Vox

'Feisty' Granddad

Don't mess with the HoverRound set

 

Just want to give him a hug, he makes me miss my grandpa

One Born Every Minute

An Oregon woman who is out $400,000 after falling for a well-known Internet scam says she wasn't a sucker or an easy mark

Let's examine that, shall we? Bad enough that she fell for it in the first place, but later in the story we learn that:"Her family and bank officials told her it was all a scam, she said, and begged her to stop"

She mortgaged the house, the car, her husband's retirement account - despite being warned, despite having those around her beg her to stop.

Nope, that doesn't sound like a sucker to me at all.

Touching

Sweet story about McCain & Sarahcuda, and some of the people they have met along the way.

Class Warfare

From a ridiculous, and apparently inaccurate, article on the cost of Cindy McCain's Monday night outfit, comes this comment:

I respect rich people who EARNED their money. Don't ask me to respect someone who got their money from daddy. Her only success is being born into the right family

So, according to this genius, every generation has to start from scratch. It doesn't matter how hard your parents work, when they die it all has to go in to some giant "lock box" and you have to earn all your own money.

Well, that will certainly encourage people to work hard.

BTW: The estimate, $300,000, is based not on the dress, but on the jewelry. Several jewelers have since said something along the lines of, "there is no jeweler selling 3 carat diamond earrings that will cost you $280,000."

1) Why shouldn't she spend her money on pretty things if she wants to?
2) Don't bother to mention how much of her time and money go to charity.
3) How much did the Mrs. Obama & Biden spend? Why only mention the GOP budget?

Extreme Makeover: Idiot Edition

I often wonder about the families in distress that are helped by these type of shows; how did they get in such bad shape, how do they fare after the cameras leave.

Now we have the answer - they get in trouble because they have no financial sense at all. Zero.

Seems that Access Atlanta doesn't play nice without registration, so the article is below.

'Extreme Makeover' house in foreclosure
Clayton County family may lose luxury remodeled home in Lake City

By STAFF REPORT
accessAtlanta
Published on: 07/25/2008

From extreme makeover to extreme foreclosure?

A Clayton County family that got the area's first luxury remodeling job from the television show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" now faces foreclosure, according to television news reports.

A foreclosure notice on the home in Lake City appeared last Friday, indicating that a $450,000 second mortgage the owners took out less than 15 months ago was in default, WSB-TV reported.

Patricia Harper, the homeowner, told WSB she and her husband had struck a deal with Chase Home Finance to rescue their "extreme" home and that there will be no foreclosure auction. Chase said they couldn't confirm that claim.

Harper told WSB they invested the loan proceeds in a construction business and the business hasn't been good. She didn't say how much of the money is left.

The home at 5489 Ahyoka Dr. has 5,500 square feet after the 2005 makeover, WGCL CBS46 reported.

Lake City mayor Willie Oswalt was among the volunteers who helped build Harper's home 3 1/2 years ago, and Beazer Homes was the main sponsor. The mayor told WSB he is baffled.

"Beazer gave them $100,000 cash, paid their mortgage off and they still can't make it," said Oswalt.

Like A Movie

What would you do in that moment?

Man Is Rescued by Stranger on Subway Tracks

And another one: 2 NYC Men Save Toddler From 4-Story Fall Off Fire Escape

R.I.P. - Gerald Ford

Former President Gerald Ford died Tuesday at the age of 93

As the Crow Flies

"Which is why, to bring us back to the theme with which I started this missive, sometimes it's better to keep your thoughts to yourself."

But, in Tony's case, I am glad he shares.

Idiots....

...who shouldn't be allowed to procreate.

And after killing her child, in what must be a horrendous way, her lawyer says she shouldn't be charged because she just lost her child.

"She's very grieved over the loss of her son. Here's a poor lady who's lost her child, and on top of that they come back and charge her with murder."

Huh?

Heartwrenching...

...and beautiful.

I have been trying all day to come up with words in reference to what Tony and his family have been through. I give up and will just steal, verbatim, what Michael said:

Sand in the Gears posted again today. He posts rarely, but his posts are always poignant.

Today he shares that his daughter would have been nine today, and how he’s learned how to live with her loss. Through it all, his faith carries him and his family.

If you want to read the whole story of Caroline first before you wish her a happy birthday, have a box of tissues handy first.

I do have to add that perhaps a single box of tissues isn't enough. A beautiful story of a beautiful life and tragic loss. What amazing strength they have, and what a gift that he has shared his story, his struggles and his triumphs, with us.

Missed the Meaning

Today was Martin Luther King, Jr Day.

I'm sure he'd be so proud of all you losers.

UPDATE: Lori saw the news, too - but she is nicer and more thorough in her reporting

Party Tips

For those of you grappling with how to celebrate the season without offending anyone - BlameBush has spelled out the plans for a company party, that somehow manages to not blame Bush specifically - just Christians in general.....

BTW: if you miss the humor in it, there is no hope for you. You have no funny bone - perhaps you can get on a transplant list.

Excuse Me

Todays lunch: Wendy's

Todays headache: Michael Moore look-alike in line ahead of me, talking on his cell phone.

Now, I don't generally have a problem with cell phones - talk all you want as long as you don't mess with me. So this guy is yapping away and gets to the counter and I hear him say, "hang on a second" and I think he means whoever is on the other end of the line. Nope, he means the cashier - which also means those of us in line behind him.

I am just about to jump in front of him when someone else does to get a refill - which doesn't bug me so much, no big deal really. Then he turns to me and says "sorry for just barging in like that, that was rude"

And I say "no problem, apparently I have to wait for him to finish his conversation to place my order"

Michael Moore look-alike moves to the side to finish his convo.

There Are No Words

Texas Child Protective Services had recently closed a seven-month investigation, concluding that Schlosser did not pose a risk to her children

Friends & Trust

So, some of you know that I have been painting my ex-roommate's new house - or parts of it anyway. He is paying me a (very) little to do it, mostly I am doing it because he is a friend and I enjoy painting.

This weekend he was out of town so I took the opportunity to paint his master bedroom which he wanted beige. He wants everything beige. I mixed some left over paints from some of my other jobs and from the previous homeowners to make a medium beige for his accent walls. He is big into accent walls. I had to pick up some more tape, rollers and paint...he had to have a specific light beige on the other walls. When he got back I told him, "I spent XX dollars on your stuff at Home Depot, but 15 of it was for a drop cloth that I will keep and use so just deduct that"

And he says, "just show me those receipts and I'll get you a check" He could see all the stuff there in his house, I can't believe there was really any question.

And I can't believe that I have to prove to a friend of 5 years, a friend who lived in my house for 4 years!, a friend who's house I have been trying to make more comfortable for him, that I really spent that money on him.

WTF!?!?

And at first I was so offended I was just gonna skip it - but I want my $$.

Jerk.

News

It is old news, but it bears repeating - since it seems to have been ignored.

There are not 400,000 "extra" embryos just waiting to unleash untold cures upon the world. (Hat Tip to T.C.H.O.T.P.)

There are many people in this country suffering from horrible diseases, diseases that have been used in various attempts to scare the public into an outcry for ESCR. They and their families hope and pray for a cure to end the downward spiral - I know this first hand. I can't, however, find a way to justify killing even one "leftover" child to save my grandmother (who has advanced Alzheimer's) and/or my mother, my sister and myself (who are at risk) The "abortion first" folks use those hopes, and fears, to promote their agenda - children are disposable and, if they are inconvenient, should simply be destroyed. They see an opportunity to dress up that view in the guise of "the search for a cure", but the killing of innocents is still the killing of innocents.

I wrote previously about Stem Cells & Alzheimers, and we got a bit of a discussion going in the comments. There are many methods of harvesting stem cells that don't require the killing of children, methods that seem to offer more promise for the treatment of diseases.

Priorities

From This Is Broken come two interesting stories:

First, an artist who proves that academic excellence is secondary to "intent", even when it comes to a library.

Second, the Michigan absentee ballot - which makes it impossible to intentionally vote for Bush/Cheney, but will cast your vote for them if you try to vote for Kerry/Edwards. There better be a solution brewing now.

Don't Drink and Drive

OK, I've been so drunk that I couldn't remember anything (when I was much younger) I've also been that drunk, had something intense happen, and "sobered up" real quick. I know I didn't really get sober, but I got more aware

I can't imagine being anywhere drunk enough to not notice being covered in blood, my headless friend in the car next to me.

And there is no way I believe this man was so drunk that he didn't know what he was doing - and his being drunk while 'watching' his 5 year old son shows that the mother was right in her custody dispute, but too late.

construction

Student Talks About Condoms on National TV

Got this from ArcaMax News, can't find a confirmation or contradiction.

LOS ANGELES (UPI) -- A New Mexico teenager who balked at tasting flavored condoms in her ninth grade sex education class has been invited to appear on a CBS talk show.

Producers for "The Larry Elder Show" flew the unidentified teenager and her mother, Lisa Gallagos, to Los Angeles Wednesday to talk about the situation on the program, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.

The controversy centers on a state Health Department employee who taught a sex ed class at Santa Fe High School and encouraged students to taste flavored condoms.

When Gallagos' 15-year-old daughter refused to put the condom into her mouth, Tony Escudero reportedly said "Come on, sweetie, have a little fun."

When a male student said he found sex between two men repulsive, Escudero allegedly said, "Someday you might like it that way."

After The New Mexican reported the incidents in July, the state's health department investigated and found no wrongdoing on the part of Escudero.

Copyright 2004 by United Press International.

emphasis mine

Sanity

I'm with Lisa, the UK appears to have gotten this one right

Reagan Procession

Amazing to watch, will post thoughts as they occur to me.

:: It must be an amazing honor to be one of the servicemen chosen to carry the casket. Does anyone know how they are selected? I know there are rigorous guidelines for the color guard at every base, must be very intense standards for men who will carry a Presidential casket.

:: Nancy looks amazingly composed - she is a very dignified lady, a treasure.

:: Someone just shouted out "God bless you, Nancy!" Not sure whether that is sweet or completely inappropriate. It is too somber of an occasion for random shouts from the peanut gallery...but isn't it what we are all feeling?

:: The riderless horse just makes me cry; seeing Reagan's boots in the stirrups, the sword on the saddle, knowing how much he had loved to ride....

:: There are so many people lining the streets, such an outpouring of love and respect. Such a great man.

:: The announcers are talking about the grandeur of the ceremony, all the pomp and circumstance, almost sounds disapproving. Noting that Ron & Nancy planned and signed off on all events. Mention that Nixon elected not to do the Presidential funeral. I can't imagine them trying to skip these important public events - the office is too substantial, he was too important to our country, too many people want the opportunity to pay their respects as demonstrated by the volume of people who passed through the library in Simi Valley and are currently lining the streets in D.C.

:: There will be a fly over soon - that should be very impressive

:: Announcer telling the story of a military pilot taking pains to express the love he and other soldiers feel for Ronald Reagan. Comments that Reagan was a friend of the military

:: Watching channel 3 - lousy coverage of the fly over, hope you guys got a better view

:: John McCain appears to be quite jovial - which seems quite inappropriate.

:: Still think the Air Force dress uniform looks the nicest - might be biased there, as well

:: People in the office talking too loud so I can't hear the TV :-( They are right next to each other - and practically shouting.

:: Anyone hear who the officer is who is escorting Nancy? What an important job, that would be another one you'll remember for the rest of your life.

:: Kind of interfers with the gravity of the situation to see that photographer there chomping his gum :-|

:: Comment in the office re: Nancy "That a really classy lady"

:: T.S Elliot quote?

:: Props to Nancy in the speech for her strength and loyalty

:: "A man who appealed to our best hopes instead of our worst fears"

:: "he actually brought freedom to hundreds of thousands of people around the globe"

:: "an unparallelled leader and an exceptional man"

:: "it is our turn to thank Ronald Reagan for making us believe in that shining city"

:: "when others weakened, President Reagan stood tall"

:: "Knowing this moment would come has not made it any easier"

:: "his largeness of spirit"

:: I can't see a flag draped coffin without tears, because I know what it means.

:: The choir sings - wow! They are great.

:: The Reverend has an amazing voice

:: I can't begin to imagine how hard this is for Nancy to have to say good-bye to him over and over again, in public, all week. I hope she gathers some comfort in seeing how many people love him and want to show that love and respect.

:: Announcer debating the fact that Reagan ended the Cold War - idiot. Not only is he wrong, his timing is wrong as well.

:: Now discussing how much this funeral is costing the U.S. - bah!

:: All in all it was a ceremony befitting the man. I am glad he and Nancy decided to allow the full breadth of tribute.

The Message You Send the World

I was driving down 35th Avenue yesterday and saw a truck with a bumper sticker on it that said: "My other ride is your boyfriend"

What is going through this person head when they buy that? And actually sticking it on their car? I can see her starting her shopping trip with the thought, "I'm a skank and I want the whole world to know, maybe I can find a bumper sticker that will show that"

It's All Relative

In reading the comments over at Buzzmachine regarding Elton John's charge that American Idol is racist, I came across these observations from hen:

Let's see, last year a big fat black dude won, the year before the runner up was a bi-racial kid, and this year (what?) three of the remaining 6 kids are not white, but no it's "racist".

Laughable and stupid, but i guess Sir Elton has a CD to plug or something and he needs the press.

[snip]

In Sir Elton's world, Eminem is neither a misogynist or homophobic, and AI is racist. Someone see if he hit his head on his piano.

Right on the money, hen.

40

Much was made of Pat Tillman's decision to give up his multi-million dollar NFL contract to join the Army as a Ranger, so profoundly moved was he by the events of 9-11.

Paul Beston called him
The NFL’s Lonely Hero

Peggy Noonan noted he was
Privileged to Serve

And now we find that he has given up more than his millions in service to this country - Pat Tillman was killed in action Thursday in Afghanistan.

My condolences to his friends and family. He and his brother truly represents what is good and right and possible in this country. Judging by their actions, one can imagine what an amazing family they come from.

I am saddened by his death, and heartened by his life.

UPDATE: Zonitics has some suggestions for fitting tributes to Tillman as well as rounding up posts from bloggers, Arizonan and otherwise. It looks like he linked me, but it didn't register with my trackback - don't want you to miss it.

UPDATE: Local coverage

UPDATE: Nice quote from John McCain via Fox News~

"There is in Pat Tillman's example, in his unexpected choice of duty to his country over the riches and other comforts of celebrity, and in his humility, such an inspiration to all of us to reclaim the essential public-spiritedness of Americans that many of us, in low moments, had worried was no longer our common distinguishing trait"

Moving

Jeff Jarvis has a very moving and thought provoking post up today about Memorials and monuments.

He is right, and sometimes it is "the artifacts of lives" that make the deepest impression.

Happy Anniversary

Have to send out a Happy Anniversary to T.C.H.O.T.P.. As of today, he and Mrs. C.H.O.T.P. have officially been married forever. OK, it's actually 16 years.....pretty darn impressive.

For those of you who don't know, T.C.H.O.T.P. is my brother.

Mrs. C.H.O.T.P.? Pretty darn cool, as well. Not to mention all their extremely cool kids....

UPDATE: I say 16 years is forever because I got married 6 months after him - and didn't make it to 10.

Does This Taste Funny?

I've never trusted food sold out of a cart, particularly in other countries (OK, particularly in Mexico) Now there is reason to believe I was right to be suspicious.

Heartbreaking

It's amazing to me that it will be someone's job to defend this guy.

Does Washington have the death penalty?

Full of Himself

I had a passenger get bumped off a flight (that happens when you don't have a confirmed seat) Generally, people who get bumped are disgruntled, as you can imagine, but this guy takes the cake. He kept insisting that we bump off the "inconsequential people" so he could get on.

I wonder just how we determine who that is?

Tragedy

If any of my readers live in Chandler, Saturday would be a good time for a car wash A small gesture that might provide a small amount of comfort to the family, just in knowing that people care.
UPDATE: New story link

Ashley was in the Ballet Etudes productions with two of my young family members for the last several years - she was very talented and sweet. Such a loss for her family and friends.

There's more....

No, I didn't actually know Ashley. I knew of her, and some of my family knew her pretty well. I think this is probably quite hard for them.

From the first Ballet Etudes performance I saw, Ashley was a standout. I didn't know her name at the time and she wasn't a soloist, at least not by the conventional definition. She was in the featured groups - one of the sugar plums, one of the Chinese dancers, one of the wicked step-sisters. She had such a bright, dynamic presence you couldn't help focusing on her - this tiny girl who filled the stage.

I remember after one show, seeing her backstage and commenting to my brother how much I enjoyed watching her performance. His response was, "Ashley? Yeah, she is pretty special" So, then I knew her name and I agreed that she was special. I looked forward to seeing her almost as much as I looked forward to seeing my girls.

Through the years I watched her get ever more special and difficult roles, the last two years dancing the part of the Snow Queen in the Nutcracker. She seemed to grow ever more special as well - one of those teenagers who makes you see the possibilities open to her, not the problems adolescence can bring. There are many great kids in the Ballet Etudes family and any of them would be a horrible loss - I just was particularly touched by her bright, warm smile and talent.

The car wash: Often people hold these memorial car washes to help a grieving family. When a parent dies, particularly a bread winner, there is a financial burden left for the family. In those instances a couple hundred dollars can ease the stress. When a child dies the burden is different. I don't believe a couple of extra dollars will ease their pain (in fact, I wouldn't be surprised to find they donated the money to a cause Ashley would have supported - dance scholarships, perhaps) I do think that knowing dozens of people took the time to show up and contribute, to let them know their daughter was a bright light in the world and that she will be missed, may be a comfort.

Consider also how her friends must feel. Faced with such a tragedy, there is often an overwhelming feeling of helplessness. In this car wash her friends get to come together and do something. Show they care, give to this family. In the old tradition that had our mothers delivering casseroles to a grieving family, these youngsters are giving of their time in an effort to ease the Mitchell's grief.

No ACLU in Holland

From ArcaMax Off The Wall:

FED-UP shopkeepers are resorting to ruff justice after repeatedly falling victim to thieves. Stores in the Dutch city of Utrecht have installed dog cages on their shop floors, where they lock up shoplifters until police arrive. They say the threat of being caged in public is enough to keep even habitual shoplifters on a tight leash.

Life Is Hard...

...when you break the law. At least it should be.

Now one of the lame-a** wastes of carbon matter, who held hostage and sexually assaulted a female guard for 15 days, is complaining that he didn't get all the terms of the negotiated surrender. As Zonitics puts it, Boo Fricking Hoo.

Their Family Must Be So Proud

So, Mr & Mrs Bustamante raised at least two losers. From News of the Weird

California Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (runner-up to Arnold Schwarzenegger in the October recall election) is not the family's only public figure. As the San Francisco Chronicle reported in September, his sister Nao Bustamante, 39, is a prominent performance artist whose work includes (1) wearing a strap-on burrito for men to kneel before and bite in order to absolve themselves of "500 years of white man's guilt" and (2) sticking her head into a plastic bag filled with water and tying it around her neck to resemble a Houdini stunt, to create "an urgent situation to respond to." [San Francisco Chronicle, 9-29-03]

Thinning the Herd

Put a bunch of stupid people in close proximity, and someone's gonna get hurt...

Readers choice from News of the Weird:

As part of a hazing ritual for a new Ku Klux Klan member near Johnson City, Tenn., in November, several Klansmen would shoot the man with paintball guns while another simultaneously rapid-fired a 9mm pistol overhead to make the pledge believe he was being shot with a real gun.

According to police, one of the bullets, fired straight up in the air by Klansman Gregory Allen Freeman, 45, came down through the skull of Klansman Jeffery S. Murr, 24, who was hospitalized in critical condition. Freeman was arrested. [Johnson City Press, 11-24-03]

Strange Question

I spent last weekend out of town with S.O.Man's family; he drove, I flew (did I mention it's free?)

His mother asked me, "Would I offend you if I said you look like you've lost a lot of weight?"

Now, I have lost some weight, thank you very much. However I don't know what that question means? "I realize what I am about to say is offensive, but have convinced myself that if I preface it with that buffer it is OK"

If I am going to be offended, you've gone and done it - if I answer "yes" you can't take it back. If I am not going to be offended, then you have diminished the statement (which I would otherwise have taken as a compliment) by suggesting there was a discourteous component to it.

I know, I know, I'm being nit-picky - but people often use this tactic and it baffles me.

Happy Day to A Great Guy

Today is Ryan's Birthday! Head on over and wish him a happy one.

I hear he has some interesting plans for the day - let's hope he blogs it.

Good Riddance

From ArcaMax News:

WTC SCAMMER GETS MAX SENTENCE
A New York City man will spend the next 11 to 33 years in prison for fabricating a son he claimed died in the attacks on the World Trade Center.

Prosecutors said 54-year-old Cyril Kendall, the father of 12, made up a 13th son, Wilfred, to con American Red Cross and other charities out of more than $160,000, the New York Post reports.

Kendall, who left court still saying he had lost a child, provided a dossier of misspelled, ungrammatical documents that appeared forged as his defense, plus four of his children testified that Wilfred did exist, but no genuine documents were presented.

"Mr. Kendall has exhibited a total disregard for society and a lack of moral value," said Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Ronald Zweibel.

Speechless

This is a long read, but worth the time. It takes a closer look at the "Falling Man" picture from 9/11.

It makes my heart break all over again at the thought that people were forced to make that choice - die in a fire or die in a fall. And to find that some consider the latter choice akin to suicide, and condemn those who made it, sickens me.

Another Great Loss

In the frenzy of the past week, this sad news escaped my notice.

Edward Teller passed away Tuesday at the age of 95

Pulling Bad news from Good

From Chuck Shepherd:

The New York Times reported that activists working to encourage organ donations deplored the recent shortage of superior young organs for transplant, in large part because murder and traffic fatality rates have come down (August).

It's all about your priorities, most people would see a reduction in murder and traffic fatality rates to be a positive. I find organ donation to be one of the great selfless acts, and transplantation to be miraculous. I don't, however, wish that more people would die young so there would be a greater supply of viable hearts.

But that's just me.....

Eye of the Beholder?

As I posted earlier, I have taken a new job. Still working on learning my airport codes, but with a bit more understanding (or at least interest) now. Leave it to my brother, The Coolest Human On The Planet, to send help.

Yesterday, I had to go to the airline's offices to get fingerprinted, then down the road for the drug test. The fingerprinting involved standing in line in a narrow hallway for 3 1/2 hours...and finding out that I am, now what was the exact word, oh yes -"ugly"

Now, I know I am no supermodel. But, I never thought I was Quasimodo either. Apparently, I was wrong...

Who would say such a thing?

Well, here's the set up. I am standing in line with about 15 people, mostly men, all waiting to get fingerprinted. In the middle of the line is a young, very good looking girl (we'll call her CG, 'cause she is a cute girl) the only other female. I am near the back. The large (married) man behind me (we'll call him Bob Thomas, 'cause that's his name) starts talking to CG, who it turns out is from Hawaii.

Bob says to her "Why aren't you a model? You are like a diamond in this row of mutts"

CG looks embarrassed. I say, "Thanks a lot!"

Bob says, "I'm serious, the rest of us together couldn't make one pretty girl"

CG looks genuinely pained by what he has just said, but she seems to be the only one who realizes how loutish it was. Then a guy from the front of the line says to her, "Yeah, how'd you get in this line - this is the ugly people's line"

I know I'm not a 20 year old Hawaiian girl in a mini skirt, but please!

Nice. Did I mention I am really not sure of this job? Do I really want to work with people that are this obnoxious? Even if I looked like Sasquatch (I don't) that would still have been so rude. Unbelievable.

So, I got to spend 3 1/2 hours with those morons, just to get fingerprinted. Then I got to wait for over an hour - with the same jerks - for the drug test.

Did I mention the pay at this job is horrid? But the travel benefits.......

Testosterone 2

When it's good, it's really, really good.

It builds cities, it defends freedom, it inspires greatness.

Testosterone 1

When it's bad, it's really, really stupid.

For an example of a man on the opposite end of the spectrum, see my next entry.

Can't Judge a Book...

From ArcaMax news:

MEDFORD, Ore. -- An Oregon man known for brandishing a shotgun and chasing children off his farm has left a much kinder and gentler legacy. Wesley Howard, 87, died in March of a stroke. He was considered an oddity -- a loner who never married, never left Oregon, and lived his whole life in the same place he was born, a century-old farmhouse without phones or toilets. But his will reveals a much different man, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday. He bequeathed his entire estate, worth more than $11 million, to create a youth sports park on his 68-acre farm. After his father's death in 1972, Howard lived in the house by himself and apparently had a strong aversion to throwing things away. Both floors were stacked ceiling-high with newspapers and magazines dating to the early 1900s. Upstairs bedrooms were equally cramped, filled with some of Howard's boyhood toys.

I bet the stuff he accumulated is worth a pretty penny, too. This is my kind of giving - private sector funding.

There Are No Words

There must be a special level of hell for people who abuse children. Perhaps another more heinous level if you treat your own children worse than animals in a zoo.

So many couples jumping through hoops to begin their families, and people like this are able to reproduce.

Criminal Behavior

Yesterday, a babysitter left one of her charges, an 18-month-old child, strapped in a van parked in the driveway at her home. The precious child cooked to death in temperatures well over 100 degrees. Her father was not notified and so arrived at the house that evening to pick her up - only to have the police break the news to him.

This case is tragic on so many levels and my heart breaks every time I hear about this happening. Yes, I said everytime, because this happens over and over here. In this instance the babysitter apparently forgot about the baby when she took two other children inside. Sometimes, a parent simply decides they will only be in the store (or office or whatever) for a few minutes and it isn't worth the hassle to take their child. This is the epitome of stupidity, even in the dead of winter.

The odds of a child being kidnapped are slim, but even the slightest possibility should be a deterrent. The interior of your car reaching fatal temperatures is a given in this place where temperatures outside of the car are regularly over 100 degrees. These stories are reported often enough that a claim of ignorance doesn't hold.
UPDATE: I just heard that 12 children have been killed this year after being left in hot cars, they didn't have a number for those who were left but recovered. For instnce, a few months back a mother forgot her newborn when she went in for a doctor's appt. She remembered 20 minutes later when the receptionist said, "how's the new baby?". Her car had been in the shade and still the child needed medical care, but survived.

I believe anyone who leaves a living creature (people often do this to pets, as well) to suffer that way should be prosecuted. I am not familiar enough with the statutes to know which can be used in these instances, but I think manslaughter in the least.

I am sure the babysitter who killed her charge yesterday is suffering horribly from guilt - but that doesn't negate the need to punish her for her negligence. So far, no charges have been filed.