A New Year's Prayer

Dear Lord, please give me...
A few friends who understand me
and yet remain my friends
A work to do which has real value,
without which the world
would feel the poorer...
A mind unafraid to travel,
even though the trail be not blazed
An understanding heart...
A sense of humor.
Time for quiet, silent meditation.
A feeling of the presence of God.
And the patience to wait
for the coming of these things,
with the wisdom to know them
when they come.

Bang'Em Up Over A Woman

Feud leads to mini-demo derby
John Krupa,The Telegraph
12/29/2004

GODFREY -- The parking lot of C & W Auto Glass was the scene of a violent automotive encounter Monday, when two Godfrey men repeatedly rammed vehicles in a quarrel that broke out over the affections of a woman.

"They were basically almost having a demolition derby in the parking lot," said Sgt. Brad Wells of the Madison County’s Sheriff’s Department.

The vehicular tangle broke out between Charles A. Bonney, 63, of the 6400 block of Godfrey Road, and Victor L. Harris, 36, of the 1800 block of West Delmar Avenue, at 12:26 p.m. Monday in the business’ parking lot in the 6300 block of Godfrey Road.

Wells said an "ongoing feud" over a woman precipitated Monday’s incident.

"What we are being told is that Harris was in Bonney’s driveway, just up the road. Bonney saw Harris leaving the driveway, and Harris went down to the parking lot. Bonney followed him down to the parking lot and started ramming," Wells said.

Witnesses saw Bonney ram his black Chevrolet Camaro into Harris’ white Acura Integra three times, and they saw Harris ram Bonney back two times, Wells said.

Deputies found extensive damage to both vehicles, Wells said, adding up to more than $300.

Bonney was charged Tuesday in Madison County Circuit Court with felony criminal damage to property and Harris with driving on a suspended license.

"At one point, we were going to possibly charge both (with criminal damage), but the state’s attorney elected to only charge Bonney, based on the evidence in the case," Wells said. "Bonney was the one that was the aggressor in the incident."

Harris was on the scene when authorities arrived, while deputies found Bonney later at his home.

Both were taken to the Madison County Jail in Edwardsville. Bond was set at $10,000 for Bonney and $100 for Harris.

From here.

Rats Rats And More Rats! Eeeks!

Oil spill isn't worst scourge raised by grounded ship
Alaska biologists frantic to contain predatory rats
Sarah Kershaw, New York Times
Tuesday, December 28, 2004

St. Paul, Alaska -- Only hours after a giant soybean freighter ran aground a few hundred miles from this small island in the middle of the Bering Sea, the research scientists stationed here began to panic.

It would be merely a matter of time before oil from the freighter Selendang Ayu, which broke apart Dec. 8, would begin oozing into the ocean, straight into one of the world's most diverse and delicate wildlife habitats. But worse than an oil spill, in the view of wildlife biologists working furiously to protect millions of exotic animals, the freighter, if it got close enough, could cause an even greater environmental calamity: a rat spill.

"Is the ship near an island that is still rat-free?" asked Kent Sundseth, a biologist with the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, as he fielded frantic telephone calls from headquarters on the mainland.

Sundseth was assured that the battered freighter, loaded with food and presumably rats that thrive on it, was near an island that was already infested. But his fears reflected the growing ecological devastation caused by a new archenemy of the Arctic.

"They're a real problem once you get them," Sundseth said. "This can really be a catastrophic event."

Rats, of the hardy Norway breed, are now present on 82 percent of the world's islands. Like killer bees swarming across the continents, rats are now burrowing into the farthest reaches of Alaska, attacking seabirds where they nest, along with their eggs and chicks.

Read the rest here.

I got chills just reading this story. As you learned previously, I hate rats!

No More Free Rides For The U.S.

Russia to Stop Giving Free Trips to US Astronauts

Russian Space Agency said on Tuesday it will stop giving free space trips to U.S. astronauts. The agency chief Anatoly Perminov quoted by Reiters said they “will put U.S. astronauts into orbit only on a commercial basis” from 2006.

Russia has been servicing the International Space Station alone for almost two years since the crash of the U.S. Columbia shuttle. The United States has often funded Russian cosmonauts’ trips to the station on its shuttles and since the tragedy Russia has done the same for U.S. astronauts.

A spokesman of the Russian agency quoted by Reuters said Perminov will go to the United States early next year with a proposal. It says, the United States would write off debts of man-hours that Russia owes for work carried out on the station in exchange for Russia launching its astronauts. NASA officials have not commented this information yet.

U.S. officials have said Shuttle flights could resume in May, an event Russia is keenly awaiting. “At the beginning of next year I will go to America to personally make sure that the preparation for the resumption of Shuttle flights is going according to plan,” Perminov said.

From here

Van Damme = Superhero?

Van Damme a "superhero in bed"
By Angela Baldassarre

Action star Jean Claude van Damme has described himself as a "superhero in bed" who performs for his wife every night.

The actor, who is in the Romanian capital Bucharest looking at locations for his next film, said that although he kept to a punishing three hour fitness regime every day, he was never tired when it came to sex.

He said: "It's not true that the potency of a man decreases if he has a tough physical training regime every day. I can tell you that from my own experiences. When I get back home every day I am my wife's superhero in bed."

The 44-year-old actor also said he was planning to make a return to fight competitions and wanted to win the K-1 world title - a mixture between kickboxing and martial arts, the Realitatea Romanesca newspaper reported.

He said: "I am planning to go back to fighting next year when I am 45. I gave up fighting a long time ago because it offers no perspectives and there are people who do not respect their art. But now I want to fight again to prove something to myself. I'd be the first actor to fight in K-1 and also the oldest competitor."

Van Damme also revealed that he has little time for slender women and would always pick a "muscular" woman over a thin one - but only on condition she had big brains to match.

The one-time hunk who starred in films like "Timecop," "Kickboxer" and "Universal Soldier" told the Romanian newspaper National: "I would always go for a muscular woman rather than for a skinny one but on one condition - her brains have to be as developed as her muscles."

From here.

For Everything Else There's MasterCard

This is a MUST watch.

Click me! Click me!

Hang Him By His Balls

Ex-State Worker Allegedly Sent Dead Rats, Birds In Mail

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- A former state worker has been charged with second-degree stalking, accused of mailing dead rats, dead birds and used condoms as part of a pattern of harassment against 14 people.

State Police say Jack Rodack, 50, of Central Islip, was also charged with second-degree forgery, accused of falsely reporting police emergencies and child abuse at victims' homes, terminating their utility services, and ordering products delivered to homes.

Rodack is a former caseworker with the New Jersey State Division for Youth and a former investigator with the New York State Department of State and had victims in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and at least one in the Southern Tier, police said. He was sent to Broome County Jail without bail.

Vestal police had been investigating the local case of harassment for about eight years, State Police Senior Investigator Susan Mulvey told the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin.

Authorities said many victims came into contact with Rodack through his state jobs, but only some recalled having a problem with him.

From here.

The Indestructible Quiz

You guys can thank Sparkey for this.

Three names you go by:

1. LoLo
2. ESSFingers
3. Smoochy

Three screen names you have:

1. ESSFingers
2. *private
3. *even more private

Three things you like about yourself:

1. I make people laugh.
2. I am smart.
3. I take care of myself.

Three things you hate about yourself:

1. I need to lose some weight.
2. I'm a big-time procrastinator.
3. I don't let people 'in'.

Three parts of your heritage:

1. Cherokee Indian
2. Irish
3. tiny bit of English

Three things that scare you:

1. Not being able to take care of myself.
2. Dying alone.
3. Mice & rats.

Three of your everyday essentials:

1. Computer & internet service
2. TV
3. Radio

Three things you are wearing right now:

1. Old Generra shirt that changes colors when it's warm (except it's so old it doesn't change colors anymore)
2. Sweatpants
3. Lacy white panties

Three of your favorite bands/artists (at the moment):

1. Chevelle
2. Metallica (always will be in any of my music lists)
3. Nirvana (for the same reason above)

Three of your favorite songs at present:

1. Vitamin R - Chevelle
2. I Dare You To Move - Switchfoot
3. Eat, Bite, Fvck, Suck - John Valby

Three new things you want to try in the next 12 months:

1. Code a page in CSS all by myself
2. Take a vacation overseas to Greece (does that count???)
3. Skydive

Three things you want in a relationship (love is a given):

1. Trust
2. Excitement
3. Space

Two truths and a lie:

1. I like having my toes sucked.
2. I graduated college from the University of Houston with a B.S. in Biology.
3. I was physically assaulted by my youngest brother 1 1/2 years ago and he went to jail for it.

Three physical things about the opposite sex (or same) that appeal to you:

1. Eyes
2. Ass
3. Shaved head

Three things you just can't do:

1. Eat liver
2. Fake sarcasm
3. Be jealous of 'rich' people

Three of your favorite hobbies:

1. Surfing the internet (duh)
2. Watching NASCAR
3. Go Texans!!!

Three things you want to do really badly right now:

1. Have wild sex
2. Finish this damned quiz :)
3. Go on a road trip

Three careers you're considering:

1. I'm not considering any.
2. None.
3. Maybe that's my problem.
(All of these are Sparkey's answers but they're exactly how I would answer them.)

Three places you want to go on vacation:

1. Greece
2. Ireland
3. Egypt

Three kid's names:

1. Joe Bob
2. Mary Ellen
3. Curly

Three things you want to do before you die:

1. Skydive
2. Take a trip around the world lasting at least 12 months
3. Go to the Bristol night race

Three people who have to take this quiz now or die painfully:

1. Ducky
2. Dodge
3. Linda

Cleanup On Aisle Four

Poor beer. It didn't even have a chance. 

For Fear Of Offending

Abstinence program offends 'nontraditional families'
Canceled after parents object to emphasis on waiting for marriage

Board members halted an abstinence-based sex-ed program at a public middle school because "nontraditional families" might be offended by its emphasis on marriage.

The Lansing, N.Y., Board of Education also was concerned that the program's Christian affiliation would be inappropriate for a public school, the Ithaca Journal reported.

The cancellation of "I'm Worth Waiting For," for at least this semester, surprised the program's presenter Ithaca Pregnancy Center, which is sponsored by more than two dozen area churches.

The center's executive director, Rhonda Mapes, said it felt like parents were on a "war path" against the program, the Journal reported. But she insists it contains no proselytizing, instead focusing on guidelines for making safe and healthy decisions.

The program is conducted in as many as 10 public schools a semester, normally without incident, Mapes told the Ithaca paper.

The board decided Dec. 16 to create a health advisory committee comprised of staff and parents to handle the issue.

The debate comes as the White House earmarks $170 million in federal funding for abstinence-based programs in the next year.

The Ithaca Pregnancy Center uses humorous skits to warn students of the health risks of sexual activity. If students ask about condoms, they are told contraceptives are not 100 percent effective.

"The goal is to see abstinence as a good and attainable choice," Mapes told the Journal.

But many parents are upset with the program's basic message of waiting for marriage, and the mother of one student complained abstinence should be taught as a health choice, not a moral choice.

From here

Top Internet Searches Of 2004

Janet Jackson: Web's Most Wanted 2004

Once again we are reminded of the power of a woman. On the night of the most significant sporting event for gazillions of men, one wardrobe malfunction from pop superstar Janet Jackson and the Web world was turned upside-out. When the 'nasty girl' exposed her breast during the Super Bowl Halftime Show, it turned into the most-searched event in the history of the Internet.

Janet Jackson held the number one spot on The Lycos 50 for only two weeks this year, but she generated more search activity in those two weeks than any other search topic, and easily the top search of 2004.

On the day after Ms. Jackson's star-shaped nipple shield played peek-a-boo with the world, Jackson and the halftime show received 60 times as many searches as Paris Hilton and 80 times as many searches as Britney Spears. Jackson was searched 50 times for every request for Super Bowl commercials, the topic that normally dominates on the day after the game. Believe it or not, users generated over 560 different ways to search for her, ahem...business.

Jackson remained on The Lycos 50 for 14 consecutive weeks until she was finally bumped during the week of May 18, when Nick Berg, the American hostage beheaded by Iraqi militants, and the War in Iraq dominated Web search activity.

To continue reading this column and to see the entire list of Top 100 searches go here. You can also check out many more 'Most Searched' lists for 2004 there.

Rant - Fvcking Yahoo Kiddies

Speak English! Or rather type English m0therfvcker!

It would take me longer to type the crap you type than it would for me to type correctly. Damn. Can't believe it's so fashionable to be so stupid. It might make your Mommy proud but trust me, you really look like a stupid fvck to the rest of the real world. I feel sorry for your ass. I hope Darwin's Theory holds true for you.

I can't even play a damned game of Gin without running into this shit. And I can't believe people still ask for a/s/l? Hello? That's fvcking old!!!

If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out the English to 12-year-old AOL user translator.

This is what I've been dealing with. I need to take out some aggression on something/someone right now. Would anybody like to step up? I'm well overdue for giving a proper spanking.

Federal Air Marshals Have Dress Codes?

Yes, my dear readers, this is true.

I'm moving away from my mostly light-hearted posts with this one.

I found out about this on one of my favorite blogs, The Spoons Experience. He linked to Michelle Malkin's blog who, it appears, broke the story.

Now for a moment, think about the idiocy of the Federal Air Marshals having a dress code.

Go here to read Ms. Malkin's original column she wrote on December 15th breaking the story.

Then check out her blog post on the matter and the aftermath of her breaking the story here. It includes reaction from former and present air marshals which is quite interesting to read in and of itself.

Finally, check out Ms. Malkin's post here.

This is incredibly amazing in a scary sort of way.

The Worms Crawl In, The Worms Crawl Out

Worm inspires 'comfortable' test

Scientists are developing a new way of carrying out internal examinations on patients - based on a wriggling worm.

In an endoscopy, a long flexible tube is fed into the body. It can be very uncomfortable.

But a team from the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, found the ragworm, which lives in seashores, could offer a model for a more comfortable test.

They say their device would be able to "pull" itself along, rather than having to be forced into the body.

The team have developed a prototype device, named the Bioloch Ist, which imitates the undulating motion of the ragworm, also known as the paddleworm.

The worm, which is often used as fishing bait, moves in wet environments containing large amounts of solid and semi-solid material - similar to that often found inside the body.

The prototype consists of a simple worm with a flexible central spine and paddles sticking out either side along the worm's body.

Read the rest here

Check Out Some Pics!

OK folks, I'm trying something new here.

I set myself up a photo gallery. I haven't finished all of the particulars such as changing colors, etc. but I'm working on it.

In the meantime, check out some of the pics I've put up for you to enjoy.

Be sure to rate the pics and/or leave comments.

Thanks everybody!

Texans 21, Jaguars 0

Sweep baby!

This was the first shutout the Texans have ever given.

This was the Jags' 2nd shutout ever! Their first, and only one up to this point, had been in December of 1995 against Detroit.

Woohoo Texans!!!

Here's the recap if you're interested.
 

Here Ya Go

Anonymous Man Gives $35K to Homeless

DENVER - Residents of Samaritan House didn't know what to expect when the bearded, middle-aged man parked his sport utility vehicle in front of the downtown homeless shelter Christmas Eve.

The man walked into the building, pulled out a thick roll of $100 bills and began passing them out to each of the approximately 300 residents.

When he was finished, he had given out $35,000.

"It was like seeing Santa Claus and God all at once," said William Chengelis, who has lived at the shelter since November. "You hear about stuff like that but you don't think you'll be there when it happens."

As a crowd gathered, the man said he had once been homeless and knew what it was like to be in need. He did not identify himself and said only that he lived in Denver and had also distributed money at a Las Vegas shelter.

Possibly the man's biggest single donation was $5,000 to a family of six to find housing. Louis Quezada, Tessa Wittner and their four children had been living with Quezada's parents but were thrown out after an argument. They had been in the shelter several days.

"He asked if he gave us the money, would we get a house with it," said Quezada, 23. "We said yes."

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas friends.

Take care.

It's Snowing!!!

OMFG! It's snowing!!! It's actually snowing here!!!

Wow.

They said it might happen but who woulda thunk it? :)

Wow. Wow. Wow.

12 STDs of Christmas

Enjoy!

Here Comes Santa Claus

Thanks NORAD.

Santa's on the move!

Newsweek's Year In Pictures

Newsweek's Year in Pictures - 2004

Sugar High

Definitely NSFW....You've been warned.

A Jolly Rancher

Oh Yeah Baby - Wait, Stop, Ouch!

Women Allegedly Assault Man With Tongs

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Police are looking for two women they say sexually assaulted a man with a pair of cooking tongs in a drug-related attack.

Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan police say the victim, a 25-year-old man, awoke Saturday morning with a metal object protruding from his body.

The victim, who police say was using cocaine at the time, told police he does not remember much of what happened.

He told doctors he was drinking and using cocaine at his mobile home Friday night when he saw two women outside his home and invited them in.

The victim's cousin took him to Memorial Health University Medical Center Saturday after he complained of pain. Doctors surgically removed an object identified as "one half of a pair of food tongs," and turned it over to police.

No information was available on the man's condition, according to a hospital spokesman.

The two women are wanted on aggravated sexual battery charges, but police say they aren't having much luck finding them.

"We have no descriptions of the women, being that (the victim) is not cooperating with the police," police spokesman Sgt. Mike Wilson said. "And there's little we can do to urge cooperation."

Bah!!!

Stupid Fox!

I wanted to play the '24 Countdown Game' but in order to play it I have to download and install WildTangent which is SPYWARE. I think not!

WildTangent is a PITA to get rid of and I'd rather spend my time doing more useful things like scrubbing the tub and cleaning my closet.

Stupid Fox!

Confederate Flag Prom Dress

Uncivil war over girl's Confederate prom dress
Teen says district violated her 1st Amendment right to free speech

A high-school senior who was barred from her prom because she showed up wearing a self-designed sequined dress patterned after the Confederate flag has filed suit, claiming her First Amendment rights were violated.

Jacqueline Duty came to the Russell High School prom May 1 wearing the dress and was told to leave, according to a report in the Lexington, Ky., Herald-Leader.

School officials had gotten wind that she would wear the gown and, her lawyers say, wouldn't even let her leave her vehicle.

"Her only dance for her senior prom was on the sidewalk to a song playing on the radio," Earl-Ray Neal, her lawyer, told the local paper.

Duty is suing not only on First Amendment grounds, but for defamation, false imprisonment and assault. The suit seeks damages in excess of $50,000.

Showing a news conference the controversial dress on Monday, Duty defended her actions.

"I wanted to show part of my Southern heritage," she said. The Herald-Leader reports she had worked on the dress' design for four years and that she said it had always been her dream to wear a Confederate-themed dress to her senior prom.

Read the rest and see her in the dress here.

Yahoo! Is A Yahoo

Dead Marine's kin plead for e-mail

Tuesday, December 21, 2004 Posted: 11:01 AM EST (1601 GMT)

WIXOM, Michigan (AP) -- The family of a Marine killed in Iraq is pleading with Internet giant Yahoo! for access to his e-mail account, which the company says is off-limits under its privacy policy.

Lance Cpl. Justin M. Ellsworth, 20, was killed by a roadside bomb on November 13 during a foot patrol in Al Anbar province. The family wants the complete e-mail file that Justin maintained, including notes to and from others.

"I want to be able to remember him in his words. I know he thought he was doing what he needed to do. I want to have that for the future," said John Ellsworth, Justin's father. "It's the last thing I have of my son."

But without the account's password, the request has been repeatedly denied. In addition, Yahoo! policy calls for erasing all accounts that are inactive for 90 days. Yahoo! also maintains that all users agree at sign-up that rights to a member's ID or contents within an account terminate upon death.

"While we sympathize with any grieving family, Yahoo! accounts and any contents therein are nontransferable" even after death, said Karen Mahon, a Yahoo! spokeswoman.

If I was them, I would just hire someone to crack into the account. You can find people to do that all over the internet.

The Big Tipper

Cruise Leaves Big Tip For Accident Victim

LEXINGTON, Va. -- Actor Tom Cruise left a lot of cash in a tip jar for an accident victim.

Cruise walked into a Virginia Dairy Queen and saw the jar with a photo of Ashley Flint and her story.

Flint was in a go-cart accident in September. It has left her family with a mountain of hospital bills.

So Cruise left $5,000 in cash in the jar.

Flint said she would love to meet Cruise and thank him for the gift.

Cruise is in Virginia filming his new movie, "War of the Worlds."

He was accompanied by director Steven Spielberg and an entourage of about 20 others when he made the stop at the Dairy Queen.

Ahhhh.....

I got my RAM this afternoon and installed it pronto.

I love it! My MP3 player I ordered still hasn't shipped yet. Grrrrr. They said it would ship today or possibly tomorrow. Even if it ships tomorrow I'm supposed to have it on Thursday right before Christmas. I better have it.

Here's a fabulous spot for all of my fabulous fellow Gen-X'ers out there. Remember these?

Ahhh, the memories.

Update: It shippped! Yeah!!!!

What Are The Chances?

Storm causes morning headaches

BENJAMIN YELLE and ERIKA COHEN
Sentinel Staff

The Monadnock Region’s first real snowstorm of the year send several vehicles sliding off roads and caused a handful of crashes, but few injuries were reported this morning.

In a odd twist, a United Parcel Service driver was on his way to deliver parts to Cheshire Medical Center in Keene when his van was in a serious crash involving two tractor-trailer trucks on Route 9 at Chesterfield Hill, police said.

The driver’s name and severity of his injuries were unavailable this morning.

The driver was taken to Cheshire Medical Center by ambulance with a head injury, but the hospital couldn’t do some of the tests he needed because one of its machines was down, police said.

And the parts to fix that machine were in the man’s wrecked truck on Route 9.

Instead of sending the driver to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, someone was sent to get the parts out of the truck, they were installed, and the machine was put to work, police said.

The crash was reported at 12:03 this morning. Route 9 over Chesterfield Hill was closed for more than an hour, police said.

“Everything had to be towed,” Keene police Cpl. Eliezer Rivera said.

From here.

Sick

Teens Catch Molester On Video

In a Target 5 exclusive report, read how four molested teenage boys hatched a plot to catch their molester, a local TV reporter, and get him to admit what he did.

This is a story of how an investigative reporter got tricked into an admission.

The four victims wondered if the girl they were told they were having sex with for three years was, in fact, Stephen Hill.

The boys had a plan -- and they put it on home video.

In January, they sat down on a couch in front of a camera and one by one introduced themselves by name and age, ending with and I think Im being molested.

Then they told an unbelievable story.

Stephen Hill was inviting them over to have sex with a 20-year old girl named Dawn. But instead of a woman, the teens began to think they were actually having sex with Hill.

We could never see her, one boy says on the tape. She was supposedly 20 years old and she didn't want to know, she thought if we had seen her, we'd tell on her.

We got blindfolded, another boy said, and we could never see him at all and we never could touch her supposedly, Dawn. Her name was Dawn -- we could never touch her at all, not in the girl spots.

One of the boys says once he looked underneath the blindfold.

I lifted the shirt up a little bit over my eyes and when I stood up I looked down and I saw a man's -----.

Each boy claimed to have a different revelation.

We all got together and figured out all the facts came down to it not being a girl. It was a guy. It feels like it was a guy. All the observations come down to being a guy, which we think is him, Steve Hill.

I really feel violated. I feel like I've had my manhood taken away from me.

You can read the rest here.

Texans 24, Bears 5

Woooohoooo!!!! We won!!!!!!

I'm not goint to lie - I certainly had my doubts about today's game. It was going to be the coldest game the Texans have ever played.

With temps of around 8 degrees and a wind chill of about -13 degrees, they pulled it off! Actually, they didn't just pull it off, they beat the crap out of them!

We now have our winningest season ever! :)

Next up - Jacksonville.
 

Update - Save The Ring

Thankfully, there's a happy update to my Save The Ring post. It made me teary-eyed.

Return of the soldier's ring
Battle's romantic gesture returned with surprise gift

By SARA A. CARTER
STAFF WRITER

MONTCLAIR - With his wife leading the way, a blindfolded Lance Cpl. David Battle made it up the stairs of one of the area's largest wedding ring stores Friday night.

The 19-year-old soldier, who had chosen his own ring over an injured finger while fighting insurgents in Iraq, was now headed for the surprise of a lifetime - a secret his wife, Devann Battle, had struggled to keep from him all week.

Ironically, the ring he fought so hard to save on the battlefield last month was lost in a medical camp in Fallujah, where doctors worked to stabilize the injured Marine.

Steve Robbins, owner of Robbins Bros. the World's Biggest Engagement Ring Store, was so moved by Battle's story that he arranged to provide the wounded soldier with a new wedding band.

"What (Battle's) story represents is hope in a cynical world," said Robbins, who spent most of Friday night helping the pair select a ring. "Here's this young couple that represents love, commitment and sacrifice. This situation is inspiring people all over the world."

Please read the rest here.

Irony

DWI Stop Proves Deadly for NJ Man

(1010 WINS) (BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP, N.J.) A man who had been stopped by police on suspicion of drunken driving was killed while being given a sobriety test when a truck plowed into the scene early Saturday morning, authorities said.

When police stopped the driver of the truck less than a mile away they found open containers of alcohol in the vehicle and charged him with driving under the influence, according to prosecutors.

The series of events began just after 2 a.m. when an officer stopped the car of William F. Grieb, 34, of Hamilton Township on Route 130 for suspected drunken driving, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Robert Bernardi.

As the officer was giving Grieb a field sobriety test on the side of the road a tractor-trailer driven by Shane Gildersleeve of Baiatie, N.Y., crashed into the police car which then struck Grieb's vehicle, Bernardi said.

The officer was able to get out of the way but was unable to move Grieb, who died instantly in the collision, according to Bernardi.

Gildersleeve, 40, fled the scene but was stopped just up the road, Bernardi said. He was also charged with several motor vehicle offenses. He was being held Saturday on $10,000 bail.

The Shawshank Remix

This is a must watch!

Click Me!

Here Comes Santa Claus

Santa to get crack fighter escort
From correspondents in Winnipeg, Canada
December 18, 2004

SANTA Claus is coming to town ... and in these uncertain times, he's being offered a jet fighter escort.

Canadian pilots seconded to the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) who normally spend their nights scouring the skies for intruders, will scramble on Christmas Eve for a special mission.

"Santa has communicated to NORAD that he intends to begin his journey at 3am, December 24," the Canadian armed forces said in a tongue-in-cheek statement.

Two CF-18 Hornet interceptor fighters based in Quebec were on standby to meet the festive visitor when he crossed into Canadian airspace over eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, the statement said.

Another pair of warplanes based in Alberta would see Santa off as he crossed Canada's west coast, presumably en route to Asia, the statement said.

For Those Wearing Glasses

Pierced Eyeglasses

“People should think things out fresh and not just accept conventional terms and the conventional way of doing things.” - R. Buckminster Fuller

The idea of hanging eyeglasses from a piercing or a combination of piercings or even transdermal implants is something that a lot of us have toyed with — as I was writing this, my old boss Tom Brazda reminded me that almost ten years ago we made a set of them built around a 10ga bridge piercing (with both left and right-handed threading to make it adjustable). That said, I don’t think we ever took pictures, so maybe I’m making it up because I want to steal James Sooy’s thunder. He’s who sent me this gorgeous example of a piercing-mounted set of eyeglasses:

Much more here including PICS!!!!

It's Not Easy Being Green

It's not easy being green for homeowner

December 17, 2004
BY STEVE SCHMADEKE

Juan Mata's maroon Kenworth semi-truck means a lot to him. The Lockport man keeps a picture of it tucked inside his wallet. He used to proudly park the truck in the driveway outside his home.

So, when his neighbors called police last summer, complaining that the truck was noisy and an eyesore and the police made him move it, Mata, who says none of that's true, got mad.

Then, he got even: He has painted his house a brilliant shade of fluorescent green.

"Hideous," one neighbor calls it.

Another, Debbie Seitz, says it's so bright, "The flight traffic would be able to spot Lockport."

Serves you right, says Mata: "Well, I thought if they said, 'The truck's an eyesore,' I'd give them a real eyesore."

Some tickled pink

The color is so, ah, unusual, that, when he bought the paint at a Home Depot and told a store employee what it was for, "The lady there couldn't believe it. She said, 'That's not outside paint; that's interior paint.' "

The police made Mata move the truck because of an ordinance that bans trucks from being parked in residential areas. But there's no ordinance that restricts what color people can paint their houses, city administrator Larry McCasland says. "It's crazy, isn't it?" McCasland says, laughing.

Mata's home, which he rents from his father, has become sort of an attraction, drawing people who don't even live in the neighborhood.

"And we get a lot of compliments, too, right, Dad?" says Mata's daughter, Lori. "They'd stop and say, 'I like it.' "

For his annoyed neighbors, Mata's taste in exterior home paint has had a couple of benefits: It slows traffic and serves as a handy landmark.

"I say, 'Just go to 14th and Washington, and I live right across the street from the crazy green house,' " says a neighbor who'd give her name only as Dawn.

Mata says the color doesn't bother him. "Inside here, I don't see it," he says.

Still, he's tired of paying a $350 monthly storage fee for his truck and is looking to move. When he does, he says his father will probably replace the lime green with a more neutral color.

From here

New Cams

How do you like it (them)?

Update 12/18: I added GeyserCam.

UPS Men Are Sexy

They're even sexier when they bring me my stuff. *wink

Yesterday I bought 2 more items off of my Wish List.

I bought my RAM and my MP3 player.

Nobody had the dark blue MP3 player in stock anywhere and I just don't like the look of the black one so I went with the silver one.

I love toys! :)

Go! It's Your Turn!

Prison staff uses video games to baby-sit inmates
Missouri prisoners are barred from playing video games with violent content.

By KATHERYN MOHR
December 16, 2004

JEFFERSON CITY — Although the Missouri Department of Corrections decided earlier this month to ban violent video games from its prisons, Missouri remains one of only three states that allows any such games at all.

A survey by the American Correctional Association lists Missouri, Maine and West Virginia as the only states that allow prisoners to play video games. All three permit inmates to play sports and science-fiction games.

John Fougere, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Corrections, said the games have been allowed for almost 10 years.

“Video games are just another way for us to keep the inmates occupied when they are not doing their full-time activities,” Fougere said. “We let them play these games so they are not spending their time assaulting our staff.”

Michael Lung, a prisoner serving time at the Jefferson City Correctional for assault and robbery, said video games serve as pacifiers for many inmates.

“By allowing video games, the prison is basically paying for cheap and easy baby-sitting,” he said.

In Maine, prisoners have been allowed to use video games for more than a decade.

Dede Short, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Correctional Center, said prisoners there are allowed to have televisions in their cells, but video games are considered a luxury inmates should not enjoy.

“As far as the state of Illinois is concerned, video games would be considered contraband,” she said, adding that the prison system offers a number of structured activities it feels are more appropriate for its inmates, such as basketball, softball and volleyball.

Missouri made national news this month when it banned 35 of the more than 80 video games from the Jefferson City Correctional Center because of violent content. PlayStation 2 games such as “Hitman: Contracts” and “Mortal Kombat” were among the casualties.

Anthony Dixon, another inmate at the Jefferson City Correctional Center, said removing violent video games does nothing to inhibit violence in prisoners. “That is kind of like shutting the barn door after the horses have gotten out,” he said.

Dixon, who was convicted of robbery and rape in 1993, was recently hired by the prison’s recreation unit to monitor the video room when it is occupied by his housing unit. Dixon said that inmates before the ban experimented with all sorts of video games but the violent content of some games didn’t carry over into real life.

“The guys in here know the difference between reality and fantasy, and if they didn’t before, they realized it when they hit the front doors of this prison,” Dixon said.

Sterling Ivey, spokesman for the Florida corrections system, said that state prohibits all video games in prisons because they’re viewed as a threat to the security of both the inmates and the staff.

“There is no way that prisons can monitor every individual scene in every video to make sure that there is no violence involved in the construction of these games,” Ivey said.

Dixon, however, doesn’t believe violent games cause criminals to become more violent.

“Playing video games is no different than watching movies or listening to music on the radio,” Dixon said. “It is just entertainment.”

Fougere, of the Missouri Department of Corrections, said that although violent videos will never be allowed in Missouri prisons, video games rated “T” for “teen” or “E” for “everyone,” will continue to be useful recreational tools.

“It is a good thing when inmates are not attacking our staff, and we will utilize anything that will keep our offenders occupied and our staff safe,” Fougere said. “We think video games work in this respect, and we will continue to use them as part of our recreation department.”

From here.

Primrose's Field

Akiyoshi's illusion pages
Credit: Akiyoshi Kitaoka

 

Needs More Oregano

Don't Read This One...

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican man killed his lover in a drunken, drugged fight then cooked the man's body in tomato and onion sauce and ate it over three days.

Police found Gumaro de Dios Arias grilling rotting human flesh for his breakfast, including part of a heart, when they raided a shack he lived in near the Caribbean beach resort of Playa del Carmen, a police chief said on Wednesday.

"He was preparing stews. There was a grill where he was cooking part of the heart and bits he had cut off the body. It was terrible, terrible," said local police chief Martin Estrada, who was among a dozen police who raided the shack.

Arias told police the victim, a young man, arrived at his cardboard hut in a wasteland area with a mutual friend who then left the two of them drinking and taking drugs.

The pair had sex and afterward a fight broke out during which he killed the man with blows to the head, police said.

Police arrested Arias, 25, on Tuesday after a tip off.

"They said there was a person eating a person," Estrada said.

"We found him lying on a folding bed and to one side was the corpse which had been torn apart and which it seems he had been eating for three days," he told Reuters.

The corpse, which had its back ripped open and its innards pulled out, was missing various parts, like a thigh, he said.

Ewwwwwwwwwwww......

Shoot Me! Go Ahead, Shoot Me!

Man Charged With Shooting Friend on Dare

OROFINO, Idaho (AP) - A man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter for fatally shooting his friend through a protective vest on an apparent dare, police said.

Alexander Joseph Swandic, 20, died of a gunshot wound to the heart Monday after donning a protective vest and asking David John Hueth, 30, to shoot him, police said.

Hueth initially told police that Swandic's wound was self-inflicted, but later admitted to the shooting. The two had apparently tested the vest by propping it against a dirt bank and shooting it twice, police said.

Police said the vest was designed to protect against grenade fragments, not bullets.

Swandic was pronounced dead at a local hospital following the shooting.

Hueth faces a preliminary hearing on Dec. 27. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

The Guy Totally Had Balls

'HORRIBLE' BILL MURRAY JEERED

December 16, 2004 -- BILL Murray was ambushed the other day by a disgruntled former colleague at a VIP screening of "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou." At a Q&A session with director Wes Anderson, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe and some of the rest of the cast at the Hollywood event, one man announced, "I am a cameraman, and I've worked with all the actors onstage. Anjelica, you're wonderful. Willem — you're great. But, Bill — you are a bastard. You are horrible to work with. My question is for Wes and the cast. What's it like to work with someone as awful and difficult as Bill Murray?" After a stunned silence, Huston muttered, "Bill isn't a bastard." Anderson demanded, "Why are you in a position to make such a statement?" Murray didn't react at all. "I was a cameraman on 'Charlie's Angels,' and Bill Murray is awful," the man continued. "I have every right to say that." Our spy snickers: "This guy crashed the screening solely to confront Murray and call him a bastard to his face in front of a theater full of people. The guy totally had b - - - s."

From here.

No More Late Fees

Blockbuster ends late fees starting Jan. 1

CHICAGO (Reuters) — Blockbuster (BBI) said Tuesday that it will end late fees on movies and games starting Jan 1. as it battles to reverse falling rental demand.

The move comes as Blockbuster faces increasing competition from several online rental services — including a cut-rate one operated by giant discounter Wal-Mart Stores (WMT)— while the rental market also has been hit by consumers choosing to buy instead of rent DVDs.

Blockbuster, which has more than 4,500 stores in the United States, says it expects to make up the lost revenue from late fees with increased store traffic, reduced promotional and marketing expenses and more focus on managing its operating expenses.

Late fees would have contributed $250 million to $300 million to 2005 operating income, it said.

A customer will have a one-week grace period after a rental due date. If a movie or game is not returned during that week, it will be automatically sold to the customer. If the item is then returned within 30 days, the customer can get a credit to his or her account.

The rental chain said it tested "no late fees" in some markets and found increased rental transactions and retail sales offset the lower revenue resulting from eliminating late fees.

"In our markets, customers thought that this was a very, very fair policy," John Antioco, chairman and chief executive, said in a conference call with analysts.

The company said it also plans to cut marketing, operating and promotional costs as it struggles against growing competition from online video rentals and fierce price competition.

This year, Blockbuster also launched its own online DVD rental service and an in-store subscription service to try to boost rentals.

Capital expenditures in 2005 will be $180 million, down about $100 million from 2004, with fewer store openings and store remodelings but continued investment in games, trading and online subscriptions.

Can You Believe It?

Louisiana town awaits telephone age
The New York Times

MINK, La.--It's no secret what the 15 householders in this tiny settlement want for Christmas: the same thing they have always wanted year round--telephones.

Not bag phones, the primitive portable stopgap often carried around in a canvas case, which send residents out in their pickups searching for service "hot spots," but real telephones wired to a land line.

Alexander Graham Bell's invention of 1876 never reached Mink, a onetime trappers' paradise in the Kisatchie National Forest in west-central Louisiana, although neighbors just down the road on Highways 117 and 118 were wired for telephones in the 1970s.

The telephone also never reached the hundred families of Shaw and Black Hawk, hunting and camping communities across the state along the Mississippi River, some of the few and untabulated places around the country lacking telephone lines. Yes, the telephone is not everywhere. In fact, televisions are more common in American homes today.

"Does that make sense--all of a sudden they just stopped?" said Julian Ray, a traveling salesman from Mink who took up a fight for phone service he says his mother started nearly 30 years ago. "What, did they run out of money?"

But now the 19th century is catching up with Mink and other isolated areas. Pushed by the state's Public Service Commission, BellSouth, at what it says is enormous expense, is wiring Mink for telephone service scheduled to start by March. Shaw and Black Hawk, where the geography defies wiring, are to have cellular towers.

"I'm so excited I can't hardly contain it," said Louise Bolton, 83, a widow in Mink who, like her neighbors, relies on a clunky analog bag phone the size of a flat desk model that transmits the voice on a radio band.

"It works but it's not reliable," Bolton said. "All last night and this morning I had a busy signal."

You can read the rest here.

Was It Worth It?

Judge who wore blackface is suspended
Court also recommends that he take racial sensitivity course
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
By Tara Young
Staff writer

A Houma judge who donned blackface makeup to complement his orange prison jumpsuit, handcuffs and afro wig for extra laughs at a Halloween party should be suspended for six months and take a course in racial sensitivity training, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday.

In a 5-2 decision, the Supreme Court voted to suspend Judge Timothy Ellender for a year without pay for failure to uphold portions of the judicial code of conduct, but it agreed to defer half of the sentence, provided he attends a local university and take a sociology class or two.

"As a public official, a judge's behavior both on and off the bench must comply with the highest of standards delineated in the canons," the court said. "When a judge's actions raise the concern Judge Ellender's behavior raises, we are required to thoroughly examine the conduct and the implications of such conduct, to ensure that the integrity of the state's judicial system is maintained."

Ellender admitted wearing the racially insensitive costume Halloween 2003 at a Houma seafood restaurant, owned by a relative. He has since said he meant no harm or insult to the African-American community.

You can read the rest here.

Damn! I'm still fat!

Four People Had To Assist In Lifting Tumor
UPDATED: 11:18 AM EST December 13, 2004

CINCINNATI -- Doctors in Ohio have removed a 66-pound tumor from a woman who said she now feels as if a long pregnancy is over.

Grace Radtke said she knew something was wrong, but had no idea it was a 66-pound tumor that was causing her pain.

"I couldn't believe it," Radtke said. "It just floored me."

Last week, Radtke underwent surgery to remove the giant ovarian cyst -- the size of three watermelons -- that was lodged under her ribs.

Radtke weighed more than 300 pounds when she suddenly started losing weight without dieting. Her family encouraged her to get medical attention.

Doctors said the tumor had been growing for at least one year with huge blood vessels attached. She said despite losing weight and having difficulty walking, she was nervous about seeing a doctor.

"I was so scared. I didn't know what the outcome would be," she said.

Dr. Greg Duma, a gynecologist who performed the surgery, said if they hadn't removed the tumor, it would have continued to grow.

After hours of surgery, four people were needed to lift the heavy tumor. Doctors said they had to roll the tumor onto a stretcher.

"My hat was soaked with sweat and they kept having to blot my glasses because it was very physically demanding," Duma said.

Experts said the 40-year-old mother of three is living proof that the human body is still a mystery and that it's never too late to start trusting doctors.

"I would say just go ahead and do it, because you never know what will happen to you. If you have the support of your family and everybody loves you, you'll be OK," Radtke said.

The Ohio woman says she's thankful to be alive.

The non-cancerous ovarian tumor was removed earlier this month at University Hospital in Cincinnati. It came out intact during a one-hour operation.

Her doctor said the giant tumor could have been growing for up to five years.

From here. Be sure to also check out the video there.

If you watched the Vince Neil facelift, don't worry. The tumor isn't as bad.

Twinkle Twinkle G.I. Joe

Light infantryman
Lodi family honors troops in Iraq with annual holiday display
By M.S. Enkoji -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, December 13, 2004

Nothing says happy holidays like, well, a 48-foot American soldier fashioned from rebar and 4,000 feet of twinkling lights. At least in Larry Hamilton's mind.

The Lodi man spent Sunday polishing off his contribution to the Delta skyline, piecing together the framework of the latest in his series of electrified, high-rise holiday spectacles.

After jostling with a crane for nearly an hour to raise G.I. Joe over the Tower Park Marina, Hamilton, 52, stepped back from his driveway and gazed skyward as his son, Tony, flipped the switch.

"Tony, the lights aren't on," he said, scanning the darkened soldier's midriff in the fading sunlight.

Eventually, the presumably male soldier twinkled to life, green lights for the uniform, white lights for his face and hands and blue for his rifle - apparently no one manufactures gunmetal gray lights.

The soldier is a muscled-looking guy, poised so he appears to be stepping onto Hamilton's carport roof, clutching the rifle.

Read more here and be sure to check out the pics.

Random Recipe - Triple Layer Mud Pie

Triple Layer Mud Pie

1 chocolate ready-made pie crust
2 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 cups chopped pecans
2 (4 serving size) pkgs. chocolate instant pudding
2 cups cold milk
1 8-oz. container Cool Whip, thawed


Mix chocolate and condensed milk; stir until smooth. Pour into pie crust.

Press pecans evenly into chocolate in crust. Refrigerate 10 minutes.

Pour cold milk into a large bowl. Add both packages of pudding mixes. Beat with a wire whisk 2 minutes or until smooth (mixture will be thick).

Spread 1 1/2 cups of the pudding over the chocolate in the crust.

Immediately stir half of the whipped topping into remaining pudding.

Spread over pudding in crust.

Refrigerate 3 hours or until set.

Wanna Join Us Big Boy?

Retiree Duped by Naked Invitation
Mon Dec 13,10:33 AM E

BERLIN (Reuters) - An 81-year-old German dropped his trousers and lost his wallet when two young women asked him to join them in a nude photo shoot but they fled with his belongings as he stripped, police said Monday.

"After the pensioner had removed his trousers in eager anticipation, the women left in a hurry," taking the man's wallet with about 250 euros in cash, police in the western city of Wiesbaden said in a statement.

From here.

Where's The Other One?

Probe ordered into C-section mistake
12/12/2004 - 11:20:51

An investigation has been ordered after a hospital carried out a Caesarean section on a woman whose doctors mistakenly thought she was expecting twins.

The woman gave birth to a baby boy last month in St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny and after she failed to deliver a second child as expected, doctors performed an emergency Caesarean and realised that there was no twin.

The couple had been told by doctors that they were expecting twins.

An independent investigation has been launched.

From here

Texans 14, Colts 23

At least it wasn't a blowout... 

I <3 Firefox

I've used Mozilla for a long time now. I had been thinking of switching over to Firefox ever since it was publicly released but I figured that Mozilla was fine. I mean, I already had it set up the way I liked it with my favorite extensions installed and didn't feel like starting over again.

For a brief explanation of Mozilla and Firefox for all of the IE users out there, Mozilla is a full web suite with browser, integrated email and newsgroups client, and web page editor, etc. Firefox is basically just the browser portion of Mozilla. If you would like a great explanation of extensions as well as over 200 Firefox extensions then you must go here.

Mozilla and Firefox both feature TABBED BROWSING!!! What else can you say? That feature alone makes them better than IE. Along with better security, it was the reason I gave up IE. Don't worry either about your bookmarks. They are easily imported.

ANYWAY, I was bored yesterday and looking through some of the extensions available and I noticed very quickly that most of the newer extensions that seemed cool and functional were available for Firefox and not for Mozilla. Hmmm. Frustrating.

I figured what the hell. Off I go to download Firefox. The default theme is extremely ugly to me (as was the default Mozilla theme) so I go here to change it. After installing (SUPER easy to do for anybody) a few different themes I chose the GrayModern theme which was similar to what I had used in Mozilla. (And yes, it's compatible with Firefox 1.0. I don't know what that asshat in the comments was talking about.)

Another quick note to the IE users out there - installing themes and extensions in Firefox, or even Mozilla, is very easy to do. You will always just click on the 'Install' link. There is nothing to download and then open. Then you just restart Firefox to see the change. Voila! Another thing you should always do is read any comments that are available for that theme/extension. Some of them can have minor (or major) bugs in them still and it's always wise to see what troubles others are having with it so you can avoid the problems if you want.

Back on track now, I proceeded to go extension/plugin crazy! Below is a list of extensions/plugins that I have installed, a brief description of what they do, and the link to them.

Calendar - This should be self-explanatory. See screenshots here.

FoxyTunes - Do you listen to Music while surfing the Web? Now you can control your favorite media player without ever leaving the browser and more. Compatible with all of the popular music players.

IE View - Adds "View page in Internet Explorer" links to the right click menu. Handy for previewing pages in IE, loading up IE-only pages when you run across them in Firefox and Mozilla.

JustBlogIt - JustBlogIt is a Mozilla / Firefox extension to allow easy right-click posting to a weblog. From any website your new blog post is only a right-click away. Supports Blogger, Drupal, LiveJournal, Movable Type, Radio Userland, TextPattern, TypePad, WordPress, journalspace, b2evolution and BLOG:CMS. Plus you can add any weblog type you want through the Custom... setting.

BugMeNot - BugMeNot.com was created as a mechanism to quickly bypass the login of web sites that require compulsory registration and/or the collection of personal/demographic information (such as the New York Times). With this extension, just right click and choose bugmenot in the username box and it will fill in all the info needed for you to read the article. This is primarily used for news sites and only very rarely will there be one it doesn't work on. Also available for IE.

ForecastFox - Get international weather forecasts from weather.com, and display it in any toolbar or statusbar with this highly customizable extension. This is without a doubt one of my very favorite extensions!

Paste and Go - Lets you paste a URL from the clipboard and directly load it.

Download Manager Tweak - A modification of the Firefox download manager that changes its appearance and allows it to be opened in a separate window, a new tab, or the sidebar.

WebmailCompose - Makes mailto: links load your webmail's compose page and adds a Compose link to the context menu. Currently supports Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail/Netscape/OperaMail/Mail.com/Horde/Squirrel and 1 user customizable entry.

Download Statusbar - A browser extension that allows you to keep track of ongoing and completed downloads in a hide-away statusbar. See screenshots here.

miniT (drag+indicator) - Adds tab dragging, with a graphical indicator of where the tab will be dropped. Wonderful!!!

ColorZilla - A collection of tools, including a Color Picker similar to the one found in Photoshop, an Eyedropper that allows to get a color reading from anywhere in the browser window and a Page Zoomer that allows you to set the page zoom to anything between 20 and 1000 percent. Includes an Advanced Eyedropper, ColorPicker, Page Zoomer and other colorful goodies.

Card Games - Why play Windows Solitaire and Free Cell? Play these and 22 more with this great plugin. Accessible from the Tools menu.

I also installed an additional sidebar for PubSub. From PubSub's website, "PubSub is a matching service that instantly notifies you when new content is created that matches your subscription. Using a proprietary Matching Engine, PubSub is able to read millions of data sources on your behalf and notify you instantly whenever a match is made." I'm still getting used to it. I primarily installed this because it sounds like something that could be useful for me at work but I wanted to test it out first at home. (There is also a sidebar available for IE users.)

Also, don't forget to add new search engines to your search bar. Google and a few others are added automatically but it's easy to add more. Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see a list with a link to lots more. For example, I have installed in my search bar: Google, Yahoo, Amazon.com, CDDB, Creative Commons, Dictionary.com, eBay, IMDB, RecipeSource, Webster, Whois, and Wikipedia. Just type in what you want and choose where you want to search for it at. :)

If anybody has any questions or would like some help in doing anything, just let me know.

*****Now do you want to see what my screen looks like??? Check out my Firefox folks.

My Firefox

I <3 Firefox.

My Favicon

Do you like it?

Those of you using Firefox should see it in the address bar and in the tab.

To view it in IE, you'll need to re-bookmark my site.

If you want to create one of your own, first find an image that is appropriate for your site. Go here to create the favicon for FREE and follow the directions. Unzip the favicon to your hard drive. Upload it to your website. View my page source (right click, view page source) to find the code needed to add it to your template. (It's at the top right under the first header tag.) Update your site. You're done.

Let me know if you're having problems seeing it. Thanks.

Save The Ring

Marine sacrifices finger to save wedding ring
Sunday, December 12, 2004 Posted: 9:57 AM EST (1457 GMT)

VICTORVILLE, California (AP) -- When Marine Lance Cpl. David Battle learned he'd either have to sacrifice his ring finger or the wedding band he wore, he told doctors at a field hospital in Iraq to cut off the finger.

The 19-year-old suffered a mangled left hand and serious wounds to his legs in a November 13 fire fight in Falluja. Battle, who is recovering at his parents' home in this desert city 130 kilometers (80 miles) northeast of Los Angeles, came under attack as he and fellow Marines entered a building. Eleven other Marines were wounded.

Doctors were preparing to cut off Battle's ring to save as much of his finger as they could.

"But that would mean destroying my wedding ring," he said. "My wife is the strongest woman I know. She's basically running two people's lives since I've been gone. I don't think I could ever repay her or show her how grateful ... how much I love my wife, my soul mate."

With his approval, doctors severed his finger, but somehow in the chaos that followed, they lost his ring.

Although Battle was disappointed, his wife, Devon, said she was honored.

"I can't believe he did that," she said. "At first I was mad when he told me, but then I realized how lucky I am to have him in my life."

The couple, who met in the eighth grade, were married in June, just two weeks before Battle left for Iraq. He hopes to eventually return to the Marines, and to replace his wedding ring, but that will have to wait until he recovers.

Motley Crue Clips

I have the performances mentioned in the Motley Crue/Jimmy Kimmel post below uploaded and available for download.

AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!!!!

The files are pretty big and should take between 5-8 minutes if you're on broadband. These links will only be available here for a short time so that my bandwidth isn't raped for the month too soon.

Edit - And now they're gone. Sorry folks.

They Caught Jaws!

WOW!

Be sure to check out both pics.

Long Live The Crue!

They did good tonight. I actually liked the song they sang first tonight on Jimmy Kimmel's show.

But why do 'Dr. Feelgood' for the closing song? It was great but you guys should have done 'Girls, Girls, Girls'.

I'm a girl and I LOVE that song.

If that song doesn't get you out of your seat dancing then I don't know what will.

I'm glad I recorded both sets.

 

I Need Someone To Dance & Sing With

Been playing 70's and 80's tunes tonight while cleaning.

I'm doing more dancing and singing than cleaning.

ZZ Top's song 'Velcro Fly' is what really set me over the edge....

I'm having more fun cleaning than I've had in a long time. And to think I'm only wearing, well never mind. TMI

:)

Word Around The Office Is...

Click Me

It's cool to download. Just don't do it at work. :)

He Showed Them Didn't He?

Man Fined for Allegedly Using Foul Bills
Thu Dec 9, 5:06 PM ET

BURLINGTON, Iowa - A psychiatrist who police say smeared excrement on dollars bills used to pay a parking ticket has been fined $250.

Ronald Preston McPike, 52, of Bonaparte, was charged with harassment of a public official after officials received an envelop in July labeled "Foreign brown substance on bills." The envelope contained several dollar bills and a parking ticket made up to McPike, police said.

Tests indicated the brown substance was fecal matter that had been smeared on the bills.

McPike told police the money fell into a toilet and was retrieved to pay the $5 parking ticket, police said.

Assistant Des Moines County Attorney Heidi Van Winkle had sought the maximum $500 fine and 30 days in jail for McPike.

"Something this disgusting requires more from the court than a minimum fine. This was a snub at law enforcement officers who are just doing their job," Van Winkle said.

McPike's lawyer, Bryan Schulte, said his client had a "serious error in judgment."

"He was vexed at getting parking tickets left and right and didn't consider what he did a criminal act," Schulte said.

Associate Judge Gary Snyder said McPike demonstrated "immature behavior unbecoming a professional person."

"It's hard to put this case into perspective because people seem to get more riled up about parking tickets than anything else," Snyder said. "This is a public heath issue which shouldn't have happened."

McPike declined to comment.

From here.

Put Me In My Place

Well, can you?

Another Funny eBay Auction

CLICK ME!!!


Now try to bid.

It's still funny though. :)

Holy Facelift Batman!!!

Remember Vince Neil? The lead singer of Motley Crue?

Here's a short clip that's too gory to be shown on TV of a show that will be on VH1 showing his facelift and makeover etc. It's kinda gruesome so pay heed to the 'Graphic Content' warning if you're squeamish about these kinds of things.

Consider yourself warned by me.

If you want to see, go to the link below and scroll down until you find 'Vince Neil Gets a Facelift'. Click and you're there.

***NOTE - You must use IE to watch the video.*** (That sucks!)

And here's the link!

RIP Dimebag

Damageplan was a cool band and Pantera totally ruled back in the day. This is just sad.

Gunman storms stage, kills 4 at Ohio nightclub
Police officer shoots suspect to death

Thursday, December 9, 2004 Posted: 7:39 AM EST (1239 GMT)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (CNN) -- A gunman stormed the stage during a heavy metal concert in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday night, firing at the band and audience and killing four people before a police officer shot and killed him, according to police.

One of the dead was guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. The gunman also wounded two people.

The man was "targeting members in the band," Columbus police Sgt. Brent Mull said.

Before the gunman was shot, police said, he grabbed a hostage and fired into the crowd. It was not clear what happened to the hostage.

The attack came shortly after the band, Damageplan, began its performance at the Alrosa Villa nightclub on Columbus' north end.

One of the wounded is in critical condition, and the other is hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Two others were injured in the incident and treated at the scene, although the nature of their injuries was not clear.

According to witnesses, the gunman initially shot the band's guitarist, Dimebag Darrell.

Darrell, 38, and his brother, Vinnie Paul, 40, formed Damageplan after Pantera -- a group they formed in the 1980s -- broke up last year. Their father is Jerry Abbott, a country and western songwriter and producer.

Police were notified of the shooting around 10:18 p.m., Mull said. A uniformed police officer who was near the scene slipped into the venue from a back entrance, confronted the gunman during the rampage and killed him.

You can read the rest here.

Update On Mr. Pelloat

Band director indicted on sexual assault charges
Associated Press
Dec. 7, 2004, 10:41AM

BEAUMONT - A former band director has been indicted by a Newton County grand jury in the sexual assault of a student and a former student.

James Allen Pelloat, 57, was indicted Monday on two charges of sexual assault and two charges of having an improper relationship with a student. The charges involve two victims who were younger than 17 at the time of the alleged offense.

If convicted, Pelloat could face from two to 20 years in prison for each of the charges, the Beaumont Enterprise reported today.

Pelloat resigned from the Newton Independent School District a day after his arrest last month. He had worked for the district since 2001 and previously worked at schools in Beaumont, Port Arthur, West Orange-Cove and Dayton.

He remains at the Newton County Correctional Center, where is being held on $1.5 million bond.

Pelloat's attorney Bill Morian told the paper there likely will be a plea bargain in the case.

"It's no surprise that they would indict him when he's already confessed to it," said Morian, who described his client as remorseful and "horribly distraught."

From here

Random Recipe - Golden Cream of Potato Soup

Well, I figured I would start a Random Recipe deal that I would post occasionally. This particular recipe is really good and perfect for chilly nights.


Golden Cream of Potato Soup

1. 6 cups red potatoes, peeled and cubed
2. 1 cup sliced celery
3. 1 cup carrots, peeled and grated
4. 1 cup onion, chopped
5. 2 tsp fresh parsley or 2 Tbsp dried parsley
6. 3 chicken-flavored bouillon cubes or 3 tsp instant chicken bouillon
7. 1 tsp salt
8. 1/4 tsp black pepper
9. 3 cups water

10. 3 cups milk
11. 1/4 cup flour stirred into an additional 1/4 cup milk (set aside)

12. 1 small box (1/2 pound) Mexican Velveeta cheese (you can use regular Velveeta if you like), sliced thinly and cubed


Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Cover & reduce. Heat and simmer for 7-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Stir the flour/milk mixture into the soup. Add the milk and cheese.

Cook over medium heat until soup is thickened. (Do not boil or milk will curdle.)

Serve.

Makes a whole bunch of soup. :)

James Kenney For President

Philly officials may ban kids from later PG films
Children under 6 at films past 7 p.m. could cost parents, theaters

By Athena D. Merritt
Philadelphia Business Journal

Scroll through area movie listings and the "SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" and "The Incredibles" are among movies offered in Philadelphia theaters after 7 p.m.

But bringing a child under 6 to those PG-rated movies could result in a fine to the adult and the theater, if a proposed bill is passed by City Council.

The bill, introduced by City Councilman James Kenney seeks to ban adults from bringing children under 6 to a movie after 7 p.m. unless it is G-rated.

"This is a concern [Kenney] has had for years. It's legislation he thinks is appropriate -- it's not out of line with other legislation we do to facilitate the quality of life for residents of the city," said John Hawkins, a spokesman from Kenney's office.

An adult who brings a child to a movie with a rating other than G after p.m. would be fined up to $50; the theater would be fined up to $300.

"I think anybody who went to see 'Spiderman' at 9 at night and had a screaming baby next to them can appreciate why this bill should be looked at," Hawkins said.

Councilman Rick Mariano, who co-sponsored the bill along with Councilman Frank DiCicco, agreed.

"I think it's a common sense idea that should've been coming a long time ago, especially when it's a [PG] movie," Mariano said.

But the decision is one some theater chains argue should be left up to parents.

"From our point of view we have not experienced any problems or issues in regards to young children being in our theaters after 7 p.m.," Dick Westerling, vice president of marketing for Regal Entertainment, said.

Regal, which operates 6,242 screens in 560 locations in 40 states, has enlisted the aid of the National Association of Theatre Owners. Regal, whose theaters include Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theatres and Edwards Theatres, runs about 18 percent of all indoor screens in the nation.

"Many times families might attend a PG film, such as 'Shrek 2' or 'The Incredibles' in the evening. I would consider it a healthy and wholesome family experience," Westerling said.

From here.

Nasty

Sheriff's Deputy Videotaped Urinating In Elevator
Manager: Officer Constantly Relieving Himself In Parking Garage

ORLANDO, Fla. -- An Orange County sheriff's deputy was fired after surveillance video showed him urinating in a public elevator, according to Local 6 News.

Recent complaints of a foul odor inside the R & R Limited public parking garage in Orange County prompted the building's manager to set up a video camera inside an elevator.

When the manager and police checked the videotapes, Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Carl Brown was shown urinating in the corner of the elevator, Local 6 News reported.

"It's certainly nothing you would expect from anybody, much less a deputy sheriff," Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Solomons said.

The manager said Brown, who works at the nearby county courthouse, was constantly relieving himself inside the elevator, Local 6 News reported.

Since the videotape was given to authorities, Brown has reportedly admitted to urinating in the elevator and in some nearby bushes.

"It smelled bad," resident John Minka said. "To urinate in a public elevator, that's just wrong."

The urine caused about $200 worth of damage to the elevator, according to Local 6 News.

A sheriff's office investigation determined that Brown violated two agency standards. He was given a 40-hour suspension for one offense and fired for the other, according to the report.

Although Brown was fired, he is still being paid while he continues to appeal his termination.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

From here. Be sure to check out the undercover pics....

New Blue Mousey #4

The babe in action...

Remember this post?

Well, I bought myself one of my 'wish list' items as you can see. Hehehehe.

This baby is wonderful!

I didn't think the Logitech MX510 could be that much better than my Logitech MX500 but dayum!!! Boy, was I wrong. He feels so nice and he's very pretty. I like moving on up. :)

I got him for dirt cheap here. I chose him Saturday evening, he shipped early Monday morning and I received him today. He was being shipped out of Carrollton, TX (close to Dallas) so that's why I got him so soon. And of course, I chose the free Super Saver shipping.

I highly recommend this mouse.

It's ESSFingers approved!

 

New Blue Mousey #3

Look at my new baby... 

New Blue Mousey #2

The new and the old... 

New Blue Mousey #1

The virgin in the box... 

And The Complaining Award Goes To...

Activists Dominate Content Complaints
December 06, 2004
By Todd Shields

In an appearance before Congress in February, when the controversy over Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl moment was at its height, Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell laid some startling statistics on U.S. senators.

The number of indecency complaints had soared dramatically to more than 240,000 in the previous year, Powell said. The figure was up from roughly 14,000 in 2002, and from fewer than 350 in each of the two previous years. There was, Powell said, “a dramatic rise in public concern and outrage about what is being broadcast into their homes.”


What Powell did not reveal—apparently because he was unaware—was the source of the complaints. According to a new FCC estimate obtained by Mediaweek, nearly all indecency complaints in 2003—99.8 percent—were filed by the Parents Television Council, an activist group.

This year, the trend has continued, and perhaps intensified.

Through early October, 99.9 percent of indecency complaints—aside from those concerning the Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction” during the Super Bowl halftime show broadcast on CBS— were brought by the PTC, according to the FCC analysis dated Oct. 1. (The agency last week estimated it had received 1,068,767 complaints about broadcast indecency so far this year; the Super Bowl broadcast accounted for over 540,000, according to commissioners’ statements.)

The prominent role played by the PTC has raised concerns among critics of the FCC’s crackdown on indecency. “It means that really a tiny minority with a very focused political agenda is trying to censor American television and radio,” said Jonathan Rintels, president and executive director of the Center for Creative Voices in Media, an artists’ advocacy group.

PLEASE read the rest of the article here.

What a bunch of bullshit!

Yet another example of the few trying to impose their views on the majority....

What? Do they all get on the phone with each other or email each other the minute they 'think' something on TV might be 'bad'?

I wonder what their kids are doing while they're wrapped up in their activism. Tsk. Tsk.

Mesmerizing Mammaries

Pee-Wees Flashed
Hockey mom lifts top at game
By CP

TORONTO -- Reports that an irate hockey mom lifted her blouse, revealed her bra, and taunted fans of the opposing team by shaking her breasts -- at her 11-year-old's hockey game -- has the president of the league "aghast," the Toronto Star reported yesterday. "What prompts people to do these types of things?" said John Garder, head of the Greater Toronto Hockey League. "It's a little disturbing. We're talking 11-year-olds here."

The league has invited the woman to a special committee meeting Wednesday where disciplinary steps, such as banning her from arenas, will be considered.

The incident reportedly happened during a confrontation that erupted mostly between parents of players on two opposing minor pee-wee teams: the York Toros and Mississauga Terriers. The teams played Monday night in Mississauga, west of Toronto.

In a letter to the league, a parent who witnessed the alleged incident called it "unfortunate" and "disturbing."

"She lifted her top well above her breasts. (Wearing a bra) she shook (her breasts) side to side," the woman wrote.

The parent, who has young boys, says she headed for the exits soon after with her sons -- but ran into the woman again.

The woman claims that the alleged flasher said: "What the hell are you looking at? Have you never seen tits?"

You can read the rest here.

Can You Extinguish The Fire In My Loins?

Obsessed lady asks firefighters to extinguish flames of her loins

Indian firefighters have no idea as to how to react to strange phone calls from young ladies asking them to "extinguish the flame of their loins.' Local newspaper "Midday" reports that 55 staff firefighters of one of the Delhi's fire stations receive no less than 70 of such phone calls every evening. This in turn makes it difficult for the firefighters to respond to really urgent calls to prevent serious disasters.

"We also receive about 15-30 calls during the day from housewives who simply have nothing to do and are dying of boredom," says Raj Parab, one of the officers. "However, be it day or night, the content of the message remains the same: 'Can you extinguish any sort of fire? What about the fire of passion inside of me? Come quickly, I am all on fire." They would also give their address.' Whenever we try to tell them off in a polite way, the women begin yelling: Don't be so shy! I will turn into ashes before you'll change your mind-or something along the lines of 'You are not a firefighter; you are not even a man?!"

Annoyed firefighters were already determined to ask local police for help. However, the latter reported of similar phone problems.

From here.

Texans 7, Jets 29

Tough game today.... 

The Insanity Test

The Insanity Test - Click me!

To Thee I Wed

Police say South Haven teacher 'wed' 14-year-old girl in pagan ritual

Associated Press

SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. — A teacher and a 14-year-old former female student whom she is accused of sexually assaulting participated in witchcraft together and even "wed" in a pagan ritual, police said.

Elizabeth Miklosovic, 36, a teacher at South Haven's Baseline Middle School, was arraigned Thursday on a charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Van Buren County.

If convicted, Miklosovic faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. She was ordered held on $100,000 bond and remained in the county jail Friday.

Also Thursday, the Kent County prosecutor's office issued arrest warrants for Miklosovic on charges of first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct that accuse her of performing illegal sex acts with the student at the teacher's Grand Rapids home.

Miklosovic lives with another woman and their adopted son, authorities said.

The student told a classmate about the relationship and the classmate told school officials, who placed the seventh-grade language arts teacher on leave from her job. Miklosovic has worked for South Haven Public Schools for three years.

The student told Michigan State Police that she and Miklosovic had about five sexual encounters from June to October in the teacher's home, a park in Van Buren County and a state park in Manistee County.

Although the girl was in Miklosovic's class in the past, the sexual contact did not occur until this year, authorities said.

Miklosovic has no previous criminal record in Michigan, state police records show.

She declined to answer reporters' questions after her arraignment.

James Becker has been appointed as Miklosovic's attorney. Contacted Friday at his Paw Paw law office, Becker declined to comment about the case, saying he had not yet seen the police report.

The girl's family said Miklosovic brainwashed the girl into thinking the two did nothing wrong. A relative told The Grand Rapids Press that the family initially believed Miklosovic's interest in the girl — who was described as vulnerable and as having emotional problems — was to help her.

Detective Sgt. Diane Oppenheim of the state police post in South Haven said the student came to trust the teacher so much, she agreed to "marry" the woman in a pagan ritual.

"They also participated in witchcraft together," Oppenheim said.

Her preliminary examination on the Van Buren County charge is scheduled for Dec. 13.

From here.

WTF???

Microsoft's Blog Problems

MSN bloggers try to foul up censorship tool

MSN Spaces, Microsoft's new blogging service, has sparked a new game for some of its users: trying to circumvent its censorship controls.

BoingBoing, a popular Web log, on Friday reported that MSN Spaces is rejecting certain blog titles or URLs because they contain words that Microsoft has deemed inappropriate.

However, like so many censorship tools, Microsoft's is proving less than perfect.

BoingBoing found that all of the most obvious profanities fell foul of Microsoft's electronic sentries.

But the fun started for many users when blogs with tricky titles that resembled innocuous terms--think of a racier version of "tit for tat," for example--cleared Microsoft's censorship filters.

Getting a blog with a dirty name past the MSN Spaces controls may be fun, but it also illustrates the tensions between the traditionally free and open world of blogging and the more corporate approach of a software giant like Microsoft.

"If you can't speak freely on a blog, what's the point of having one?" BoingBoing pointed out.

These tensions are also apparent in Microsoft's approach to blog content. Unlike rival services such as Blogger, MSN Spaces forces new users to grant Microsoft permission to "use, copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce, edit, modify, translate and reformat" their blog postings.

From here

Without Flash

I feel better now.

Again, I'm referring to this post.

And now...

I feel so much better tonight.

I just love the little lights all around me. The lights are definitely the best thing about Christmas!
 

With Flash

Remember this post?


And then.... 

Tomb Of Headless Bodies

Tomb of headless bodies at Mexican pyramid

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (Reuters) -- The discovery of a tomb filled with decapitated bodies suggests Mexico's 2,000 year-old "Pyramid of the Moon" may have been the site of horrifically gory sacrifices, archeologists said on Thursday.

The tomb at Teotihuacan, the first major city built in the Americas, whose origins are one of history's great mysteries, also held the bound carcasses of eagles, dogs and other animals.

"It is hard to believe that the ritual consisted of clean, symbolic performances -- it is most likely that the ceremony created a horrible scene of bloodshed with sacrificed people and animals," said Saburo Sugiyama, one of the scientists leading the ongoing dig.

"Whether the victims and animals were killed at the site or a nearby place, this foundation ritual must have been one of the most terrifying acts recorded archeologically in Mesoamerica."

Of the 12 human bodies found, 10 were decapitated and then tossed, rather than arranged, on one side of the burial site. The two other bodies were richly ornamented with beads and a necklace made of imitation human jaws.

You can read the rest here.

Crazy Lady

Man Dragged Along Freeway By Girlfriend's Car Dies
Victim's Arms May Have Been Severed

HOUSTON -- A man who was dragged along a freeway by his girlfriend's car in rush-hour traffic, then thrown into the air, has died at a hospital from his injuries.

The victim's arm may have been severed -- or at least badly mangled -- in the ordeal, said police. The 43-year-old man's girlfriend told investigators she blacked out and doesn't remember the event.

Dewey Dale Whitehead of Buna died at Ben Taub Hospital around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night.

Whitehead and his girlfriend had driven to Houston from the East Texas town for a doctor's appointment on Tuesday. The woman suddenly stopped the car in the right lane of traffic of the East Freeway shortly after 3 p.m. Witnesses said Whitehead, who was in the front passenger's seat, got out and walked around to the driver's side, opened the door and stood talking to her.

"The next thing the witnesses know, she floors it, and she's apparently moving at a pretty good clip -- and he's hanging on the side of the vehicle," Police Department Homicide Sgt. Mark Newcomb told the Houston Chronicle in Thursday's editions.

The car was moving an estimated 50 mph or more as Whitehead was dragged along the freeway shoulder, passing other vehicles that were stuck in rush-hour traffic, witnesses said.

"I think he was holding on for dear life on to the door," said Newcomb.

The 24-year-old woman sideswiped another vehicle as her car reached a narrowed portion of the freeway. That propelled Whitehead into the air over his girlfriend's car and he landed in a ditch.

You can read the rest here.

Dayum!!!

Good For 101 KLOL Folks

I saw this posted on the Houston Texans message board tonight. (I know a lot of you aren't from the Houston area but I know a lot of you are, so you'll know what I'm talking about....)

Hey Groove Dawgs!!

You'll want to be at the Tiki Bay Bar & Grill in Baytown Thursday night Dec. 9th for an evening with Houston's Radio Legends including Outlaw Dave, Grego, Pruett and the Boner, Locke Sebenhausen, Laurie Kendrick, Chuck Akers, Lanny Griffith, Wendy Miller, Dayna Steele, Crash-in your dash-Collins and Tubby!!! and many many more.

This event benefits The Stevens and Pruett Ranch for children and animals.

Also appearing, one of the hottest bands around "Last Train Out"!!! They will also have an incredible Radio Memorabilia Auction. Cool stuff and Good Times are coming to the Tiki Bay Bar and Grill Thurs. night December 9th-in Baytown, 2651 Bus. Hwy 146 beginning at 8pm. or come early for dinner with your favorite Radio Legend.

Call 281-837-6700 for more info, or visit WWW.TIKIBAYBARANDGRILL.COM!

Let's make it a good Christmas. No lets make it a great Christmas for the kids and animals at the Stevens & Pruett Ranch. Hope to see ya there Thurs. December 9th at Baytown's Tiki Bay Bar and Grill. Tell all your friends and tell them to come out and have a great time.

Wow! It sounds like it should be fun.

I'm glad that the guys/gals from KLOL are still around and interested in the Houston area. I think that says a lot about them considering all that they have been through in the past few weeks.

This Enrages Me

Infant Dies During Parents' Crack Binge

By Associated Press

November 30, 2004, 2:47 PM EST

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- A month-old baby died while his parents were on a three-day crack cocaine binge that began after Thanksgiving dinner, police said Tuesday.

The cause of death was not immediately clear. Sonia Thomas, 39, and Neal Anthony Bryan, 46, have been charged with child neglect. More charges could be filed after autopsy results are available, police spokesman Jeff Kelly said.

Bryan told police he awoke to find that his son, whose name was not released, was on the bed next to him, not wearing a diaper and not breathing, according to a police report.

Thomas told investigators the baby was blue and she ran to the kitchen and sprinkled water on him in an attempt to "get him back." He was pronounced dead at a hospital after the couple called 911.

Thomas said she could not remember when she had last fed the baby because "she was messed up on crack" and tired, the report said. It said the couple admitted smoking about $500 worth of crack cocaine over three days.

Thomas was being held without bail. Bryan was held on $10,000 bail. Information on whether they had retained attorneys was not immediately available Tuesday.

From here.

The parents should be starved to death just like they starved their son to death. I have no mercy for people like this. At all.