Thursday, January 17, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Commuter Blues
I officially hate taking the train. Everyday. Day in and day out it is one thing after another that just makes your life miserable. Not that it isn't bad enough that about 30,300 ride the train everyday packed like Sardines but, everyday there is a new adventure or a new set of annoyances that make you want to puke.
Say it with me:
"Hi my name is YOUR NAME HERE and I am a commuter. "
OK. Now breathe.
My Top ten MARC train commuter Pet Peeves:
10. People who sing along to their Ipod or radio. Tone deaf... loud... just plain wrong.
9. People who sing along to their Ipod or radio while you are trying to take a nap. What's worse are the one's who get offended when you ask them to keep it down.
8. Mr. Too Loud Cell Phone Talker & Mrs. Yell In the Phone "Can You Hear Me?" - These two are a match made in commuter hell. He talks so loud the people in the next car know what he's having for dinner when he gets home. She can't get it into her head that when you go through a tunnel that your cell phone signal dies. Learn phone etiquette why don't you...
7. People with luggage. It is a commuter train. Don't get mad at me because you have luggage. It is not my fault. Don't get pissed because your bag is bigger than all outdoors and there is no place for luggage on a commuter train. Don't be mad when one of the people that get on at Odenton (see #5) asks you to move your bag... because it is in their lovely way.
6. People who USE the bathroom on the train. Nothing is worse than being packed into a train like sardines and then have Bill (names have been changed for anonymity) go to the bathroom and light the entire train up. Can't you wait til you get home to take a dump? Why do you have to expose us all to your toxic fumes. If you can't wait, at least get some Febreze, that is the least you can do. Asshole.
5. The people that get on at Odenton. They are rude, nasty and think the whole world revolve around them. Bill is one of them. It is even harder dealing with them sometimes because the conductors cater to them. (ie. saving seats, etc.) That is all I am going to say about that...but I could go on for days. Hmph.
4. Sick People. I understand that everyone gets sick. That is normal. What I don't understand or appreciate are sick people that still ride the train and are sick but don't cover their mouths when they cough. That is the most irresponsible thing I have ever seen. Grown men and women that can't even be shamed into covering their mouths.
3. Broken Trains. The trains run on time about 65% of the time due to mechanical error. Some get cancelled altogether. This is very irritating, especially when you have already worked a 10 hour day.
2. Trains that leave before their scheduled time (or even on time) with people still standing on the platform at Penn Station. Although hard to believe... This happens. What gets me is.. The train will leave Penn Station with people still on the platform, sometimes banging on the door that just closed in their face, but the same train will sit at the Halethorpe or Odenton Stations because they see someone running from the parking lot to get on the train. Some days for two or three minutes. That does not ever occur at Penn Station or West Baltimore unless the train is broken. GTFOH MARC. I won't say it is racial. See I didn't say it.
1. Ignorant People. It is one thing to have a bad day sometimes, but it is another thing to be rude all the time. It is crazy that people will bump into you and not say excuse me. Another thing I hate is when you sit in the single seats, some people stand behind you and put their arm on the top of your chair like it is an armrest. When you ask them to stop hitting you they catch an attitude. (They might be related to Bill. I think they could be neighbors.)
Oprah is the TRUTH!
OK. Now this article says it all. Oprah is the woman! Recently she has been getting flack from people for her political views. (ie. Rosanne "lack-luster career" Barr) But you have to give her credit where credit is due. She has been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century,[2] the most philanthropic African American of all time,[3] and the world's only black billionaire for three straight years. (Wikipedia said all that not me!)
Besides being worth billions, and all that jazz she is one of the most influential women in the world. I think it is awesome that young women have someone like her to pattern themselves after. As an entrepreneur (Click the link, you'll be glad you did.)I admire her drive and the ability to brand herself. Oh how I wish I could be like her when I grow up. Oprah if you are listening I sure would like to hang out sometime to pick your brain! :) Congrats on the network!
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Oprah Winfrey getting her own TV network
By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer
Oprah Winfrey is getting her own TV network.
Discovery Communications and Winfrey announced a deal Tuesday where the Discovery Health network will be turned over to Winfrey next year, becoming OWN -- the Oprah Winfrey Network.
The cash-free transaction involved Winfrey turning over her Web site to Discovery, while the communications company makes her chairman of the network, which is currently seen in 68 million homes, said David Zaslav, Discovery Communications chief.
"The focus of the channel will be the focus of Oprah's brand, which is the educate and inspire people to live the best life they can," Zaslav said.
Some of Winfrey's stable of regular contributors could be expected to be part of the programming, he said. Winfrey's current talk show, as well as rights to use of reruns, is spoken for until the end of the 2010-11 season.
Besides hosting syndication's top-rated talk show, Winfrey puts out her own magazine.
Besides being worth billions, and all that jazz she is one of the most influential women in the world. I think it is awesome that young women have someone like her to pattern themselves after. As an entrepreneur (Click the link, you'll be glad you did.)I admire her drive and the ability to brand herself. Oh how I wish I could be like her when I grow up. Oprah if you are listening I sure would like to hang out sometime to pick your brain! :) Congrats on the network!
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Oprah Winfrey getting her own TV network
By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer
Oprah Winfrey is getting her own TV network.
Discovery Communications and Winfrey announced a deal Tuesday where the Discovery Health network will be turned over to Winfrey next year, becoming OWN -- the Oprah Winfrey Network.
The cash-free transaction involved Winfrey turning over her Web site to Discovery, while the communications company makes her chairman of the network, which is currently seen in 68 million homes, said David Zaslav, Discovery Communications chief.
"The focus of the channel will be the focus of Oprah's brand, which is the educate and inspire people to live the best life they can," Zaslav said.
Some of Winfrey's stable of regular contributors could be expected to be part of the programming, he said. Winfrey's current talk show, as well as rights to use of reruns, is spoken for until the end of the 2010-11 season.
Besides hosting syndication's top-rated talk show, Winfrey puts out her own magazine.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Don't Cry...Cowboys!
So I officially want to give thanks to the New York Giants for eliminating one of the teams I really hate! Go Giants!
I can't stand T.O. or the Cowboys. SO it brings me great joy to post the article below. When I saw him this morning crying like a girl on the news, I just knew I had to post it. I am looking for the video so if I find it I will post it later, but the picture says a thousand words. LMAO.
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IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Terrell Owens' bottom lip was quivering, his voice wavering.
While his teary eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses, he couldn't hide his disappointment -- or his loyalty to quarterback Tony Romo -- after the Cowboys' 21-17 playoff loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.
"This is not about Tony. You guys can point the finger at him, you can talk about the vacation, and if you do that, it's really unfair," Owens said, his voice choked with emotion. "It's really unfair. That's my teammate. That's my quarterback. You guys do that, it's not fair. We lost as a team. We lost as a team, man."
A week after Romo's well-documented bye weekend getaway to Mexico with Jessica Simpson and a couple of teammates, the Cowboys' season is over. After a 13-3 regular season that clinched the NFC's top seed, Dallas instead made it 11 straight seasons without a postseason victory.
As promised, Owens was back on the field for the Cowboys after missing the regular season finale and 2 1/2 weeks of practice because of an ankle sprain.
Owens dropped the first pass thrown his way, but shuffled his feet to stay in bounds for a 4-yard touchdown. He finished with four catches for 49 yards, but didn't get a chance to catch a game-winner.
Romo's fourth-and-11 pass -- intended for Terry Glenn, not a double-covered Owens -- was intercepted by R.W. McQuarters in the end zone with 9 seconds left.
"They kind of doubled T.O. on the outside and Terry had a guy running with him up the middle," Romo said. "I tried to throw to the one guy in one-on-one and hope for something lucky."
Owens pushed his helmet awkwardly on top of his head and walked toward the sideline after the play.
Defeated and deflated, there were no more chances. Instead, T.O. and the Cowboys were left trying to make sense of another devastating postseason finish.
"It's hard, I can't," Owens said.
There was last year's wild-card loss in Seattle when Romo botched the snap on what would have been a chip-shot field goal in the closing minutes. Now, it's losing their first home playoff game in nine years, against an NFC East rival they beat twice in the regular season.
"It's very disappointing, especially after the way last year ended," Owens said. "This year, we felt we were destined to get to the Super Bowl and we didn't make enough plays."
But they made plenty of mistakes.
Take Amani Toomer's 52-yard touchdown on the Giants' opening drive, when he caught the ball in an open gap near the 40, slipped away from two defenders while Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams fell down, then outran another Cowboy to the end zone.
After the Cowboys took a 14-7 lead on Marion Barber's 1-yard plunge with 53 seconds left in the first half, New York went 71 yards in seven plays to tie the game. The Giants got 15 of those yards on a facemask penalty.
"We let them back in it, and that gave them some hope," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said.
The Cowboys went three-and-out after regaining the lead in the third quarter, when guard Leonard Davis' unnecessary roughness penalty wiped out a first down. McQuarters' 25-yard return on the ensuing punt set up New York's go-ahead touchdown.
Facing third-and-20 from midfield with 4 minutes left, Romo had to call timeout because the play clock was running out. Once they regrouped, Owens was streaking toward the end zone. By the time he turned around, there was a defender between he and the ball that fell several yards short of where he was.
"It's hard, especially right now because you need to take a step back," Romo said, when asked if a 13-win season still means anything. "I've grown up in the sense that I'm not naive to believe that everything is going to work out perfect. So I appreciate the moments sometimes, even though we didn't accomplish our goal."
There will be no rematch next week at Texas Stadium against Green Bay and Brett Favre, the team and quarterback Romo grew up in Wisconsin rooting for, with a Super Bowl berth on the line.
The Cowboys beat the Packers at the end of November, a victory that ultimately gave Dallas the NFC's top seed.
"Obviously, the regular season don't matter. This is very evident," Owens said. "When the playoffs start, it's any man's game. We came up short."
I can't stand T.O. or the Cowboys. SO it brings me great joy to post the article below. When I saw him this morning crying like a girl on the news, I just knew I had to post it. I am looking for the video so if I find it I will post it later, but the picture says a thousand words. LMAO.
________________________________________________
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Terrell Owens' bottom lip was quivering, his voice wavering.
While his teary eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses, he couldn't hide his disappointment -- or his loyalty to quarterback Tony Romo -- after the Cowboys' 21-17 playoff loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.
"This is not about Tony. You guys can point the finger at him, you can talk about the vacation, and if you do that, it's really unfair," Owens said, his voice choked with emotion. "It's really unfair. That's my teammate. That's my quarterback. You guys do that, it's not fair. We lost as a team. We lost as a team, man."
A week after Romo's well-documented bye weekend getaway to Mexico with Jessica Simpson and a couple of teammates, the Cowboys' season is over. After a 13-3 regular season that clinched the NFC's top seed, Dallas instead made it 11 straight seasons without a postseason victory.
As promised, Owens was back on the field for the Cowboys after missing the regular season finale and 2 1/2 weeks of practice because of an ankle sprain.
Owens dropped the first pass thrown his way, but shuffled his feet to stay in bounds for a 4-yard touchdown. He finished with four catches for 49 yards, but didn't get a chance to catch a game-winner.
Romo's fourth-and-11 pass -- intended for Terry Glenn, not a double-covered Owens -- was intercepted by R.W. McQuarters in the end zone with 9 seconds left.
"They kind of doubled T.O. on the outside and Terry had a guy running with him up the middle," Romo said. "I tried to throw to the one guy in one-on-one and hope for something lucky."
Owens pushed his helmet awkwardly on top of his head and walked toward the sideline after the play.
Defeated and deflated, there were no more chances. Instead, T.O. and the Cowboys were left trying to make sense of another devastating postseason finish.
"It's hard, I can't," Owens said.
There was last year's wild-card loss in Seattle when Romo botched the snap on what would have been a chip-shot field goal in the closing minutes. Now, it's losing their first home playoff game in nine years, against an NFC East rival they beat twice in the regular season.
"It's very disappointing, especially after the way last year ended," Owens said. "This year, we felt we were destined to get to the Super Bowl and we didn't make enough plays."
But they made plenty of mistakes.
Take Amani Toomer's 52-yard touchdown on the Giants' opening drive, when he caught the ball in an open gap near the 40, slipped away from two defenders while Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams fell down, then outran another Cowboy to the end zone.
After the Cowboys took a 14-7 lead on Marion Barber's 1-yard plunge with 53 seconds left in the first half, New York went 71 yards in seven plays to tie the game. The Giants got 15 of those yards on a facemask penalty.
"We let them back in it, and that gave them some hope," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said.
The Cowboys went three-and-out after regaining the lead in the third quarter, when guard Leonard Davis' unnecessary roughness penalty wiped out a first down. McQuarters' 25-yard return on the ensuing punt set up New York's go-ahead touchdown.
Facing third-and-20 from midfield with 4 minutes left, Romo had to call timeout because the play clock was running out. Once they regrouped, Owens was streaking toward the end zone. By the time he turned around, there was a defender between he and the ball that fell several yards short of where he was.
"It's hard, especially right now because you need to take a step back," Romo said, when asked if a 13-win season still means anything. "I've grown up in the sense that I'm not naive to believe that everything is going to work out perfect. So I appreciate the moments sometimes, even though we didn't accomplish our goal."
There will be no rematch next week at Texas Stadium against Green Bay and Brett Favre, the team and quarterback Romo grew up in Wisconsin rooting for, with a Super Bowl berth on the line.
The Cowboys beat the Packers at the end of November, a victory that ultimately gave Dallas the NFC's top seed.
"Obviously, the regular season don't matter. This is very evident," Owens said. "When the playoffs start, it's any man's game. We came up short."
Friday, January 11, 2008
Talk about being strapped for Cash...
Moral of this story: Drugs are bad.
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A Corpse, a Check, a Bizarre NYC Crime
A police detective leads David Dalaia, 65, from the Midtown North police precinct, Wednesday...
By TOM HAYS and CLARE TRAPASSO, AP
Wed Jan 9, 9:18 PM EST
Detective Travis Rapp has seen his share of corpses, but this was new: two men wheeling a rigid, pale body down a Manhattan street in a red office chair, drawing a crowd of suspicious onlookers.
Looking out the window of the restaurant where he was having lunch, Rapp initially assumed "it was a mannequin or a dummy," he said. "I thought it was a joke, honestly."
A closer inspection showed that it wasn't. The man was dead, and two of his friends had hauled his corpse to a store to cash his $355 Social Security check, police said. They were arrested before they could get the money.
The bedraggled suspects, David J. Dalaia and James O'Hare, were scheduled to appear in court Wednesday night. Police said the men, both 65, were petty criminals with long histories of heroin addiction and arrests dating to the 1960s.
The trouble began Tuesday when Dalaia and O'Hare tried to cash Virgilio Cintron's check at a store in Hell's Kitchen on their own, police said. The man at the counter told them that Cintron had to be present to cash the check, so they went back to his apartment, which one of the suspects shared with the dead man.
Cintron was apparently undressed when he died, sometime within the previous 24 hours. Police said Dalaia and O'Hare proceeded to dress him in a faded T-shirt, pants they could only get up part way, and a pair of Velcro sneakers. They threw a coat over his waist to conceal what the pants couldn't cover, police said.
They then put him on the office chair and wheeled the corpse over to the check-cashing store.
The men left Cintron's body outside, went inside and tried to cash his check, authorities said. The store's clerk, who knew Cintron, asked the men where he was, and O'Hare told the clerk they would go and get him.
At about the same time, Rapp spotted the men and confronted them as they were trying to haul the body into the store. He said that even after he identified himself as a police officer, O'Hare told him, "I have to get my friend in here. I have to cash his check."
He ordered the men to back away from the victim. They feigned surprise when paramedics declared him dead, Rapp said.
"When they said, 'Your friend is dead,' they said, 'Oh my God, he's gone?'"
The scene played out on a busy Manhattan street as several people watched.
"I saw this guy sitting in this chair with his head back. He looked very dead," said Victor Rodriguez, 38, who was working at a nearby restaurant when he saw the commotion outside. "He looked very sick. His eyes were closed. He wasn't moving."
Little is known about Cintron, 66, who apparently died of natural causes. An autopsy proved inconclusive, the medical examiner's office said, and his body hadn't been positively identified as of Wednesday afternoon.
Relatives told police that he had recently been hospitalized for Parkinson's disease. Police said his rap sheet was long, with arrests for burglary, assault and drugs. Locals said that Cintron and O'Hare often frequented a food pantry down the street.
A telephone number listed for Cintron at the apartment he shared with O'Hare went unanswered. Police said they didn't have an address for Dalaia or attorney information for him or O'Hare.
Regardless of what happens to the defendants, they can take solace in the fact that they fooled one onlooker with the dead man disguise.
"He went in regular clothes. I didn't even know he was dead. I thought he was alive," said Gerit Ahemed, a clerk at a nearby deli.
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A Corpse, a Check, a Bizarre NYC Crime
A police detective leads David Dalaia, 65, from the Midtown North police precinct, Wednesday...
By TOM HAYS and CLARE TRAPASSO, AP
Wed Jan 9, 9:18 PM EST
Detective Travis Rapp has seen his share of corpses, but this was new: two men wheeling a rigid, pale body down a Manhattan street in a red office chair, drawing a crowd of suspicious onlookers.
Looking out the window of the restaurant where he was having lunch, Rapp initially assumed "it was a mannequin or a dummy," he said. "I thought it was a joke, honestly."
A closer inspection showed that it wasn't. The man was dead, and two of his friends had hauled his corpse to a store to cash his $355 Social Security check, police said. They were arrested before they could get the money.
The bedraggled suspects, David J. Dalaia and James O'Hare, were scheduled to appear in court Wednesday night. Police said the men, both 65, were petty criminals with long histories of heroin addiction and arrests dating to the 1960s.
The trouble began Tuesday when Dalaia and O'Hare tried to cash Virgilio Cintron's check at a store in Hell's Kitchen on their own, police said. The man at the counter told them that Cintron had to be present to cash the check, so they went back to his apartment, which one of the suspects shared with the dead man.
Cintron was apparently undressed when he died, sometime within the previous 24 hours. Police said Dalaia and O'Hare proceeded to dress him in a faded T-shirt, pants they could only get up part way, and a pair of Velcro sneakers. They threw a coat over his waist to conceal what the pants couldn't cover, police said.
They then put him on the office chair and wheeled the corpse over to the check-cashing store.
The men left Cintron's body outside, went inside and tried to cash his check, authorities said. The store's clerk, who knew Cintron, asked the men where he was, and O'Hare told the clerk they would go and get him.
At about the same time, Rapp spotted the men and confronted them as they were trying to haul the body into the store. He said that even after he identified himself as a police officer, O'Hare told him, "I have to get my friend in here. I have to cash his check."
He ordered the men to back away from the victim. They feigned surprise when paramedics declared him dead, Rapp said.
"When they said, 'Your friend is dead,' they said, 'Oh my God, he's gone?'"
The scene played out on a busy Manhattan street as several people watched.
"I saw this guy sitting in this chair with his head back. He looked very dead," said Victor Rodriguez, 38, who was working at a nearby restaurant when he saw the commotion outside. "He looked very sick. His eyes were closed. He wasn't moving."
Little is known about Cintron, 66, who apparently died of natural causes. An autopsy proved inconclusive, the medical examiner's office said, and his body hadn't been positively identified as of Wednesday afternoon.
Relatives told police that he had recently been hospitalized for Parkinson's disease. Police said his rap sheet was long, with arrests for burglary, assault and drugs. Locals said that Cintron and O'Hare often frequented a food pantry down the street.
A telephone number listed for Cintron at the apartment he shared with O'Hare went unanswered. Police said they didn't have an address for Dalaia or attorney information for him or O'Hare.
Regardless of what happens to the defendants, they can take solace in the fact that they fooled one onlooker with the dead man disguise.
"He went in regular clothes. I didn't even know he was dead. I thought he was alive," said Gerit Ahemed, a clerk at a nearby deli.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Man Eats His Girlfriend
OK. this dude is just plain crazy! I feel so bad about this case.
It is a horrible thing he did to that young lady. Just plain horrible. I pray that she is at peace and that her family gets peace of mind during this difficult time.
What in the world possesses someone to kill someone and then try to eat them. I can't imagine what sort of mental illness would make a person think that is an OK thing to do. With that being said, I am even more appalled that he is claiming that God told him to do it.
Come on Dude. GTHOH.
It is one thing for you to be crazy but it is something totally different to blame your crazy behavior on God. Another issue I have is why would you bring your family members to see what you did? Like your mother would say "Good Job, Ace!" That is just another instance of how you are clearly crazy. Was your relationship so bad that the only way out was to kill her?
Nothing can ever justify this kind of behavior.
My question ultimately is: Did anyone see this coming? Was he a ticking timebomb?
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TYLER, Texas (AP) -- Friends and family of a 21-year-old who police say was killed and mutilated by her boyfriend struggle to put aside the grisly details of her death.
Christopher Lee McCuin, 25, right, and attorney Jeff Haas meet in court during arraignment.
"You can't sleep. You can't think straight anymore," said Amy Gage, a friend and neighbor of the victim, Jana Shearer. "Then you just keep finding out more and more. It's the most difficult thing anyone can go through."
Shearer's boyfriend, Christopher Lee McCuin, 25, was charged with capital murder after police said they found her body, an ear boiling in a pot on a stovetop, and a hunk of flesh with a fork in it on a plate at the crime scene.
McCuin, wearing a jail-issue red jumpsuit, was not asked to enter a plea as he appeared before state District Judge Jack Skeen Jr. on Monday. Skeen continued McCuin's bond at $2 million and appointed an attorney to represent him.
Authorities said McGuin's comments in a 911 call that alerted them to the hideous discovery led them to believe he may have intended to eat his girlfriend's remains, but said it is unclear whether McCuin consumed any part of her body.
Smith County Sheriff Lt. Larry Wiginton told the Tyler Morning Telegraph that McCuin told investigators that God made him kill Shearer.
"When he said God told him to do it, one of the investigators looked at him and just said, 'What did you say?"' according to Wiginton. Watch reaction to a horrific crime »
The judge sealed the arrest and search warrant affidavits and issued a gag order in the case, which has shocked this East Texas town about 110 miles east of Dallas.
Gage said McCuin and Shearer had only been dating a few months. She remembered Shearer as an unflappably happy friend who had a knack for making her neighbors laugh.
"We really want to focus on her being a person who loved life, and not what happened to her," Gage said. "It was such a tragedy. We have to try to focus on the fact that Jana was a good person."
Officials believe Shearer was taken by McCuin from her home late Friday night and killed. Authorities said McCuin then drove to his estranged wife's home, where he stabbed William Veasley, 42. His condition was unavailable on Monday night.
McCuin was still at his estranged wife's home when deputies arrived, but he jumped into his car and escaped after a short chase, said Smith County Sheriff J.B. Smith.
McCuin wasn't seen again until Saturday morning, when he arrived at the home he shared with his mother and called her into the garage so she could "come see what he had done," Smith said.
His mother and her boyfriend saw the remains of Shearer, authorities said. McCuin's mother and her boyfriend fled the home and flagged down a police officer. McCuin dialed 911 after they left and told an emergency dispatcher he had killed Shearer and was boiling her body parts, Smith said.
Christopher Lee McCuin, 25, right, and attorney Jeff Haas meet in court during arraignment.
"You can't sleep. You can't think straight anymore," said Amy Gage, a friend and neighbor of the victim, Jana Shearer. "Then you just keep finding out more and more. It's the most difficult thing anyone can go through."
Shearer's boyfriend, Christopher Lee McCuin, 25, was charged with capital murder after police said they found her body, an ear boiling in a pot on a stovetop, and a hunk of flesh with a fork in it on a plate at the crime scene.
McCuin, wearing a jail-issue red jumpsuit, was not asked to enter a plea as he appeared before state District Judge Jack Skeen Jr. on Monday. Skeen continued McCuin's bond at $2 million and appointed an attorney to represent him.
Authorities said McGuin's comments in a 911 call that alerted them to the hideous discovery led them to believe he may have intended to eat his girlfriend's remains, but said it is unclear whether McCuin consumed any part of her body.
Smith County Sheriff Lt. Larry Wiginton told the Tyler Morning Telegraph that McCuin told investigators that God made him kill Shearer.
"When he said God told him to do it, one of the investigators looked at him and just said, 'What did you say?"' according to Wiginton. Watch reaction to a horrific crime »
The judge sealed the arrest and search warrant affidavits and issued a gag order in the case, which has shocked this East Texas town about 110 miles east of Dallas.
Gage said McCuin and Shearer had only been dating a few months. She remembered Shearer as an unflappably happy friend who had a knack for making her neighbors laugh.
"We really want to focus on her being a person who loved life, and not what happened to her," Gage said. "It was such a tragedy. We have to try to focus on the fact that Jana was a good person."
Officials believe Shearer was taken by McCuin from her home late Friday night and killed. Authorities said McCuin then drove to his estranged wife's home, where he stabbed William Veasley, 42. His condition was unavailable on Monday night.
McCuin was still at his estranged wife's home when deputies arrived, but he jumped into his car and escaped after a short chase, said Smith County Sheriff J.B. Smith.
McCuin wasn't seen again until Saturday morning, when he arrived at the home he shared with his mother and called her into the garage so she could "come see what he had done," Smith said.
His mother and her boyfriend saw the remains of Shearer, authorities said. McCuin's mother and her boyfriend fled the home and flagged down a police officer. McCuin dialed 911 after they left and told an emergency dispatcher he had killed Shearer and was boiling her body parts, Smith said.
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Christopher Lee McCuin, 25, called 911 on Saturday and told an emergency dispatcher he had killed Jana Shearer, 21, and was boiling her body parts at his mother's home, said Smith County Sheriff J.B. Smith.
When authorities arrived at the home, they found Shearer's mutilated body, one ear boiling in a pot of water on the stove and a fork sticking out of some human flesh sitting on a plate on the kitchen table.
Authorities said it was unclear whether McCuin consumed any part of Shearer's body.
"We cannot prove that he did," Smith told The Associated Press. "He was either going to, had been or led us to think that he was doing it."
Authorities believe Shearer, 21, was abducted from her home Friday night and killed. Her death and mutilation was apparently the beginning of a crime spree that also included McCuin allegedly stabbing the boyfriend of his estranged wife and breaking into a business.
The stabbing victim is in critical condition at an area hospital, officials said.
McCuin, of Tyler , about 110 miles east of Dallas , was charged with capital murder. He was being held in the Smith County Jail on a $2 million bond Sunday and did not have an attorney, officials said. He was scheduled to be arraigned Monday, Smith said.
Before he called 911, McCuin told his mother and her boyfriend to look in their garage, authorities said. There the couple saw the remains of Shearer. McCuin's mother and her boyfriend fled the home and flagged down a police officer. McCuin dialed authorities after they left.
A man who answered the door Sunday night where the body was found declined to comment.
Shearer appeared to have died from blunt trauma to her head, Smith said. She may have been kidnapped Friday night, when her mother witnessed her get into McCuin's truck.
"There was no struggle but she could see the girl left with no shoes, no purse and no cell phone," Smith said.
McCuin then drove to his estranged wife's home, where he stabbed William Veasley, 42, Smith said. McCuin was still in that home when deputies arrived, but escaped in his car after a short chase, Smith said.
"We thought it was a disturbance or an assault," Smith said.
McCuin wasn't seen again until Saturday morning, when he arrived at his mother's home and called her into the garage so she could "come see what he had done," Smith said.
When sheriff deputies arrived, McCuin barricaded himself in the home for a short time before coming out. After he emerged, officers entered and found Shearer's body, Sgt. Gary Middleton said.
Detectives were trying to determine where the slaying happened. They think McCuin drove to his mother's home with the dead woman in the back seat of his extended-cab pickup, Smith said.
Freddy Castillo, who lives two houses down, said he frequently heard McCuin and his girlfriend argue in the house and the yard.
"They would get pretty loud," Castillo said. "They'd yell back and forth and then he would just get in his car and leave.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Educated Dumb People
I need to wrap my head around the idea of "Educated Dumb" People. I dont understand how a person can have high level degrees and credentials but still be a complete idiot. I don't mean the kind of "Smart dumb" people who are smart but have no common sense. I'm talking about Master's degree and PHD holding people who are not smart in essence they just have accomplished achieving the degree. It is very interesting to me that there are people who will require you to call them Dr. "Somebody" but they dont know how to change the margins on a Word document.
This leads me to believe that it doesn't take brains to obtain these higher level degrees, either this or the process to obtain them makes you lose brain cells.
This leads me to believe that it doesn't take brains to obtain these higher level degrees, either this or the process to obtain them makes you lose brain cells.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thoughts for the New Year
Every year people make New Years resolutions in an attempt to somehow gain control and punish themselves for all the fun they had the year before. There is nothing wrong with Chocolate Cake... for those of you that can eat it. This year I am not making a normal resolution. I do have some thoughts for how I want my year to go but I don't want to resolve to doing it because I don't want to feel guilty when the things I resolved to do don't fit into my daily plan or the stress of life keeps me from it. Why should I feel bad for doing something that feels good, or tastes good, or when I miss the gym?
The bottom line is I shouldn't. So instead I will make the list of things I will live by this year:
1. Live for me. This year I will not allow people to tell me what is best for me when I know what I want.
2. I will not allow people to stress me out. I will not allow toxic people with toxic lives and attitudes effect me. Just because it is an emergency to you doesn't mean it is an emergency to me. Keep it moving.
3. Grow. I will work hard to achieve whatever goal I have for that moment. I change like the wind most times. Whatever I decide I want to accomplish, I will work diligently towards whatever it takes to achieve that goal.
Anything that I need for the entire year can be achieved by following my rules for myself. If you are reading this I challenge you to do the same. Stop resolving to do things you know you will never accomplish. God loves you the way you are. He knows your potential and he has equipped you with all the resources you need to be a success. Know that you don't have everything you need but he will put people in your life that will share what they have You have to choose to be who you want to be. Decide what is important to you. Make a plan to get what you need to be more successful at whatever you want to accomplish. Everything else will fall into place.
Have a Prosperous and Happy New Year!
The bottom line is I shouldn't. So instead I will make the list of things I will live by this year:
1. Live for me. This year I will not allow people to tell me what is best for me when I know what I want.
2. I will not allow people to stress me out. I will not allow toxic people with toxic lives and attitudes effect me. Just because it is an emergency to you doesn't mean it is an emergency to me. Keep it moving.
3. Grow. I will work hard to achieve whatever goal I have for that moment. I change like the wind most times. Whatever I decide I want to accomplish, I will work diligently towards whatever it takes to achieve that goal.
Anything that I need for the entire year can be achieved by following my rules for myself. If you are reading this I challenge you to do the same. Stop resolving to do things you know you will never accomplish. God loves you the way you are. He knows your potential and he has equipped you with all the resources you need to be a success. Know that you don't have everything you need but he will put people in your life that will share what they have You have to choose to be who you want to be. Decide what is important to you. Make a plan to get what you need to be more successful at whatever you want to accomplish. Everything else will fall into place.
Have a Prosperous and Happy New Year!
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