More Than 60 Killed in Afghanistan Avalanche

According to reports, at least 60 people were killed and more than 200 others injured in an avalanche in a key tunnel in the Hindu Kush mountains connecting northern and southern Afghanistan.

From the New York Times:

More than 60 people were feared dead and hundreds still trapped on a treacherous mountain pass in Afghanistan on Tuesday after a series of avalanches smashed into an alpine tunnel.

Days of heavy snow triggered avalanches which hit the 2.6 km (1.6 mile) long Soviet-built Salang tunnel, the main route across the Hindu Kush mountains, connecting the Indian subcontinent to Central Asia.

Twenty-four bodies have been recovered and another 40 people are feared dead, Interior Minister Hanif Atmar told a news conference.

Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak said 3,000 people had been trapped in vehicles along the mountain pass at 3,400 meters (11,000 feet). About 2,500 were rescued on Tuesday.

Casey Anthony: More On Baez, Juror Survey

Interesting update on our discussion from earlier this week.

Since I’m not located in Florida, I’m not up to speed on the local newscasts but it seems that WFTV reporter Kathi Belich has obtained jury surveys from cases that Casey Anthony’s lawyer, Jose Baez defended.

Doesn’t seem like the surveys were very positive towards Baez. Examiner.com has copies of the survey if you’d like to read them.

From ABC Action News:

“Ambulance chaser and rat,” “a jerk” who “should find another line of business,” “not a good lawyer” who is “full of himself” and “is out to become famous,” were among the comments.

A legal analyst, Bill Sheafer, told Belich it’s likely jury members were venting their anger on Baez.  Just days earlier, Caylee’s remains were found in the woods in a trash bag near her home.

“The community’s emotions were raw,” Sheaffer said.

Time apparently softened the feelings of many.  Surveys taken a year later about Baez were less harsh, with negative comments dropping sharply.

Democrat Rep. John Murtha Dies

An aide to the House leadership has confirmed that Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha died today as a result of complications from an operation to his gallbladder last week.

From Fox News:

Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. John Murtha, the first veteran of the Vietnam war and one of the most powerful lawmakers in Congress, died Wednesday morning at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA, after complications from gallbladder surgery. Murtha was 77.

A native of New Martinsville, W.Va., voters elected first elected Murtha to Congress in a 1974 special election that spelled impending doom for President Nixon and congressional Republicans. That fall, Democrats wrestled away 49 House seats from the GOP, reeling from the scourge of Watergate and a presidency in shambles.

Murtha rose to become the chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee that controls spending for the Pentagon. Chairs of the appropriations subcommittee panels are viewed with such prestige on Capitol Hill that they’re called “cardinals.” That’s a nod to Rome because of the eminence these lawmakers hold over spending for their federal fiefdom.

Murtha was also the endorsed candidate of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to become majority leader when Democrats won control of Congress in 2006. But current House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) overwhelmingly defeated Murtha by secret ballot in a hard-fought leadership contest.

Super Bowl Commercials: So-So in 2010

Super Bowl commercials this year had their moments: Leno/Oprah/Letterman was a surprise, Doritos had quite a few good ones and I personally liked the beavers playing the fiddles and of course, “House Rules” where a kids slaps some rules into his mother’s date. There was also the Snickers commercial with Betty White and Ave Vigoda which was one of the most popular this year, and won USA Today’s poll for top commercial of the year (see link below).

But, overall, this years commercials pretty much drew a yawn from me. I’ll admit, I’m in the minority who found the “pants off” commercials funny, but there were just too many of them for one to stand out. And of course there was Tim Tebow. The much hyped “Focus on the Family” ad was a dud. I should have known in advance, but I’m glad that it ranked so low (54 out of 65 according to USA Today).

So let’s hear it from the people. What were your favorite commercials this year? Did they live up to expectations?

From USA Today:

For Snickers, it was sweet revenge.

Three years after getting hammered by gay activists for what many felt was an anti-gay Super Bowl commercial, the Mars candy walked off with the Super Bowl’s best-liked commercial in USA TODAY’s Ad Meter.

And there was nothing controversial about it this time — unless you have a problem with old folks getting decked.

“Obviously, we were very, very concerned about portraying a brand like Snickers in the most positive light,” says Carole Walker, head of integrated marketing communication at Mars. “It’s three years later, we’ve done our homework. We’ve done our research. We were absolutely not nervous about the campaign in any way.”

Super Bowl Sunday is Here!

Two weeks in the making, it’s almost time for the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints to do battle!

Peyton Manning vs. Drew Brees.

The will he or won’t he with Dwight Freeney.

Will Reggie Bush earn his first Super Bowl ring?

We’ll begin to know the answers in just 8 hours!

…and then there are the commercials. No Pepsi this year but we will have a controversial Tim Tebow ad. I can’t stand Tebow anyway so I hope that the ad brings down his NFL stock.

As for predictions? I’ve thought long and hard about this one. Even though I’ll be screaming “Geaux Saints”, I have to pick the Colts to come out on top. I’m looking at a competitive game that ends 34-27, Colts. (OK so i REALLY want it to end the opposite, 34-27 Saints…but maybe if I pick the Colts, the Saints will pull off the upset)

How about you? Let’s hear some predictions that we can look back on this evening.

Casey Anthony: If Casey Didn’t Kill Caylee, Who Did?

I guess that’s a question that some of you are asking? Not many, though, that I have seen.

There is a very interesting opinion piece on Prime Writer News Network today that talks about this very topic.

The post brings up some very good points that may or may not have been missed by the mainstream media. Why hasn’t Casey Anthony been demanding that the “real” killer be found. Why are her parents not actively looking like so many others have for the “real” killer. Why go after Roy Kronk and not “Zanny the Nanny”? Because he’s real maybe?

This case has had so many twists and turns. It’s obvious that it’s heading for a made for TV movie but I’m just surprised that we haven’t seen a plea deal yet. Is there something that we’re missing? Some evidence that Casey is innocent?

I would say yes if she and her defense team were out looking for the real killer, instead of throwing out some crazy theories. Anyways, be sure to check out the post at the link below and let us know your thoughts.

From the post:

If Casey Anthony is innocent, then why hasn’t she demanded that the murderer of her innocent two year old daughter be found and brought to justice? Wouldn’t the public have expected to see Casey Anthony, at least one time, look into the camera and utter anything regarding the person who murdered her child? Even Susan Smith, knowing that she had drowned her two boys into the unforgiving waters of the John D. Long Lake, had enough wherewithals to feign concern and offer a fake plea for the ‘kidnapper’ to return her children.

How many grieving parents have stared into the cold camera lens of the media begging for information regarding their children’s killer? John Walsh never stopped looking for the killer of his son, Adam. When it was determined that Otis Toole was the perpetrator, John Walsh stood before the camera, tears in his eyes thankful that his son’s murderer had been named.

Casey Anthony: Has Jose Baez Helped or Hurt Her Case?

A very good question…and one that Hal Boedeker discusses on his blog.

I have followed this case from nearly the beginning. I’m intrigued, like many of you are. What I noticed at first was the hatred towards Casey Anthony. But, as time has passed, I have started to see more discussion about their hatred for Baez than Anthony.

It makes me wonder if because so many people dislike Baez, has this hurt Anthony more? If she had a more decent lawyer, would more people feel sympathetic for her? Would a different lawyer have done a better job at attempting to prove her innocence? Why is it that so many hate a man for doing his job? There has to be defense attorneys in this world, right?

What do you think?

From the TV Guy:

“New in the case against Casey: an ambulance chaser and a rat,” WFTV-Channel 9 anchor Martie Salt said.

Well, that certainly grabbed the attention.

“That’s how one potential juror described Jose Baez in court,” Salt continued.

WFTV’s Kathi Belich had obtained jury surveys from cases in which Baez was a defender. The point of the report: Would defense attorney Baez’s image hurt Casey Anthony’s case? She is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee.

Belich focused on surveys from an Osceola case in 2008, shortly after Caylee’s remains were found. Belich repeated Salt’s comments and added that potential jurors also described Baez as “a jerk who should find another line of business”  and “not a good lawyer who is full of himself.”

Casey Anthony: Murder Trial to Take Place in 2011

I remember it was late 2009. Then it was early 2010. Finally…they were sure it was October 2010.

Today, I’m reading that the trial will finally begin on May 2, 2011. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you. What happens when you’ve been fooled 3-4 times?

It seems, though, that it is the prosecution that has asked for the trial date to be pushed back. Interesting…

At lease we have a proposed time line

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Among the proposed dates in the new timeline:

• Prosecutors have until Aug. 31 to finish questioning under oath witnesses.

• Defense experts finish reviewing evidence by Sept. 30.

• The defense is required to turn in a witness list and file any motions regarding forensic/scientific evidence by Oct. 31. Those motions would be heard no later than Jan. 31, 2011.

• Defense would have until Jan. 31, 2011 to finish questioning expert witnesses under oath.

6.0 Earthquake Strikes Off Coast of Northern California

The first reports I saw were that it was a 6.0 about 50 miles WSW of Eureka.

That’s about 5 hours north of here though…whew

From BNO News:

The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.0.

“The magnitude is such that a tsunami is not expected,” the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement. “However, in coastal areas of intense shaking, locally generated tsunamis can be triggered by underwater landslides.”

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the earthquake, which happened at 12.20 p.m. local time.

From Fox 40:

A magnitude-6.0 earthquake rattled the nerves of some residents living in Eureka Thursday afternoon, but did little in the way of damage or injuries.

The quake was centered along the Northern California coastline about 40 miles away from Eureka and struck shortly after 12:20pm local time. FOX40 News viewers from as far as Chico report they felt some shaking.

Employees at Ramone’s Bakery & Cafe in Eureka told FOX40 News by phone they felt minor shaking, but said as far as they were aware there was no damage in town.

From Reuters:

The quake struck at a depth of seven miles (11.2 km) a distance of 35 miles (56 km) west-northwest of Petrolia, California, the USGS said.

No tsunami warning was issued and there was no immediate report of damage.

Casey Anthony: Padilla Offers Bond to Misty Croslin

It looks like a big name in the Casey Anthony case is finally getting involved with the Haleigh Cummings’ case.

Our old friend, and bounty hunter Leonard Padilla, is offering to pay the bond for Misty Croslin to bail her out of jail.

…and let the circus begin!

From WESH:

The bounty hunter who originally posted bond for Casey Anthony told WESH 2 News Wednesday night that he has offered to pay the $1.35 million bond for Misty Croslin.

Misty Croslin, the ex-wife of Ronald Cummings, is thought to have been the last person to see missing Putnam County girl Haleigh Cummings.

New drug trafficking charges were filed on Wednesday against Croslin and Ronald Cummings, adding an additional $400,000 bond each.