Lost Dog Gathers Clues To Find Family

A Rottweiler known to her family as Ella, had quite a 13 day long adventure, according to a report done by CBS News correspondent, Steve Hartman.

The Rottweiler was found by Kathy Wilkes-Myers who works for the Love Me Tender animal shelter in central Tennessee.  Kathy noticed an unusual act the dog had accomplished.  Ella had gathered several items from along the highway; a toothbrush, comb, razor, and a few other items. It looked as though Ella was sleeping with the items, or waiting with them.  Kathy took a picture of the items with her cell phone, took Ella with her, and began to get a hunch as to what happened.

Kathy remembered a horrible automobile crash that occurred about two weeks prior in this very area of the highway and wondered if Ella had been hanging around because she was in that crash with her family.  Kathy didn't believe anyone could have survived the crash.  Although, she did some research, called the Highway Patrol, and found out different.  

Ultimately, Ella was reunited with her family.  Each member of the family did survive the crash and needless to say, they were amazed and thrilled to learn their precious dog Ella had survived as well.  There is an adorable picture of the reunited family on the web page, of Ella and her family members.   

It's so amazing how loyal animals can be!  Ella was scavenging for food along the highway, and drinking water from a drainage ditch.  Then to gather all of those items together and sleep with them, she is a smart dog.  It looked like she was trying to find clues or something.  She knew those items had the smell of her family and she wasn't leaving that place until they came back or until someone took her to them.

Of course, for the Kelly's, Ella's family, it was so wonderful to find out their precious dog was alive.  However, there was a bittersweet twist to this ending.  The medical expenses piled up as a result of the crash and the Kelly family had to move into a place that didn't allow animals as a result.  But once again, Kathy came to the rescue.  She promised to hold onto Ella for as long as she needed to in order for the Kelly's to get back on their feet.

I personally am an animal lover and, if possible, I'd open a shelter at my house.  Between my husband and I, we have brought in 3 dogs and 2 cats already.  Animals are so loyal, but they are also very dependent on people to take care of them.  I love to hear about great shelters like the Love Me Tender animal shelter who found Ella.  Apparently, they have rounded up more than 1,000 dogs over the last 20 years.  Its nice to know we have places like these all over America.  

I wish the best to Ella and her family.  Hopefully the Kelly's will be able to get on their feet very soon so that they may be reunited quickly.  And Kathy most likely has formed a tight bond with Ella, so perhaps they will let her have visitation with Ella in the future.

Historic Route 66 Artifacts

The first Interstate Highway to run from the east coast to the west coast of the United States, famously known to us as Historic Route 66, is being remembered by artifacts being displayed in the Jasper County Courthouse near Joplin, Mo.  Some artifacts included in the display are an actual historic drive-thru from the 50's era, a gas pump, and an air pump from that era also. One famous spot on the Route was the Coral Courts Motel.  At the time the only artifacts from the Motel are displayed at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park, in St. Louis, Mo.

Growing up I heard a lot about the famous Route 66.  I just knew that it was a highway that stretched across the country, but until I read this article, I didn't really know much history behind the famous highway.

Apparently the whole thing got started on behalf of America's love affair with the automobile. After the war, a new era of prosperity took place in roadside culture.  Several families in America would load up the car with whole family (no seat belts back then) and head off to go across the country all on easily traveled highway.  Businesses caught on to this marketing strategy very quickly.  There were all kinds of businesses, along with a few freak shows. Anything from motels that looked like wigwams to roadside zoos, and even a set up of tic-tac-toe playing chickens.

Right in the heart of St. Louis there was a little ice cream shop called Ted Drew's Frozen Custard, which apparently still stands and thrives.  Another St. Louis favorite was the famous and previously mentioned Coral Courts Motel, which was a pink porcelain motel and it was also known as the "no-tell motel".  Each room had its own parking garage so your stay was more discreet.  The motel was also known for a legend claiming a group of local gangsters hid money somewhere in the motel, although it was never found.

There were so many things to see on Route 66 back in the day.  Its pretty neat that such a famous highway runs right through Joplin, Mo., so close to home.  I'm fascinated by the old 50's and 60's era anyway, but I learned so much more history about this highway than I knew before.  For instance, the famous movie, "A Rebel Without A Cause", starring James Dean, took place on Route 66.  Also, the famous author John Steinbach, who wrote "The Grapes of Wrath", called Route 66 the Mother Road.  Then looking back to when my children were small, we have the Disney movie, Cars, which centers around a race car stuck in a small town right along Route 66.

On a sad note, On June 27th, 1985, US 66 was officially removed from the United States Highway System.  Parts of the highway are now known as "National Scenic Byway", and of course, around our area its just simply known as "Historic" Route 66. Although, at least Joplin and other towns along the route are dedicating museums to this fun part of America's history.  I personally would like to see the display, it would be a good, fun place for the whole family.

Woman Charged in Elizabeth Smart Case Expects Life in Prison

Wanda Eileen Barzee of West Valley City, Utah is the woman charged in the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart in 2002.  Barzee, along with Brian Mitchell, were found walking the streets of Salt Lake City with Elizabeth Smart nine months after her abduction.  Both Mitchell and Barzee were arrested immediately.

According to the article, Dora Corbett, Barzee's 88-year-old mother had saved letters from her daughter and turned them into the Associated Press.  The letters reveal that Barzee understands and remembers the sins that she committed.  She doesn't go into detail about what took place, only that she needs to repent of her sins.  Barzee admits that she is expected to receive a life sentence in prison.

It is just so hard to have sympathy for a woman who aided a man in the kidnapping of a 14-year-old little girl.  This article reads as if Wanda Barzee feels as much a victim to this man as Elizabeth was.

Apparently Barzee has dealt with some psychological problems, she has some sort of mental illness and was ordered to be administered anti-psychotic drugs due to a 2006 court ruling. However, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the medication order in May 2008 and as a result, Barzee is allowed to refuse her medication on the grounds she is doing so for religious reasons.

Barzee is claiming that what she did was while under "the influence" of Brian Mitchell, a self proclaimed prophet of some kind.  But in contrast to this claim, she tells her mother in the letters that although her social worker has found her competent, they won't know for sure until she has been given another evaluation.  These letters were sent in April 2009.  She  also makes a reference to the fact that she might be able to obtain the plea of not guilty by reason of insanity so that she could stay in the hospital instead of prison.

I'm not positive on this, but isn't the fact that she is trying to find a justification for what she did and figuring out how she needs to "obtain" a certain plea show that she is able to rationalize things out?

Another good point in the article was when they interviewed Elizabeth Smart's father, Ed Smart.  He admitted Barzee could be making progress.  Assuming what he meant by that was the fact that she is admitting she did do this, it was a heinous crime, and that she herself  felt that she should repent of it. However, he also felt very strongly that she was not the victim in this.  He has no sympathy for her.

I have to agree with Mr. Smart.  Its just pretty hard for me to believe she is mentally incompetent.  That is not to say she doesn't have some issues with mental illness.  I'm sure she does have some mental issues if a court ordered her to take medication.  I just feel, as I mentioned earlier, if she can rationalize to her mother what she did and think about what plea she wants to "strive" for, then she should have the ability to determine right from wrong when she went along with Brian Mitchell.

Hopefully justice will be served in this case for the Smart family.  And Wanda Barzee, along with Brian Mitchell will eventually be found guilty and will have to serve the life sentences they deserve.

White House Seeks To Change Education Laws

Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, spoke during a forum held in Manchester, NH on Wednesday, September 23rd representing the Obama administration and regarding Education Laws.  These laws were put in place by former President George W. Bush and his administration.

Former President Bush passed a bill through legislation called the No Child Left Behind Law. It was intended to make sure all children were learning what they needed to learn in Reading and Math.

The Obama administration admits the law did help show improvement in academic performance for minority children, English language learners, and children with disabilities through higher scores in testing.  However, they feel there are several gaps in the law and it could use major improvement. For instance, a third of American schools failed to meet yearly progress goals last year.  The new goal is to push schools to improve test scores each year, so that every student can read and do math at least at grade level by the year 2014.

On the surface this really sounds like a great idea.  But one thing I've noticed is that "grade level" changes every year, it gets tougher and tougher.  And a concern I have is that Music and Art are being squeezed out of the classroom and the funds that are promised to the schools in these areas are not being received as often.  The government is putting all other classes on the back burner so to speak.  Another concern for me is that children are not being spent time with on a personal level anymore to make sure they completely understand each thing they're learning.  Too much time is spent making sure these tests are passed at a level that allows the school to get more funding.

Testing does show some positive results, but the kids might start to feel like robots in a sense; like they don't care about the child personally, or whether they're self esteem is high or low. The kids just HAVE to pass the tests with good scores!  In other words, it becomes all about the school and less about the child.  

Also, there are many children who are just simply better at say, Art than Reading and so on.  So what does that say to the child?  I'm not good enough if I can't make an above-average score on the Math test even though I have an amazing art ability?  Kid's emotions and self esteem can play a huge part in where they go in life.  If they feel good about themselves, no matter what subject they are good in, they can succeed.

When these kids graduate high school and maybe even college and they're out in the real world, how much of what are on these tests are they actually going to deal with.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I think it is a very good idea to make sure these children learn and retain at least the basics in EVERY subject, but to expect the children to be masters in Math and Reading seems a little unfair.  Making everything focused on test scores alone and only in Math and Reading is completely getting away from bringing out the best in each child personally.

When you think about it, how on earth did these baby boomers or for that matter, the people who graduated in the last ten years that have had successful careers ever make it?  There are a lot of smart, successful Americans and they survived on regular old fashioned achievement tests.  When we were learning the subjects without so many rules and regulations, kids could enjoy life a little bit.  Also, this could be one reason why so many kids don't like to go to school anymore.

Finding Jesus at a Truck Stop

Rev. Joe Hunter has created a nationwide ministry by establishing "Chaplain Joe's Truck Stop Chapel Service". A service he performs on Wednesday nights. Hunter literally takes God to people on the go. His services are offered at fuel stops, in parking lots, on CB, and even through a radio show called "Heaven's Show". This Vietnam veteran has had many life experiences and was also a truck driver himself for 20 years. He claims this is his first love.

Hunter has a mobile chapel that looks like a big semi-truck. It's easily spotted by truckers, especially at night with a neon red cross perched above the truck like a beacon. This on-the-go preacher established his first Bible study in 1981 at an Atlanta truck stop. It has since grown to include offices at 74 truck stops in 29 states with at least 500 chaplains working with him.

He was even offered a job as a pastor from leaders of one church, however, Rev. Hunter turned the job down claiming he was doing exactly what he felt he should be doing and apparently he now has a national reputation.

Rev. Hunter has been happily married for 42 years to his wife Jan, whom he calls "his partner in ministry". They also have two children and 10 grandchildren.

This is an amazing story. There were several comments from truckers in this article that were so heartwarming. One man, Harold McBride, from Florida, who goes by "Jumper" stated, "I've been back and forth between Satan and God over the years and it was a rough life", "...but I finally found that saving grace to make life a whole lot better." All the truckers that come into contact with Rev. Hunter talk about their profession with pride and have seemed to really find a friend in him.

There is also a painting that hangs on the chapel's back wall that sounds very impressive. It's a picture depicting a truck about to slide off the road due to an icy ledge. The truck is pulled back to safety by God's hands. McBride, the trucker from Florida, has a special connection with that picture. He recalls a time when he was hauling a load of 55-gallon drums of orange concentrate down an unfamiliar mountain. The road suddenly had a huge s-shaped curve and he lost control. "Somebody told me I was on nine tires, and that hand is probably the only thing that kept me on the road." said McBride.

Rev. Hunter and the volunteers he has are doing such a great service. Other than Wednesday nights, he also has Hunter's Truck Stop Ministries, Inc. which he says works like a spiritual gas station. He prays with truckers, helps them to make decisions for Christ, and hands out taped sermons they can listen to on their trips. He said he felt this would be a helpful service because he says, "The greatest thing about being a truck driver is you have a lot of time to think and the horrible thing about being a truck driver is that you have a lot of time to think."

I was also impressed with the fact that during his services, there is no collection plate passed around. Rev. Hunter truly seems to love people and wants to help them. He is a blessing.

Nude 91-year-old Man Makes a Citizens Arrest

Robert E. Thompson, a 91 year old man from Lake Worth, FL, woke up one Saturday morning to commotion in his backyard.  Thompson's dog, Rett, a Rottwieler and Doberman mix, was chasing 26 year old Jose Pasqual through his yard.  Apparently Pasqual was attempting to burglarize his home.  So Thompson decided to grab his .38-caliber pistol and fire a warning shot.  This must have done the trick because Thompson was then able to take him down and ultimately hold the would be intruder at gunpoint until the deputies arrived, all the while remaining completely nude.  As a result of Thompson's actions, the officers took Pasqual down to the Palm Beach County Jail and booked him on burglary charges.

Hats off to this guy.  He didn't think twice about protecting his home.  And although the initial shocking part of this story is that this man was nude while all this was taking place, let's not forget he is also 91 years old.  He is by anyone's standards an elderly person and he was able to do what most 25 years olds wouldn't have done.

It didn't mention it in the article, but I wonder at what point the officer's told Mr. Thompson, "Ok, you can go get some clothes on now."  Or did he, as soon as the officers arrived, say "Hey, I think I'm going to go in and put on some clothes, ok?"

All joking aside, I'm really thankful that the elderly man was not hurt and that he never felt like he actually had to shoot this intruder directly.  It sounds like the deputies showed up rather quickly to get this situation under control.  The article also states that this happened in the morning so I'm sure many neighbors got quite a shock and a laugh out of the whole situation.

I would imagine word got out pretty quickly around the criminal network about this brave man in the neighborhood.  So Mr. Thompson may have saved some neighbors from having their houses burglarized in the near future.

The fact that Mr. Thompson had a pistol and knew how to use it brings up another good point. Maybe even controversial.  Incidents like these are what guns should be used for; protection. This man not only had an impressive amount of strength for his age, he also had a sharp mind obviously.  He thought to fire a warning shot, he didn't just fire directly at the man.  And he held Pasqual under gunpoint until the proper authorities arrived, that alone takes a lot of strength.  He was thinking about getting this intruder incarcerated, not automatically thinking he should fire a shot directly at the man.

This Pasqual guy most likely caught an enormous amount of flack over this incident.  Being as a 91 year old man took him to the ground and held him there, I think that's pretty funny.  But as I mentioned before, I'm really glad Mr. Thompson remained safe and unharmed.

Robert Thompson deserves an award for his bravery.  If he wasn't 91 years old, obviously retirement age, I would recommend that the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office hire him.

Pregnant Women Dying In Peru

The South American country of Peru is experiencing a high rate of dying pregnant women recently due to social barriers. The article comes from a CNN Health Report that states the pregnant women who are from rural areas, who are poor and/or are considered indigenous are losing their babies and their own lives in several cases due to the poor medical attention and care received.

Actually, the United Nations performed a study recently and have come to the conclusion that 240 per 100,000 pregnant women are falling victim to dying during childbirth in Peru alone. This study is in conflict with the Peruvian government, who has done their own study which indicates 185 per 100,000 are losing their lives due to pregnancy and childbirth.

There is an interesting picture on this site showing a Peruvian woman giving birth. This technique is called "vertical birth" and the woman crouches on some sort of a table, holds onto a huge rope while her husband, or doctor, I'm not sure, stands behind her and two nurses are in front of her with their hands outstretched ready to "catch" the baby. This woman is receiving the best of care compared to what the poor, indigenous women are having to go through.

An Amnesty report was highlighted in the article also about a pregnant woman who came from one of the poorest regions of the country. She fell and hurt herself and experienced pains, made it to the doctor and the doctor told her she was fine and sent her home where she miscarried two days later.

Granted, doctors are not perfect and things like that happen here in the United States also. However, they interviewed this woman's husband and he reported that the region they live in is so remote, there is no ambulance available and it takes them two to three days travel to arrive at the closest facility to receive medical treatment. The doctor should have taken that into consideration and kept her for observation in my opinion. The miscarriage could then have possibly been avoided. Also, the couple thought part of the problem was a language barrier. And according to the article, this is a common problem.

It seems there are just so many barriers in Peru. One of the most obvious being a language barrier. The Amnesty organization recommends an increase in training for the doctors, mostly in learning languages for the surrounding regions.

I strongly agree. There should also be training not only for the doctors, but for the entire medical staff. There would be no expensive equipment to buy to simply bring in someone to teach different languages. Only the minor expense of paying for classes, which is minor considering it could save several lives. If this would solve the majority of the problem, then it would be a very valuable asset to this country.

The New Jay Leno Show

According to the LA Times, and Nielson Media Research, "The Jay Leno Show" had approximately 18.4 million viewers on the first night it aired, Monday, Sept. 14th.

The critics were harsh about the premiere and wondered if Jay having Kanye West as his first guest had anything to do with the rating being so high the first night.

Kanye had made a very controversial disruption at the MTV Music Awards ceremony the previous night in which he took the microhone from Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech and he made reference to the fact that Beyonce should have won that award.

The network was taking a chance, claimed some critics, because the show would be competing with such shows as CBS's popular TV show, "CSI: Miami". Many other critics claimed it was too similar to the actual "Tonight Show". That it would be boring and the audience would likely drop significantly once the curiosity wore off.

I, for one, did watch the show on Monday night and the fact that is was familiar, the monologue, and the comedy segments, not to mention "headlines", which I love, was comforting to me.

There were a lot of disappointed people when Jay left "The Tonight Show". I was relieved that Jay Leno decided to keep the same type of show going. Also, Jay's show is on earlier now, which is a plus for me and my family. I could listen to Jay for more than an hour and it wouldn't ever get boring. He's very funny and he pulls it off without being stupid.

Hopefully for Jay's sake and for his fans this show will run for several years to come. It seems like the critics were rushing to judge a little bit. You never heard anything negative when he was on "The Tonight Show". And now they are complaining that its the same old stuff. That stuff went over pretty well all those years.

I do hope to see more "Jay-Walking" segments and that kind of thing. Those were so funny. Jay has a way of talking to people like no one else can. He also has a way of bringing out the funny side in his guests. Granted, one of his first guests, Jerry Sinefield, is completely funny on his own, he has a way with guests that initially seem boring.

I give Jay Leno a salute for doing this show and giving his fans what we loved most about his first show to begin with. He is a creative man, he kept his crew, Kevin for instance, who I think is adorable, and I am sure between Jay Leno, the writers, and the producers, they will come up with a ton of new and funny ideas for the future.

Hopefully more viewers will consider tuning in to "The Jay Leno Show" at 9 p.m. And as far as this show competing with other in the same time slot, don't most people have DVR now? It's a good way to end the night. Everyone needs a good laugh. Good luck Jay, my family is rooting for ya!

Memories of Europe's Revolution

The tearing down of the Berlin Wall.....I do remember hearing about this on the news years ago.  I was a freshman in high school.  To be honest, for years I had no real concept of what this all actually meant.  I mean, we talked about it in school some.  I probably didn't pay much attention. As the years went on, I started understanding a little more about communism and about the oppression in Germany and the surrounding countries, but I never really understood exactly how life was prior to this huge event in history for these citizens until I read the stories from this article.

A girl from Romania spoke of being amazed by people in the free world not taking advantage of visiting other places when they could rightly do so.  She had dreamed of seeing Paris, when she wasn't that far from it and was finally able to do just that when she turned 25.  She now chooses to live in the United States.

Several of the people who wrote in reflecting on their memories under a communist rule still think about the event as a true miracle and are still amazed every time they think about it.  One individual, formerly from Bulgaria, who now lives in New York, wrote an interesting piece of information about it being painful to see the Central European countries doing very well economically by having new democratic governments.  But, how he was extremely happy when Bulgaria finally made that transformation.  Then he went on to say "...but let's not forget how fragile democracy is and how quickly we could lose the achievements that many have died for."  

That quote really caught my eye.  Being as our own "land of the free" has been so transformed in the last several years and since it has been so much longer than 20 years since we gained our independence, we have slacked off as a nation in being so incredibly thankful for our freedom. We were fortunate not to have to be scared of our own government.  We were working as a nation to fight off invaders.  The events of 9/11 did seem to wake us up and help us to realize how freedom could slip away in the blink of an eye if the right combination of circumstances were to occur.

Just reading about the darkness, the gloom of everyday life under a communist rule, made me reflect on my past and how life in America is so amazing.  The freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the other wonderful privileges we have seems so much more important to me now.

I pray this country will always enjoy the freedom and security it now has.  May God bless America. 

A Modern Day Ghost Town

A very short distance from the Kansas border lies a little town called Picher, Oklahoma.  This small town used to be a very important mining town that had several workers mining for lead ore, which was used for bullets for both world wars.

The population was high then, jobs were plentiful, and it was a great place to go to school and raise a family.  Unfortunately, the town has been dying out for years.  Slowly officials were realizing Picher wasn't a safe place to live anymore.

The government started making buy-outs several years ago and people who lived there for years were too scared to stay due to the health hazards.  There are only a handful of people left now and according to the article, all that remains is basically a ghost town.

I can't imagine living somewhere and calling it home, raising a family and growing up there, then feeling like I had to leave to be safe.  Just knowing the town has become or at least has been called "the most toxic town in America", would be scary and heart-breaking.

There's a picture on this site showing a business with the letters TBCD spray painted on it. Apparently this stands for "to be condemned" and these letters had been spray painted on nearly every home and business in town.

I remember hearing about this on the news several times but after seeing the pictures and reading the article, it really makes me feel for all these people.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the families affected by this tragedy.  It also makes me thankful for my home and the safe place where I live.