Hello everyone!

 

You would think that this guy would know better but at least his mug shot just looks like he's tired.

 

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "CSI" co-star Gary Dourdan was arrested Monday for possession of narcotics and dangerous drugs, police said. The 41-year-old actor was found asleep in his car by the Palm Springs Police Department, authorities said.

An officer saw Dourdan's car parked on the wrong side of the street with the interior light on and someone sleeping in the driver's seat at approximately 5:12 a.m. Monday, according to Palm Springs police Sgt. Mitch Spike.

The officer described Dourdan as disoriented and possibly under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The officer arrested Dourdan after locating suspected cocaine, heroin, Ecstacy, miscellaneous prescription drugs and paraphernalia. Dourdan was released on $5,000 bail at 10:30 a.m. Monday. A court date was not immediately scheduled.

Dourdan has played crime scene investigator Warrick Brown on CBS' "CSI" since 2000. Several celebrities were in town for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in nearby Indio, Calif. It was not immediately clear whether Dourdan attended the event.

Representatives for Dourdan did not immediately return phone calls Tuesday.

 

Any comments out there?

 

Hello everyone!

 

 

Extra

4/25/2008 2:05 PM ET

Tax rebates going out early

 

Hello everyone!

 

Have you heard the latest?

 

Arby’s owner buying Wendy’s in all-stock deal

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio - After at least two rejections, billionaire Nelson Peltz has finally succeeded in landing Wendy’s in a $2.3 billion deal that would add the chain known for its square burger and chocolate Frosty dessert to his ownership of Arby’s and its roast beef sandwiches.

Now, the investor known for agitating corporations to boost their stock price has to figure out how to make both profitable while the economy slumps and more Americans are saving money on food and fuel by staying home to eat.

Atlanta-based Triarc Companies Inc., owned by Peltz, said Thursday it will pay about $2.34 billion in an all-stock deal for the nation’s third-largest hamburger chain started in 1969 by Dave Thomas. Wendy’s had rejected at least two buyout offers from Triarc.

Thomas’ daughter Pam Thomas Farber said the family was devastated by the news.

 

 

“It’s a very sad day for Wendy’s, and our family. We just didn’t think this would be the outcome,” said Farber, 53.

If her father were alive to hear news of the buyout, “he would not be amused,” she said.

Triarc will pay about $26.78 per share for the company, which has about 87 million shares outstanding. Wendy’s shares rose 4 percent to $26.39 in trading Thursday. They traded as high as $42.22 last summer, not long after Wendy’s announced the formation of a special committee to boost its stock price.

The offer is well below the $37 to $41 per share that Peltz said last summer that he was ready to offer for Wendy’s.

Under the terms of the deal, expected to close in the second half of the year, Wendy’s shareholders will receive 4.25 shares of Triarc Class A stock for each share of Wendy’s stock. Triarc said its shareholders will have to approve a charter amendment in which each share of its Class B stock will be converted into Class A stock.

Peltz has pushed for change at Wendy’s — including the spinoff of the Tim Hortons coffee-and-doughnut chain and cutting corporate expenses — since 2005 to increase the company’s stock price. His Trian Fund and his allies own 9.8 percent of Wendy’s stock.

It’s a similar tactic Peltz has used at other companies where Trian has become a significant investor, such as Cadbury Schweppes PLC and H.J. Heinz Co. Trian also owns shares of Tiffany & Co. and the Cheesecake Factory Inc., according to regulatory filings.

The deal comes as Wendy’s struggles with declining profits and weak sales compared with rivals McDonald’s Corp. and Burger King Holdings Inc.

Wendy’s said Thursday that its first quarter profit was down 72 percent to $4.1 million, or 5 cents a share, in part because of expenses tied to the work of a special board committee that has been studying ways to boost the company’s stock. Revenue fell to $513 million from $522 million a year ago.

Sales at company-owned stores opened at least a year, considered a key indicator of a retailer’s strength, fell 1.6 percent in the quarter and 0.1 percent at U.S. franchise restaurants.

Wendy’s also has failed to connect with consumers in several advertising campaigns that have been tried since Thomas’ death in 2002 and it has limited success in adding new products and with its breakfast menu. Thomas, always wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and red tie, became a household face when he began pitching his burgers and fries in television commercials in 1989.

“It’s a company that’s sort of lost its way,” said Bob Goldin, executive vice president of Technomic Inc. in Chicago.

Still, even with a slumping economy in which other restaurant chains have seen sales decline recently, there is value, analysts say.

“We’ve always felt Wendy’s had a decent chance of a turnaround in its business,” said John Owens, an investment analyst with Morningstar, citing its new chicken wrap sandwich and the addition of breakfast at many restaurants.

Improved cost controls over food, labor and other expenses should generate $100 million a year in operating profits over time, Triarc said in the statement announcing the deal.

Eliminating duplicate corporate functions and streamlining support services are expected to eventually save $60 million, said Triarc, which operates 3,700 Arby’s restaurants.

Triarc also said expansions for both brands are planned for the U.S. and overseas and that the company will look at a dual-concept unit in high-cost real estate markets. Triarc said it will also change its name to include the Wendy’s name.

Wendy’s deferred comment to Triac, which had nothing further to say right away.

Several lunchtime customers at a Wendy’s in Columbus wondered how Thomas would have reacted to the news, were he still alive.

“I think he’s probably rolling over in his grave right now,” said John Knape, 36. “But it’s business, and that’s what you need to do to survive, right?”

The deal caps two chaotic years for Wendy’s in which it has sold or spun off operations, slashed its corporate staff and had its wholesome image tarnished by a woman who falsely claimed she found part of a finger in her chili.

Farber said the family didn’t think much of Peltz’ and Triarc’s tactics.

“They came after them (Wendy’s) and came after them and came after them. They spun Tim Hortons off, they did this, they did that. They did everything they asked but it wasn’t enough.”

Thomas opened his first restaurant in a former steakhouse on a cold, snowy Saturday in downtown Columbus on Nov. 15, 1969. He named the chain after his 8-year-old daughter Melinda Lou — nicknamed Wendy by her siblings.

Wendy’s, based in suburban Dublin, operates about 6,600 restaurants in the United States and abroad. It trails McDonald’s and Burger King Holdings Inc. in the burger business.

 

From another website is the background story.

 

Dave Thomas was born on July 2, 1932 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. When he was six weeks old, he was adopted by a Michigan couple named Rex and Auleva Thomas. The adoption should have meant that young Dave had a permanent home and a normal family life. However, when he was just five years old, Auleva became ill with rheumatic fever and she passed away. From that time on, Dave Thomas moved around the country with his adopted father as the elder man searched for work.

Dave loved to eat at family restaurants. It wasn't the food so much that attracted him to this type of eatery, it was the family atmosphere. He loved to watch the families eating, chatting, and having a good time together while they shared a meal. These scenes influenced Dave heavily. He was but a young man when he decided that he wanted to open up his own family restaurant.

When he was just twelve years old, still a child and not even a teen yet, Dave took his first job delivering groceries. That job didn't pan out, so he became a soda jerk at Walgreens. Unfortunately, that job ended when his boss discovered that Dave wasn't sixteen years old, the minimum required age for employment.

Still determined to find a job, Dave found employment at The Regas Restaurant.

Then, when he was fifteen, he worked at the Hobby House Restaurant in Fort Wayne, Indiana. His family packed up and moved again. This time, however, young Dave stayed behind. He lived by himself in a room at the local YMCA. Dave didn't feel that he needed much education, so he quit high school and began to work fulltime.

Dave Thomas' eighteenth birthday came, and he signed up for a stint in the Army.

When he returned home, he returned to work at the Hobby House Restaurant. It was there that he met an attractive waitress named Lorraine. He and Lorraine were married in 1954. By now, the restaurant business was in Dave Thomas' blood. After working for other restaurant owners, he longed to open up his own restaurant. In 1956, that dream came true when he and his boss at the time, a man by the name of Phil Clauss, opened The Ranch House Restaurant. Dave had finally accomplished his goal of a lifetime- he owned his own family restaurant. However, he couldn't have imagined that the best was yet to come.

While he and his partner operated The Ranch House Restaurant, Dave Thomas met another entrepreneur. You may have heard of him. His name was Colonel Harland Sanders. Sanders had founded the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants. Phil Clauss purchased a franchise from the Colonel, and Dave now found himself selling chicken.

A few years later, in 1962, Clauss offered Dave the opportunity of a lifetime. Clauss had four Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants that were performing poorly. He told Dave that, if he could make all four restaurants profitable again, he would reward him with a forty-five per cent interest in his business.

Dave Thomas was no quitter, and he was no slouch. He went straight to work on reviving the ailing restaurants. The first item on his agenda was to pare the menu down so that the main focus was on the chicken. And, Dave used some creative advertising techniques.

After some time, Dave turned the four restaurants around and made them profitable again. On top of that, he also started four more Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants!

When Dave Thomas was just thirty-five years old in 1968, he was already a millionaire. Phil Clauss had sold the franchises back to the corporate Kentucky Fried Chicken and made over a million dollars from the sale.

Finally, in 1969, after already having a successful career in the restaurant business, Dave opened his first Wendy's Old-Fashioned Hamburger Restaurant Stock:WEN) in Columbus, Ohio. He chose the name "Wendy" because it was his youngest daughter's nickname.

That first Wendy's restaurant soon multiplied, and Dave's hamburger chain is now ranked number three. The Ohio-based Wendy's Corporation operates about 6,000 restaurants in the United States and Canada with sales totaling more than $7 billion.

Sadly, cancer of the liver ended Dave Thomas' life on January 8, 2002. He passed away at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was 69 years old. His remains were buried at the Union Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio.

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

For the people who might care, here is a "story" that I found about another famous for being famous Paris Hilton. Any comments out there?

 

By SANDY COHEN - AP Entertainment Writer

 

LOS ANGELES(AP) More than 85,000 people want to be Paris Hilton's best friend.

 

 

The 27-year-old is using the Internet to cast potential friends for her new reality show, "Paris Hilton's My New BFF." The MTV series, which begins production next month, will follow 20 contestants as they live together and vie for the chance to be Hilton's permanent plus-one.

 

Thousands of candidates have posted profiles and videos on ParisBFF.com in hopes of winning a spot on the show. Visitors to the site can vote for their favorites, and the top vote-getters will be added to the cast, producers said.

 

The site has already collected more than 6 million page views since it went live five weeks ago. And the heiress herself is among those checking out the daily posts.

Hilton, who also serves as the show's executive producer, took time out after an MTV business meeting to talk with The Associated Press about her public quest for friendship.

 

AP: Why take your search for a new best friend to the reality-TV world?

 

Hilton: Well I did "The Simple Life" for five seasons. I had a great time. I love reality TV. It's my favorite to watch. When I was approached with this idea I just thought it would be so much fun, being a producer on the show as well, having boys and girls move into a house all vying to be my best friend, I just thought it'd be fun and I'd also like to meet some new friends.

 

AP: Do you think you can find a real, lasting friendship this way? Do you have a preference of male or female?

 

Hilton: I just want to see the contestants and see how they are. I don't care if it's a boy or a girl, just as long as its someone I can trust, someone I can have fun with and just someone who's going to be able to like handle all the other things that are going to come with being my best friend.

 

AP: Like what?

 

Hilton: Just being in the media, just someone who's not going to care about that, just someone who cares about me.

 

AP: What are some of the qualities you're looking for in a new best friend?

 

Hilton: Just someone who's fun, someone who I can trust and just someone who, I don't know, just someone to get along with that is not going to screw me over. Just someone to have a great time with.

 

AP: You recently found a new best friend in Benji Madden. What are some of the challenges in finding friends you click with?

 

Hilton: It is hard meeting new people. Most of my friends I've had my entire life, like obviously my sister and Nicole Richie have been with me forever. So when I meet new people, I'm always a little wary of the reason they may want to become my friend. I can usually just tell by when we're out in public and there's paparazzi around, I see, you know, who gets a little bit too excited or whatever. I can tell how those people are.

AP: Because it's a show, it's possible that some contestants might be more interested in being on TV than being your best friend. How will you determine people's sincerity?

 

Hilton: We're at MTV right now and just going over all the challenges and different things we're going to be putting the contestants through. I can't really tell because they're all top secret.

 

AP: How has this experience been different from "The Simple Life" and your feature-film work?

Hilton: This is like completely different. "The Simple Life" was more fish-out-of-water, Nicole and I just doing things we've never done.

 

AP: What kinds of things appeal to you when you're looking at the videos on ParisBFF.com?

 

Hilton: Just people who are fun, people who I know are going to be great on TV, people who have fun personalities, they're not shy, the people who tell their deepest secrets, people who are open to being honest and having a great time. That's what my show's about.

 

AP: Talk about your role as executive producer.

 

Hilton: Actually I was a producer of "The Simple Life" as well. Well, just being in control of everything and making all the decisions and just really being on top of everything, coming up with ideas. The casting process, with "The Simple Life" I didn't do all that, so this has been a lot of work but a lot of fun as well.

 

AP: What else is going on with you?

 

Hilton: I've just been traveling for a while and just launched my clothing line and my shoe line. I'm just getting ready for my movie _ "Repo! The Genetic Opera" is coming out soon. So I'm just getting ready for that.

 

AP: With all your projects, do you still have time for fun?

 

Hilton: Not as much as I used to when I was younger. But I'm always traveling. I have a lot of businesses I run. Everything is so successful so it feels really great and I'd rather be working than doing anything else.

 

Hello everyone!

 

This is one way to maybe move your house in this depressed real estate market. Would you buy a ticket?

 

 

WHITE ROCK— For $100 and a 500-word essay, you get a one-in-2,500 chance to win a $250,000 house in this suburb of Los Alamos.

And it's not an April Fools' Day joke.

By Monday afternoon, Tiffany Lovell, 26, had received 500 hits at the site she posted just three days before, winahome.blogspot.com.

"Someone was sending me a question while I was putting the blog together," said Lovell, a stay-at-home mom of Emma, 9 months old, and wife to Todd, also 26, who works for a Los Alamos National Laboratory contractor.

"There are houses here that have been on the market over two years," said Tiffany. "We talked to a Realtor and she advised us, 'If you guys can keep the house at all and build up equity, that would be your best option.' ''

The winning buyer would get a great deal— contingent on the Lovells getting at least a quarter of a million bucks.

As the site says, "The entry fee ($100) will be refunded if we do not have 2,500 entries by the June 20th deadline."

So, do the math: That amounts to $250,000, which Tiffany says would cover the appraisal figure for the 1,200-square-foot, three-bedroom/one-bathroom house, the closing costs, an updated appraisal and a carpet allowance.

If they get more than 2,500 entries ... well that's called extra profit.

Greg Saunders, deputy executive director of the New Mexico Gaming Control Board, said Monday evening he couldn't comment on the legality of the win-a-home contest based on a reporter's description. He agreed to check out the contest site today.

The Lovells are renovating the bathroom and pulling up the apricot tree whose roots are pulling up the fence between their house and the neighbor's.

It isn't that the Lovells are unhappy with their house or even planning a move. "But we're young," said Tiffany. "We have friends where the husband got a new job in another town, and he's been gone for almost a year. The wife and two kids are still here because they couldn't sell their house."

And Tiffany is determined to keep her threesome together, whether it's making her family more mobile by selling their house early or finding a way to make her living at home on her scrapbooking Web site.

"We had seen something similar, a little mountain home in Colorado someone was trying to sell with an essay contest, so we thought we'd try this," she said. Or at least Tiffany thought she'd try it.

"I came home one day and it was just sort of done," said Todd. "My parents are like, 'What are you guys doing?' ''

But Tiffany is trying to deal with any glitches as they arise. "One person wrote and wanted to know what the taxes were going to be, so I put in a call to the accountant," she said. "And somebody wrote today and wanted to know if the essay was going to be judged on content or grammar. It's content."

The essay can be on any subject.

A panel of 10 Los Alamos-area people will judge the contest. Family members of the judges are excluded from entering.

"There's an insurance agent, a CFO of a bank, someone at the lab," she said, of the judges.

So far, no essays have been received, and no money. But with the amount of Web traffic the site is bringing, Tiffany was heading to the post office Monday afternoon to get a post office box. "I didn't think I would get this kind of feedback so fast," she said.

So far, no essays have been received, and no money. But with the amount of Web traffic the site is bringing, Tiffany was heading to the post office Monday afternoon to get a post office box. "I didn't think I would get this kind of feedback so fast," she said.

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

The creator and executive producer of CBS' "CSI" franchise is planning to write his memoirs.

Anthony E. Zuiker has signed a deal with Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, the company announced Monday. The book is set for release in the fall of 2009.

In the book, tentatively titled "Mr. CSI," Zuiker discusses his gangster father, and the decisions he made during his journey from Las Vegas bellhop to Hollywood mogul, Collins said.

"Most shocking is Zuiker's recollection of his father's suicide in Las Vegas, which happened the night he was on stage at the People's Choice Awards collecting his fourth statue for `CSI,'" the publisher said. "In a scene that could have been pulled from the show, Zuiker flew right to the scene and attempted to piece together his father's last hours."

The top-rated forensics drama "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," starring William Petersen, debuted on CBS in 2000, followed by the spin-offs "CSI: Miami" and "CSI: NY."

"My life has certainly been one of extremes," Zuiker said in a statement. "But they show that what may seem like bad luck or an accident of good fortune are in reality due to basic rules all of us can follow when making the decisions that affect our life and work."

 

Hello everyone!

 

 

Georgia's highest court on Monday threw out a lawsuit contending that NBC's "Deal or No Deal" violated state anti-gambling laws when it invited viewers to take part in a game via text message.

The Georgia Supreme Court ruled unanimously against Michael and Michele Hardin, who wanted NBC to repay them and other state residents for the cost of sending 99-cent text messages in hopes of winning a prize on the hit show's "Lucky Case Game."

The game challenged at-home viewers to guess which of six on-screen gold briefcases was the lucky case.

The couple's lawyer, Jerry Buchanan, called the game an illegal gambling operation and said state law allowed residents to retrieve money because "gambling contracts are void."

NBC attorneys, however, said the game was a promotional tool and not a lottery.

In is ruling Monday, the court said the text messages cannot be classified as a bet or a wager, and the state law "offers no avenue of recovery to plaintiffs."

The suit did not indicate how much the Hardins or other Georgians might have spent on the game. Calls to Buchanan and Joe Loveland, an attorney representing NBC, were not immediately returned.

The NBC show, hosted by Howie Mandel assisted by a flock of sexy models, gives the studio contestants a shot at up to $1 million, with dollar amounts hidden in 26 sealed briefcases.

NBC halted the at-home segment of the game — which typically offered a top prize of $10,000 — since the lawsuit, which was also the target of at least one court challenge in California. It is described on the show's Web site as "taking a short break."

NBC is majority owned by General Electric Co.

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I was surfing the 'net and found a pretty gross story in the Salt Lake City area that happened last month. Here it is complete with pictures of the idiots ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

SANDY - Three juveniles who were videotaped putting a bag of human feces in a microwave at a Salt Lake area convenience store were arrested on Thursday, police said.

On Mar. 23, three teenage boys entered a 7-11 convenience store located near 2100 East and 9400 South. After milling around the store for a few moments, police said they went over to the microwave and put a bag of human feces inside -- and then set the timer for ten minutes before leaving the store.

A few minutes later, the microwave blew up and sent the excrement and a putrid stench around the store. The appliance was destroyed and the entire store had to be fumigated for a long period of time -- resulting in lost profits, officials said. Overall, about $3,500 in damages occurred.

 

Police say they have arrested three teens they believe were involved in the incident.

---
SANDY, Utah (ABC 4 News) — Police in Sandy are looking for three men who were involved in cooking human feces in a convenience store microwave oven.

Police say one of the men placed a one gallon plastic baggie with human feces inside of it inside the oven and set the timer for ten minutes.

They say it happened on March 23rd at approximately 10:45 p.m. at the 7-11 at 2175 East 9400 South.

The men left the area, and after the bag exploded, it ruined the microwave costing approximately $3500.00 in damage. The store had to be aired out for a long period of time, causing lost profits.

Police released surveillance photos of the crime in hopes the suspects can be identified.

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I found this story about a new book that was written for young children. This will upset nearly all of you but I would love to hear your comments out there about this doctor's book.

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

GLOUCESTER, Mass.(AP) Sandra Bullock and her husband were unhurt after a head-on crash with a drunken driver, police said Saturday.

 

 

 

The actress and her husband, Jesse James of TV's "Monster Garage," were being driven in a sport-utility vehicle Friday night when a station wagon crossed the center line and hit them, said Gloucester police Lt. Jerry Cook.

 

Both vehicles were totaled, but no one was hurt. The vehicles were traveling 15 to 20 mph, Cook said.

 

The other car was driven by Lucille Gatchell, who registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.20 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent, Cook said.

 

She was held by Gloucester police overnight and released Saturday on personal recognizance. She is to be arraigned Tuesday in Gloucester District Court.

Gatchell did not immediately return a call seeking comment Saturday. Calls to representatives for Bullock were not immediately returned.

 

Bullock, 43, was "gracious" and concerned about whether Gatchell was OK, Cook said.

 

The actress, who starred in such films as "Speed" and "Miss Congeniality," is in Massachusetts filming the romantic comedy "The Proposal."

 

 

 

Police: Londonderry man, 'Crash' star hit by drunken driver By Crystal Bozek
Staff Writer

GLOUCESTER, Mass. — Sandra Bullock, star of movies including "Crash" and "Speed," had a real-life scare Friday night when she and her husband were hit by an alleged drunken driver, police said. They were not hurt when the sports utility vehicle they were riding in was hit head-on while traveling on East Main Street.

Bullock is on Cape Ann filming the Disney romantic comedy "The Proposal" with Ryan Reynolds.

The actress and her husband, Jesse James of "Monster Garage," were being driven to their hotel by Mark Hussey, 54, of Londonderry, N.H., when a station wagon crossed the center line and crashed into them, said Gloucester police Sgt. Chris Cook.

"It was actually a really minor accident. They both declined medical attention," Cook said. "We've gotten 5 million calls on this. ... I just keep saying it's really minor."

Police arrested the other driver, Lucille P. Gatchell, 64, of 19 Starknaught Heights, Gloucester, and charged her with driving under the influence of alcohol and failure to stay in marked lanes, according to the police report.

Gatchell, who was also unhurt, registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.20 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent, Cook said. She allegedly told police she had consumed a couple glasses of wine.

Officer Kevin Mackey, who made the arrest, said Gatchell did not realize whom she had hit until he advised her, and she then began giggling and laughing. At one point she fell and had to be caught by Mackey, reports said.

She was released on personal recognizance yesterday and will be arraigned Tuesday in Gloucester District Court. Gatchell did not return several phone calls for comment Saturday night.

Both vehicles were towed from the scene.

Police responded to the accident at about 9:50 p.m. Hussey told officers he was driving down the road at 15 to 20 miles per hour at the time of the accident and tried to avoid the veering Subaru. He could not be reached for comment last night.

Cook described Hussey's driving as "perfectly fine" and said the man was "distraught" afterward.

Police said Bullock and James were hugging each other as they approached the scene. The couple were driven away soon after by the star's security detail.

"Mrs. Bullock was very personable and was concerned for (Gatchell's) well-being," Mackey said.

Cook said the officers described Bullock, 43, as being very nice.

"I guess that's part of her appeal. She always comes off as being very sweet in her movies, and it must come naturally," Cook said. "She was concerned about this lady even though it was this lady who caused the accident."

Bullock has starred in such films as "The Lake House," "Miss Congeniality" and "While You Were Sleeping."

She had been filming in Rockport, where the film company has transformed parts of the seaside town into the Alaskan town of Sitka.

"The Proposal" is set in the Alaskan seaport village and tells the story of a high-powered publishing executive (Bullock) with an expired visa who is trying to avoid deportation to Canada by convincing her assistant (Reynolds) to marry her.

After wrapping up in Rockport, the production crew will move on to locations in Gloucester and Manchester later this month. It's set to be released in 2009.

 

Hello everyone!

 

I was surfing the 'net before I need to go to work and found this bizarre story that happens to be true. Some of the pictures may upset a few people so be aware okay?

 

Tree man 'who grew roots' hopes to marry after 4lb of warts removed

By Adam Lusher, Marianne Kearney and Aji Ramyakim

The 'Tree Man of Java' is hoping to get married after doctors performed four major operations to hack away the bark-like tissue sprouting from his hands and feet. Tree man ... Dede Koswara For 20 years Dede Koswara lived covered in warts with huge tree-like growths encasing his limbs.   Today Dede, whose plight was highlighted on the Telegraph website, can once more use his hands and walk without pain. He can see the outline of his toes for the first time in over a decade after medics cut more than 4lbs of warty horns from his legs and feet. He has also become a sudoko addict now medics have cut growths from his hands allowing him to hold a pen. Dede, 37, now hopes that he will resume a normal life after two more operations to graft undamaged skin onto his hands, feet and face. Speaking from an Indonesian hospital, he said: "What I really want first is to get better and find a job. But then, one day, who knows? I might meet a girl and get married." Dede's ordeal began when he was 15 and cut his knee in an accident. A small wart developed on his lower leg and spread uncontrollably. Eventually he had to give up work as a builder and fisherman, and scratch a living in a traveling freak show. His wife of ten years left him as it became impossible for him to support her and their two children. Late last year, however, Dede's plight was highlighted on Telegraph.co.uk and in a Discovery Channel documentary. The documentary team took American dermatology expert Dr Anthony Gaspari to Indonesia to see if he could find a cure. Dede Koswara, 37, who is also known as ‘The Tree Man of Java’ had underwent four major operations that hacked away the bark like tissue sprouting from his hands and feet. Dede was able to see the outline of his toes for the first time as medics removed more than 4lbs of warts from his body. Spending his last 20 years (his ordeal started when he was 15 and cut his knee where a small wart developed and spread) with the bizarre condition, Dede expressed that he wants to get better and find a job and hopes that one day he will meet a girl and get married. Dr Gaspari, of the University of Maryland, concluded Dede's affliction was caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a fairly common infection usually causing only small warts. Dede's problem was that he has an extremely rare immune system deficiency, leaving his body unable to contain the warts. The virus was therefore able to "hijack the cellular machinery of his skin cells", ordering them to produce massive amounts of the substance causing tree-like growths known as "cutaneous horns". Indonesian health officials have suggested that the mysterious immune problem may occur in as few as 200 people worldwide. Dede's counts of a key type of white blood cell were so low that Dr Gaspari initially suspected he may have the Aids virus. Immediately after the documentary was aired, a row seemed to be brewing over Dede's treatment. The Indonesian government was worried that Dr Gaspari had taken blood and tissue samples abroad without official authorisation. This was resolved, and Dr Gaspari has revisited Indonesia to meet the health minister Dr Siti Fadilah Supari. He is now liaising with the doctors caring for Dede at the Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung, West Java. Dr Lily Sulityowati, from the Indonesian Health Department, said: "Once Dr Gaspari met with the minister and explained all, we were happy to work with him." Dede went under the knife for his first operation in January. In the most recent operation, in March, doctors removed growths on his feet. The medics are now trying to ensure that the warts don't grow back. Dede is taking vitamin A tablets to boost his immune system, and Dr Gaspari is hoping to get expensive anti-viral medicine available only in the US. Dr Rachmat Dinata, the skin specialist leading the Indonesian doctors, said the final phase of operations should be completed in around three months. They will take skin from Dede's back and thigh and graft it onto damaged areas. Dr Dinata said: "There is still a high risk that there will be a recurrent growth of warts. So far, though, there has been some thickening of the skin, but no recurrent warts. Dede is very happy. Hopefully he will be able to socialise and work again." For now, Dede is passing the time in hospital doing sudoko puzzles. Skin grafts on his hands will allow him better movement in his fingers, but he can already punch numbers into a telephone and talk to friends. His father Ateng, 72, said: "You can see the form of his 10 toes now. He can wear flip flops. He loves doing sudokos. He is in good condition." Ateng added: "The first priority is to get cured and get a job, but as a father, of course I want my son to remarry. He is a normal guy and he is still a young man." View a video of the Tree Man at : http://video.finditt.com/ViewVideo.aspx?fileid=612 Half Man, Half Tree is also being shown as part of Channel Five's Extraordinary People series on Monday April 14 at 9pm.

 

Hello everyone!

 

 

 

 

When the Ex Blogs, the Dirtiest Laundry Is Aired

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

 

 

I still don't know where everyone has gone but wanted to share something really good that Pound Puppy did this morning.

 

We didn't go to bed until nearly 1AM this morning (I didn't get home from work until 11:30PM) so I "slept in" until 7:30AM and then had to let her out to go potty since she sleeps in our bedroom in her kennel. I wanted to take a quick cat nap since today I get paid for ten hours but since I get two lunch periods today, (I will see a total of three adults today and that's just the way it goes sometimes) I will actually be working twelve hours.

 

I was going back into the house and all of a sudden I heard Pound Puppy barking in her high pitched bark similar to when R's wall was sprayed with graffiti awhile back. I looked out of the kitchen window and saw her "going nuts" like something was wrong outside of the block wall out of my sight when I saw it. A white poodle who looked really tired was coaxed by Pound Puppy to come over to "her gate" which you can see in our photo album. I opened the garage door, grabbing Pound Puppy's leash. While Pound Puppy kept the poodle busy, I was able to put the leash on it and look for a tag.

 

Thank goodness the owner had not only the rabies tag (which was current) but had his name and phone number on another tag. I called the number and told him that I had his dog. He was near tears and said that he had been looking for him since last night and finally went to bed himself at 2:30AM and was just getting ready to look again before checking the pound when I called.

 

The poodle was nearly a mile away from home and I told the man that I would meet him at the church where we have our neighborhood watch meetings at so it would be sort of half way for both of us. I left Pound Puppy at home since I wasn't sure if the man had another dog and we walked down to the church. A man in his early 70's drove up in his Caddy and nearly ran for his dog.

 

I told him how our dog alerted me that his dog was outside of our gate and how she "kept him busy" so I could put on the leash. He wanted to give us some money and I of course, refused. I did accept a warm handshake though. He said that someone left the front gate open a bit and that's how he got out. He doesn't know how his dog made it so far away without getting hit by a car but promised to be more careful so that it won't happen again.

 

The dog literally leaped into the car and started licking "Daddy's" face which was the only reward that I really wanted.

 

Have a great day and if you have a dog, give him/her a kiss for Pound Puppy!

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

 

This adult is 25 years old but with his disability, his mental age is about 12 years old and is "girl crazy" which is the problem.

 

He has worked for his employer for about a year and a half and started having major problems nearly three months ago. His employer contacted my employer since he was on "maintain" where he only gets a job coach about fifteen hours a month agreed to go back to having a job coach for 100% of his shifts until he can turn it around or his employer was going to fire him. I had an entry about him where my boss, who has nicknamed me "the fixer" since I have turned around a couple other adults back into the good employee that they once were, sent me "to fix him" back to what he was when he first started a year and a half ago.

 

This guy was so good that his employer who was at first reluctant to hire a mentally challenged adult, was so happy with his performance that he wanted to hire "ten more if they are like A." which I took as a huge compliment since I was his first job coach.

 

 Go backwards to three months ago and the beginning of my problem ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On April 5th, the establishment was having a sidewalk sale and when I went outside for a break, the HR manager who was outside stopped me. This man of course would not spread idol gossip but he heard something from a reliable employee who was off duty that day and felt that me/my company needed to know. A. had gotten paid the day before (his check isn't direct deposited) and this reliable employee told the HR manager that she felt that A. had turned over his entire paycheck (they get paid every two weeks) to D. and told him hoping that he would see me before she did. I made another phone call to my boss and his case manager. Since I was speaking to the HR manager, I asked him if he was legally allowed to tell me if D. was fired as she claimed. He said that she quit her job and was amazed that she is now telling another story to everyone else and I thanked him for clearing that up.

 

 

As you know, she's old enough to be his mother and I already told you what she looks like with the hair but I didn't tell you that even though she's nearly 40 and trying to look 20 she really looks closer to 50. I believe the rumor that she is doing some kind of drugs and/or is an alcoholic. You know the look that I'm talking about I'm sure. But A. thinks she's pretty, go figure. Anyway, the thing that D. probably hooked A. is well known to about a dozen (if not more) associates because she offered to show anyone male or female who wanted to see it, her new piercing "down there" and offered the reliable employee a look right there in the company bathroom. She also had parties at her house and surrounds herself with younger guys who will "buy into" her world. And she's divorced with four kids with god knows how many fathers. I am so disgusted that A. is dazzled with her bull and obvious ways to get anything she can get out of him but I cannot say anything.

 

Yesterday A. changed his start time from 3PM-11PM to 9AM-4PM which meant I didn't get a lot of sleep since we worked until 11PM the day before. He told his supervisor that he need to switch his shift since he had a doctor's appointment. At the end of his shift yesterday, he started telling the male associates that he had a date with his girlfriend to go to the movies. They asked in surprise, what girlfriend since it's well known A. doesn't have a girlfriend. What's her name? They were shocked to hear that idiot, D's name brought up. Everyone here have told A. repeatly that D. isn't a real friend, real friends don't ask you for money. A keeps insisting that she is nice, pretty and his girlfriend and since he doesn't drive, will be picking him up to go to the movies. I saw him leave work and get into a car with a woman driving but she parked so far away, that I couldn't see her face clearly but I know it was her.

 

What else can be done to get through to him or is it a lost cause?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

Where is everyone? Anyhow, I found a story about Wal-Mart that you might find interesting.

 

 

Wal-Mart to log guns sold, then used in crimes

Largest seller of firearms will also videotape all transactions

Changes at Wal-Mart will affect about 1,100 stores that sell firearms.

Carissa Ray / msnbc.com   WASHINGTON - Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest seller of firearms, announced Monday it will toughen rules for gun sales, from storing video of purchases to creating an internal log of which guns they sell that are later used in crimes. J.P. Suarez, the chief compliance officer for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., appeared with outspoken gun control advocate Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York to announce the changes at a gathering of Bloomberg’s group Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Changes to come at about 1,100 Wal-Mart stores selling guns include:   Creating a record and alert system to record when a gun sold at Wal-Mart is later used in a crime. If the purchaser of that gun later tries to buy another gun at Wal-Mart, the system would alert the sales clerk of the prior buy and could refuse to make the sale. Retaining the recorded images of gun sales in case law enforcement wants to view them later as part of an investigation. Expanding background checks of employees who handle guns and expanding inventory controls. Suarez said the tougher standards will come with some additional cost to the company. “The costs are, we think, part of what it takes to be responsible. Everything is not pain-free,” he said, adding that small sellers can implement many of the same rules. He did not say how long it would take to implement all the changes, but noted that software must still be created for an internal log of guns later used in crimes. Suarez said his company may receive some pressure from gun rights groups, but added, “This is not a signal that we’re getting out of firearms.” The National Rifle Association denounced the company’s move. “I view it as a public relations stunt that stigmatizes law-abiding firearms purchasers exercising their freedom under the Constitution,” said NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre. He said that if politicians were serious about reducing gun crime they would worry less about legal sellers and buyers and get tougher criminal sentences for illegal gun dealers. “I honestly think it’s a corporation trying to curry favor with politicians as opposed to doing anything meaningful about stopping crime,” said LaPierre. Wal-Mart sells only rifles and shotguns in its U.S. stores, with the exception of Alaska sites, which also sell handguns. Bloomberg urged other companies to join Wal-Mart in the initiative called the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership. “We didn’t pressure them, they’re doing it because they think it’s the responsible thing to do,” he said. Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, had previously tried to establish a store in New York City but failed. The mayors’ gun summit also unveiled a new lobbying effort to close what they call the “gun show loophole,” which allows sales of firearms without background checks between private individuals at gun shows. Bloomberg founded the group two years ago with Boston mayor Thomas Menino to reduce the flow of guns from store displays into the hands of criminals. The group, largely funded by Bloomberg’s personal fortune, announced it was spending more than $100,000 on television ads, starting Wednesday, featuring all three of the current main presidential candidates voicing their opposition to the gun show loophole. The ads will run in the home states of the three candidates — John McCain of Arizona, Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois. It also will air across Pennsylvania, which holds its primary next week, as well as Florida, Maryland and Massachusetts. The mayors group is trying to gather support in Congress to:   End the gun show loophole. Require gun dealers to perform criminal background checks on all gun-handling employees. Close a so-called fire-sale loophole that allows gun dealers whose licenses have been revoked by the government to sell off their inventory without background checks. Add those placed on the terrorist no-fly list to the list of people prohibited from purchasing a firearm.

 

Hello everyone!

 

Before heading off to bed I found a story from the mother of the murdered Marine.

 

 

 

 

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Seven large boxes filled with Maria Lauterbach's personal belongings arrived back in Vandalia on Monday.

For the 20-year-old slain Marine lance corporal's family, touching all of her things — the prized softball glove, her soccer cleats, her favorite music CDs and the present she had bought her mother for Christmas — brought the reality of Maria's death home.

"It just sort of hits you, the finality of the whole thing," Mary Lauterbach said Friday, April 11.

The belongings had been shipped to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where Maria's father, Victor Lauterbach, is an Air Force Reserve master sergeant in the 87th Aerial Port Squadron.

Tucked inside one of the boxes was the gift the Butler High School graduate had gotten for her mother — the first season of her favorite TV show, "The Office." She planned to give it to her during Mary Lauterbach's planned visit on Dec. 21.

Lauterbach disappeared on Dec. 14, hours after talking to her mother on the phone.

Her body was found buried in the backyard of fellow Marine, Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean, on Jan. 11. By then, Laurean had vanished and authorities suspected he fled to Mexico. He was captured Thursday.

Lauterbach's family had already planned to attend today's Fitness Challenge at Fairborn High School in which Maria will be honored. The event starts at 1 p.m.

It was at that Fitness Challenge, when Maria was a 10-year-old fourth-grader, that she had a shining moment on the track.

Though the St. Christopher student was up against bigger, more experienced track runners in the final heat of the 400-yard dash, she managed to win "just by a hair. She gave it every ounce."

Her mother sees it as an example of her daughter's no-quit attitude.

"It parallels the whole rape accusation because, subtly or overtly, over all those months she did have a lot of pressure put on her to drop her charges, but she wouldn't do it," she said of her pregnant daughter.

Mary Lauterbach said her daughter told her the baby was a boy she planned to name Gabriel Joseph.

An autopsy determined Lauterbach likely died of blunt force trauma to the head. The report also found that she had a superficial incision on the left side of her neck that may have come after death. In a note to his wife, Laurean claimed Lauterbach slit her own throat and that he buried her body.

It remains unclear whether Laurean was the father of her unborn baby. Laurean denied the rape allegation.

Mary Lauterbach, who has been critical of the way the Marine Corps responded after her daughter reported the rape, said she wants to move on with the process "of seeing if there are ways the Marines can improve their handling of rape accusations to protect their young military personnel in the future."

U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville posed 29 questions to the Marines about whether they'd adequately protected the young woman. Mary Lauterbach said it has been a tremendous help having the congressman involved.

"I think Congress is the one institution the military responds well to and they listen to. That really is the primary avenue for affecting change."

Mary Lauterbach said she'll continue to speak out in hope of creating a better system to help other victims of sexual assault.

"I have every intention of that being my long-term life mission," she said.

 

Hello everyone!

 

I just got home from work and found an update to the story about the Marine. Where is everyone?

 

 

 

By TRACI CARL - Associated Press Writer

 

 

MORELIA, Mexico(AP)

 

 A Marine suspected of killing a pregnant colleague told police he slept in fields and survived by eating fruit that he found during a three-month manhunt that ended with his arrest in western Mexico, authorities said.

 

Working with FBI agents, police in the small town of Tacambaro arrested Cpl. Cesar Laurean on Thursday. He is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, who had accused him of rape. Her burned remains were found in January in the backyard of his home near Camp Lejeune.

 

Bearded, thin and chained at the wrists and ankles, Laurean spoke briefly with The Associated Press while being held at the Michoacan state Attorney General's Office in Morelia, the state capital. He appeared slightly disoriented and stared straight ahead, his eyes occasionally filling up with tears as he answered a reporter's questions in terse phrases.

 

"You know my name. You know who I am," Laurean said. Asked if he wanted to say anything, Laurean answered, "Proof," but wouldn't explain.

 

Asked what he would do next, he replied, "Do I have a choice? ... I don't know."

 

The FBI said Laurean, 21, is awaiting extradition to the U.S., although local prosecutors in North Carolina cautioned the process could take a year or more if he decides to fight it. Magdalena Guzman, a prosecutors' spokeswoman, said police carrying out an anti-kidnapping operation stopped Laurean as he wandered on a street because they thought he looked suspicious.

 

When they realized he didn't speak Spanish well, they became even more suspicious. After running his name through a computer and recognizing his distinctive tattoos they realized Laurean was wanted in the United States to face charges in Lauterbach's death. Guzman said Laurean told the arresting officers he had only 10 pesos about US $1 (euro.60) in his pocket when arrested.

 

U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said in a statement that "Laurean fled to Mexico early this year in the hope of avoiding justice" and called the arrest "a clear message to all would-be fugitives from U.S. law that Mexico will not provide them refuge."

 

Laurean, of Las Vegas, was born in Guadalajara, but family members there have said he moved to the U.S. more than 10 years ago. He had told members of his unit that he would flee to Mexico if it appeared he would be found guilty of rape. Authorities believe he entered Mexico on a bus on Jan. 14.

 

Lauterbach and Laurean were both personnel clerks in the same logistics unit at Camp Lejeune, an expansive coastal North Carolina base that is home to roughly 50,000 Marines. Detectives believe Laurean killed Lauterbach, who was 20 and eight months pregnant, on Dec. 14 after forcing her to remove money from her bank account.

 

Detectives have said Laurean left behind a note for his wife in which he denied killing Lauterbach but admitted burying her remains. In the note, Laurean said Lauterbach committed suicide by cutting her own throat.

 

Authorities rejected the assertion, saying evidence indicates Lauterbach died of blunt force trauma to the head. Authorities rejected the assertion, saying evidence indicates Lauterbach died of blunt force trauma to the head.

 

Lauterbach accused Laurean of rape last spring, a charge he denied and one that Naval investigators were unable to corroborate. Even though Lauterbach later told investigators she did not feel Laurean posed a danger or threat to her, the pair was separated on base. The Marines have said their regimental commander was intent on taking the case to a hearing that could have led to a trial.

 

Onslow County District Attorney Dewey Hudson has agreed not to seek execution in order to win the cooperation of Mexico, which refuses to send anyone back to the U.S. unless provided assurance they will not face a death sentence.

 

Hello everyone!

 

 

Suspect in pregnant Marine’s death in custody

Corporal who went on the lam after murder in N.C. apprehended in Mexico

updated 8:46 p.m. PT, Thurs., April. 10, 2008

 

Marine Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean, the key suspect in the brutal slaying of a 20-year-old pregnant Marine, in an undated photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps.

RALEIGH, N.C. -

 A Marine wanted in the brutal slaying of a pregnant colleague who had accused him of rape was arrested Thursday night in Mexico after a three-month international manhunt, authorities said.

FBI agents and Mexican authorities arrested Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean around 7 p.m. ET. He is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, whose burned remains were found in January in the back yard of his home near Camp Lejeune.

"You know my name. You know who I am," Laurean told The Associated Press while being held at the Michoacan state Attorney General's Office in Morelia, the state capital.

Asked if he wanted to say anything, Laurean simply said "Proof," but wouldn't explain. Asked what he would do next, he replied, "do I have a chance? ... I don't know."

Captured on the street

Magdalena Guzman, a spokeswoman for the state prosecutor's office, said Laurean was detained by Mexican police on a street in the small town of Tacambaro, Michoacan. Laurean matched a description circulated by U.S. authorities, Guzman said.

"He was walking down the street. He did not resist," said FBI spokeswoman Amy Thoreson. "We had FBI agents, NCIS agents as well as the Mexican authorities (there) at the time."

The FBI said Laurean, 21, is awaiting extradition to the U.S.

"Laurean's swift arrest in Mexico was due to the diligence and dedication of the Mexican government and our law enforcement partners," Nathan Gray, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Charlotte office, said in a statement.

"This was truly an international effort, and we will do all we can to ensure Laurean is brought back to Onslow County (N.C.) as quickly as possible to answer the charges against him."

Victim was eight months pregnant

Authorities believe Laurean killed the 20-year-old Lauterbach, an Ohio native who was eight months pregnant when she died, in mid-December. Detectives have said he left behind a note for his wife in which he denied killing Lauterbach but admitted to burying her remains.

In the note, Laurean said Lauterbach committed suicide by cutting her own throat.

Onslow Sheriff / EPA Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, 20, was eight months pregnant when she was murdered.

Authorities rejected the assertion, saying evidence indicates Lauterbach died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Tipped by the note, and not long after authorities went public in their search for the Lauterbach, detectives discovered the charred remains of the missing Marine and her fetus in a shallow grave in Laurean's backyard. Under North Carolina law, Laurean could not be charged in the death of the fetus.

Computer seized

Onslow County District Attorney Dewey Hudson told The Associated Press that investigators recently seized a computer belonging to Christina Laurean's sister, which Christina Laurean was using to communicate with her husband. He said he didn't know if evidence from the computer led directly to Laurean's arrest. He declined to discuss the contents of the communications, but authorities previously said Christina Laurean was cooperating with detectives.

"Just communicating with her husband is not against the law," Hudson said. "To be an accessory after the fact you have to show someone provided assistance like information or money, and we don't have any evidence of that."

Lauterbach and Laurean were both personnel clerks in the same logistics unit at Camp Lejeune, an expansive coastal base that is home to roughly 50,000 Marines. Detectives believe Laurean killed Lauterbach on Dec. 14, after forcing her to remove money from her bank account.

Fled to Mexico in January

Lauterbach accused Laurean of rape last spring, a charge he denied and one that Naval investigators were unable to corroborate. Even though Lauterbach later told investigators she did not feel Laurean posed a danger or threat to her, the pair was separated on base. The Marines have said their regimental commander was intent on taking the case to a hearing that could have led to a trial.

Laurean, of Las Vegas, had told members of his unit he would flee to Mexico if it appeared he would be found guilty. Authorities believe he entered Mexico on a bus on Jan. 14, two days after fleeing from Jacksonville. He was born in Guadalajara, but family members there have said he moved to the U.S. more than 10 years ago.

Marines under fire

Lauterbach's family has criticized the Marine Corps for what they feel was a lack of urgency in investigating the rape allegations. In a letter sent this week to Ohio GOP Rep. Michael Turner, who has rallied to the family's cause, the Marines said no effort was made to question Laurean about Lauterbach's disappearance because the two were no longer working together.

The Corps added the pair were no longer associated as far as their commanders knew and there was no evidence to indicate Laurean had anything to do with her unauthorized absence.

Phone messages seeking comment left at Lauterbach's parents' home in Vandalia, Ohio, at her uncle Pete Steiner's home, and with family attorney Chris Conard were not immediately returned late Thursday. A woman who answered the phone at the home of Laurean's father-in-law, Bruce Shifflet, near Prospect, Ohio, hung up without commenting when told of the arrest.

Mexico hesitated to extradite foreigners for much of the 1980s and 1990s, but U.S. officials have praised the county's increased cooperation in recent years. State Department officials said Mexico extradited 73 suspects to the U.S. in 2007, most to face drug or murder charges.

Extradition fight could take years

Sometimes Mexico will forego the traditional extradition and deport a suspected criminal for entering the country illegally — a much quicker process. More than 150 U.S. citizens were deported from Mexico last year.

Hudson said "it could be a year or two" before authorities are able to bring Laurean back to North Carolina if he decides to fight the extradition process.

"The extradition process is one where you have a right to appeal," Hudson said. "I have no idea whether he would waive extradition."

Should Laurean be returned to North Carolina to stand trial, it would be unlikely he would face the death penalty. Hudson agreed not to seek an execution in order to win the cooperation of Mexico authorities, who refuse to send anyone back to the U.S. unless provided assurance they won't face a death sentence.

"We had intel that he had gone back to America to visit his family in Las Vegas and I was hoping they would arrest him in America," Hudson said. "But they didn't. This is a case that certainly is deserving to be tried as a capital case."

Any comments out there?

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I tried to post this last night but even MSN wasn't helping!

 

This is something that needs to be said and is really upsetting. I haven't had an entry about "the ladies" for a while since one of them died. I cannot keep this to myself any longer.

 

As my regular readers know, we have been friends with our older neighbors M. and R. for over eighteen years and M. died right after Thanksgiving last year. R. had a really hard time losing her best friend and sister, so she would call on me as early as 5AM when she freaked out and couldn't find her. They both have dementia and I would come over until she calmed down (usually a few hours, try to catch a cat nap before going to work until 11PM sometimes.) Right after M. died, I went through her rolodex looking for the people to call. The first call was Aunt Jean in TX who is the youngest sister of their mother so she's also close to 90 herself but still lives at home with her daughter living a few blocks away. They would talk once a week or at least every other week for as long as I can remember. The next call I made was to M's friend who lives about 3 miles away and the final call was to cousin, Allan. He lives about 75 miles away from us and said that he was on his way. He drove his Porsche so fast that he was here in about an hour. He was very concerned and upset but of course the story changed...

 

Very long story short, R. ended up going to his house "until R. could emotionally and physically be available to attend her sister's mass and funeral." That was last year and I haven't been able to talk to her or see her since then. I have spoken to Allan a few times and he has always said that either R. was sleeping or was with his wife shopping. I didn't give it too much thought since I thought I knew this guy well enough and my job and had my mind on so many other things. Well, Aunt Jean and her daughter called me once a month, sometimes twice and we exchanged information about R. and how she must be doing.

 

In the space of a few days this week, I found out that Allan's phone has been disconnected and things finally fell into place for all three of us. Since there's nothing that I can do since I am not related to either M or R, Aunt Jean and her daughter asked me to speak to the CPA who I did know who set up the trust for M. He was surprised at the things I was able to find on the 'net about Allan and not many things are pretty to read to say the least.

 

I was able to find out that his company filed for Chapter 11 in December 2002, another company with the same address, phone took its place and had some shady dealings that really made my blood boil. I wish I could tell you more detail but it really doesn't matter to the overall scope of my anger. Now I find out that he started yet another company using the same address, phone but the phone is disconnected as well as the only phone number that we had to speak to R.

 

I gave all of this information to the CPA and told him that I need to know if he can legally help me in one big area of his expertise. How can we see if Allan has stolen R's money and/or if she has given him power of attorney over her money? He said that he couldn't help me but agreed that something sounded really wrong and advised me to tell Aunt Jean to call the police. I told him that we haven't spoken to or seen R for over four months now and that all three of us are worried sick.

 

So I called Aunt Jean's daughter and told her what I found out and sent her a detailed email of phone numbers (Local police department, R's doctor, assessor's office etc.) and another email of all of the dirt I dug up about Allan and his business dealings of the stuff I found. She immediately made airplane reservations and called the police department explaining to them the whole thing. The police will be meeting them (Aunt Jean, daughter and daughter's husband) at Allan's house and based on what they find (or not find) they will make a report or more. I have to work tomorrow and cannot get out of it but they will be coming up here and we will meet then. They want to see M and R's houses (which look abandoned since the grass hasn't been mowed in about three months) and it's obvious no one lives there. We don't know what happened to R's cat, Miss Sophia who wasn't able to go to Allan's house. For a very long time; the Saturday before Easter to be exact, R's newspaper was delivered every morning and I would pick it up from the driveway and place it on the bench next to the front door. I would check both houses, and leave notes inside the paper for R. At first, he would drive up daily, then it was every two days, then after a while it was five days. I wasn't given a key to the house after he changed the locks on both houses and he would also get the mail, make sure the bills were paid and feed the cat. I haven't seen the cat for a long time but she likes to hide and since I can only look at the front of the house, the only time I would see her would be when she would be if pushed the drapes aside to look outside.

 

Tomorrow they will be here armed with the information that I found and we will see what happens.

 

 Please pray that R is okay!