A single microscopic feather listed in an SBI crime lab report could be the key to proving that Mike Peterson was not responsible for the staircase death of his wife nearly seven years ago, an attorney and former neighbor of the Durham novelist says.

Larry Pollard says he believes an owl, possibly mistaking Kathleen Peterson as prey, could have attacked the 120-pound, 47-year-old as she walked from her swimming pool to her kitchen on that warm December night in 2001.

It’s possible, he says, the owl swooped down, became entangled in Peterson’s hair as she pulled on it, and caused multiple bruises and wounds on her face, wrists and arms as well as seven distinct wounds on the back of her scalp, including two tri-pronged lacerations likened to the bird’s razor-sharp talons. (Watch the full interview.)

“The key thing about this feather is not the fact that we found a feather but the fact of where it was located when we found it,” Pollard said. “This feather is located, entwined in Kathleen Peterson’s hair, and it is clutched in her left hand in the hair that was pulled out of the root from the ball of her head.”

Read the entire story here

I attended last night's Obama Town Hall in Raleigh and I have to say while I do not feel it was one of his strongest speeches, seeing the man in person is something I hope everyone gets a chance to experience. The energy in the crowd was one of excitement and desire, a desire for change and a renewed sense of hope for a country that has been beaten and battered by an abusive, criminally corrupt administration.

A memorable moment for me in the evening was during the Q&A session. A disabled veteran rose to ask a question and then stated he lived in a homeless shelter, needless to say that realization really upset the audience. "Is this supporting our troops, I want no part of it" shouted a gentleman behind me. Obama quickly pointed out that we have to give our veterans services and support from day One. This is a "fundamental right for all of our servicemen and women" who defend our country. The current administration and it's minions have neglected and forgotten the very people they claim to support.

Sadly it made me think about all of the men and women who are returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan a mere fragment of the soldiers that went there. This lead me to research for myself what McCain's record was in regards to military support and veteran benefits. I mean after all the man a highly decorated veteran, so surely he is making sure our troops are receving the services and equipment they deserve, right. Wrong what I found shocked me to the core. See for yourself here, here, here, here and here.

Consider just a few votes by John McCain against veterans, Source: Capital Hill Blues

McCain voted against an amendment providing $20 billion for VA medical facilities [5/4/06]

McCain voted against providing $430 million to the VA for outpatient care and treatment for veterans [4/26/06]

McCain voted against increasing VA funding by $1.5 billion by closing corporate loopholes [3/14/06]

McCain voted against increasing VA funding by $1.8 billion by ending abusive tax loopholes [3/10/04]

The man even voted against giving combat duty troops more time at home between extended tours.

Keith Obermann sorts out McCain voting record in more detail.

Then consider today's statement made by John McCain’s that "he doesn’t disagree that we would need a military draft to do everything he wants" sent me over the edge. From VoteVets.org "At a town hall in Las Cruces, NM, a woman said she could not see doing everything McCain wanted, and would not have the troops under his plan to follow Osama bin Laden to the “gates of hell” without a draft.  In response, McCain said, “I don’t disagree with anything you said.”

So if you want a draft then "More War McCain" is the president for you. After all that is what good loyal NeoCon PNACers do very well. For me I’m doing everything I can to see to it that he never get’s that honor.

My opinion of McCain:

While it's important to know how your site is doing, that your site is visible in the SERP's, and that you have traffic, it's also equally important to know how your industry and market are doing and what your site's trends are in comparison to previous months, quarters, and years. In other words, if your traffic is down from last month but up from last year, that can still be considered progress. Also when you begin to notice drops in traffic or clicks from your PPC campaigns, maybe there's an economy or market slump (case in point- the abysmal real estate market is affecting multiple industries across the economy ranging from home security to home repair).

Part of what I believe goes into SEO is research and discovery. Guessing is well and good, but definite fact-finding can ease a client's mind in a lot of ways. After all, we have to remember that as SEO's we handle a segment of the internet world that clients either don't have the time to deal with or don't know enough to make solid judgment calls.

Cafe Zen is a sushi and Asian bistro in the American Tobacco Campus in Durham. This would be another little gem of a place I fell in love with. When I went for lunch and checked out the menu, I was worried. It seemed a lot to pay for such small amounts- until it got to the table. Imagine your typical piece of nigiri and then double that. The quality was very nice, and the tea was excellent. They also provide outdoor seating on the patio overlooking the lawn and river that runs through the Campus, although we found the inside to be pleasant and comfortable.

Anne Owers says that there have been serious incidents of "prisoner-on-prisoner" violence inside Frankland prison, near Durham, with black and ethnic minority inmates in general the target of attacks and Muslim prisoners in particular.  >>>>>

On an somewhat unrelated note, Herald-Sun sportswriter Frank Dascenzo announced he's hanging it up after a long, storied career.  He had been with the company for nearly four decades, which seems like forever on my part.  My first exposure to the Sports Page was one of Frank's columns in the Durham Sun (which used to be the evening paper, by the way).  While I can't quite remember exactly what it was, I did manage to keep up with his musings on all things sports over the years.  At least I liked him much better than that insufferable Mickey McDork from the "Noise & Disturbance".  Oh well, another chapter of my past fading away. Frank, if you're reading this, just wanted to say you will be missed ...

And for those of you who don't believe Durham at one time had two newspapers, we also had two school systems (city and county).  Like the newspapers, the school systems also came together, albeit it was quite complicated.  Now you know how old I really am.

I got a peaches and cream paleta, and he got pear-spice. Mine had a huge chunk of peach in it! I really like Locopops. I might end up going there after work a lot, especially since it's so hot out right now. And paletas are cheap.

Aaaand...I'm tired and lazy, so I'll post something longer (maybe a recipe? maybe a photo of my new shoes?) when I'm not totally exhausted.

McCain vs McCain

Chicken Tacos

Located at 2103 N. Roxboro Rd in Durham.  Los Comales offers many kinds of Tacos, Burritos, Soups and other authentic Mexican dishes.  The chicken tacos I got were very fresh.  They have a toppings bar where you can add more veggies and several kinds of salsa's.  I loved the Melon Punch which tasted just like eating a juicy canteloupe.

Click Here to learn more about the most recognized specialized anger management practice in North Carolina and to schedule an appointment to our one day classes held two weekends a month.

Carlos Todd,LPC

www.masteringanger.com

I have been involved in community groups for many years before even arriving in the foyer of New Horizon Church and it was comforting to see a community group model in use that was virtually identical to the one I just left, 3500 miles away.

What do community groups (house groups, cell groups, whatever...) mean to me?

Focus & Friendship

Life keeps getting busier and busier.  Sometimes it can be easy to just forget God is there.  I've been guilty of this.  I've gone days without reading my bible or even muttering a prayer.  We can't live only for Sundays and forget about God during the week.  We need to keep focused.  Community groups is one way of helping us do that.

When we're focused on God we naturally spend more time with Him.  We grow in our knowledge of Him and this in turn flows outward to impact other people.

Community groups can allow us to form strong relationships with other people.  My closest ever friends were part of my community group back in Ireland.  Friends like these are there for you when you feel like bailing out.  Sometimes their words can be the equivalent of smelling salts - words that help us to wise up and get back on track.  These are the type of people we need in our lives.

To be honest, there has been nights when I got home from work and I could not be bothered with heading out to group - but when I went anyway I'm always glad I did.  It's was refreshing.

New Season

I'm looking forward to a new season of community groups at NHC, with fresh faces and new challenges.  I know God meets with us when we get together.  Let's impact our community and beyond.

I found a (non-church) definition for 'community group' that states

A Community Group is a group of people who come together to pursue a common cause or interest for the good of their community.

For the good of their community - I like that.