba Dam."

"Kind. gentle friend, do not abuse
My ignorance; I cry a truce
To thy bold wit; come tell me true,
I would not ask it if I knew,
But I, dear sir a stranger am."
Quick roared the miner, "Yuba Dam!"

Disheartened, on the stranger pressed,
And overtook a mincing dame,
With flaxen hair and silken vest,
And begged of her the village's name.
She oped her sweet lips like a clam
And simpered gently, "Yuba Dam."

On tore the stranger, nearly wild,
And came upon an artless child;
She had a satchel on her arm,
While o'er her face stole many a charm.
"Where have you been?" the stranger said;
The maid uplifted quick her head
And answered with the ready truth
And open frankness of her youth
"At school." "Who keeps it?" "Uncle Sam."
"What is this place, sweet?" "Yuba Dam."

"Alas!" he screamed, in frantic grief,
"Will no one come to my relief?
Will no one tell me where I am?"
The school boys shouted "Yuba Dam!"
And on the bridge, as he did slam
The planks re echoed, "Yuba Dam."

"Perdition seize the place!" he cried,
As through the streets he swiftly hied.
Yet ere he went to bed that night,
From something told him by a wight,
He found that he himself had shammed,
And that the Yuba had been dammed.

Hmm.. I suppose you'd have to know a bit about this area in order to understand how the Yuba was "dammed"... lol..

My Memorial Weekend Project

Remember my post from Mothers Day? I wrote about a drive around the area that my daughter, son-in-law, grandson and I went on and visits to 2 old cemeteries. Well, in the days after Mothers Day, I did some looking around on the Internet and found that as far as the genealogy sites go, the two cemeteries we visited are not well documented. Sure, there are lists on one site, but very few photos. And on one of the sites that I use for looking for my ancestors, there were no names, no photos or anything. (That site is called "Find a Grave".) So, I started making lists of names, dates and whatever other information I could find. Then I spent some time entering the names, dates and etc. on Find a Grave page for one of the cemeteries. About 150 names...

Then yesterday I asked my 14 year old granddaughter if she'd like to go out there and help me. My 5 year old grandson heard us talking about it and he piped up that he wanted to go too. So we piled in my car and headed out there. And now I'm going to share a few of the pictures that I took out there yesterday.

This is the view of the cemetery as you drive down the dirt road. There are no signs identifying the place as the Pennington or North Butte cemetery. Just a couple signs placed out by the road and then again back there under that big tree that tell you that the county does not want people hanging around there after dark. The urban legend around here is that there is a witch buried somewhere in the graveyard, but no one seems to know which grave is hers or even if her grave has a tombstone on it. It all depends on who you talk to. Local teenagers have come out to this cemetery at night for years now, and unfortunately some of them had no respect and spent their time damaging the old tombstones and other grave markers. Take a look at the grave in the photo to the right. The name or names are gone, so are the dates and just about anything else that might identify the poor soul who is buried there. The pieces of the large stone that the name would have been on are gone. The three small pieces that are laying there are blank. Nothing on them. So now, it's a misdemeanor to be caught in this old cemetery at night. Unfortunately, it's not exactly on a main street.. It's on a back road among the orchards at the base of the Sutter Buttes, and there is no one living close by. It's a sad place.

Some of the makers on the graves are really hard to figure out. Four or five of the graves are marked with a piece of metal on a stake that had been painted at one time with the person's name. No dates or anything else. Perhaps these were the "pauper's graves"? Unfortunately, the one in the picture to the left is the one that is the most readable now. Others have no paint left and are rusting, so there is no way of knowing who is lying below.

This being the Memorial Day weekend, I knew that most cemeteries would have flags placed at all the veteran's graves. I did not expect it here at this old cemetery. But, someone had come out and placed flags and crosses on each of the gravestones that identified a veteran. My granddaughter told me that it is good that people haven't completely forgotten these people. And I agree with her. Both of these graves are for World War I veterans. There are also a couple World War II veterans buried in this old cemetery.

By the way, this is not an abandoned cemetery. There have been burials there as recent as last year. Not many, only two, and the surnames of the two who were buried there last year were common ones among the other "residents" of the cemetery. The earliest tombstone is for Sylvanus Sanborn in 1859 and it's one of the more ornate ones there.

In wandering around the cemetery reading and photographing the tombstones it was interesting to see the ones that told where the deceased had come from. Kentucky, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey were among the places mentioned. There are even natives of Belfast, Ireland and Portugal buried here in this small, old pioneer cemetery. These weren't the "49'rs" who came to California to mine for gold. These were the people who came with their families to build a life, to build farms and grow orchards around the base of the Sutter Buttes.

Well, I guess I'll get back to uploading the photos of the tombstones to the "Find a Grave" site and reviewing the information from the other list I acquired. Some of the photos aren't matching up with the information on the list... A date wrong here, a name misspelled there. I'm making notes and will send what information I've worked out to the other sites that were my sources. Maybe someday it'll help someone who's trying to track down their family tree.

Happy Memorial Day everyone.... Remember to stop, think and give thanks to all the veterans who have served this country...

Before I go, though.. I'll share a photo of a one-room school-house here in the area... They had a fire in it a couple years back, but overall the school house looks pretty good, huh?

Who are America's Heroes?

One of the web sites that I frequent in order to find information about wildfires and other fire service related events had a post that made me stop and think. And remember. I asked the man who wrote the post for permission to post it here for my readers. He was nice enough to grant that permission. Read on, folks... And then stop and think like I did.

"Who are these people we call America's Hero's"?

A Hero is the person who comes to your aid day or night. No matter the circumstances Hero's are always there. They briefly put aside concern for their own safety and focus on the situation at hand. Hero's do not discriminate against age, sex, race or origin, Hero's do not care.

Hero's are forever diligent to your needs, awaiting your call for help. They do so without selfishness or hesitation. They never ask for anything in return and most always hide from recognition they so much deserve. You may know of one of these Hero's for they may live next door, down the street or across town. They are in every city of every state awaiting the cry for help. Some say its their duty, but in fact it is their will. Some may fall to their actions, but do so knowing what can happen, but that doesn't deter a Hero for for they care.

If you should ever be lucky enough to meet one of these Hero's in your lifetime or receive their aid be sure to put your arm around them and tell them your glad their there. For that is all the they desire. Americas Hero's are there for you , me and everyone no matter what and they give so much of their lives to be those Hero's and do everything they can and more. One might ask who are these brave people we call America's Hero's ?

They are Firefighters

This was written by a man who goes by the nickname of Firedude. And here is what he said about what he wrote: Keep in mind I am not a professional writer, but a young lady came to me before I retired and asked if I would write something for her to read at her dad's retirement party. She was sure proud of her firefighter dad let me tell you. It was well received and I wound up printing many copies on parchment paper for framing. Also feel free to use it if you wish. I hurriedly put something together for her with contents she suggested. It also reflects my feelings toward my firefighting family and those who are still out there doing the job day in and day out. Wish I could still be there right along side of you all.......

Many years ago, I was married to a firefighter. I was very proud of what he did and proud of the rest of the fellows at the small fire department he worked with. I think I typed that wrong. I used past tense and should not have. Because I am still very proud of all the men and women who devote their lives to helping other people. I still have family members and friends in the fire service. Firedude mentions the firefighting family and I know what he means. Even though it was many years ago that my ex was a firefighter, and many years as well since I was in the auxiliary that was associated with our small department, I was told emphatically at my ex's memorial service several years ago that I was still part of that family.

Now, think about those people riding around on the fire trucks. Now think of the pictures you've seen on the news of the huge wildfires. The towering flames, the homes being protected, and the ones that burned. Think about those guys with the shovels, the hoses and other equipment out there on the fire lines. I don't know about you, but in my mind, they are heroes. Every single one of them.

Thank you, Firedude... For the reminder.

And thank you to all the heroes out there on the lines every day.

Cindy Anthony Emailed Me

I was actually surprised to find an email from Cindy Anthony in my inbox this morning in response to what I had written to her and George the other day.
To start off, I'll show you all what I wrote to Cindy the evening after I posted the Open Letter to Cindy and George.

I have written you a letter, Cindy...
http://anakerie.blogspot.com/2009/05/open-letter-to-cindy-george-anthony.html
I am a "blogger" and I am proud of it.

And here is the response from her that was in my inbox this morning:

Good for you. What did you accomplish? Who did you help by sitting on your ass wasting hrs reading trash others have written? Are you overweight? Do you not have real friends? Who did you help today by sitting blogging?

Lets see. How shall I respond? Should I be as snide and nasty as she was? Or should I just be "me" and respond naturally. Hmm.... That's not a tough decision at all. There is no way I could be the same kind of person that Mrs. Cindy Anthony seems to be. I guess I'll take it item by item for my response, and the response will not be via email. It will be here, in the open for everyone to see. I have nothing to hide.

• Good for you. What did you accomplish?

Hmm... What did I accomplish by what? Writing that letter to you and George? Well, I suppose I vented a bit by telling you and George what I thought. That's always good, venting makes the blood pressure go down, right? As for anything real being accomplished as a result of that letter, I would guess absolutely nothing, because I'm quite sure you didn't truly read what I wrote nor take any of it to heart. What I wrote to you was what I would have told a "real friend" if I saw one of them behaving the way you and George have. (Thank heavens I don't have friends like you and George!)

• Who did you help by sitting on your ass wasting hrs reading trash others have written?

First of all, Cindy, you need to define the "trash" you think I am reading. If you mean the fire department information that I read every day, I wouldn't consider that "trash". If you mean the news bulletins about earthquakes, I wouldn't consider that "trash" either. (I post information about fires, earthquakes, accidents and other real tragedies on a fire news blog! Remember? I told you that in the open letter! DOH!) If you mean the emails and notices about real missing children, why would those be "trash" to you? Define the "trash" you think I'm reading, and I just might give you an answer to that inane question.

• Are you overweight?

LOL! And my weight has what to do with what? I guess in your warped imagination, you think all "bloggers" are overweight? Well, you couldn't be more wrong. If you think you got a "one up" on me by asking that question, nope.. You are wrong again. You gave me a pretty good laugh. For your information, I'm not overweight. I am active enough with my gardening, chasing grandkids and other things that I don't have to worry about my weight. As if my weight has anything to do with your behavior! LOL!

• Do you not have real friends?

Oh my, is that supposed to be another "insult"? You think that "bloggers" have no "real friends"? You are wrong again. I have friends. Real ones. And they are all over the place. Here locally, across the country and even overseas. Try another insult, Cindy. That one didn't work. I'm guessing you didn't read any of my blog at all. If you had, you might have seen mentions of a few of my friends. But then, I don't post their names publicly. They know who they are, and they also know who each other are when they read my blog. I guess you didn't see the mentions of my "trucker friend". Or the friend who knows a lot about computers and helps me out. Bah.. I'm not going to list my friends out for you in this post, but I would hazard a guess that I have more "real friends" than you do, especially now that you've exposed your true nature on national TV for almost a year now.

• Who did you help today by sitting blogging?

Which day are you referring to? Yesterday, I posted news about a terrible wild fire that has been burning near Santa Barbara, California. It had information about the evacuation zones and contact numbers so that people can call to get information about whether or not their home burned down. The day before that, I posted information about an earthquake. My blog has an Amber Alert ticker on it, so that every single person who lands on my main blog can see if there is a missing child somewhere, I'd say that might help a few people, especially if one person happens to see that ticker and has actually seen that child. For instance, there is that sweet looking little boy in Southern California that was kidnapped right out of his home. I have "real friends" who live in Southern California and they read my blog, do you think they might keep extra alert for that little boy? This morning, I have started a blog post about another event that is coming up later this summer that will benefit an organization that helps victims of domestic violence. That post won't be published until after I get a bit more information from my brother and the brother of the woman the event is named for, Kacie Barron. There have been quite a few posts on my blog about Kacie and Kacie's Ride For Hope, so I am guessing that those posts have been helpful to quite a few people.
Cindy, I think you completely missed the point of my open letter to you and George. And somehow I'm not at all surprised. I don't think you can see beyond your own ego.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And now, I'll leave my readers with something that will make them smile.............

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An Open Letter to Cindy & George Anthony

Dear Cindy and George.
I heard you voiced a very bad opinion of "bloggers" on your latest appearance on the Larry King Live show. (Which I refused to watch!) Well, I am a blogger, and I am proud of it. I have my own blog, and I post on another blog that reports on news about fires and disasters. I also post on message boards, which some people call "blogging". From what I've heard, Cindy, you feel that I am a bad person because of my "blogging". You say that bloggers don't know what "unconditional love" is.
I beg to differ with you, Cindy, I am a Mom and a Grandma in addition to being a blogger. And I love my daughters, my sons-in-law, my grandchildren and the rest of my extended family. I do not put conditions on any of my family members in order for them to have my love. If one of my family members managed to get in trouble with the law, I would still love them. But I wouldn't try to cover up their "problem" by lying the way you and George have. There is a difference between "unconditional love" and trying to cover up for them.
Yes, I have written posts on this blog about the Anthony family. And the posts have not been "supportive" because I have reported on what I observed on the television screen and in the news papers that I read online. I have read the documents that have been released and I have watched most of the videos of interviews with investigators and the visits at the jail. There hasn't been a whole lot in all of those news items, documents or videos that warrant a "positive" reaction from me.
From the very start, Cindy, you were not a sympathetic person. When I first heard the news about the disappearance of Caylee, I actually felt sorry for you and George. But, you chose to try to control all of the interviews when you were trying to get Caylee's face on the nation's television screens. And if you weren't trying to control what the news casters were saying, you were playing the "drama queen". How can anyone be sympathetic towards someone who got in everyone's faces when they mentioned your daughter's involvement with the disappearance of your granddaughter during the interviews. How can anyone be sympathetic towards a woman who stood up at a vigil in your front yard and demanded that everyone get off their asses and go out and search for your granddaughter. (Did you ever get off your ass and search for Caylee?) How could anyone be sympathetic towards someone who tells one story to the media one day and an entirely different story the next? How could anyone be sympathetic towards someone who tells the investigators one thing and then switches around and tells the investigators and the media something completely different in the next interview? How could anyone be sympathetic towards a family with a missing child who berates the searchers for that child because they aren't searching in the way that you wanted?
I understand that you wanted to believe that Caylee was alive. Somewhere. And you wanted people to go out searching for a live child. Not a body. But, you have to agree that the "search" for that child was a futile task from day one. Or perhaps I should say, it was a futile search from day 31 because your daughter chose not to tell anyone that Caylee was missing. Your daughter did not report her child missing. You, Cindy, were the one who called the police. 31 days late. You put Caylee's picture on our TV screens. But, we never had a description of the "kidnapper". We never even had an accurate description of when the child went missing! Where the hell was anyone even to start searching?
Yes, I understand that you are grieving for the loss of your beautiful little granddaughter. Yes, I understand that you are worried that your daughter is facing at the very least, life in prison with no parole. But, in my opinion, you are and have been handling the whole ordeal badly. Very badly. And you blame the "bloggers" for your bad image. I'm sorry, Cindy. Your bad image has been earned by you. If there had been more truth from you, George and Lee, perhaps the "bloggers" would have been more sympathetic towards you. If your daughter had spoken more truths, perhaps your granddaughter would have been found much sooner than December 11th.
And now, you want the world to send you money for this "foundation" that you've started. And your first "product" is a bear for first responders to give to children? Are you aware that first responders have been doing that very thing for years? Your grand idea is an old one. I'm sorry, George and Cindy, I will not be sending money to your organization. I also won't be sending money to your friends, the Milsteads with their billboard company or their "extreme" fishing boat. I will be sending my hard earned money to real organizations who have done more for victims that either of you will ever do.

I would rather send my money to Tim Miller and Equusearch.
I would rather send money to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
I would rather send money to Mark Klaas and the Klaas Kids Foundation.
I would rather send money to the Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation.

And I'm sure there are a few other worthwhile organizations that I've missed listing. No, George and Cindy. Don't be expecting any checks from me or my family.
I do have some questions for the pair of you, though. For instance, why on earth are the two of you working so hard to get more media coverage for yourselves and your daughter? Your daughter's defense "team" are trying to get a change of venue for her murder trial because they say that there has been too much information in the media. Why are you trying to get more media coverage? And national media coverage at that! Why are you rushing into this "foundation" thing so fast? You still have a trial to get through! Why on earth do you two think you could advise another family with a missing child when you've handled your own tragedy so horribly? Are you going to have them turn water hoses on people? Are you going to tell them to shake hammers at people? Are you going to tell them to stand up and scream that the media and the public are maggots and parasites? Are you going to tell them to demand that the searchers are only allowed to look for a "live" child? Are you going to advise them to lie to investigators?
My advice to you, George and Cindy, is to shut up, get out of the media and wait for the trial to be over before you try doing something in Caylee's name. Wait until after the trial before you decide whether or not you've learned anything that could possibly help the another family with a missing child. I honestly do not think you've learned anything.... Yet.
Sincerely from a "blogger",
Lorraine
aka: Anakerie


P.S. I could have written much, much more, but I didn't want this blog post to become a book about my opinion of the behavior of the Anthony family in general.

A Tiny Chapel, Old Cemeteries, an Old Schoolhouse and a Bird!

Yesterday was Mother's Day and I hope all of my readers who are Moms, Grandmas or Moms-to-be had a lovely day. Mine was very nice... We (my daughter, son-in-law and my youngest grandson) took a spur of the moment drive around the area where we live. My daughter and I had been talking about unique things or places that are close by and I mentioned the tiny chapel that is in the county across the river from where we live. She hadn't ever seen it for some reason, so I was trying to describe it to her. Her husband spoke up and said that he knew exactly where it was and asked if we wanted to go for a ride. Naturally, my daughter and I said "Yes!". We both grabbed our cameras, put the grandson in his booster seat in the car and off we went.

The first stop was the Grand Island Shrine over in Colusa County. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places, it's also a California Point of Historical Interest. The inscription on the plaque for the California Point of Historical Interest says:

"Site of the first Catholic mass to be said in Colusa County, May 1856. In 1864, a Catholic mission was conducted and a large wooden cross erected to commemorate the occasion. Masses, pilgrimages and visits were made here continuously thereafter. In order to preserve the identity of the place, Father Michael Wallrath secured a deed from Mrs. Anna Myers to this parcel of land and constructed a small shrine from hand kilned bricks in 1883."

As you can see in the photos, the chapel or shrine is small. There is only room for maybe 4 people inside the building if they stand close together. The chapel doors are unlocked and it's available for people to go in and light candles and pray. There were fresh flowers in vases on the altar and one candle was burning. In the picture to the right, I am standing just outside the door, no zoom on the camera, no special effects or flash was used. So you can see how small the shrine is. We didn't spend a lot of time at the chapel, but we were there long enough for my 5 year old grandson to spot a lizard sunning himself on the wall. Naturally, being a 5 year old little boy, he had to do some investigating of the lizard.. lol.. My daughter tried to get a picture of it, but I'm not sure that she caught it. I'll be honest. I didn't even see the lizard. I was on the wrong side of the chapel when they saw it and by the time I got around to that side, the lizard had climbed up the wall to one of the ledges. Oh well. No lizard picture for me! lol

When we left there, my daughter and started talking about other places in the area that we had been to or heard about in the past and one of the places we both remembered stories about was what was known as the "witches grave" at one of the old cemeteries in the area. I don't remember how the stories went, it's been too many years, so I won't be spinning the tale of the witch that is buried in a cemetery near the Sutter Buttes. I will say that the stories of the witch's grave center around two different cemeteries and your guess is as good as mine about which one was the source of the stories. One cemetery is on the north side of the Buttes, the "Pennington" or "North Butte" cemetery and one on the west side, the Noyesburg cemetery. We drove around the Buttes and found the northern cemetery. We parked and wandered around the old cemetery, reading the headstones as best we could. The earliest marker is from 1859 and the latest is from last year. The McMurtry monument shown in the picture to the left is one of the most complete and the most striking one that is left. There are a more than a few that have been so weathered that you can barely read the inscriptions and there are also some that have suffered vandalism. Some are laying in pieces and some have whole chunks missing. There are also a few that look like they were recently placed, perhaps to replace the ruined or vandalized marker of a family ancestor. The one new grave in this small cemetery had an epitaph that puzzled us, so I looked it up when we got back home. The epitaph said "The char-à-banc doesn't stop here anymore." I didn't know what "char-à-banc" meant! According to dictionary.com, it means "a large bus used on sightseeing tour". And I looked up the name of the man buried there. He was from Sacramento, but his family/ancestors were some of the early settlers who farmed and ranched around the Sutter Buttes in the 1800's, so he is buried here in this small, old cemetery with his ancestors.

The other old cemetery we visited was on the south side of the Buttes. It's called the Stohlman Cemetery. Apparently it is a family cemetery and the earliest marker there is from 1859. The markers there have been vandalized as well. I will never understand what the "thrill" is for idiots to go into a cemetery and destroy the memorials. We wandered around reading the markers that remain while noting that a lot of the memorials had silk flowers placed nearby, we replaced a few of the flowers that had blown over. My grandson saw my daughter and I replace a couple and then he decided that was his job. Every time he saw a flower that wasn't where it should be, he picked it up and put it near one of the head stones.

After leaving here, my son-in-law took us by one of the old one room schools in this area that is still standing. From what I've heard, there are a few of the old school houses still standing in the county. It would be interesting to do some hunting and see how many I could find. I have no idea of the history of the Slough School building, since I haven't found much information about it on google yet. Ah well.. Another day. And another tour of the area. lol...

The last stops we made on our little tour yesterday were near the Sutter Bypass. As we slowly drove along the levee road and then down onto a bridge over the channel that had a locked gate at the other end, I spotted a cormorant sitting on a log in the middle of the channel sunning himself. Since we were stopped in the middle of that bridge anyway, I got out and took a couple pictures of the bird. This log was just downstream from the old bridge that people used to drive over. The roadbed leading to the bridge is long gone and the bridge itself is rusting away. Further across the bypass, there is still a portion of the raised roadbed standing, but it's not connected to this bridge anymore either... I'd like to add one more picture to this blog entry, but I didn't take it. It was one that my daughter caught of the cormorant taking off. And since she's at work right now, I can't even ask her for the picture. I'll have to give her a call later tonight and perhaps add the picture then...

Anyway.. I hope everyone had a lovely day yesterday! I sure did!

Tiger Meets Toddler?

I was using the "StumbleUpon" tool bar a bit this afternoon and stumbled upon these images. They are in yesterday's images of the day from The Telegraph UK website. Needless to say, the images stopped me in mid click from going on to the next site...

These breathtaking pictures appear to show a little girl seconds away from becoming a hungry tiger's lunch. Little Avery Thompson seems oblivious to the 370lb Royal White Bengal Tiger as he stretches out a massive paw in an attempt to touch her...

...But, despite appearances, the toddler is perfectly safe - she and Almos the tiger are separated by a thick pane of glass. Keen amateur wildlife photographer Dyrk Daniels photographed the encounter at Cougar Mountain Zoo, in Washington
Picture: DYRK DANIELS / SOLENT NEWS

I'd say that photographer was in the right place at just the right moment to catch an unforgettable moment!

Drew Peterson Arrest Video

This is the "Raw" video from the MyFox Chicago site.... It appears Drew's smirk is gone... For now.

Drew Peterson Arrested!

I just heard the news on Headline News! State police have arrested Drew Peterson for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio! His fourth wife, Stacy Peterson is still missing and Drew is the only suspect in her disappearance. Investigators have presumed that Stacy was murdered by Drew, but no arrest in that case has happened. Yet.

Here's what the Herald News in Chicago says:

BOLINGBROOK – Authorities arrested Drew Peterson on Thursday near his Bolingbrook home for the murder of his third wife Kathleen Savio, according to police sources.

“I guess I should have returned those library books,” a hand-cuffed Peterson said Thursday evening as he was being led into state police headquarters.

Police took Peterson into custody at Weber and Lilly Cache roads.

“The charge right now is the murder of Kathleen Savio,” said Lt. Carl Anderson of the state police.

Savio, 40, was found dead in a dry bathtub in her Bolingbrook home in March 2004.
At the time, Illinois State Police failed to find anything suspicious and her death was ruled an accidental drowning by a coroner’s jury.
After Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy, then 23, disappeared in October 2007, officials reclassified Savio’s death as a homicide and gave the state police another opportunity to figure out who did her in.
Savio’s body was exhumed from its grave. An autopsy conducted in November 2007 determined Savio was the victim of a homicide.

State police have called Stacy Peterson's disappearance is a "potential homicide" and say Peterson is also a suspect in that case.

Just think, my last post included a little blurb about Drew being considered for a role on the HBO reality show that is filed in a brothel in Nevada. Hilarious.. I just found more information about that too... The Associated Press is reporting this:

CHICAGO (AP) — HBO says there's no chance Drew Peterson will appear on a reality television show set in a Nevada brothel.

In fact, HBO spokeswoman Tobe (TOH'-bee) Becker says the network would cancel "Cathouse" before allowing the former suburban Chicago police officer to appear.

Peterson is a suspect in the October 2007 disappearance of his wife, Stacy.

Peterson publicist Glenn Selig (SEH'-lig) said Wednesday that his client was weighing an offer from the owner of the Moonlight Bunny Ranch outside Carson City.

Becker calls that a "stunt" that HBO does not condone.

Brothel owner Dennis Hof (HOFF') said Thursday he's still talking to Peterson about a possible job, even though Peterson can't be on the show. Selig says Peterson is interested.

All I can say is that it's about time they arrested that sick, sick man!!!! And I think it's extremely funny that Drew's PR guy is busted on that reality show story.. I do believe I'll pour a glass of wine and celebrate! lol

Sources:
Arrest story: Herald News
Reality Show: The Associated Press

Update:
I found an image of Drew with cuffs on.. although you can't see the cuffs..

Illinois State police Lt. Carl Anderson (left) and another investigator escort Drew Peterson into District 5 State Police headquarters Thursday. Peterson was arrested in the 2004 murder of his third wife Kathleen Savio. (Michael R. Schmidt/Sun-Times News Group)

Picture source: The Sun-Times





Another Update:

I watched the press conference about the arrest on CNN. They have indicted Drew on two counts of murder 1, and the judge signed off on a $20 million bond. So, Drew will be sitting in jail for a while. I'm hoping that he hasn't got access to enough money to bond out. I honestly believe he would be a flight risk. I'm still looking for more information online since I didn't take any notes while listening to them! lol...

Just couldn't resist....

UPDATES below....


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This lolcat was just too cute, I couldn't resist bringing it here....

In the News

There are a couple items in the news that have me shaking my head this morning. One is about Drew Peterson, the ex-cop in the Chicago area who is the only suspect in the disappearance of his wife, Stacey Peterson. Drew's publicist put out a press release saying that Drew is in talks about appearing in a role on an HBO reality show set in a Nevada brothel. Apparently the owner of the brothel originally wanted to get former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich to be on the "reality show", but I guess the former Gov. turned it down. And, since both Drew and Blogo have the same PR guy, the PR guy is pushing Drew at the brothel. I've never seen this "reality show" since I don't have HBO, but I have a hunch that Drew would fit right in. If I did have HBO, I doubt if I'd be interested in watching it. I'd never even heard of the show before reading that press release! lol

The other item that has me shaking my head is in the local newspaper this morning, the Appeal Democrat. The story's title is "Accused poachers bagged" with a sub-title of "Illegal, 'sickening' hunts left 5 wounded deer to die". The titles are bad enough, but check out the article itself:

A Nicolaus man and two juveniles are facing felony animal cruelty charges for wounding deer with .22-caliber guns and leaving the animals to die "a slow and agonizing death," a California Department of Fish and Game official said Tuesday.

Jeremy Lee Harkins, 19, was arrested Monday at a Shasta Street apartment in Yuba City along with an alleged accessory, Kayla Marie Williams, 18. Harkins was being held Tuesday in Sutter County Jail on $20,000 bail.

The illegal hunting, long past the end of deer season, allegedly occurred in early December near Nicolaus. Charges were filed by the Sutter County District Attorney's Office after a lengthy investigation, said Game Warden Nate Stebbins.

Harkins and the juveniles shot at deer from a car with a .22-caliber rifle, and apparently a stolen handgun, using rimfire ammunition that is prohibited for hunting deer, said Stebbins.

Small-caliber weapons and rimfire cartridges, instead of centerfire cartridges, are likely only to wound deer, he said.

In one case, the suspects shot a deer at night. Realizing they had only wounded the animal, they returned the next morning "and brutally tried to finish it off" by stabbing or slitting its throat, said Stebbins, who found the carcass.

Two deer carcasses were found. As many as three other animals were wounded, said Stebbins, who called the shootings "sickening."

The juveniles were cited and released to their parents. They will appear in Sutter County Juvenile Court, he said.

Williams allegedly helped Harkins conceal evidence. A fifth suspect, who allegedly provided the handgun is being sought, said Stebbins.

Besides cruelty to animals, charges against Harkins and the juveniles include shooting from a car, wasting game and receiving known stolen property.

The suspects had plastic bags in their car and supposedly planned to salvage meat from the deer with the slashed throat, Stebbins said.

After word of what the suspects were doing got around the small town of Nicolaus, a number of witnesses were found during the "complex" investigation, said Stebbins.

The story is bad enough, but the comments on the article are something else. Apparently the mom of one of the "kids" arrested has been on the paper's site "defending" her daughter. Here is her first comment:

NotJudgeorJury wrote:

You people that have already "Convicted" my daughter and her boyfriend for what this article says, need to slow down and make an effort to find out what the TRUTH is. Does the TRUTH matter to any of you, or are you so excited to be able to have someone to talk about and make judgements when Im sure none or almost none of you are Judges! Thank GOD for that! The two adults mentioned in this article were driver and front seat passenger in the vehicle. The minors in the back of the vehicle are the one(s) that shot the deer! When the adults heard shots they thought they were being shot at and FLED the scene. They did not realize until the GAME WARDEN came that a deer had been shot. They were not involved at all with the next day actions of the minors after the fact! So you people need to get a life and stop judging because I am sure that if it was one of your children written about in the paper you would be outraged when the ignorant people make their ignorant comments about something that they don't even know SH** about!

Uhm... Ok, "Mom"... They didn't realize a deer had been shot? Excuse me, but in the article above, it states that 5 deer had been shot.. On different occasions! I guess she has no feelings for the deer that were wounded during these kid's quest for "fun". For crying out loud, the one deer was shot and wounded at night, then left to suffer until the next morning when the idiot kids went back out there to "end it's suffering"!

The other folks commenting on that article didn't take her attack very well as you can imagine so later, "Mom" comes back and fires another shot:

NotJudgeorJury wrote:

To everyone who wishes they were the judges and jury's: I guess being judge and jury of a space where you are allowed to make comments is all you were capable of "aspiring to" in your miserable lives! I never said that they were not guilty of something, Did I??? I absolutely agree that they MUST be guilty of something, otherwise they would not be in this mess to begin with. I am not as ignorant as many of you though, because I am not talking about How I BELEIVE THEY ARE INNOCENT! I don't think that for a minute.... I don't think that they did nothing. I don't believe what they are being charged with, is appropriate! So dont be too disappointed if they just happen to beat these specific charges. I wouldn't be surprised if they are found guilty of something. And my daughter is well aware of taking responsibility for her own actions and living with consequences of choices she has made... And I am sure that she is being charged at all because she is NOT going to tell on anyone involved, even if she has to go down for the entire incident! It doesn't make the story true! So, I guess I would be more than f***ing happy to see any animal killed, because I don't like animals! Does that mean I am guilty of doing such a thing! No. But it really doesn't bother me at all that the animal was killed. So there is something for you hypocritical people to discuss untill your hearts desires! I love it, when I am the center of any conversation! Negative or positive, really doesn't make a difference to me. I am just happy knowing I got under someones skin today!

Oh boy... This woman is something else, isn't she? Yes, she's defending her daughter and I can understand that, but I don't think she's doing it very well. I think she hits the nail on the head when she says "I love it, when I am the center of any conversation!" I'm going to check back with the paper's site later today and see how the "discussion" is going...

I'd be interested to see what my readers here think about the poacher story... And about the comments.... Follow this LINK and see what's being said...

UPDATE:
Thursday AM: I checked on the comments for the poacher/arrest article this morning and I found one more post from the Mom I quoted yesterday. It seems she's backing off her attitude from early yesterday.. She's still defending her daughter, but it appears that she had a little chat with her daughter and the boyfriend and found out that they aren't quite as innocent as she thought.

notjudgeorjury wrote:

To all of the people posting about this article. I stopped reading ALL comments at my last post, so whatever you have to say about these two adults or myself is really falling on deaf ears. I have absolutely no patience for people that are judgemetal when I am sure that each and every one here has broken the law in some way or another, at some time or another committing crime anywhere from taking office supplies at work, to molesting the neighbors kids and/or worse. Any how, they are not the ones being accused, nor are they the ones on trial. After a very lengthy conversation with the two adults here, I have to apologize to all of you for sticking up for them, because it seems there is more truth to the article than I would like to beleive and after they seen the lengths that I am willing to go to protect them, they felt that I needed to be told the truth. I did not have to come here and apologize to you guys, but I am a woman and I cant admit when I am wrong. While there is some truth to the article, there is also circumstances that are not mentioned in the article. I still stand by my daughters innocence, and I will leave my explanations at that!

I also noticed that more than a few posts were "removed" due to violations of the user agreement for the paper's website. Plus a couple of the posters who were there yesterday are completely gone, posts and all... I guess I missed a "lively" discussion over there.. lol

Another UPDATE:
Thursday PM: Another post from the mom of the girl that was arrested left another post this afternoon... She sounds a bit upset, wouldn't you say? The funny thing is that I just finished reading the rest of the comments and didn't see any posts referring to her being in trouble with the law, nor anything referring to "snitches". This lady needs to calm down and talk to her daughter, the boy friend and the other kids that were arrested instead of ranting and raving on the newspaper's website!

notjudgeorjury wrote:
I hear there has been a few assumptions made about me so let me clear that up for you folks! First of all, NO, I have never been in trouble with the law.(Just because we are not snitches, doesn't mean that the entire family is on the other side of the law). We are not snitches, because someone very close to us was a snitch, and guess what? They was killed for snitching, so we won't snitch! We like being alive! Secondly, someone seems to think I sound crazy, because I ramble...Well when I am furious, I ramble. And you are absolutely right about me being crazy, thats how I get when someone is attacking one of my children, regardless of the reason. You might just know how crazy I can be, if I only knew any of you or where any of you live! We would definately being having this discussion face to face.

Or did I read this wrong? She is making threats, isn't she?

Brianna Denison Case: 1 Trial Ordered for Biela!

Well, James Biela lost his bid to have three separate trials for abducting, raping and murdering Brianna Denison and assaulting two other women there in Reno. He will be facing all the charges for all three attacks in one trial in February, 2010. Good for the judge!
From The Reno Gazette Journal:

The Reno man accused of raping and killing Brianna Denison and sexually assaulting two other female college students more than a year ago will be tried on charges involving all three attacks at the same time.

Washoe District Judge Robert Perry denied a request by public defenders for James Michael Biela to severe the three cases for fear he wouldn't receive a fair trial if they were combined.

Biela is scheduled to go to trial in February on charges of murder, kidnapping and sexual assault in the abduction and murder of the 19-year-old Denison last January.

Under Perry's ruling Monday, he also will face at that time the two additional counts of sexual assault in the attacks on the two other women on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno.

Brianna Denison Case: Lawyer for Biela argues for 3 separate trials

I missed seeing this article about the accused murderer of Brianna Denison in the news yesterday...  I found it this morning while surfing through a few of the old links I have for newpapers and stations that have an online presence.  Believe it or not, I was looking for articles about fires and the preparations for the upcoming fire season.   I feel bad that I hadn't been keeping up with the case over the last few months since James Biela was charged with Brianna's murder.   To be honest, I wasn't even aware that they had combined Brianna's case with the other two cases.  And that makes me feel even worse!  I need to keep this one on my list of active cases to watch.  When Brianna first disappeared in January of last year, I was watching the news for information like crazy, as well as keeping my eyes open for her when I was out and about.  After all, I live only 3 or so hours away from Reno where she disappeared from.  In my eyes, it was entirely possible that a kidnapper could have headed down through the mountains and into Northern California.   Sadly, Brianna never actually left Reno.  She was kidnapped, raped, murdered and then dumped right there in Reno.  I'll keep an eye on the Reno paper in the future to see what the judge rules....
From the Reno Gazette Journal:

The strangulation of Brianna Denison, the rape of another woman at gunpoint in a parking garage and the abduction and sexual assault of a third woman were all distinctly different crimes, and each should be tried separately, a lawyer for James Biela argued Friday.
"They would like the court to believe there was a similar attack pattern," Deputy Public Defender Jay Slocum said of the prosecutors. "Our contention was there is not."
But Deputy District Attorney Elliott Sattler cited a list of similarities among the three cases -- they occurred near the university, late at night, against women who had similar builds -- and asked Washoe District Judge Robert Perry to keep the cases together.
"What we have here is a man who basically is a predator," Sattler said.
Sattler said Biela conducted "sexually motivated attacks on unsuspecting
college-aged girls. The facts, they all point to the same person committing all of these acts one month after the other."
Perry said he would announce his decision on the request on Monday or Tuesday. At present, the trial is set for Feb. 22, 2010. If Perry separated the three charges, Sattler said he would keep that date for the Denison trial, and hold the two others sooner, in chronological order.
Denison, a Reno native, was a 19-year-old student at Santa Barbara City College when she disappeared from a friend's house near the University of Nevada, Reno campus early on Jan. 20, 2008. Her body was found on Feb. 15, 2008, in a field in southeast Reno.
Biela also is charged with raping a UNR student on about 10 p.m. on Oct. 22, 2007, as she headed toward her car. She testified at Biela's preliminary hearing that she was grabbed from behind and raped on the ground. She did not report the attack until January, and no DNA evidence was saved.
Another woman told police she was at her car outside her apartment about 2 a.m. on
Dec. 17, 2007, when she was grabbed from behind, taken away in a car and forced to have oral sex. The attacker then returned her to her car and left.
Connecting the two sexual assaults with the highly publicized Denison case would be unfairly prejudicial against Biela, Slocum told the judge.
"The jury may likely use evidence of the publicity and unfairly apply that to the other cases," he said. The jury also might see stronger evidence in one case and "piggyback the weaker case on the stronger one and convict."
He also said each attack was different.
The attacker used a firearm when he raped the woman in the parking garage, and she later told police that she contracted a sexually transmitted disease from the attack. The attacker didn't have a gun during the December attack, he took the woman away, then returned her, Slocum said.
And in the Denison case, she was abducted, raped and strangled, he said.
"The difference is pretty marked between all three situations," he said.
But Sattler said the attacks shared a common scheme.
"They were all conducted within that 400-foot radius on North Virginia Street," he said. The two rapes were "basically across the street from each other. That's how close these are. I would suggest that you could throw a rock from one place to the other.
"They are crimes of opportunity in that he puts himself there," Sattler said. "He's waiting for somebody to come by, so he can attack them. And he attacks in a similar way."