Midday & Evening

** until 12-31-08 **

3890, 3891, 3892, 3893, 3894, 3895, 3896, 3897, 3898, 3899

0670, 0671, 0672, 0673, 0674, 0675, 0676, 0677, 0678, 0679

 

Saturday 12-27-08

209, 308, 855, 181, 570, 238, 721, 176

607, 617, 755, 845, 856, 180, 769, 296

496, 870, 187, 230, 394, 338, 680, 000

777, 333, 999, 222, 1111, 1181, 6616

Hanukkah party crash driver will not be charged, police say

• Story Highlights
• NEW: "It was just an accident," Nassau County police spokeswoman says
• 14 people hospitalized after man, 76, lost control of vehicle; 4 in serious condition
• Driver released from hospital, has yet to make a public statement
• Rabbi, wife express thanks for support, hope for speedy recoveries

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Charges will not be filed against a 76-year-old man who lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a building where a Hanukkah celebration was under way, police in Long Island, New York, said Friday.

"There's no criminality, it was just an accident," said Nassau County Police Officer Joan Eames, adding that the cause of the crash remained under investigation.

Fourteen people were hospitalized -- some with severe injuries -- Thursday afternoon after Theodore Saretsky plowed into a Woodmere, New York, storefront where Chabad of the Five Towns was holding its Hanukkah Wonderland event, police said. About 150 people were at the celebration.

Saretsky, who was among those injured, did not immediately respond to calls from CNN, and he has not made a public statement. Mercy Medical Center said he was released from the hospital Thursday night.

Police said his vehicle hit a parked car before going through the storefront. 

Hospitals in the area reported receiving adults and children, including two children who were listed in serious condition. Two other people were in serious condition as well, police said.

The Chabad event included menorah- and dreidel-making activities for children, according to the group's Web site.

"We appreciate and are comforted by the tremendous outpouring of support," said the group's director, Rabbi Zalman Wolowik and his wife, Chanie, in a statement posted on the Web site.

"At this time, all information points to this being an unfortunate incident, wherein a car accidentally crashed through the building housing our community's family Hanukkah celebration," the statement says.

It adds, "As we are in the midst of celebrating the holiday of Hanukkah, may we merit to celebrate the miraculous and speedy recovery of all who are injured."

Heshey Jacob, president of the Hatzolah Volunteer Emergency Medical Service, said the vehicle went through a tent in the front of the building where children were playing, and then on to the back of the store.

Thirteen victims were initially transported to hospitals, he said, including one who was taken by air to Nassau County Medical Center. Another child, traumatized by the accident, was taken to a hospital later.

Other than the driver, the injured ranged in age from 18 months to 40 years old, police said.

Police: Pa. man shot for making noise during movie

Dec 27 08:49 PM US/Eastern By MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A man enraged by a noisy family sitting near him in a movie theater on Christmas night shot the father of the family in the arm, police said. James Joseph Cialella, 29, of Philadelphia, told the man's family to be quiet, then threw popcorn at the man's son, police said. The victim told police that Cialella was walking toward his family when he stood up and was shot. Detectives called to the United Artists Riverview Stadium theater in South Philadelphia found Cialella carrying the weapon, a .380-caliber handgun, in his waistband, police said. Cialella faces six charges that include attempted murder and aggravated assault. He remained in custody Saturday. Police said bail had been set, but they did not know the amount. Lt. Frank Vanore called the incident "scary that it gets to that level of violence from being too noisy during a movie." Vanore said the 31-year-old victim from suburban Yeadon was hospitalized in stable condition after the shooting. His name had not been released. It was not immediately known whether Cialella had a lawyer. A woman who answered a call to Cialella's home number Saturday declined to comment. A theater manager referred calls to Regal Entertainment Group spokesman Dick Westerling, who did not immediately return a phone message Saturday. Police could not confirm what movie was playing in the theater, but The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that it was "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

We must trust the perfection of the creation so far, as to believe that whatever curiosity the order of things has awakened in our minds, the order of things can satisfy."

                                                          - Ralph Waldo Emerson - 

Is there such an era coming? That's the question of the hour for me. I hope so for all of humanity and the healing of this beautiful planet, Earth, which we call home. I feel a surge of energy that  is hard to describe. It feels extremely bright and warm and my senses seem to be extremely heightened. I feel as though I am walking on air or water and I don't want it to end. I feel this way a couple of times a year, but it seems to be getting more intense and lasting longer. Golden Age.....Here I come!!!

     

Friday, December 26, 2008
Jockey taken off life support 5 days after spill
Associated Press

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. -- Jockey Sam Thompson Jr. died Christmas Day, five days after he was thrown from a quarter horse following a race at Los Alamitos.

 

The 36-year-old rider had been on life support at Los Alamitos Medical Center since the Dec. 20 accident. Thompson's family had him taken off life support Thursday, medical center spokesman Orlando Gutierrez said.

 

Harems Dynasty, a 2-year-old filly, threw Thompson after finishing seventh in the eighth race. The Los Alamitos Race Course season ended Dec. 21.

 

Thompson, who lived in Long Beach, missed much of the 2008 season because of a broken foot.

 

He is survived by his father, Samuel, mother Gloria, brother Eric and sister Kim.

 

A memorial service is planned when the 2009 season opens Jan. 2.

Midday 12-27-08 Evening

** until 12-29-08 **

470, 471, 472, 473, 474, 475, 476, 477, 478, 479

480, 481, 482, 483, 484, 485, 486, 487, 488, 489

780, 781, 782, 783, 784, 785, 786, 787, 788, 789

230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239

 

"This is the miracle that happens every time to those who really love; the more they give, the more they possess."

                                                                       - Rainer Maria Rilke-

Finding the car in Seinaejoki, north of Helsinki, police saw that the mosquito had recently sucked blood and decided to send the insect for analysis.

The DNA found from laboratory tests matched a man on the police register.

The suspect denies stealing the car and says he was just hitch-hiking a lift with a man.

Police: Woman faked missing baby story to win back ex

• Story Highlights
• Baby was described as having one tooth, mohawk and temporary tattoo
• "Riley Buchness" was subject of Christmas Day missing child alert
• Meagan McCormic, 22, is in custody, accused of filing false report

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Meagan McCormic faced television cameras on Christmas Day to plead for the return of her missing 5-month-old son.

"I don't even know if he's dead or alive," she said.

In fact, she knew that the child had never existed, police said.

McCormic was trying to lure an ex-boyfriend back when she invented a missing-child story that triggered a statewide search this week, police said Friday.

Investigators have charged the 22-year-old with filing a false police report. If convicted, they said, she may have to pay authorities for the cost of their search.

She was scheduled to appear in court Friday afternoon.

McCormic had described her infant son as having a mohawk, a single tooth and a fake tattoo. She told reporters his name was Riley Buchness and that she had left him with a nanny who had a French accent and a gap between her teeth.

She invented the story to lure back an ex-boyfriend by pretending he had fathered a child he did not know about, said Delrish Moss, a spokesman for the Miami Police Department. When the boyfriend showed up and asked to see the child, Moss said, McCormic told him the boy was missing.

"He finally decided to show up, and she created a story and he had no idea," Moss said.

On Christmas Day, the estranged boyfriend attended a news conference with McCormic under the impression that he had a son who was missing.

"I don't understand," John Buchness, 26, said then, choking back tears. "It's Christmas."

McCormic told police she had left her son with a nanny named Camille.

"I don't know if they're in Florida," she said. "I don't know where they are."

Authorities around Florida started looking for the boy and nanny, using the descriptions McCormic supplied, police said. She even gave police a picture of the boy, but Friday they said they believe she had downloaded the photo from the Internet.

Authorities have called off their search.

Why women shouldn't say 'I love you' first

• Story Highlights
• Men should always be the ones to say "I love you" first in relationship, writer says
• Says men take longer to process their emotions
• If she says it first, may stop a perfectly happy, healthy relationship in its tracks

(The Frisky) -- If I have a daughter one day, among the many things I'll teach her will be how to tie her shoes, to look both ways before crossing the street, to never end a sentence with a preposition, and to always let the man say "I love you" first.

I'll give her plenty of other relationship tips, too, like how it's perfectly okay to ask a guy out, to make the first move, to even propose, but when it comes to the "L" word, the ball's in the guy's court.

This issue can cause a bit of commotion. "What is this, the Victorian era?" wrote one person, "if you truly love someone, tell them. Otherwise you're just playing outdated coquettish games." Another put it more diplomatically: "I don't think I've ever said 'I love you' first, but someone has to do it. It's okay to take a few risks."

I appreciate both arguments and understand the sentiments behind them, but at the risk of having my feminist card revoked, I think it's naïve for a woman to utter those three little words before a man does.

Unlike asking a man out, making a move on him, or even proposing, there's no action-based response to the first "I love you." It's all words, it's all emotion. In that moment, he either loves you back or he doesn't -- you only hear the black or white of a 'yes' or 'no,' not the grey of "Well, I like you a whole lot and I could see myself falling in love with you, but I'm just not quite there yet."

And the truth is, it often takes men longer to get there than it does for women. Men process their emotions more slowly, they're usually more cautious about taking their feelings and relationships to the next level.

So what happens if you get there first and you say it and he's not there yet? What happens when your "I love you" is met with a "thank you," or worse, a deer-in-headlights look? Well, it stings, sure, but more than that, it can stop a perfectly happy and healthy relationship in its tracks before it's even too far from the station.

If a woman asks a man out and he says 'no,' at least she knows where she stands with him and she doesn't waste any time pining over someone who isn't interested. Same thing goes if she makes a move on him and she's rejected.

If she's in a serious relationship -- one where the expression of love as been made clearly by both partners -- and she's eager to make a deeper commitment, there's nothing wrong with proposing. At the very least, it'll start a conversation of where the relationship is headed so the woman can decide for herself if and how long she's willing to wait if man isn't interested in getting married yet.

But an "I love you" uttered too soon, before the man has processed his feelings and reached the same level of adoration could end a relationship that just as easily could have had an eternal shelf life. As soon as those words are said, they change the dynamic. If a man isn't feeling the love quite yet, he may suddenly feel pressure to manifest that emotion. And if the woman doesn't get the response she expected, it could damage her confidence enough to derail the whole relationship entirely.

I guess my advice to my future daughter would be this: "If you love a man and want to have a long relationship with him, give him time to get there. If you think you've given him enough time and you're ready to move on if he doesn't feel the same way for you, then go ahead and tell him you love him. But only say those words if you're prepared to let him go."

Then I'd teach her how to make my famous chili and do a one-handed cartwheel.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Eartha Kitt, the self-proclaimed "sex kitten" whose sultry voice and catlike purr attracted fans even as she neared 80, has died. The singer, dancer and actress was 81.

Family spokesman Andrew Freedman said Kitt, who was recently treated at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, died Thursday in Connecticut of colon cancer.

Dubbed the "most exciting woman in the world" by Orson Welles, Kitt's career spanned six decades, from her start as a dancer with the famed Katherine Dunham troupe to cabarets and acting and singing on stage, in movies and on television.

She won two Emmys, and was also nominated for several Tonys and two Grammys.

Kitt was featured on the cover of her 2001 book, "Rejuvenate," a guide to staying physically fit, in a long, curve-hugging black dress with a figure that some 20-year-old women would envy. She also wrote three autobiographies.

She persevered through an unhappy childhood as a mixed-race daughter of the South, and made headlines in the 1960s for denouncing the Vietnam War during a visit to the White House.

"I remember when I was visiting my aunt in Chicago in 1955, and she took me to see Eartha Kitt, who was one of the first black performers allowed to perform at the Chicago Theater," the Rev. Jesse Jackson said Friday.

"Eartha Kitt was a pioneer, whose talents were so immense and strong that the walls of segregation began to come down when people watched her perform," Jackson said. "Many places she performed, she was the first African-American allowed to perform."

Kitt's first album, "RCA Victor Presents Eartha Kitt," was released in 1954. It featured songs such as "I Want to Be Evil," "C'est Si Bon" and the saucy gold digger's theme song, "Santa Baby," which is revived on radio each Christmas.

The following year, the record company released "That Bad Eartha," which featured "Let's Do It," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and "My Heart Belongs to Daddy."

After becoming a hit singing "Monotonous" in the Broadway revue "New Faces of 1952," Kitt appeared in "Mrs. Patterson" in 1954-55. (Some references say she earned a Tony nomination for "Mrs. Patterson," but only winners were publicly announced at that time.) She also made appearances in "Shinbone Alley" and "The Owl and the Pussycat."

Kitt was the sexy Catwoman on the popular "Batman" TV series in 1967-68, replacing Julie Newmar, who originated the role. A guest appearance on an episode of "I Spy" brought her an Emmy nomination in 1966.

In 1996, Kitt was nominated for a Grammy in the category of traditional pop vocal performance for her album "Back in Business." She also had been nominated in the children's recording category for the 1969 record, "Folk Tales of the Tribes of Africa."

Kitt also acted in movies, playing the lead female role opposite Nat King Cole in "St. Louis Blues" in 1958. She more recently appeared in "Boomerang" and "Harriet the Spy" in the 1990s.

"Generally the whole entertainment business now is bland," she said in a 1996 Associated Press interview. "It depends so much on gadgetry and flash now. You don't have to have talent to be in the business today.

"I think we had to have something to offer, if you wanted to be recognized as worth paying for."

Kitt was plainspoken about causes she believed in. Her anti-war comments at the White House came as she attended a White House luncheon hosted by Lady Bird Johnson.

"You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed," she told the group of about 50 women. "They rebel in the street. They don't want to go to school because they're going to be snatched off from their mothers to be shot in Vietnam."

For four years afterward, Kitt performed almost exclusively overseas. She was investigated by the FBI and CIA, which allegedly found her to be foul-mouthed and promiscuous.

In 1978, Kitt returned to Broadway in the musical "Timbuktu!" — which brought her a Tony nomination — and was invited back to the White House by President Jimmy Carter.

"We are a better people and a better world because of her audacity, and her protest at the White House brought a message of dignity and peace to high places," Jackson said. "It created temporary discomfort to some, but peace-loving people around the world rejoiced."

In 2000, Kitt earned another Tony nomination for "The Wild Party." She played the fairy godmother in Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" in 2002.

As recently as October 2003, she was on Broadway after replacing Chita Rivera in a revival of "Nine."

She also gained new fans as the voice of Yzma in the 2000 Disney animated feature "The Emperor's New Groove," and won two Emmys for her voice work in "The Emperor's New School."

Kitt was born in North, S.C., and her road to fame was the stuff of storybooks. In her autobiography, she wrote that her mother was black and Cherokee while her father was white, and she was left to live with relatives after her mother's new husband objected to taking in a mixed-race girl.

An aunt eventually brought her to live in New York, where she attended the High School of Performing Arts, later dropping out to take various odd jobs.

By chance, she dropped by an audition for the dance group run by Dunham, a pioneering African-American dancer. In 1946, Kitt was one of the Sans-Souci Singers in Dunham's Broadway production "Bal Negre."

Kitt's travels with the Dunham troupe landed her a gig in a Paris nightclub in the early 1950s. Kitt was spotted by Welles, who cast her in his Paris stage production of "Faust." That led to a role in "New Faces of 1952," which featured such other stars-to-be as Carol Lawrence, Paul Lynde and, as a writer, Mel Brooks.

In 1960, she married Bill McDonald but divorced him after the birth of their daughter, Kitt.

While on stage, she was daringly sexy and always flirtatious. Offstage, however, Kitt described herself as shy and almost reclusive, remnants of feeling unwanted and unloved as a child. She referred to herself as "that little urchin cotton-picker from the South, Eartha Mae."

Friday 12-26-08

387, 919, 918, 065, 243, 421, 386, 286, 287

487, 377, 397, 229, 680, 321, 951, 753, 572

372, 222, 000, 111, 555, 666, 777, 1118, 1111

Gunman in Santa suit kills 3, takes own life

• Story Highlights
• NEW: Suspected gunman found death at relative's house, police say
• Police: Girl, 8, and woman in her 20s hospitalized with gunshot wounds
• Authorities investigating fire set at home where shooting took place
• Los Angeles-area shooting happened late on Christmas Eve

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The prime suspect in a Christmas Eve shooting and fire that left three people dead in a Los Angeles suburb has committed suicide, police said Thursday.

Authorities had been searching for Bruce Jeffery Pardo, 45, after a man dressed as Santa Claus showed up and started shooting at a party at a house in Covina, California.

Pardo's body was discovered at a relative's home in the nearby suburb of Sylmar, and authorities have made a positive identification, said Lt. Pat Buchanan of the Covina Police Department. Buchanan said Pardo was the prime suspect in the Christmas Eve shooting.

Police believe the residence where the shootings occurred belongs to another of Pardo's relatives, Buchanan said. The house was burning when police arrived. Watch police describe what happened

Three people were found dead inside. Police have not said how they died, nor have they released their identities.

An 8-year-old girl and a woman in her 20s were hospitalized with gunshot wounds that authorities do not consider life-threatening.

Crews took a third person to a hospital with an injury that wasn't life-threatening and wasn't caused by gunfire, said police in Covina, a city about 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

The shooting started around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.

"There was some source of ignition that caused the fire," Covina police Lt. Pat Buchanan said at a news conference Thursday morning. "We've not been able to identify it yet."

Authorities said Pardo's name was given to them by people who were at the party. Pardo was "going through some type of marital problems," spokesman Buchanan said.

According to police, the gunman changed out of the Santa suit and into regular clothes before leaving.