Here is another Candidate for the News Headline for 2007

 

========================

 

 

Indian Official Dies in Wild Monkey Attack
Sunday, October 21, 2007

 

NEW DELHI —  Wild monkeys attacked a senior government official who then fell from a balcony at his home and died Sunday, media reported.

New Delhi Deputy Mayor S.S. Bajwa was rushed to a hospital after the attack by a gang of Rhesus macaques, but succumbed to head injuries sustained in his fall, the Press Trust of India news agency and The Times of India reported.

Many government buildings, temples and residential neighborhoods in New Delhi are overrun by Rhesus macaques, which scare passers-by and occasionally bite or snatch food from unsuspecting visitors.

Last year, the Delhi High Court reprimanded city authorities for failing to stop the animals from terrifying residents and asked them to find a permanent solution to the monkey menace.

Part of the problem is that devout Hindus believe monkeys are manifestations of the monkey god Hanuman and feed them bananas and peanuts — encouraging them to frequent public places.

Over the years, city authorities have employed monkey catchers who use langurs — a larger and fiercer kind of monkey — to scare or catch the macaques, but the problem persists.

 

 

 

My friend Blake had gallbladder surgery last week and he is recovering very well from what he has told me.

Hopefully he will be up and about soon.

Here is the link to his BLOG...

 

 

 

 

I missed this one from over the weekend.

ANOTHER News Headline Candidate for 2007 with even MORE NINJAS.

Someone alert the FBI.

There is a Ninja Crime Wave in progress across the Eastern United States.

They are doubling in number with each crime.

First one, then two, now four.

My God!

By the end of this month they will be swarming the Earth!

 

=========================

 

Ninja Burglars Hit Two Orlando Jewelry Stores
JCK-Jewelers Circular Keystone, 9/28/2007 5:03:00 AM

 

Four men dressed like ninjas broke into two Orlando retail jewelry stores Wednesday morning, according to media reports.

The first burglary was at Adam's Jewelry on Corrine Drive and followed by a similar theft about 40 minutes later at Karadema Jewelry Store on Curry Ford Road, Orlando news television station wftv reports.

The owner of Adam's Jewelry told the station that the thieves took gold, silver, platinum, and diamonds.

The four men who broke into the neighborhood jewelry store covered themselves in a cloth material and broke in through the back door of a connecting business so they wouldn't trip the alarm, wftv reports. The suspects then tried to tear down the concrete walls, but the opening didn't lead to the jewelry store, so they ripped out the ceiling tile, hoping to crawl through. That didn't work either, so finally they broke down the front door and covered the surveillance camera with the same cloth material they had covered themselves in.

The thieves shattered the thick glass cases and stole watches, rings, necklaces and earrings, wftv reports.

Police reportedly said they believe the same four thieves left Adam's Jewelry and drove 15 minutes to Karadema Jewelry Store on Curry Ford Road. Two homeless men saw the suspects there and reportedly told police they left in a dark colored SUV and may have been white or Hispanic males.

 

 

Yet again ANOTHER News Headline Candidate for 2007 with even MORE NINJAS.

=========================

Ninjas Rob Pennsylvania Gas Station
Tuesday, September 25, 2007

 

A Pennsylvania robbery turned into a bad kung fu movie last weekend when two women in ninja attire robbed a gas station of lottery tickets, cigarettes and cash, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.

The two women walked into the Sunoco station early Saturday armed with a samurai sword and a dagger, respectively, the paper reported. They allegedly tied up a female clerk, grabbed the loot and fled. The robbery was captured on security video.

The swarthy 'ninjas' were dressed all in black except for white gloves. Police have made no arrests in the case.
=========================

and here is video of it...

 

 

 

There was a long dry spell but now they just keep coming...

 

==============================

Saturday, September 8th 2007, 1:37 AM
      
Phil Chiolo shows bruise he got from man dressed as ninja who broke into his Staten Island home.

A ninja-clad burglar was sent scurrying from a Staten Island kitchen early yesterday when the homeowner stabbed the samurai sneak in the shoulder.

Phil Chiolo said he had just gone to bed when he heard what sounded like a pan hit the kitchen floor about 1 a.m. in his Jefferson Ave. home in Dongan Hills.

"When I got into the kitchen, the door was jimmied open," Chiolo said. "To my surprise, there was a man standing there dressed in a ninja costume, with nun-chucks and everything. All I saw was his eyes."

The thief immediately struck Chiolo across his collarbone with the nun-chucks, he said.

The professional disk jockey tried to run.

"As I turn around, he hit me again in the back of the head," Chiolo continued.

Chiolo clutched the kitchen counter, spotted a knife block on the top and grabbed a 4-inch blade.

"My intention was not to stab him," he said. "I wanted to scare him, but he tripped over a kitchen chair and fell on his a--."

Still swinging the nun-chucks, the ninja struck Chiolo on the leg. That's when Chiolo plunged the knife deep into the burglar's shoulder.

"He showed absolutely no sign of pain," said Chiolo, who lives with his brother, Richard. "He was either high on something or completely numb. He got up with the knife still in him and ran out the kitchen door."

Chiolo called the cops, but the burglar, believed to be responsible for 13 other heists in the area, was still on the loose last night. 

=====================

Silly man, Ninjas are training not to show pain.

They spend years and years meditating to control their bodily functions...so they can steal that sweet George Foreman Grill from your kitchen counter in the dead of night.

 

 

Doesn't neccessarily make me laugh but is highly unusual.

 

=======================

 

 

Meteorite Crash Causes 'Mystery Illness' in Peru
Wednesday, September 19, 2007

 

LIMA, Peru —  A supposed meteorite that crashed in southern Peru over the weekend has caused hundreds of people to suffer headaches, nausea and respiratory problems, a health official said Tuesday.

Local media have reported eyewitness accounts of a fiery ball falling from the sky and smashing into the desolate Andean plain near the Bolivian border Saturday morning. Officials have said it was a meteorite.

Jorge Lopez, director of the health department in the southern state of Puno, told The Associated Press that 200 people have been sickened by "toxic" fumes emanating from the resulting crater, which is some 66 feet wide and 16 feet deep.

"This is caused by the gas they have inhaled after the crash," Lopez said. He added that some 1,500 people live nearby.

But meteor expert Ursula Marvin, cast doubt on that theory, saying, "It wouldn't be the meteorite itself, but the dust it raises."

A meteorite "wouldn't get much gas out of the earth," said Marvin, who has studied the objects since 1961 at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Massachusetts. "It's a very superficial thing."

 

 

 

I read this and can't help but think of Monty Python and the Holy Grail

 

====================================

Georgia Man Dies After Armless Man Headbutts Him During Fight
Tuesday, September 18, 2007

 

SNELLVILLE, Ga. —  Police are investigating the death of a man who collapsed after being headbutted by an armless man in a fight over a woman.

Snellville Police Chief Roy Whitehead said the two men, Charles Keith Teer and William Russell Redfren, scuffled Monday afternoon in the driveway of a suburban Atlanta home.

Witnesses told authorities that Redfren, who has no arms, kicked Teer, and Teer struck Redfren, Whitehead said.

After bystanders separated them, Redfren "came back and headbutted [Teer] one time," Whitehead said.

Teer complained of feeling dizzy, collapsed, and died, Whitehead said.

Police are awaiting autopsy results before deciding whether Redfren should be charged.

 

 

Just a short note.

I discovered that an update to the main website I sent at the end of this past month apparently did not go through.

I will have to find out what went wrong when I get home tonight, but I will get that update and hopefully more posted up this evening.

 

I apologize for the neglect and also to everyone who has messaged me and I failed to respond in a timely manner.

After I get the updates out tonight, I will go to the backyard and punish myself by flogging my back with keyboard and mouse cables.

Honest.

I will.

:P

 

Richard.

 

 

I ran across this report the other day.

It is from January of this year but is a story that the main stream media would NEVER let you hear.

It is about a man who saved over a hundred people (including children) going into a Mosque in Iraq from a suicide bomber disguised as a woman.

=================================

 

The Hands of God
A Village, North of Mosul: Friday 26 January 07

 

The attacker walked down this alley.
He was dressed as a woman as he walked down the alley toward the mosque full of worshippers. It was Friday, just before Ashura, and the air was chilled.

The bomb strapped to his body was studded with ball-bearings so that he could kill more villagers as they gathered for prayer. The detonation would eviscerate and dismember those closest, shattering bones into fragments, but the ball-bearings would ensure lethality beyond the percussive edge of the blast wave, ripping through the flesh of people who might not have been knocked down by the explosion.

There were no soldiers in his path to stop him; no police to alert to the man in women’s clothes. There were only villagers. The man dressed as a woman was to be the agent of their deaths. He kept walking down the alley toward the mosque where more than one hundred people were praying, a mass murderer masquerading in a woman’s garb.

The prayerful people may not have known he was coming, but we hear the explosions every day. Every single day. Seven days per week. I remember the story told to me by Tennessee National Guardsman of another such man who had grabbed the hand of a nearby child as cover, then walked over to some policemen before detonating himself and the child. I remember the bomber who rammed a car full of explosives into vehicle full of American soldiers in Mosul. The Americans had been surrounded by Iraqi children, and the bomber could have waited a block or two then attack the Americans man-on-man, but instead he chose to blow up the Iraqi kids. Sometimes we see the torn and mangled hunks of flesh. Sometimes their open bodies curl a baleful steam into the cold morning air.

The closer a counterfeit comes to the genuine article, the more obvious the deceit. As the murderer dressed in women’s clothes walked purposefully toward his target, there was a village man ahead. But under the guise of a simple villager was a true Martyr, and he, too, had his target in sight. The Martyr had seen through the disguise, but he had no gun. No bomb. No rocket. No stone. No time.

The Martyr walked up to the murderer and lunged into a bear hug, on the spot where we were now standing.

The blast ripped the Martyr to pieces which fell along with pieces of the enemy. Ball-bearings shot through the alley and wounded two children, but the people in the mosque were saved. The man lay in pieces on the ground, his own children having seen how his last embrace saved the people of the village.

L to R: A.J. the Iraqi interpreter wearing American uniform and taking notes; LTC Eric Welsh; Off-duty Iraqi Army soldier; local man wearing sunglasses; local man asking that we send Iraqi Army or American Army to protect the village.
Unproven claims successfully disguised as facts in the media can be persistent obstacles to finding the truth. Once something is put in print, it becomes referenced as fact by other people who seldom check the source. There was a time when American soldiers were derided in the press for wearing sunglasses in Iraq. Someone had the notion that sunglasses were deeply offensive to Iraqis, many of whom also wear sunglasses. In the retelling of terrorist attacks in Iraq, key details are often left out while others insinuate themselves into places they don’t belong. So it was for the thwarted bomb attack in this village, which quickly found its way into media reports, described as yet another incident of sectarian violence, which on some level it was.

In front of the walls pocked with craters from the ball bearings, truth was more nuanced. But apparently no journalists visited the village to find out what really happened and what it tells us about the people who live here. American commanders were so taken with the sacrifice that LTC Eric Welsh led a patrol up to the village, and after some time we found the mosque. LTC Welsh talked with the village men where the Martyr saved the people.

 

Well I have almost completed one short story, and am in the middle of writing the other.

I am finishing up some editing today and I am feeling better about working on something other than the novel.

The computer issues are now behind me.

I had reimaged my laptop and my main writing PC had a hard drive issue so I had been in a Windows XP installation-configuration- wherethehelldidallmyfilesgo mode for the past 2 weeks.

The fruits of all my labor and sufffering have paid off as all of the hardware and software upgrades that I have done are complete.

So back to writing.

If only the temperature will stay under 100 degrees today.

 

 

 

I was a little bored today.

It is amazing what you can do with a paperclip, a ball point pen, and 2 packing peanuts.

<SIGH>

Yeah, I know.  I need help.

 

 

 

 

We lost the smallest member of my Sister's family Friday.

After my Sister and Brother-In-Law got married back in 1991, they got a small Yorkshire Terrier puppy they named Ralphie.

He has been with them from the beginning of their life together, and has been there the entire lives of my Nephews.

He passed away this past Friday afternoon due to age-related illness.

He was family and is greatly missed by us all.

Rest In Peace Ralphie

 

 

I am a bit shocked and very VERY disappointed in the Catholic Church and the Pope in their attitude and belief towards other NON-Catholic Christians.  The Catholic Church released The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and I can only shake my head in disappointment at this and hope that they can understand how insulting this is to ALL Christians as well as God and have the courage, intelligence, and humbleness to admit this belief needs major adjustment if they are truly wanting to maintain good relations with other NON-Catholic Christians and remain humble before God.

 

This almost parallels the belief a former friend of mine has in that they believed that anyone outside of their church are not a true Christian and could not be saved and would burn in hell.  They then insulted my family heritage and insinuated that I was not a 'TRUE' Christian.  Needless to say, I told them they need to learn what being a 'TRUE' Christian is really about, wished them a happy life, that I would pray for their salvation, and I then ended a 15+ year friendship.  I don't know if they took my advice, but I never received a response from them about being apologetic for how insulting and disrespectful they were that day.  Despite what good deeds they do, I do not think they realize that their 'Holier Than Thou' attitude nullifies the good they do in this world in the long run. 

 

Below is the link to the news story and an excerpt...

 

"The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said it was issuing the new document on ecumenism because some contemporary theological interpretations of Vatican II's ecumenical intent had been "erroneous or ambiguous" and had prompted confusion and doubt.

The new document -- formulated as five questions and answers -- restates key sections of a 2000 text the pope wrote when he was prefect of the congregation, "Dominus Iesus," which riled Protestant, Lutheran and other Christian denominations because it said they were not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the "means of salvation."

"Christ 'established here on earth' only one Church," said the document released as the pope vacations at a villa in Lorenzago di Cadore, in Italy's Dolomite mountains.

The other communities "cannot be called 'churches' in the proper sense" because they do not have apostolic succession -- the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ's original apostles -- and therefore their priestly ordinations are not valid, it said."

 

 

 

The Man With The Hat Is Back

 

 

For the first time since 1989, Harrison Ford dons the familiar costume on Thursday, June 21, 2007, as the upcoming Indiana Jones adventure begins production under the direction of Steven Spielberg.

The new Indiana Jones movie is set in the 1950s and stars Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, John Hurt, Ray Winstone and Jim Broadbent. The Lucasfilm Ltd. production will be released by Paramount Pictures worldwide on May 22, 2008.

 

Imprisoned Egyptian Blogger Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman celebrated his birthday yesterday.

He turned 23.

I still find it outragous that someone can be imprisoned just for writing ideas and observations.

I've always thought Egypt was a forward thinking country but I guess not.

Check out the website   http://www.freekareem.org/   the latest information.

I am reposting here the details of a visit to Kareem in prison yesterday...

 

================================

 

Fellow Egyptian blogger visits Kareem in prison
June 17th, 2007

A mutual friend who blogs at Wa7damasrya visited Kareem yesterday.

She writes (translation):

 

Finally I managed to visit Kareem Amer (or Abdul Kareem Nabil) in Burj Al Arab prison which is about 20km far from Alexandria. I was there by 9 AM and I was done with the visit at 4 PM, and I wasn’t able to sit with Kareem and talk to him for more than 30 minutes.

It goes without a doubt that I’m happy to have successfully visited him, especially today since it’s his birthday.

She expresses her irritation with the over-zealous prison guards and says that this was a hard but a necessary experience for her:

It was a horrible experience for me and I couldn’t stop thinking that it was hard for me to be there for few hours. I don’t know how Kareem can manage there for more than 6 months already.

She also notes that Kareem is apparently being mistreated by prison guards:

He told me that last time at the court, a policeman beat him hard and filmed it with his mobile. A few days later, he [Kareem] sent a letter to his lawyer (Gamal Eid) asking him to publish a part of the story in a newspaper. The prison administration woke him up at 2 am to investigate him on what was published on that newspaper. They left him standing for 3 hours - from 5 AM to 8 AM. Then those guys in plain clothes were there with sticks of wood beating prisoners to go back to their cells.

In her e-mail to us, Shahi writes:

I told Kareem that the Free Kareem campaign people are doing a good job for him and that they are increasing pressure on the Egyptian regime. I told him that this pressure is very important.

She also shares our concern that Kareem may not be receiving all of the letters sent to him. It’s possible that his own letters aren’t successfully reaching us either.

Perhaps the highlight of her visit is the following explanation she provides:

He is fine but of course not happy and he has great hope in us who are outside to help him get his freedom again, he really wants that and depends on us for it.

We are Kareem’s only hope for freedom. We hope that his worldwide supporters realize this and will continue to put their efforts in him knowing this:

I left Kareem telling him to be strong and to know that we are all here for him.

On a final note, thank you Shahi for being such a great friend and for contacting us regarding your visit to Kareem. It means a lot that despite how troubling it is to meet him, you did it anyways and are still willing to do it again. This is the kind of support that Kareem really needs.

===========================

 

If you wish to write to Kareem here is his contact address in prison...

 

Alexandria
Borg Al-Arab Prison
Room 5 Section 2
Prisoner Abdul Kareem Nabil Suleiman
The Arab Republic of Egypt

 

...  If you are wishing to sending items here is a list of what you can send (per the Freekareem website)...

 

1. Clothes (between medium and large - Kareem is around 5′6 or 5′7 tall.)

2. Writing materials

3. Books (be careful with your selection, and remember that prison guards will see it before Kareem does. Therefore it’s very important to select something that will not trouble him.)

4. Food / sweets

5. Blanket

6. Postcards and birthday cards

7. Letters!

 

 

 

 

Thankfully no one was hurt, but I would have liked to have seen this...

 

=============================================

 

Wheelchair-Bound Man Stuck in Grill of Semi

6/6/2007 9:51:47 PM

 
A wheelchair-bound man went on the ride of his life Wednesday after visiting a gas station in Van Buren County, Michigan.

Calls began pouring in to the Paw Paw post of the Michigan State Police around 4:00 p.m. The first call came in with a woman telling dispatchers, "You are not going to believe this, there is a semi- truck pushing a guy in a wheel chair on Red Arrow Highway!"

The truck was traveling westbound on Red Arrow Highway just outside the village of Paw Paw.

Authorities responded to the call on Red Arrow Highway where the man and his wheelchair were still attached to the semi-truck.

Troopers and officers found a 21-year-old man un-harmed as he sat in his wheelchair, its handles still lodged in the truck's front grill.

Investigators say the semi truck owned by RMI had pulled out of a local gas station. The young man in the wheelchair some how pulled in front of the semi-truck, causing his wheelchair handles to become stuck in the front grill of the truck.

Authorities say the semi-truck at times reached speeds of nearly 50 miles per hour for nearly four miles.

The semi driver was in disbelief as troopers told him about the man on his front grill until he saw it for himself.

Police say the 21-year-old man was un-harmed and unfazed by the incident. The young man was quoted as saying, "It was quite a ride."

One trooper said, "You could work another 90 years in Law Enforcement and never see something like this. We're just glad no one was injured in this unusual incident."

 

 

 

Bronchitis: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (medium-size airways) in the lungs. Acute bronchitis is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks.

 

Acute bronchitis is characterized by cough and sputum (phlegm) production and symptoms related to the obstruction of the airways by the inflamed airways and the phlegm, such as shortness of breath and wheeze. Diagnosis is by clinical examination and sometimes microbiological examination of the phlegm. Treatment may be with antibiotics (if a bacterial infection is suspected), bronchodilators (to relieve breathlessness) and other treatments. 

 

============================ 

 

Since Monday of last week, smoke from the forest fires in South Georgia have been blowing into Atlanta off and on.

My throat has been raw, sinuses and allergies have been going haywire, and have not had much sleep in the past week.

It was bad over the weekend and leaving the house was a chore just to function in the outside air.

I dragged myself into work this morning but had not been getting much better and had to do something.

I went to the Doctor and I have been informed that I have Bronchitis.

SO now I am on meds, trying to breath, swallow, not go into coughing fits, and some how get sleep tonight.

<sigh>

Yeah, Bronchitis sucks!!!!

 

 

 

As the Memorial Day weekend and holiday approaches, we should look back and remember the sacrifice of our Military defending us from out and out evil in this world that threatens not only our country but our Allies.

 

The following is a reminder of the kind of people we are up against RIGHT NOW.

The media attempts to water down the threat they pose and associates the term TORTURE with things such as sleep deprivation, and loud music as having the same weight and meaning as eye/limb removal and a blow torch to the skin.

If thats the case, then I tortured myself since I was 13 years old.

I may imagine horror and write it, but it is not something that any civilized society should practice.

I take that back.

It should NOT be something practiced by any HUMAN BEING.

These people are nothing but evil incarnate and their actions prove them not worthy of being human...let alone be treated as such.

AND...IF you are still in denial of this fact, check the following information from Al-Qaeda Publications as brought to you by THE SMOKING GUN Website...

 

==========================

"In a recent raid on an al-Qaeda safe house in Iraq, U.S. military officials recovered an assortment of crude drawings depicting torture methods like "blowtorch to the skin" and "eye removal." Along with the images, which you'll find on the following pages, soldiers seized various torture implements, like meat cleavers, whips, and wire cutters. Photos of those items can be seen here. The images, which were just declassified by the Department of Defense, also include a picture of a ramshackle Baghdad safe house described as an "al-Qaeda torture chamber." It was there, during an April 24 raid, that soldiers found a man suspended from the ceiling by a chain. According to the military, he had been abducted from his job and was being beaten daily by his captors. In a raid earlier this week, Coalition Forces freed five Iraqis who were found in a padlocked room in Karmah. The group, which included a boy, were reportedly beaten with chains, cables, and hoses."

 

 

 

 

I can remember when I first heard the song.

I was 3-4 years old and we lived in Joppatown, Maryland.

The playschool that I was in played music over a PA speaker over the chalkboard in our play room.

I don't remember any of the songs that played over that speaker except for one.

When it started I remember myself and all of the kids singing along with.

It started with the words...

 

"I was working in the lab late one night when my eyes beheld an eerie sight for my monster from his slab began to rise and suddenly to my surprise he did the mash he did the monster mash..."

 

Bobby "Boris" Pickett has died of leukemia this past Wednesday. He was 69.

"Monster Mash" hit the Billboard chart three times: when it debuted in 1962, reaching No. 1 the week before Halloween; again in August 1970, and for a third time in May 1973.

I remember growing up listening to this song and it allowed me to imagine the original movie monsters (Frankenstein, Dracula, Werewolf, ETC) in a much different light than from the old Black and White horror images I was introduced to growing up.

He is gone but the song will live on as the 'Official' anthem for Halloween.

 

AND in case you need a reminder of the Monster Mash Lyrics, here they are (for informational/historical/educational purposes that in no way intends to infringe on any copyright).

================================

 

I was working in the lab late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my monster from his slab began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise

He did the mash
He did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
He did the mash
It caught on in a flash
He did the mash
He did the monster mash

From my laboratory in the castle east
To the master bedroom where the vampires feast
The ghouls all came from their humble abodes
To get a jolt from my electrodes

They did the mash
They did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
They did the mash
It caught on in a flash
They did the mash
They did the monster mash

The zombies were having fun
The party had just begun
The guests included Wolf Man
Dracula and his son

The scene was rockin', all were digging the sounds
Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds
The coffin-bangers were about to arrive
With their vocal group, "The Crypt-Kicker Five"

They played the mash
They played the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
They played the mash
It caught on in a flash
They played the mash
They played the monster mash

Out from his coffin, Drac's voice did ring
Seems he was troubled by just one thing
He opened the lid and shook his fist
And said, "Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist?"

It's now the mash
It's now the monster mash
The monster mash
And it's a graveyard smash
It's now the mash
It's caught on in a flash
It's now the mash
It's now the monster mash

Now everything's cool, Drac's a part of the band
And my monster mash is the hit of the land
For you, the living, this mash was meant too
When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you

Then you can mash
Then you can monster mash
The monster mash
And do my graveyard smash
Then you can mash
You'll catch on in a flash
Then you can mash
Then you can monster mash

 

 

First, I am shocked at what happened at VT yesterday and can only imagine the torment the victims and families are going through.

It is a perfect example of how just one sick deranged person can destroy the lives of not only his victims, but their families, friends, communities, not only locally but from around the world.

 

At this time, nothing is known about the shooter or his motive but he has left a horrific legacy that will be remember for years to come.

There are so many news stories and reports right now and until all the facts are in there is not much I can say that is not already known.

The best thing that I have found is an email that Michelle Malkin received at her website ( http://michellemalkin.com ) from someone who was inside of the building during the shootings.

Here is the email as posted on Michelle Malkin's website...

 

===================== 

 

A student e-mails...

Dear Michelle,

I was in Norris Hall today when the shootings took place. I thought I'd give you my account in case you wanted more information.

It was just a regular day in class; the door was open and we heard a pop-pop-popping noise. Sounded like some kind of construction but it was getting disruptive so we went to close the door, and one of the girls stepped out in the hallway to see what it was. She saw the gun and ran back inside the room and slammed the door shut and we all got down on the floor.

We heard pretty much continuous shooting for the next minute or so, and I said, "Shouldn't we barricade the door," because we were sitting ducks with no way out inside that room if he opened the door. A couple more people floated the idea that "We need to barricade the door, NOW." But I was too scared to even move, much less move the teacher's desk.

Finally one of the guys in the front of the classroom was brave enough to get up and move the desk in front of the door to prevent outside entry. About twenty seconds later, the shooter rattled the doorknob trying to get in. When he couldn't get in he fired two shots through the door (single solid piece of wood) and left. We heard him go in to 206 (the room across the hall) and shoot the people in that room. If we hadn't put the barricade up when we did, I and all my classmates would be dead.

When the police arrived five minutes later we heard them call for him to surrender his weapon and some more, irregular shots. Another five minutes later the police knocked and yelled "Police!" and we yelled "How do we know?" and when a second voice confirmed that it was in fact police, we opened the door. An officer came in and told us to line up single file, take nothing with us (I grabbed my coat) and run out the door single file while another officer escorted us.

We entered the hallway. Blood, bullet casings, and empty pistol clips were everywhere; this was definitely the most horrifying sight of my entire life. We ran past quickly. A door to the stairwell had been opened and there was a massive trail of blood; we found out later that a class had tried to escape only to find that the monster had chained the doors shut before starting his rampage. They were all killed.

We all ran to a nearby building and stayed there until we could be processed, and that was the end of it. Thank you all for your concerns and prayers, but please mostly pray for those who were seriously injured or hurt today.

Also, let me say that the response from the campus, local, and state police was exemplary. Within five minutes of the first shots, police were gathering outside. In another ten minutes, the threat had been neutralized and the building was secure. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to the brave men and women who kept us safe today.

--Jacob Simmons
junior, Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech

 

 

I found the website of an old friend.

I worked with her years ago and now she has the beginnings of an impressive music career.

I was blown away when heard this.

Check out Tuere's websites at...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mar 30, 2007 10:33 am US/Central
Bridgette Bornstein

 A Minneapolis city worker is worried about blood in the sewer system because he said, while he was cleaning the system, blood sprayed out of a hole and got all over him.

"We could tell it was blood, I mean large amount of blood," said Minneapolis Sewer Maintenance Worker Ron Huebner.

It happened about two weeks ago in Northeast Minneapolis near a lab that does medical testing and dumps blood into the sewer. It is allowed but the city is now making changes to help protect workers in the future.

"Blood just all over my face, in my mouth, I could taste it. It was terrible. I had it in my mouth and I kept spitting and I couldn't get rid of it," said Huebner.

Huebner said he hasn't been sleeping much. He's worried about the blood that he swallowed when he was operating a jet machine to clean out the sewer.

The Met Council said it was a mix of human and animal blood used in medical testing at this nearby lab.

In fact, the company, R & D Systems, does have a permit to dump blood in the sewer system.

However, Huebner wasn't protected or warned about the blood because his immediate bosses didn't know about.

"We did not specifically know that this particular facility was discharging blood into the sewer system," said Minneapolis Public Works Deputy Director Heidi Hamilton.

There have been some changes, including more coordination among city departments so key information in permits gets to the right people and there's more required safety gear.

"We have changed the procedure to ensure they're wearing goggles or a face mask while they are above that manhole," said Hamilton.

The Met Council is changing the permit to say that the city has to warn the lab it's coming to clean the sewer, and the lab has to stop discharging blood until they're done. R & D told the city the blood shouldn't present any risk, but Huebner's still worried.

"I'm going to hope that nothing's wrong with me, but I don't want to see this happen to anyone else in my department," said Huebner.

The Met Council issued the permit. When asked if it's safe to have blood in the sewers, the Met Council said it is no more harmful than most other wastes in the sewer.

The sanitary sewer system is the appropriate place for this type of liquid wastes. There are other companies that have permits to discharge blood in the sewer system.

According to the Met Council, there are about four slaughterhouses, about 20 hospitals, and about a dozen medical and pharmaceutical companies that have permits.

R & D Systems did not return calls made to their business.

 

When I posted the Winner of the 2007 Newsheadline of the year a few weeks ago, I was worried about giving it so early in the year but because of the sheer bizzarre headline of Meat-Eating Frogs Terrorizing San Francisco, I was confident the odds of beating it were slim.

 

THEN I saw this headline today...

 

 

So I have decided on a policy change to make the decision in December.

I feel bad about taking the prize back from the Meat-Eating Frogs BUT they are still the leading contender for the year.

I will post CANDIDATE Headlines through out the year and announce a winner in December from now on.

And here is the text to the above news story if you are interested...

=============================

 

28th March 2007, 11:15 WST

Pieces of space junk from a Russian satellite coming out of orbit narrowly missed hitting a jetliner over the Pacific Ocean overnight.

The pilot of a Lan Chile Airbus A340, which was travelling between Santiago, Chile, and Auckland, New Zealand, notified air traffic controllers at Auckland Oceanic Centre after seeing flaming space junk hurtling across the sky just five nautical miles in front of and behind his plane about 10pm last night.

According to a plane spotter, who was tuning into a high frequency radio broadcast at the time, the pilot "reported that the rumbling noise from the space debris could be heard over the noise of the aircraft.

"He described he saw a piece of debris lighting up as it re-entered (the earth's atmosphere).

"He was one very worried pilot, as you would imagine.

"Auckland is talking to (an) Aerolineas Argentinas (pilot) who is travelling (in the) opposite direction at 10 degrees further south asking if they wish to turn back to Auckland.

"They have elected to carry on at the moment.

"(It's) not something you come across everyday and I am sure the Lan Chile crew will have a tale to tell."

A spokesman for Airways New Zealand, which provides air navigation services across airspace known as the Auckland Flight Information Region, confirmed the incident this morning.

He said it occurred about 10 minutes after the Lan Chile flight had entered the Auckland Flight Information Region.

Airways New Zealand had been warned by Russian authorities almost two weeks ago that a satellite would be entering the earth's atmosphere sometime today between 10.30am and midday NZ time (6.30-8am WA time).

Airways New Zealand then provided that information to airlines and pilots that would be travelling in that region at that time.

They could then decide for themselves whether they wished to fly during that period.

"But clearly there has been a timing issue," the spokesman said.

"Either the time that was indicated to us was incorrect or the satellite de-orbited early."

Because the timing was wrong, the coordinates of where the satellite was supposed to enter the Earth's atmosphere also turned out to be incorrect.

A formal report about the incident has been logged and recordings of conversations between the pilot and air traffic controllers were expected to be handed over to investigators in the next few days, he said.

The Lan Chile flight landed safely at Auckland Airport early this morning, he said.

 

 

"I was in a coffee shop with a friend and a gentleman came up to me and said 'You know, you look just like Abe Vigoda. But of course he's dead.' I said 'No, it's me. I am Abe Vigoda.' "

 

- Abe Vigoda with more on his reported death.

 

 

 

The past winners of my News Headline of the Year have been...

 

2005:  CRUISE SHIP FENDS OFF PIRATES WITH SONIC WEAPONS

2006:  TEXAS LAWYER SHOT IN FACE BY VICE PRESIDENT

 

I saw this today and immediately knew that the odds of beating this one are astronomical.

 

The Winner of the 2007 News Headline of the Year is...

 

 

It is the ironic and fitting ending for the Animal-Loving-Hippie-Paradise town that is SF.

I could not imagine a more perfect way to see it go.