Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

To the many of you that have dropped me an email I would like to thank you for giving of your time. Your well wishes are appreciated!

This has been a busy time for me with closing out projects and kicking off new ones for 2008. So, I have once again neglected this blog.

All is well with me and my family. I hope the same is true for all of you. May the New Year bring us all a little closer to peace, harmony and better times!

Where is Justin Gaines?

November 1, 2007 eighteen year old Justin Gaines left Wild Bills a popular Atlanta club at 1:00am and has not been seen or heard from since. Justin’s disappearance has not received the media attention many other cases have, but that does not change the fact that a family is extremely heartbroken and distressed.

www.justingaines.com

http://www.operationfindachild.org/Cases/JUSTIN_GAINES_JG1.html

Gwinnett County Press Release issued Nov. 14 by Gwinnett Police PIO Corporal Illana T. Spellman

There have been a lot of questions regarding the status of this case. As of late, this is still a missing persons case. There is still no evidence to support or deny foul play. The investigation has slowed over the past week due to lack of cooperation from some of Justin Gaines’ close friends and associates. This is a concern for the detectives working this case. The detectives want to strongly encourage those individuals to come forward and cooperate in this investigation which could possibly develop more leads into Justin’s whereabouts. Anyone with information can call the Criminal Investigations Section at 770-513-5300.

Madeleine McCann’s Disappearance

This case is another that provokes very emotional outcry and appears to be divided into three distinct mindsets.

1) Those that think the parents are guilty.
2) Those that think this was a stranger abduction.
3) And, those that just want to know the facts.

Self-proclaimed “experts” sit in their easy chairs, watch assorted news clips and make psychiatric determinations about the fitness of Kate and Gerry McCann. Those determinations appear to be based strictly upon the “expert’s” life experiences and have little to do with any facts that have been discovered, concerning the McCann’s. Given that fact, it is extremely difficult to give much credence to these quacks. Yet, people do so, because the blatantly prejudiced claims serve a particular mindset that has convicted the McCann’s without basis.

If the McCann’s did play a roll in this heinous crime, then the timeline must be explained. When did the supposed crime take place? When did the parents dispose of the body? How did the parents so successfully hide the remains? And the biggest question of all, why? All of these questions have to be answered and those answers must fit within the established time constraints.

Timeline:

MAY 3

9.15AM MADELEINE and two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, are quickly up and dressed and the family breakfast together in their holiday apartment. The children go to the kids' club - on site at the Mark Warner Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz - where they have been staying with friends. Kate and Gerry enjoyed jogs on the beach, tennis and morning strolls.

12.30PM KATE and Gerry scoop up their children from the creche and head back to their apartment for lunch. Madeleine has learnt a dance which she and her young friends are to perform for their parents the following day.

2.30PM THE family head for the Ocean Club's pool. Kate takes a last photo of Madeleine dangling her feet in the water, next to sister Amelie and Gerry. They spend the rest of the afternoon pottering.

5PM (This entry has been questioned) THE McCanns join friends for drinks at a restaurant in Praia da Luz where the children have their tea. A waiter, who has not spoken before, said: "They arrived in beach clothes and there was a big group. Nine adults and six or seven children and they took up two large tables. The adults ordered alcoholic drinks and had quite a lot. They were happy." Gerry played in front of the restaurant with his children, pushing Madeleine on a swing. The waiter said Madeleine's parents called her in from the beach to eat her meal on the balcony of the restaurant. He said: "When he brought her back to get an ice-cream, she was jumping up and down with excitement. It was a lovely sight."

6PM MADELEINE eats her ice cream as the group leave for their holiday apartment. It is the last time she is seen in public.

7.30PM KATE gives Madeleine a bath, then dries her hair, carefully taking out a bead she had put in earlier in the week. Then she helps her into her pink pyjamas and puts her to bed next to the twins' cots at around 8pm. As Madeleine snuggles up to her beloved Cuddle Cat toy, she says: "Mummy, I've had the best day ever. I'm having lots and lots of fun."

8PM KATE and Gerry spend half an hour together before meeting friends at the tapas bar, as usual, at 8.30pm. It has a view of the apartments 50 metres away where they are all staying. The McCanns choose not to use the baby-sitting service.

8.30PM THE couple meet seven others at the restaurant including Russell O'Brien and his partner Jane Tanner as well as Dr Matthew Oldfield and his wife Rachael.

9PM GERRY is the first to return to the block, checking on his children at 9.05pm. He sees all three children sound asleep. On his way back to the restaurant, Gerry bumps into Brit Jeremy Wilkins, with whom he had played tennis. Jane Tanner goes to check on her daughter who is ill.

9.15PM AS Jane enters their block - number five - she sees a man carrying what looks like a child wrapped in a blanket. She barely gives him a second glance. The restaurant is buzzing as diners take part in a quiz, organised by aerobics instructor Najova Chekaya.

9.30PM DR Oldfield gets up to look in on his children and offers to check on the McCanns'. Instead of going into apartment 5A he listens at the door. Satisfied the children are sound asleep, he rejoins the party and reports all was well. At around the same time, as the quiz ends, Gerry invites Ms Chekaya, 21, to join their table. She is with them for half an hour. Dr O'Brien also leaves the table for 25 minutes to look after his ill daughter, returning shortly before 10pm.

10PM KATE leaves the group to check on the children. Letting herself into the flat, she opens the door to the kids' bedroom and freezes for a split second. Madeleine's bed is empty. A bolt of terror shoots through her followed by panic. Hysterical, she races back to the restaurant. One witness said she shouts: "They've taken her, they've taken her. The group run back with her to the apartment and help Kate and Gerry triple check every room, looking under the beds, in the wardrobes, behind the doors. Their panic grows. The couple are said to have known immediately that their daughter had been taken because Cuddle Cat was left on a ledge impossible for Madeleine to reach and a window shutter had been forced open.

10.10PM THE alarm is raised with the resort manager within 10 minutes. The Mirror has learned Gerry bursts into the Ocean Club's reception and asks for a priest and the police. Told it is too late to get hold of the priest, he then runs down the hill towards the church, stopping cars and pleading: "Have you seen a little girl? She's my daughter and she's missing." Friends and staff join in the search. Kate stays with the twins, waiting for news.

10.41PM THE police claim they receive a call telling them that a child is missing.

11.03PM TWO local officers arrive at the club and after a laboured questioning session involving a translator then call the Policia Judiciaria who investigate serious crimes. Friends of the McCanns allege that shortly after 11pm, they see British expat Robert Murat, who lives nearby with his mother, join the search party at the Ocean Club. He denies this, saying he was at home with his mother.

Even if we disregard the 5:00pm entry the timeline is still very tight, giving little time for the parents to have killed their child, disposed of the body and make it to dinner for a few laughs with friends.

It is true that the parents acted negligently by leaving the children alone, while they dined with their friends. But, does that fact negate all else that has been learned about this child’s disappearance? Or could it actually support the notion of a stranger abduction? Waiters at the Tapas Restaurant report that for at least the last four nights of the planned vacation, the McCann’s along with the rest of their party had a specific table reserved outside overlooking the pool. This group had a very well timed ritual and that became well-known to those working in the establishment. Such a regimented routine could have created the perfect conditions for the abduction of Madeleine.

If any of you have any theories about how the McCann’s may have pulled off this almost perfect crime, I would love to read them. How the McCann’s look or react in the media means little to me unless some sense can be made of just how they managed to do this. Also, I am a parent as well and we never left our boys unattended when they were toddlers, but that is not the issue here either except that it definitely opened a window of opportunity for a possible child abductor.

***********************************

This article published November 4th is an interesting addition to the story. Daily Mail

What I found most interesting is the following quote:

“Dr Payne, 41, a cardiovascular researcher from Leicestershire, was the last person outside the McCann family to see Madeleine alive. He went to the family's apartment at 6.30pm on May 3 and said he saw Mrs McCann there with all three of her children, while Mr McCann played tennis.”

If we are to take that information as fact, then it tightens the timeline considerably.

Monday, October 29, 2007 9:00ct/10:00et

Some of you may know that I am a fan of On The Record w/Greta Van Susteren. I may not always agree with her take on some of the more publicized cases of the day, but I still enjoy watching and listening to her program. In fact, along with Greta and several other regular features, Fox News has become a daily routine for me.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Greta accompanied First Lady Laura Bush on a trip to the Middle East this past week with hopes of spreading the word about this very serious malady so many women face. She was a real trooper and recorded her daily activities almost hour by hour on her increasingly popular blog, GretaWire. (Check It Out!)

In a very small way, I would like to support this cause and urge each of you to tune into her program this Monday night, October 29, 2007. The ratings will show the bean counters of this world that people do take this disease seriously, want more information and would like to see it cured in our lifetime.

Encourage those you care about to watch this hour of television. Make it a family affair and let it propel discussions within your own family. It will be time well spent!

Desperation?

Below is a translation of a recent Bon Dia article provided by ArubaGirl. I find it to be somewhat strange and the timing more than coincidental with Greta Van Susteren’s visit to Aruba. Perhaps more light will be shed upon these claims over the next few days.

****************************

American Congress with a petition to hold hearings because
FBI Accused In Hindering and Threatening Aruban Authorities in Holloway Case
In an attempt to protect the rich and powerful Twitty Family

Oranjestad - A group of American Congressmen asked for a congressional hearing to seriously investigate the FBI due to its interference in the investigation in the Natalee Holloway Case. It is an attempt to get clarity about what the tasks of the FBI was in this entire situation and if indeed the FBI hindered the investigation as they have heard.

A group of congressmen submitted a petition to congressman [senator? – ag] who is the leader of the [senate?? –ag] judicial committee in the United States. In the letter is written that since both American votes and citizens of the allied (like Aruba – Ed.] they are disgusted about the cover-up from the American press about the corruption that exists in the highest level It must be illustrated that this congressional commission supervises the American Justice Department that includes the FBI and also the American Federal Court system.

The letter goes on to say that they feel that the United States has to work for everyone and not just those who are privileged.

The 100th American congress promises to reestablish responsibility in the American government and strengthen ties with its allies. To do this, they are asking for a congressional hearing, to investigate this matter.

Also pointed out is that for the last two years, the American press reported on the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Now it seems that a powerful financial group, politically connected, pressured the FBI Barbados department to not cooperate in the investigation. This should have taken place when they were asked for assistance. It was shown that there are indications that there was an attempt to disrupt and frustrate the investigation to protect those financially powerful and politically well connected.

The letter points to an article in the month of July in the newspaper Amgioe, where it speaks about the FBI hindering the work of the police and Justice in Aruba about the investigation of the Natalee Holloway case. Especially when the direct family of [Natalee] Holloway had to be investigated like the mother Beth, and the step father George “Jug” Twitty.

It seems now that the stepfather had direct influences to the Whit e House, and also tired to cover the investigation in the 120 students who came to Aruba.

A high FBI official would have told Gerold Dompig, who was then involved in the investigation, to do his own dirty work. I and other police officers not only had to work under serious pressure of the FBI, who arrived in Aruba in a record time, but we were also hindered in doing our work, and were even threatened.

Fact is that there are actions taking place that give this case another turn, and put people thinking that now the disappearance is nothing more than a diabolical plan to camouflage a well thought out plan and with connections on the highest level, was helped in an unprecedented way.

- Bon Dia Aruba, October 9th, page 6

“If They Won’t Do It, Then We Will!”

DIARIO has made the decision to perform a water search for Natalee Holloway at their expense. At this time necessary equipment is still being gathered, but the search should commence within the next several days. I’ve been promised a day by day report detailing each event surrounding this latest endeavor.

Way to go Jossy! It has become abundantly clear no one else is willing to make this effort. We applaud your persistence!

Update: We have a pretty good recent lead to go on. Our searches start by mid week, around Wednesday or Thursday. There is a lot of preparatory work to be done before we send the boat out with the necessary divers and equipment. We as Arubans do not need any kind of permit for the activity we are to embark on. That makes it easier.

I will let you know as soon as we are ready to embark on the first search to a spot we have mapped on the ocean.

Update II: So far...

... a lot of disappointments. It seems that the reading taken over a year ago of a specific target are no longer valid. It was explained to me that the pinpointed target has moved due to underwater currents, sand shifts, recent and past bad oceanic conditions created by the passing hurricanes to the north of the island, close to where the target was located, etc.) and has not been relocated yet in its new (and disintegrated) presence. However, I have asked them to try to pinpoint at least a part (the largest possible) of the target and to go for it, but they said it would take time and it makes the search more indefinite as far as location is concerned. The search, therefore, will take time before it can proceed. I will keep you posted on everything, good and bad, related to the search, and when it can be finally done with whatever percentages of success may exist.

This seems to have been the characteristics of this case: one disappointment after another! How can so many factors combine to make a simple case so difficult to solve? Beats me!

How Low Will They Go?

There is a famous turning point in the McCarthy hearings that took place in the 1950’s. Mr. Joseph Welch, the head attorney for the United States Army, had been repeatedly badgered by Sen. Joseph McCarthy during the Senate hearings. He finally took control and would not allow McCarthy to silence him. His famous words still ring true and clear, “You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"

Some blogs and forums have fallen into the same cruel, reckless behavior that became labeled McCarthyism. Innocent people are being victimized by these web sites by the use of innuendo and conjecture. When they attack it is based upon no relevant facts, the police do not list their victims as POI or suspects, but these blogs/forums routinely go after thier targets full-throttle.

This young man is a fine example of the harm such poor judgment can inflict. He is owed more than an appology. Read his heartfelt comment and then tell me you want to be associated with this type of persecution!

Enough is Enough

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=78494661&blogID=314178349

September Equinox

Fall has always been a reflective time for me and my thoughts quickly return to a small southern town nestled in the tall pines and old oaks. The tines of steel yard rakes would sing as they moved across the asphalt streets, gathering small piles of leaves along side the curb to be burned. The aroma of the burning leaves would permeate the air along with the distant sound of a marching band practicing for the Friday night game. The old front porch swing would sway with the gentle breeze and the screen door would bounce as children ran in and out of the house.

Those few blocks surrounding the old house perched upon a hill was my world. It was my kingdom and I ruled it from high atop an ancient Mulberry tree. It was my childhood.

(to be cont.)

Silenced Voice?

Anyone that thinks they have the power to take away someone’s voice across the World Wide Web in this day and age is obviously suffering from illusions of grandeur. But, to be perfectly honest with everyone, I have completely lost interest in this topic and the subject matter really doesn’t deserve my time or attention. The blog and its owner are just not that important. I no longer have any respect for the person, his ad-happy geek or his lead moderator, but it is time for me to move on to more interesting things. Since I have somewhat dropped off of their radar screen and they are no longer using me as an excuse, I’m going to invest my time into something more noteworthy.

On the plus side, that forum did bring together a lot of interesting people that have made lasting friendships. Those friendships live on through email and at other internet locations, so I will take the good and walk away from the bad.

It is clear from the comments on this topic that several of you have a need to vent about your experiences with that blog/forum, or take a few swings at me. I can understand that, so feel free to continue.

A Mother's Love

... and shattered lives

Nov. 15, 2004 Peter and Joan Porco were attacked while they slept. An intruder made a deliberate path into the house with use of a hidden key and then disarmed the security system by using the master code and the alphanumeric keypad. Without disturbing anything within the home the intruder made his way to the master bedroom and began his vicious attack by brutally swinging an ax directed toward the faces of his victims. Somehow the couple survived the attack.

Peter would later die at the hospital, but Joan recovered to a degree. Her face will forever be a reminder of that night even though her memory has faded.

When police were summoned to the scene, they found Joan lying in her bed surrounded by a pool of blood. Remarkably, she was able to respond to verbal commands to move her hands and legs. Detective Chris Bowdish had already sized up the crime scene and determined that there had been no forced entry. This led him to ask Joan, 'Can you hear me?' And she nodded her head yes. I then started feeling that this woman knows what’s going on."

"I said, 'Did a family member do this to you?' And she nodded her head up and down clearly, yes. Now everybody in the room’s standing there at this point, I’ve got witnesses." Bowdish continued.

"And I said to her 'Did Jonathan do this to you?' And she clearly shook her head back and forth, 'no.' At this point I knew she could hear me. I knew she understood the answers to the questions," Bowdish remembers. "And I said to her, 'Did Christopher do this to you?' And she then shook her head up and down. She nodded. Yes he did."

Peter and Joan have two sons. Jonathan was 23 and Christopher was 21 at the time of the butchery. Christopher later stood trial for the murder of his father and attempted murder of his mother.

To read more about this fascinating story check the following links:

48 Hours Mystery

TimesUnion

Things That Go Bump in the Night

Might just be the wind...

*************************************************************

I asked Carla to give us a little background about her trip to Aruba.

"It didn’t take long for us to realize that the trip to Aruba was not going to be one of our easiest. Supposedly, there was a ‘customs mix-up’ with all the trunks of lighting and camera equipment. The assertion was that it had not been properly inspected when FEDEX claimed receipt at the airport. This became a continuous battle for us and Jessika McCool (our production mgr.) was on the cell non-stop fielding calls about the equipment.

We were having dinner at a nice restaurant on the island before the night shoot "main event" as they like to call it, and 2 of our guys were 'detained' while filming late that afternoon. Jess wasn't even able to really take but a few bites of her meal, as again - she was on the cell non-stop to get them released. The customs officers actually went to our hotel asking to search all of our rooms, and the hotel was tres cool about it - they flat out refused. (We love them!)

Even on the beach that night - Greg Palmer (one of our producers) was fending off local police as they were telling him to "pack it up" and leave. They did this throughout the night, so we had to move through our readings as quickly as possible. But it didn't matter - my reading was very clear from the beginning.

I spent my day off Friday (we finished shooting Thursday night) @ FEDEX with Jess as we made sure all the forms + manifests were properly filled out for shipping all those trunks back to NY for the next episode. (Good thing - Jess needed more forms which had not been filed with the large shipment.) I didn't mind - she said she was actually happy I came, since I was the only one who made friends with a woman supervisor at the local FEDEX to get my 2 trunks back to Los Angeles without incident. I like to triple check things like this - so I was on the phone several times earlier from the hotel. (It's official - I'm a 'baby' crew-bie!)

We made it through and hopefully the premiere will portray just that!"

********************************
Court TV Goes One-On-One with Carla Baron, star of "Haunting Evidence"

"Missing in Paradise"

Carla says that after her visit to Aruba, "there's nothing left to ponder" about the Holloway case. "I'm crystal clear on this one."

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 18, 2007 --Carla Baron gives an inside look at Season 2 of Court TV's "Haunting Evidence." They sat down with Carla, star of the hit series, to discover more about this famous psychic, and her whirlwind ride into danger, intrigue, and the unknown.

Q: What's been new in your life since the last season of "Haunting Evidence?"

A: I've been so busy with the new season of "Haunting Evidence" that I haven't had a life. I'm always packing my bags or shooting. I really haven't had two seconds to breathe.Personally, I do feel more comfortable in my own skin now and I look much better. That projects on TV. The confidence shows. I'm happy about it. I don't feel so guarded.

Q: What has been the most difficult "Haunting Evidence" case?

A: There has never been a distinct obstacle to keep me from getting an answer. Whatever I am supposed to see, I see. This season, viewers will really get to see my methodology. I really get to work the way I like to work.The producers, however, did keep having to slow me down. "Carla," they'd say, "we don't want you to solve this case in three minutes. The show will be over too quickly." I am lightning fast. And the faster I work, the more accurate I am. It's like a laser light show.John works just the opposite way. He takes more time - which is why we're so good together on screen.

Q: During your investigation, what did you find out about Natalee Holloway?

A: I pretty much nailed it. I knew, for a long time, that I'd be working on this case. I knew whatever I was going to contribute was going to be poignant. I was willing to place myself in an area of danger and name names. I described in detail what happened-after I worked the case, there's nothing left to ponder. I'm crystal clear on this one.

Q: Will police ever discover Natalee Holloway's killer?A: I think the police already know who the killer is. But there's a lot of fear down there - you can sense it in the air.Q: Have you ever tried to contact Lana Clarkson?

A: From the Phil Spector trial? I don't connect with victims, per se, unless officially requested by law enforcement assigned, or immediate family.

Q: What is the most enjoyable part of your job?

A: It's the glow I get when I do a reading. That's why I do them. It's like a personal therapy for me. When I'm in a reading, I center myself and become a better person with each reading. Other psychics are drained when they do it, but I'm energized. In fact, it can take me three or four hours to wind down after I'm done.

Q: What is the most difficult part of your job?

A: Waking up and realizing that another year has gone by. It seems like five minutes. My work is so invigorating that I forget time goes by. It's like a fountain of youth. The more I do, the younger and more energetic I feel. It's difficult when other people are stuck in real time and I'm in a different time dimension.

Q: What is the murder case you'd most like to investigate?

A: Jack the Ripper. I'd want to see what Jack did.

Q: Why not do it?

A: I don't get involved unless I'm officially invited. I don't have time to indulge myself.I'd also like to study the Zodiac Killer. I'm a child of the seventies, which was the real dawn of serial killers. For some reason it became a big cultural influence back then.I'd like to investigate Lizzie Borden, too. She was certainly a product of the media, and an early student of using the media to 'swing' things her way.

Q: Do you think most police and prosecutors believe you can help them solve difficult cases?

A: As with any group, there are certain individuals who have vision, and are open to exploring new avenues when nothing else is working. This is definitely part of the future, especially in law enforcement, where people are beginning to take their egos out of the equation when doing their jobs.

Q: Please describe what it feels like to contact the dead.

A: To me, it's exactly the same as communicating with the living. I don't see them as 'dead.' They have the same energy as a living person. They sound the same. No difference.

The new season of "Haunting Evidence" starts Wednesday, June 20th at 10PM E/P. Haunting Evidence

Producers, press and media agencies, network representatives, and others wishing to contact Ms. Baron directly should do so by visiting her official website: www.carlabaron.net.

Intuitive Substantiation

A commercial airliner breaks through the clouds and begins to drop altitude as it approaches a strip of land born of volcanic rock and jutting upward from the azure waters of the Caribbean. The landscape more closely resembles the desert southwest than what one might envision as a tropical paradise. Jagged rocks, scrub brush and shifting sands dominate the canvas, but the painting is framed by sugar white beaches and wind-sculpted Divi Divi trees. What mysteries does this island hold so close to its center?

Aboard the flight a passenger peers from the window as the jet begins to circle the island and prepares for landing. She closes her eyes for a moment and carefully thinks through her itinerary. Suddenly, the landing gear lowers and the rubber of the tires sing as it touches the runway. The passenger disembarks and stops momentarily. She turns her face toward the prevailing wind and lets her eyes drift across the horizon as her long blonde hair dances against a stark blue sky. Even in February the temperatures on the island are moderate, but she feels a chill run over her skin then her hands tremble so very slightly.

Like many before her Carla Baron is drawn to Aruba by a feeling, a vision, an unexplainable sense that keeps telling her what happened to Natalee Holloway. Carla is a psychic profiler featured on Court TV's Haunting Evidence and she wants to stand on the island, breath in the air and fine tune the feelings that consume her. Does she succeed where others have failed?

You will have to turn the channel to Court TV on June 20th to learn the answers to those questions. However, reliable sources have told me that she did indeed have a psychic experience while standing in the sands of Aruba near the hotel area and she will name names on her television broadcast. She also thinks she knows where Natalee Holloway is now.

This was not the first time a psychic has come forth with a vision, a story, a location or a hundred other things. Most did nothing to move the investigation forward and over two years later there are still no certain answers. Just speculation piled upon more speculation. Maybe Carla Baron's efforts will stir a memory, or encourage some frightened person to come forward with the truth.

As desperation grows so does the ability to be accepting of things considered unconventional by most. Do I believe in psychic profiling? I’m not sure.

From the dawn of time there have been those that walk amongst us with a super sensitivity to their surroundings. Those sensitivities can manifest themselves in many ways. A select group of those people have been able to harness those energies and use them in a positive way. Personally, I have always been somewhat skeptical of psychic phenomenon, but I am not so closed minded that I do not recognize the fact that many unexplained things have happened during my life time.

The island of Aruba has seen many sunsets since Natalee Holloway walked away from a local nightclub never to be seen again. Her disappearance gripped the imaginations, desperations and frustrations of people around the world. The case has caused such scrutiny that the whole tourist based economy of Aruba swirled like Palm fronds caught in a hurricane. Yet, not a trace of Natalee has been found and the answers seem to be lost in a pile of redacted declarations.

So, I am willing to take a look at alternative approaches to the investigation and will tune into Haunting Evidence on June 20, 2007.

Internet Prophets

(Living in the Shadow of Simian)

There are many bloggers across the internet sharing their thoughts about everything from recipes to politics and beyond. Most of us have other obligations and only devote our spare hours to blogging. That can leave voids in the content that can stretch into weeks at a time.

An idea that embraced my thoughts recently was to invite other bloggers to make written contributions, detailing any topic that might interest the readership of this web site. The first entry for this experiment has been kindly made by a person familiar to many of you that frequent message boards.

Her Name: ArubaGirl

Her Blog: http://www.arubagirl.ws/

****************************************************************
Will The Real Simian Please Stand Up?

I suppose everyone has those days that just drift by, with nothing happening. You know, days that you can just relax, catch a movie, and watch a TV show. Those days are good days, aren't they?

And I suppose that everyone has those days where they're accused of being an internet prophet posting mysterious messages on forums about a case that has had many people in their grip one time or another.

No?

Oh, only me then. Okay.

When I received the message that there was a site out there saying that I was simian, I was flabbergasted. When I went to the site, I was insulted that the thread in my 'name' only got 24 posts or so. Anyway, I denied it to a couple of people and thought that was that. Nobody is really going to believe that I was capable of creating these vague sounding posts, right? And frankly, what constituted some crappy writing? Oh, me of little faith. Not only was it believed, it spread around the internet like wildfire.

I will not deny it: I was pissed. I was spitting nails mad. It truly got my goat that people thought that I knew where Natalee was and wouldn't tell. After ranting to my computer screen for a good while (because it helps sooo much) I called up my best friend and whined to her about the unfairness of it all. Her response: hysterical laughter. My response to that: Sulking silence. Didn't anybody feel my pain here? I told my mom (after explaining the whole back story) and she had the same response. I started to see a pattern here.

Then I really thought about it, and it is kind of funny. I mean, in my resume, underneath my jobs in the casino, insurance and automotive industry; I can put 'internet prophet'. How many people can say that? Not sure that it will actually further my career, but that's another matter.

I will leave you with a little tidbit for the poster who started it all: Petunia. My Chinese Horoscope sign is a monkey. How is that for evidence!

Update:

Several of you have emailed, asking that I keep my blog going. Thank you for the response and I will try to find the time now that life has slowed for me. At this time I will just do a brief summary about some recent events surrounding the case of Natalee Holloway. There is a great deal of news about other happenings on the little tropical island of Aruba, but I will address those later.

*********************************

News from Aruba concerning the Natalee Holloway case has been slow since the Kalpoe brothers were awoken by the knock of several law enforcement types a few weeks ago. Some on the island have labeled the Dutch team the “Mute Investigators” because nothing is seen, or heard of them. However, they remain on the island.

Joran Van Der Sloot's book and subsequent interviews have received a good bit of attention across the internet, but little in the American main stream media. The only thing we learned from that attempt at creative writing is that Joran is the person we thought he was all along.

And, that ain’t good!

Carla Baron’s Court TV (CTV) program, Haunting Evidence, will premier the 20^th of this month and it promises to be an interesting look at the Holloway case. Carla is not letting out much info due to contractual agreements she has with CTV, but others that were with her in Aruba say it is one show you don't want to miss!

The following is a press release issued by CTV:

Carla Baron and the Return for "Haunting Evidence"

Carla Baron is gearing up for the premiere of her runaway hit Court TV series, "Haunting Evidence," launching it's 2nd season on June 20th with a one-hour special on the Natalee Holloway investigation in Aruba.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 4, 2007 -- Carla Baron is gearing up for the premiere of her runaway hit Court TV series, "Haunting Evidence," launching it's 2nd season on June 20th with a one-hour special on the Natalee Holloway investigation in Aruba.

Television audiences know Carla Baron, internationally renowned psychic, from her work on Court TV's "Psychic Detectives," ABC's "Primetime," MTV's "Fear," and the British hit program, "Dead Famous," which has broadcast in the United States on the Biography Channel. Her series, "Haunting Evidence," also appears in regular syndication on the UK's LIVINGtv network, and Australia's FOXTEL.

Carla is most famous for her role as a psychic profiler, in which she assists police departments in identifying perpetrators in long standing unsolved crimes, homicides and abductions, in particular. In fact, Ms. Baron recently received what are now many hundreds of heartfelt requests worldwide - begging for her assistance in the kidnapping of little Madeleine McCann from her holiday apartment in Portugal on the night of May 3rd.

"I am so excited for this 2nd season of Haunting Evidence to begin," Carla remarks. "There is a surprise reveal right before the special on Natalee that is not to be missed!"

Ms. Baron states that her current contract with Court TV is up for renewal, and she is in negotiations for a possible Season 3, should one be ordered by the network in the next few months. On the horizon - Carla is also considering several other pilots for series in development, all of which possess diverse and fascinating premises within the realm of the paranormal.

One thing's for certain, though - we will be seeing much more of Carla Baron. (And we didn't need to consult our "crystal ball" for that one!)

Kalpoe Brothers Briefly Detained

Per Jossy Mansur:

This morning( May 12, 2007) at 7:00 a.m., a team of local policemen, accompanied by members of the Dutch team, went to the home of the Kalpoe brothers for the Dutch to further familiarize themselves with the area. Deepak and Satish resisted the action and were handcuffed and taken away by the local authorities accompanied by members of the Dutch team. The reporters of the DIARIO were the only ones present during this action, and we have exclusive photos of the temporary arrest for resisting an official action by the authorities. The Kalpoe brothers were brought back to the house one hour later. The authorities are now wrapping up the action and moving away from the area. Will keep you informed if and when things develop in a more specific direction.

Photos Provided by NELSON "SPEED" ANDRADE, DIARIO ARUBA:

Blogger Break!

(Or the Case of the Missing Desire)

Unfortunately, I have not had time to properly devote to this blog and will take a hiatus until a later date. If I do receive any news from Aruba that is significant, I will post it here.

From the very beginning it has been difficult to get current news out of Aruba in the English language and software translators have a very difficult time with Papiamento. The native language of Aruba is a blend of many that came together over many, many years. Software translators choke on it, because it has so many nuances unique to the island. A cutting edge online publication is seriously considering the addition of an English language version of their publication.

Personally, I know little about the philosophies of the ownership, but I do know that I would like to be able to read news out of Aruba as it happens. Presently, most of us not familiar with Papiamento are totally reliant upon others to provide translations, or summaries of current news articles. So, I am going to do a little advertising for 24ora in hopes that others will let them know there is a sizable interest in an English version of the news source. Sending an email (info@24ora.com) and requesting the English version will go a long way to convince the owners that there is a real interest in such. Registering with their site will also ensure action will be taken. (www.24ora.com)

Give it some thought!

Taken directly from their web site:

24 Ora.com is part of the Infinity Media Aruba Group. Infinity Media Aruba was established in December of 2006 and is currently offering marketing/ communication and event consultation for third parties on a freelance basis. 24 ora.com is the first in house project of Infinity Media Aruba.

24 Ora is an information revolution that engages people through a truly interactive experience that combines the best of traditional media with innovative new technology. We endeavor to create a richer, more participatory news and information experience for users in Aruba and the world.

24 Ora focuses in providing its users with local news, international news and lifestyle news 24 hours a day. This in an objective, small and easy to read format while audio & video is added to selected news items. Users have the opportunity to comment on each item and view fellow users' comments.

Mission Statement:
24ora.com will be leader as an online news provider providing objective local, international and lifestyle news for its user’s personal development

Business Philosophy:
A great part of the local & international population is interested in being informed about current news in the world and in their own local environment. For 24ora.com it is important to provide short to read objective news to its users within a short time-frame of the news its occurrence. Also it is important for 24ora.com to provide its advertising customers with a high quality advertisement campaign to reach their company goal.

Management
The creator of 24 ora achieved his degree in Commercial Marketing and Communication at the Landstede College in the Netherlands. During his studies in the Netherlands and practicals in Florida, U.S.A he gained the fundamental tools and expertise in creating complete online marketing campaigns and mastering internet automation technology. He has worked with and for major search engines as Google, Yahoo & MSN. Today he is responsible for General Strategy, Marketing Campaigns, Public Relations & Quality Assurance.

The creator explains:
"Out of the time that consumers pay attention to medias in general, they are spending most of that time online. Just imagine all the employees who work in offices that are connected to the internet, outside workers that come home after work and go online. Infinity Media Aruba wants to serve this new generation of information seekers in the best possible way. The strategy that we follow is to offer an as wide as possible line of information to our users."

© copyright Infinity Media Aruba 2007

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Thanks go out to the staff at 24 Ora for providing an English translation of the Kalpoe story. I hope we see more news stories written in English soon!

Paulus Who?

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To your left you will see blood stained rocks painted with silly putty and to your right you will see Boo-Tee in the bush…

Hot! Hot! Hot!

DIARIO - 04/18/07

This is not a translation of the DIARIO article, but rather a summary.

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This is the latest information we received from reliable sources. It says that Holland is extremely interested in the Holloway case and the Namdar bribery case. They are sending a large team of policemen from Holland to further investigate both cases. The Minister of Justice, Rudy Croes, has offered all cooperation to the Dutch authorities who will be coming soon to reinforce those that are already here.

The severe criticisms we outed with regards to both cases has apparently hit home and we can expect some serious actions soon. Holland cannot afford to sit by idly and let a part of the Kingdom go to pots. And the political infiltration in the Prosecution offices, especially in the case of the Attorney General, has met wilth loud criticism here and abroad.

If the Aruban population cannot rely on a true separation of Trias Politica (Executive, Legislative and Judicial)than we are in for some social upheavals that can very easily get out of hand, considering the presence of more than 18,000 illegals and about the same number of latin-americans that are now in Aruba. They are more accustomed to 'heating' the streets than are the Arubans. And that, Holland cannot and will not tolerate.

I am glad that we are getting that kind of help from Holland because the way both cases have been handled by the local authorities stinks!

"You Can’t Handle the Truth"

A Few Answers

Earlier a rather lengthy comment was posted that attempted to push a few myths and lies to the forefront. That is a typical reaction coming from a certain group of like minded people. None of it is surprising or even titillating at this juncture. It’s merely the same song and the same dance. If any legitimate news breaks the silence, some of these people go back through archives and start pulling up old, senseless posts that degrade the victim’s family. Why they are proud of some of that garbage is beyond my imagination, but I have seen it happen over and over again just like clockwork.

Today a person posting from Utrecht, Netherlands, and portraying himself as an Aruban, again began the attack. No, he did not defend the actions of his beloved MEP party. He dragged up old rumors about the messenger, Jossy Mansur. This is a typical low-browed tactic used by those that have no defense nor the intellectual capacity to put forth a reasonable argument. In their ignorance they think they may accomplish something by throwing dirt in someone’s eyes and then kicking them in the crotch while they are blinded. I’ve been around a little too long to buy into that sort of BS, so I do my own research and ask questions of those in the know.

Jossy Mansur answered a few of the claims made by the anonymous propagandist and the highlights are as follows:

(Commentor; Jossy Response)

You know what is funny, the same Editorial he claims to have given to you in English is different from what he printed today in his News Paper. (It is interesting that he would attack the authors original words by claiming the author's translation differed)

The editorial is an exact translation of the one in Papiamento. Perhaps that man just doesn't understand the language or wants to be cute!

And that story of where he was borned and which year he came to Aruba I don't believe it because last year or two years ago he was on a TV-show called "Un dia den bida"(a day in the life), where he told a completely different story of his past (Now I'm not saying I'm right on this so I'm just saying that according to MY OPINION he said something different). (Now he is telling the man that he is wrong about where he was born and his historical accounting of his family's migration to Aruba)

Just the same thing of the same garbage bin. I was born in Aruba in 1934. I didn't come here during the past few years.

When he was told to start paying his backed-up taxes (which run in the millions)and stop looking for loop holes to not pay taxes and started acusing him of Fraude in the Aruban Bank (Interbank)that went Bankrupt (where he was a partial owner if not THE owner)is when his love for the actual government turned from love to just pure hate.

As for taxes, my lawyers and Fiscal Jurists have presented a claim in Court of 7.2 million the government owes me, not vice-versa! People like him just want to twist things to their convenience and slander campaigns. The Courts have not yet given a sentence in that case, but I am confident I will win because the truth (once more!) is on our side.

I was never involved with the Interbank, and it is the MEP government that purchased that bank from the owners, with an excess paid of close to 90 million guilders, most of which went into some private "pockets"!

I’m not going to inflict anymore of this nonsense upon Jossy Mansur. He deserves better and I think the point has been made. Some will continue to grab onto unfounded rumors and do their best to make them appear real. There is nothing that will change their little minds and the facts will be ignored. In a few weeks or months the same tired rumors will once again be repeated as facts, because these people have no interest in the truth. They just want to propagate their skewed opinions about things for which they know nothing.

DIARIO - April 16, 2007 Editorial

(English Translation Provided by Jossy Mansur)

A TRAITOR AND HIS ANTI-ARUBAN GOVERNMENT (2)

The truth can hurt when it’s exposed without circumlocution! What could have led the mediocrity of the MEP party to lose their heads in such an ugly manner? Could it be the bribery of 1 million guilders? Is that what made them try to look for any distraction from this most shameful anti-Aruban act known in our history? Is it because Nel Oduber is searching for a way out of the atom-bomb that the Namdar offer exploded in his face, and that has converted Neldar into another victim that “can be bought and sold?"

Gentlemen, go ahead with your attempts to distract the attention from the offered bribery of the most shameful 1 million guilders that exists, and the delivery afterwards of our port to the same foreign group that put that money under the table! Is this or isn’t this the greatest demonstration of anti-Arubanism known until now? Must the Aruban continue on the path of the cross to get his rights, while the foreigners with money can just wave a few bills in their faces to at once get the permits or properties they want? Just consider all the cases that the most anti-Aruban government has lost in court so far! Two great doctors, real Arubans, Lacle and Posner, had to take the path of the cross to get their rights, and even so, are being politically persecuted until this day! Is this, or isn’t this one more demonstration of the most pathetic anti-Arubanism that exists?

Then Henny Eman and Otmar Oduber, another two Arubans with a long history of political persecution coming from the same Government and members of the MEP party, hungry for vengeance, moved by hate and rancor. They too had to suffer years of political persecution, to finally obtain in Court for the truth to conquer the lies, the slanders, the ridiculous accusations, thrown at them by a Government that has characterized itself as mediocre and totally anti-Aruban!

And we could go on and on to fill this whole paper with the long list of politically persecuted Arubans, just because they think different and want the good of their people and their island. To expose the truth in a newspaper, on the radio or on television, has become for the anti-Arubans in power the cause for unbelievable hysterics, a drowning in a glass of water, and an attempt to hide the bribery offer of 1 million guilders with shouts coming from the handful of mediocrities at their disposal. Mister Neldar can turn and turn, trying to find any motive that can help him extract himself, but the 1 million guilders hang over his head like the accusation of a judge.

The day I said that Nel Oduber’s government is anti American too, I came with the proofs to demonstrate it, but I left out a couple very painful for Nel, but since he again lost control over his tongue, here are more proofs: Natalee Holloway (American) and the American girl that his son mistreated and then wanted to rape in his own home! The father, a man from Panama, sent me all the proofs, including clinical reports of physical abuse, and I didn’t publish them for discretion’s sake and for consideration of a person that does not deserve it.

What did Nel’s government do in the case of Natalee? Hide their heads in a hole like ostriches so as not to see the truth of what was happening, try to fire Jan and Karin because they did not belong to the group of political yes-men of his government; put the interest for American tourism money above the value of a human life; try to throw the blame on the family of the girl that disappeared, instead of going all-out against the three suspects who are responsible for the bad name Aruba got in other countries, and rightly so because those in power did not lift one finger to defend the victim, but went all out behind the curtain to make the family responsible for the negative image Aruba got, and not against the three suspects in whose company the girl disappeared. She too is an American!

Then his unbelievably stupid anti-American statements; the case of his own son who tried to rape an American girl in his own home! Now there is another American arrested because he pulled a gun against a person that attacked his wife, then committed destruction against her property. A government that has characterized itself as an Anti-American one with unquestionable concrete proofs.

But, the worst is that this government is principally an Anti-Aruban one that obliges the sons of this island that do not belong to the privileged few of the MEP, to go through a truly torturous process to find their rights! For the foreigner with money? Everything! All they have to do is…let everyone complete the sentence for himself or herself, considering the bribery offer. And for the poor foreigners who come to Aruba with his or her work specialization, another road of the cross! A merciless persecution; an extraction of the little money that they have or can borrow, to obtain the papers for a permit that often never comes! Another inhuman persecution of those that did not come to commit acts against the law (like those that many of the delinquents around Nel did commit, some with judge’s sentences hanging over their heads!), but who came to Aruba to look for a better life and to contribute to our labor market with their talents and know-hows!

Nel Oduber has become a synonym for political persecution, for implacable hatred, for “can be bought and sold”, of 1 million guilders offered to a traitor willing to deliver our port in the hands of foreigners! This is a handing-over of the worst kind, of a dictatorial attitude never before seen on an island that always held its impeccable democracy in front of the eyes of the world for it to understand that in Aruba the empire of the Law is in command. We can no longer say that! Now our island has become, in the hands of Nel Oduber and his anti Aruban and anti-American government, an island of the abuse of power, of nepotism, of favors to the small group of privileged MEP fanatics, and political persecution against the rest of the population that do not subject themselves to his amens!

Dutch Arrive in Aruba

It is always interesting to watch as things become twisted across the internet to serve personal interests. There is nothing secretive about the source of the following information and it has been said several times that their purpose may have a dual intent.

"They came for both reasons! True, the Awe Mainta editor came with the news and we picked it up. We publish his paper (Awe Mainta) for him at the DIARIO presses."

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Ten Dutch experts will arrive in Aruba today (April 12,2007) to put the finishing touches on the Natalee Holloway case, before the Ministry of Justice of Aruba considers the case closed, or cold!
It is assumed that this will be the last effort to try to find out what happened to Natalee Holloway before declaring the case cold.

“In Aruba, when a case is considered "cold", it doesn't mean that it is permanently closed, but that it can be reopened if and when new evidence appears or is found. The Dutch team of 10 experts that is arriving today has conditioned their work so that they will only work with the police team in charge of combating drugs on the island, because they consider them the more reserved section of the police force.

The Ministry of Justice definitely wants to put an end to the investigation of the case. I think it's wrong, because there are so many declarations by the three main suspects that have to be investigated further, that you cannot close the case until that is properly ant thoroughly done. I fear that this is the last attempt by the Dutch and Aruban authorities to show that they are interested in the case to the degree they will make one last effort, and then close it.

Will keep you posted on their presence and work in Aruba.”

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Postscript:

Not to take away from the source of this news, because he does know much more than I as it pertains to the legal workings of Aruba and the Netherlands. But, some assumptions are being made and that leaves the possibility that things might go in a different direction. All we know for certain is that a group of ten (10) Dutch experts are on their way to Aruba to finalize their investigation into the Natalee Holloway case. Maybe, just maybe, they will be able to do more than just haze over this case and declare it cold.

Wishful thinking on my part, but wouldn’t it be extremely nice if the Holloway/Twitty families finally got a break in all of this?

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Update: I now have a few more details and an anticipated arrival time for the Dutch experts. There should be a better understanding of their intentions by tomorrow afternoon. Stay tuned!

Update II: Nothing to report about the Dutch team of investigators coming out of Aruba at this time and nothing expected over the weekend. Some believe their purpose in Aruba is a mixed one and involves the recent issues of bribery and corruption on the island. More should be learned in the following days and weeks.

Jossy Mansur has been taking a lot of heat from a politically controlled radio station and newspaper in Aruba. The latest attack upon his character is due to an interview he gave to satellite radio host Dana Pretzer.

“I always stand behind everything I say, on the radio, on tv or in the paper. When I'm wrong, I apologize, but when I am right, like in this case, no apologies are necessary. But, it's a two-way street, because I am giving all of them the hell of a rough time in the DIARIO. They, contrary to me, cannot stand the heat, that's why they counter with a lot of inventions and just plain slander. Mike, I couldn't care less about all their attacks… Don't worry for me: I can handle myself pretty well in these kinds of situations. I've been at it for the past 33 years!”

For The Record:

Mike: Jossy, I received an email this morning asking me about something they thought they heard in a television interview. It has to do with you having Joran Van Der Sloot followed, before the Holloway incident. Do you have any memory of such a thing?

Jossy: That question is way off base since I never had Joran followed by anyone! I never mentioned anything of the sort in any interview. People many times give reign to their imaginations and come up with unbelievable theories and ideas that do not conform to the reality. My loyalties to Aruba are unquestionable, but my loyalty with the truth has priority over everything else. I do not have any agendas, hidden or public; I just do my job as Director of the DIARIO.

Mike: There has been misinformation floating around on the internet for a long time about your background. Would you mind giving us a brief biographical sketch?

Jossy: I was born in Aruba in 1934. My father came from Venezuela in the year 1901, together with my grandfather, who emigrated from Lebanon to Venezuela in or around 1894. The exact date has not been established. They came to Aruba hidden in a fruit boat, to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the political persecutions that were going on at that time. (I believe Cipriano Castro was then in power).

I was born in Aruba and attended school at St. Dominicus College, where I finished the sixth grade. I then went to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, when I was 14, to attend high school at St. Stanislaus, of the Sacred Heart Brothers, where I graduated in 1951. I then went on to Mobile Alabama, to attend college at Spring Hill College, of the Jesuit order. I graduated in 1954. I came back to Aruba and then traveled to Venezuela to find employment. I was hired by the Mobile Oil Company and stayed with them for 9 years as Safety Supervisor. I worked for the company in Barinas, Anaco and Puerto Cabello. In 1967 I came back to Aruba and remained here until now.

When in Venezuela I used to contribute many articles (of a literary nature) to El Universal, and published quite a lot of material (short stories, essays, etc.) in the best magazines of the country (Bohemia, Elite, etc.)

I started to write for a paper called Nobo, published in Curacao, then started my own section of a paper (EXTRA) with a friend from Curacao. Then I decided to start DIARIO more than 25 years ago, and was able to make it the largest (by far!) of the papers circulating in Aruba. Today it has over 89% of the market exclusively.

I started to publish books in Papiamento, English and Spanish, and have so far published 56 of them, including 4 dictionaries, 4 novels published in Cali, Colombia, the History of Aruba, and other fiction and non-fiction books. I am considered to be the most prolific writer in the history of the Netherlands Antilles, not only because of the quantities published, but also because of the quality.

That, my friend, is a brief summary of my schooling and literary activities.

Mike: Thank You Jossy!

Paradoxical Paradise

The Lois McMillan Story

January 2000, the battered body of a trust fund girl was found washed ashore a beach on the Island of Tortola, British Virgin Islands. The abrasions on her face rendered her almost unrecognizable, her hands were cut from apparent defensive wounds and her torso was badly bruised. An autopsy later revealed that her lungs were filled with sand, which was a strong indication that she was alive when she entered the water and drowned

The focus of the investigation quickly shifted toward four American men vacationing in Tortola. At least two of these men were acquaintances of Lois McMillan and all four of them had spent time with her earlier that week.

Evidence was collected from their residence and sent to a forensic lab in Barbados. Unbeknownst to the authorities in Tortola, portions of that evidence was then sent to Jamaica . It became a slow, arduous process to get the results from the testing of the physical evidence, while all along the four suspects sat in the only prison on the island.

An outcry began to simmer in the United States led by the parents and attorneys of those four very privileged individuals. The uproar reached a crescendo with the call for a boycott of Tortola.

Over four months after the four men were first arrested the scientific reports and physical evidence made its way back to Tortola. It was not conclusive and five key pieces of evidence were missing. The lead investigator on the island then decided it was time to call in the Scotland Yard.

The team of specialist from London began to examine the case file and came to the conclusion that the strongest piece of evidence that had been confiscated was a pair of blood spattered K-Swiss tennis shoes.

Does this start to sound familiar?

There is something eerily familiar about Lois McMillan’s story, or perhaps it is just a reminder of how tragic life can be when we trust the wrong people.

Tortola is a Caribbean island with little violent crime and little ability to properly investigate such and then preserve evidence. The island depends upon tourism, yet it doesn’t like the tourist. Oh, they are happy to take the tourist’s dollars, but the locals are equally happy to see them leave.

The difference in this story, as opposed to the Natalee Holloway case, is that Lois was a 34-year-old experienced woman that left a bar with friends. Men she had known for several years. However, she never made it to her destination and the surrounding area where her body lay lifeless revealed that she fought for her life. Then struggled to escape, leaving torn away jewelry in one location, a lone sandal in another and yards away her other sandal.

This same scene, minus the physical remains, has played out in my mind’s eye many times. The parallels are probably purely coincidental and reflective of a lifestyle, but the tragedy is also hauntingly real.

For further reading about this unsolved crime follow these links:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/05/24/48hours/main293104.shtml

http://www.powells.com/biblio?isbn=0312984448

Jossy Mansur Responds!

“To answer the stupid allegations in that MEP inspired and promoted piece of garbage: ...”

"The MEP party is a party of delinquents and promotes delinquency (a Minister (Ramon Lee) who raped a woman, was accused by her to the Police, and was never even questioned! Another Minister (Rudy Croes)who brought in young girls from Santo Domingo and wanted to force them into prostitution with him and his friends; another Minister (Nilo Swaen) who was accused by his own department head of manipulating figures to make the government look good; another Minister (Rudy Croes again) whose departments sold permits to foreigners, and under whom driver's licenses were also being sold; another Minister (the Prime Minister Nelson Oduber) who is a habitual liar and will stop at nothing to carry out his Chavez-inclined plans for Aruba; members of Parliament of the MEP party who were caught by the police in drunken driving (Junior Arends) and hit and run (Robert Maduro); and so much more delinquency and violations of our laws it would take an encyclopedia to hold them! THESE ARE ALL PROVEN FACTS! not lies or inventions made up to slander them. They are a group of the most corrupt public figures ever to participate in Aruban politics. Just go over the Holloway case, and now the Michael Saladin case, and you immediately know the anti-American sentiments of those now in power in Aruba.

To answer the stupid allegations in that MEP inspired and promoted piece of garbage:

1. I never funded any party in Aruba, much less the one Glenbert Croes started because Nelson Oduber, the actual Prime Minister, forbade him to participate in the party his father (Betico) founded. He was so disgusted with that prohibition that he decided, with a few friends his age, to start his own party called the OLA. This is another FACT! When you make this kind of allegation, you better have the necessary proofs (documents, transfer of money, etc.) to back up your allegation. In this case it is non-existent! Just another lie propagated by the corrupt officials who have now been discovered in the biggest of their foul deeds!

Do you remember the Holloway case and the flagrant cover-up that is going on? Well, this party will stop at nothing to slander and invent things that do not exist, or to harm Americans or American interests on the island).

2. The manifestations in front of the Government building in the past were about to get seriously out of hand by the violence inspired by the MEP party fanatics (car burning, invasion and destruction of government property, etc.) that I did meet with one labor leader to put sense into his head. That is another FACT impossible to deny!

3. I never met and have nothing to do with the Namdar group. Ask the FBI to interrogate Richad Lacle, who will soon be serving a prison sentence in Florida, to find out who is behind this group that offered a big bribe to Nelson Odbuer's party and was never denounced to the police or the prosecutors in Aruba. My attention was brought to this case by the revelation of a letter containing a bribery of 1 million guilders to Nelson Oduber and his party. The man to whom the letter was addressed is Michael Williams, ex-campaigner for the MEP party, and who is now in Holland in contact with the Dutch authorities. Williams stated unequivocally that he gave the original to Marisol Tromp (another MEP Minister), to Frerdis Refunjol, actual Governor in Aruba, and to Nelson Oduber (Prime Minister) and Edison Briezen (Minister of Tourism). None of these ever denounced the offered bribery to the authorities! This case is far from having reached the end. It is now beginning on an international level. I wouldn't be surprised if in the U.S., Effy Namdar will be arrested and interrogated with regards to this offered bribe. It's his signature that appears in the bribery letter! U.S. Laws strictly forbid this kind of commercial outright purchase of local and foreign officials in Government, regardless of how easy it is to buy the officials now in power!

4. When the previous government (AVP) was way off track, it was I and the DIARIO who confronted it and brought its government down. Not the MEP party, because they didn't have the credibility to convince anyone that they could do better. They lied their way through the campaign and were able to win with the DIARIO's help. I do not cater to any party in government or to any government! That too is a proven FACT.

5. There is no set up in this case, only the TRUTH! And it came out with a signed letter by Effy Namdar with a one million guilder bribery offer to the MEP party for the purchase of 100 acres of prime land at the port. Can you imagine the corruption involved here? And whether Nel Oduber, the habitual liar and head of the most corrupt government ever in Aruba, likes it or not, the DIARIO will do whatever it takes to stop the sale of public property against the offered 1 million guilders in the form BRIBERY!"

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Ulterior Motives?

Frenzy of the Bottom-feeders

Recently some questionable documents were posted on a discussion forum that put prime suspect Joran Van Der Sloot in a bad light. Whereas the ramblings did not reveal anything alarming, those words did confirm many of the inconsistencies in his many stories about the night he lured Natalee Holloway away from a tourist trap on the island of Aruba. This would probably have been a non-issue, if it were not for the stir it caused across several message boards.

Questions poured in about the origin of the files, the person that posted them and the motives behind doing so, but little was said about the actual content. The owner of that board, a Dutch born Van Der Sloot sympathizer that benefits from all things American, was even queried about why he would allow the post to stand for as long as it did. The answers to those questions were nebulous at best and evasive on average.

What I found to be most interesting about the whole incident was the ensuing “damage control” that was lamely attempted by the board’s owner. A very amateurish campaign of propaganda was instigated by the usual reprobates and applauded by this so-called attorney from the land of windmills.

The script could have been written by Deepak Kalpoe. Every effort was made to cast a disparaging light upon the victim, the victim’s family, the United States and the state of Alabama. The archives of some rather notorious internet mental wards were scoured for old posts that would conjure an inappropriate picture of a missing (presumed dead) girl that tragically disappeared after a short trip to One Happy Island.

Thread after thread was started and old messages were cut and pasted one after another. These unfounded slanders came from some of the most twisted personalities lurking about the internet, hiding behind anonymity. These people hate for the sake of hatred and they scrape the bottom of the barrel when expressing their hatred for anything and everything to do with Natalee Holloway’s life.

One must ask just who orchestrated this ludicrous attempt to once again shift attention away from the primary suspects in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Junior claims to be in constant contact with the Van Der Sloots. So, was this another lesson on criminal law (Dutch style) given by Paulus Van Der Sloot, or was the Dutch notary left to his own devices to dream this hypocrisy up all by his little lonesome?

If the Van Der Sloots were not encased in a thick coat of Teflon, their associations with the likes of these people would have been enough to land them in jail.