Unidentified body on Christmas Island

The unidentified body on Christmas Island was actually found on a life raft in the Indian Ocean, off that island, in 1942. He is widely believed to originate from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) cruiser HMAS Sydney, which sank off Western Australia in November 1941, after a mutually destructive battle with the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran. While 318 of 399 Kormoran personnel survived, Sydney was lost with no survivors from the 645 aboard. The location of the shipwrecks were unknown until they were rediscovered in March 2008. The body was found on 6 February 1942. It is reported that an inquest was held on Christmas Island, soon afterwards. His remains were buried with military honours, in an unmarked grave, in the Old European Cemetery on the island. Christmas Island was captured by Japanese forces on 31 March 1942 and remained in their hands until 1945. Relevant records, including any relating to the inquest, appear to have been lost or destroyed during this period. Eyewitnesses on Christmas Island believed that the float and sailor had come from Sydney. A post-war investigation by the RAN, including attempts to reconstruct the lost records by those who wrote them, determined that the body could possibly be a naval rating. Christmas Island's assistant harbour master, Captain E. Craig, stated that "the Carley float was typical of those in service with the RN and RAN". A government inquiry concluded "on the balance of probability, that the body and the carley float ... were most likely from HMAS Sydney." A RAN archaeological expedition in September–October 2006 recovered the body. Although a DNA profile and other data about the man's background have been recovered from the remains, researchers have not been able to match this to known relatives of personnel from Sydney. Discovery of the body: During the late afternoon of 6 February 1942, lookouts on Christmas Island spotted an object out at sea. Initially thought to be a Japanese submarine, closer inspection from a pilot boat found it was a carley float with a dead person inside. The float was towed ashore. With the island under threat of invasion, after brief examinations by the harbour master, the medical officer, and the man in charge of the radio station, the body was buried in an unmarked grave near Flying Fish Cove. Reports were written by these men; they were destroyed when Japanese forces occupied Christmas Island and later recreated from memory. An inquest was not convened until mid-February and was ongoing when evacuation began on 17 February with Japanese forces occupying the island on 23 March. It is unknown if the doctor on Christmas Island had performed an autopsy; if so it was never found. Initial investigations & research: A preliminary examination in 1942 by the island's medical officer, Dr J. Scott Clark, found that the deceased was reported to have been a young adult male caucasoid who was tall by the standards of his time. The remains were partly decomposed: its eyes, nose and all of the flesh from the right arm were missing and believed to have been consumed by fish or birds. There are several accounts regarding clothing. According to the island's Harbour Master, Captain J. R. Smith, the body was clothed in a blue boilersuit which had been bleached white by exposure with four plain press studs from neck to waist. According to J.C. Baker, who was in charge of the radio station at Christmas Island, the body was clothed in a white boilersuit. The body was not carrying "dog tags" or personal effects. A shoe was found beside the body, which Clark did not believe belonged to the dead man. Later recollections of the shoe varied: Clark stated that it was "probably branded "CROWN BRAND PTY 4", although he had some doubts about "CROWN" and "4". Captain Smith, recalled a canvas shoe of a brand named "McCOWAN PTY" or "McEWAN PTY", which carried symbols representing a crown and/or a broad arrow. A sergeant with the party who recovered the raft later contradicted the finding of a single shoe stating that a 'pair of boots' were found on the raft. In Smith's opinion, the life raft was a naval carley float, which had come from Sydney. The wooden decking was manufactured and branded with the word "PATENT" while the metal framework was branded "LYSAGHT DUA-ANNEAL ZINC. MADE IN AUSTRALIA" inside. The float had been damaged by gun or shellfire, with shrapnel embedded in the outer covering, and the underside was covered with barnacles and other marine growth, indicating that it had been at sea for some time. On 23 April 1949, the Director of Naval Intelligence wrote to the Director of Victualling in regard to whether the clothing (3a) and carley float (3b) could have come from the Sydney. The Director of Naval Victualling replied to 3a in a hand written note that while a rating may have worn a blue boilersuit, suits with press studs "had never been adopted" by the navy. However, RAN officers purchased their own boilersuits which would be either white or brown in colour with press studs. Additionally, the shoes described "definitely" corresponded with RAN issue "provided they were leather not canvass." There is no record of a reply regarding the carley float. Controversy regarding raft: The RAN claimed that the covering of the carley float did not match those used by Australian warships and thus could not have come from Sydney. Historian Tom Frame was also sceptical regarding the raft's origins and stated that its connections to the Sydney were circumstantial. For many years, other authors, like historian Barbara Winter (1984) and independent researcher Wes Olson (2000) disputed the official view put forward by the RAN. According to Olson, it was unclear how the RAN decided that the float cover was anomalous, as contemporary accounts of the float were often vague and/or contradicted each other. In addition, said Olson, the only available detail of the covering in eyewitness descriptions appeared to be that it was grey. Winter suggested that the currents of the Indian Ocean would have propelled a carley float, launched at the location and time of the battle, to the vicinity of Christmas Island, at around the time of its discovery. According to Olson, the rope used on the float and markings on the float were of naval origin, and the descriptions of marine growth on the float matched the period that a float from Sydney would have been in the water. In 2000, Olson claimed that evidence presented at the 1998 inquiry had changed Frame's mind. Investigations since 1998- Recovery of the body: The 1998 Joint Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade inquiry into the loss of HMAS Sydney recommended that attempts be made to find the grave, to exhume the body and acquire DNA for comparison with relatives of personnel from Sydney, to determine if the unknown sailor was from the cruiser. The RAN performed an unsuccessful search of the graveyard in August–September 2001 and a second, successful search in October 2006. When it was found, the body was in an unusually-shaped coffin, which appeared to have been constructed around it as the body was buried "with legs doubled under at the knee," the same position it had been in when found on the raft, possibly due to mummification. In addition to human remains, press studs and small fragments of clothing were found in the coffin. Following an autopsy and the taking of samples from the body to assist in identification, the remains of the unknown sailor were reburied in the Commonwealth War Graves section in the Geraldton Cemetery with full military honours on 19 November 2008. Autopsy and subsequent research: Brain trauma caused by a shell fragment of German origin has been identified as the cause of death. Regarding the unknown man's injuries, Bruce Billson (then Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence) reported that: shrapnel struck the front of the skull and lodged in the left forehead. In addition to this injury, the pathologist identified a second major skull injury, with bone loss on the left side of the skull, above and behind the left earhole, which is also believed to have occurred around the time of death... The analysis also identified multiple rib fractures, but it is unknown whether these occurred around the time of death or long after death with the settling of the grave. No other shrapnel or projectiles have been found elsewhere in the remains. The fragment, which was thought initially to be a small-arms bullet, was found embedded in the man's skull during autopsy work in 2006. Anatomical analysis indicated that the unknown sailor was aged between 22 and 31 when he died, was right-handed, had size 11 feet, and was tall for his generation — between 168.2 and 187.8 centimetres (66.2 and 73.9 in). Bone isotope analysis shows that he had lived in eastern Australia — most likely NSW or Queensland — before enlistment and most probably grew up in a coastal area. The unknown sailor had acquired an unusual feature in both ankle joints, known as squatting facets; these indicated that he was more used to squatting than sitting on chairs. As squatting was unusual at the time in urban, western communities, it was speculated that the man had spent significant time: -in a rural area of Australia; -amongst members of an ethnic group in which squatting was more common than sitting (such as people from Asia or Eastern Europe), and/or; -involved in a sporting or similar activity that required the ankles to be flexed towards the back of the thighs for prolonged periods. Attempts to extract a DNA profile from the remains began in or before 2009, although the results were not published before the Cole Inquiry. Analysis of the partial genetic profile recovered has since suggested that the man had red hair, blue eyes and pale skin, suggesting that he was of European descent. He belonged to a Y-chromosome haplogroup — an ancient male line of descent — known as J1, which is common in populations from the Caucasus, Middle East and North Africa, and is found at low levels among men and boys throughout Europe. The boilersuit and shoe found with the body were, according to evidence provided by the Australian War Memorial, available to ship’s officers, commissioned warrant officers and warrant officers senior enough to have a watch keeping certificate. Tests on the remains of the boilersuit showed that the fabric had never been dyed, was probably white and the press studs were of a type manufactured by Carr Australia Pty Ltd in the 1930s and 1940s. RAN Dress Regulations published in the Navy List of December 1940 do not mention white boilersuits. There is evidence, however, that during the period, boilersuits were a popular working dress among RAN personnel. Many RAN engineer officers wore white boilersuits most of the time, and other officers, commissioned warrant officers and warrant officers also wore white boilersuits. Two former RAN officers recalled being issued with a white boilersuit twice a year, that these were fastened with four or five press studs and that some had press studs at the wrist, while others did not. Dress regulations for December 1940 state that RAN personnel on "foreign" (tropical) stations were issued with a pair of white canvas shoes, to be worn only on those stations. While veterans did not recall being issued with them or seeing them worn, photographs of RAN personnel from the period show some of them wearing white canvas shoes. By 2014, the identity of the unknown sailor had been narrowed to 50 members of the crew of HMAS Sydney.

Severe

My muscle spasms are rarely severe. Now they are.

Encourage

The bishop at the ward I belong to thinks I'll like the singles ward. It will be interesting. Plus I'll have 2 back up wards if I don't like them.

Amazing

I find it amazing that my family: let me convert to mormonism, let me read my LDS standard works and possibly go on a mission. That's awesome

Odd

Many things that I liked or did in high school was considered "offbeat" but now in college (albeit when I'm in church) I'm considered normal. Pretty even. My friends are trying to change my misconceptions. I could've been reading way into it but wow. Different values

grungy

i was looking grungy. it was nice since i was pretty. i have a knit cuff. i have several arm warmers and knee high boots. i have black stuff. so yeah i'm grungy.

am i going to work?

i was asked if i was going to work on a Sunday. i was up early and was carrying my bible in my bag and was in starbucks. i'm like nope church.

Turkish coffee

Turkish coffee is a method of preparing unfiltered coffee. History: The earliest evidence of coffee drinking comes from 15th-century Yemen. By the late 15th century and early 16th century, coffee had spread to Cairo and Mecca. It was prohibited in Ottoman Turkey under an edict by the Sultan Murad IV. In the 1640s, the Ottoman Bosnian chronicler İbrahim Peçevi reported the opening of the first coffeehouse in Istanbul. “Until the year 962 (sc. AH, that is 1554-55), in the High, God-Guarded city of Istanbul, as well as in Ottoman lands generally, coffee and coffeehouses did not exist. About that year, a fellow called Hâkem (Hakam) from Aleppo and a wag called Şems (Shams) from Damascus, came to the city: they each opened a large shop in the district called Tahtakale, and began to purvey coffee.” Preparation: Turkish coffee is made by boiling the ground coffee beans (and is not made, for example, by filtering or percolation). Its preparation is done by a method that has two characteristic features. First, if sugar is to be added to the coffee, it is done at the start of the boiling, not after. Second, the boiling is done as slowly as possible, without letting the water get to a state beyond that of simmering. When the grounds begin to froth, about one-third of the coffee is distributed to the various individual cups, after which the remaining two-thirds is returned to the fire. After the coffee froths a second time, the process is completed and the remaining coffee is distributed to the individual cups. Name and variants: The word 'coffee' comes from the Arabic word قهوة qahwah. The importance of coffee in Turkish culture is evident in the words 'breakfast', kahvaltı, whose literal meaning is "before coffee" (kahve 'coffee' + altı 'under/before') and 'brown', kahverengi, whose literal meaning is, "the color of coffee". The word for "coffeeshop" in Modern Standard Arabic is مقهى (maqha, literally meaning "place of coffee", plural, مقاهي maqahi(n)), but the more common term in colloquial Arabic is simply قهوة (qahwa), meaning "coffee" in much the same way as many Romance languages use café for both. Europe: In the 17th century, coffee appeared for the first time in Europe outside the Ottoman Empire, and coffeehouses were established and quickly became popular. The first coffeehouses in Western Europe appeared in Venice, as a result of the traffic between La Serenissima and the Ottomans; the very first one is recorded in 1645. The first coffeehouse in England was set up in Oxford in 1650 by a Jewish man named Jacob in the building now known as "The Grand Cafe". A plaque on the wall still commemorates this and the Cafe is now a trendy cocktail bar. By 1675, there were more than 3,000 coffeehouses in England. The first coffeehouse in Vienna was opened by the Johannes Theodat in 1685. In 1672 named Pascal established the first coffee stall in Paris. Albania: In Albania, it is called Turkish coffee or Ottoman coffee (Albanian: kafe turke). It is very popular in Albania. Bosnia and Herzegovina: In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkish coffee is also called "Bosnian coffee" (Bosnian: bosanska kahva), which is made slightly differently from its Turkish counterpart. Another difference from the Turkish preparation is that when the water reaches its boiling point, a small amount is saved aside for later, usually in a coffee cup. Then, the coffee is added to the pot (džezva), and the remaining water in the cup is added to the pot. Everything is put back on the heat source to reach its boiling point again, which only takes a couple of seconds since the coffee is already very hot. Coffee drinking in Bosnia is a traditional daily custom and plays an important role during social gatherings. Czech Republic and Slovakia: A beverage called "turecká káva" or "turek" is also very popular in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, even if more sophisticated forms of coffee preparation (such as espresso) have become widespread in the last few decades, decreasing the popularity of turek. Cafés usually do not serve turek any more, in contrast to pubs and kiosks, but turek is still often served in households. The Czech and Slovak form of Turkish coffee is different from Turkish coffee in Turkey, the Arab world or Balkan countries, since cezve is not used. It is in fact the simplest possible method to make coffee: ground coffee is poured with boiling or almost boiling water. The weight of coffee and the volume of water depend only on the taste of the consumer. In recent years, genuine Turkish coffee made in a cezve (džezva in Czech) has also appeared, but Turkish coffee is still understood, in most cases, as described above. Greece: In Greece, Turkish coffee was formerly referred to simply as τούρκικος 'Turkish'. But political tensions with Turkey in the 1960s led to the political euphemism ελληνικός καφές 'Greek coffee', which became even more popular after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974: "... Greek–Turkish relations at all levels became strained, τούρκικος καφές Turkish coffee became ελληνικός καφές Greek coffee by substitution of one Greek word for another while leaving the Arabic loan-word, for which there is no Greek equivalent, unchanged." Serbia: In Serbia, Turkish coffee is also called "domestic coffee" (Serbian: домаћа кафа / domaća kafa) or 'coffee' (кафа / kafa). It is traditional drink of Serbs. Especially strong coffee (without sugar and milk) is often referred to as 'Turkish coffee' (турска кафа / turska kafa) or 'black coffee' (црна кафа / crna kafa). Customs- Turkish weddings: As well as being an everyday beverage, Turkish coffee is also a part of the traditional Turkish wedding custom. As a prologue to marriage, the bridegroom's parents (in the lack of his father, his mother and an elderly member of his family) must visit the young girl's family to ask the hand of the bride-to-be and the blessings of her parents upon the upcoming marriage. During this meeting, the bride-to-be must prepare and serve Turkish coffee to the guests. For the groom's coffee, the bride-to-be sometimes uses salt instead of sugar to gauge his character. If the bridegroom drinks his coffee without any sign of displeasure, the bride-to-be assumes that the groom is good-tempered and patient. As the groom already comes as the demanding party to the girl's house, in fact it is the boy who is passing an exam and etiquette requires him to receive with all smiles this particular present from the girl, although in some parts of the country this may be considered as a lack of desire on the part of the girl for marriage with that candidate. Fortune-telling: Superstition says the grounds left after drinking Turkish coffee can be used for fortune-telling. The cup is commonly turned over into the saucer to cool, and it is believed by some that the patterns of the coffee grounds can be used for a method of fortune telling known as tasseography (Turkish: kahve falı, Greek: καφεμαντεία, kafemanteia, Arabic: قراءة الفنجان‎‎, qira'at al-fenjaan, German: Kaffesatzlesen, Serbian: гледање у шољу / gledanje u šolju), or tasseomancy.

Demitasse

A demitasse (French: "half cup") is a small cup used to serve Turkish coffee or espresso. It typically has about 60–90 ml (2–3 fl oz) capacity — half the size of a full coffee cup (a tasse à café is about 120 ml (4 fl oz)). Typically they are made of ceramic, pottery or porcelain[citation needed] and accompanied by matching saucers, but some coffeehouses and china companies also produce brightly decorated varieties. Another type of demitasse has a glass cup set into a metal frame.

Tasse à café

A tasse à café (coffee cup) is a cup, generally of white porcelain and of around 120 ml (4 fl oz), in which coffee is served. It is also sometimes used to serve small portions of rich drinks, such as hot chocolate The word originates from Arabic ṭās طاس, from the Persian ṭās طاس, meaning cup or bowl. A half-sized cup is called a demi-tasse (English demitasse), literally "half-cup".

Starbucks collectibles

Starbucks Collectibles are products manufactured by Starbucks Corporation and include Starbucks' cards, Starbucks' mugs, Starbucks' posters, and almost anything and everything manufactured or printed by Starbucks Corporation. The Starbucks Collectibles secondary market has existed since the inception of Starbucks and the Starbucks card collectible trading market has existed since the first Starbucks card was manufactured in 2001. In the month of May 2013, there were between 26,000 and 37,000 Starbucks' item auctions on eBay every day. In the summer of 2013, auctions for Starbucks rose to over 40,000 auctions daily. In the summer of 2017, this number rose to 134,347. Overview: Starbucks Corporation has watched the secondary market trading its cards for more than a decade on eBay and capitalized on the market by introducing the Starbucks Steel card limited release of 5,000 in 2012. According to Forbes, “The Starbucks Steel Card is Now Selling For More Than Twice Its Face Value On EBay”. The highest price ever paid for a single Starbucks card not loaded with money value was $10,277.00 on January 27, 2011 despite the fact that the card was only ten years old which rivals the value of a 1940 Joe DiMaggio Baseball card which is set at $1,265.74. www.buckscards.com has posted the issuance of every single card manufactured by Starbucks Corporation since its inception in 2001, from every single country in the world. Starbucks cups and mugs are even more popular as the most desirable of Starbucks' product. WikiBooks carries a “Guide to Collectible Mugs/Starbucks City Mugs”. The most recent highest priced auction on eBay for mugs was a Starbucks Complete Skyline set of 48 City Mugs for $10,000. The highest price paid for a single Starbucks coffee mug occurred on June 2, 2013 with the purchase of a 2007 Japan mug for $1,375.00USD. The original price of all Starbucks mugs originally runs between $8.95 and $18.95 USD. In August 2013, Starbucks released a special limited edition Swarovski crystal Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte cup for $150 per cup. A pre-order message was sent out to current registered Starbucks customers and the cup sold out in less than 2 days. Starbucks Corporation actually boosts the secondary market by creating mugs and cards that are regional. For instance, in 2013, there were regional cards only released in the city on the card. These included New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Boston, Chicago, and the first county card for Orange County, California. This creates a frenzy of buying as collectors swarm to buy from other cities across the U.S. on eBay. Starbucks also released that year a series of mugs along the same lines with their "You Are Here" mug collection so that collectors again had to resort to eBay to get a complete collection. Starbucks promotes these releases on their blog. Another section of the Starbucks secondary market that is fast-growing is the resale of Partner (the term for a Starbucks employee) items. This includes the resale of Partner cards, Partner reward pins, Partner booklets, Partner hats and aprons, and Starbucks stickers and stamps. A similar collector movement that gained momentum as quickly happened with Disneyana in the 1980s.

silly

we were doing silly things in dance class today. we usually laugh and do it with as little visible laughter but i say silly as possible since it's usually funny.

laughing

i laugh a lot. i laughed at my baptism when i was having my picture taken. I've been laughing a ton in dance class. i like laughing when dancing.

on pins and needles

when i was forced to sit with a family during Easter services (they were staring at me saying, sit with us") i was on pins and needles to do it. i hated it. i'm not fighting with them i'm just used to sitting solo or with the sister missionaries.

Martin family disappearance

The Martin family of Portland, Oregon disappeared on December 7, 1958 in the Columbia River Gorge during a day trip to gather greenery for Christmas decorations. Among the missing were Kenneth Martin, 54; his wife, Barbara Martin, 48; and their three daughters: Barbara "Barbie", 14; Susan, 13; and Virginia, 11. The family's eldest son, Donald, was in the U.S. Navy and stationed in New York during the time they vanished. Several months after their disappearance, the bodies of Susan and Virginia were discovered downstream on the shores of the Columbia River, roughly 30 miles (48 km) apart from each other. Police initially speculated the family's car may have crashed into the river, though the circumstances surrounding the event could not fully be explained. Further complicating the case was the discovery a stolen handgun and the arrest of two ex-convicts in the area the day after the family's disappearance; investigators were unable to determine if the incidents were in any way connected. The whereabouts of Kenneth, Barbara, and Barbie remain unknown, and their vehicle has never been recovered. The family's disappearance has been described as one of the "most baffling" mysteries in Oregon's history. Timeline- Disappearance: On the evening of December 6, 1958, Kenneth and Barbara Martin attended a Christmas party before returning to their home on Northeast 57th Avenue in the Roseway neighborhood of Northeast Portland, Oregon. The couple had made plans for a day trip into the country for the following day. In the late morning of December 7, Kenneth and Barbara left their home with their three daughters: Barbie, Susan, and Virginia, in their 1954 cream and red-colored Ford Country Squire station wagon. Barbie, the eldest daughter, was a freshman at Grant High School. The family's eldest son, Donald, then aged 28, was in the U.S. Navy and stationed in New York at the time. The family headed east for a drive into the Columbia River Gorge, where they intended to gather greenery to make Christmas wreaths and decorations. The knowledge of where the Martins were specifically throughout the day is sparse. David Baxter, a gas station attendant, reported that he encountered the family when they purchased gasoline from his store in Cascade Locks around 4 p.m., approximately 40 miles (64 km) from their home in Portland. According to Baxter, he recalled their car continuing east after they had purchased gasoline. The family was seen again shortly after at a restaurant in Hood River, approximately 20 miles (32 km) east of Cascade Locks. Other reports from passing motorists indicated that the family was seen in an unspecified location on the north bank of the Columbia River, in Washington state, at dusk. According to eyewitnesses who saw the family that day, Kenneth was reportedly wearing a tan zip-up jacket and dark slacks, while Barbara wore a navy blue coat, a plaid jacket, and a black print dress. Barbie was reportedly dressed in jeans with rolled cuffs and a beige coat. Investigation: After Kenneth Martin failed to report to his job at an electric company on December 9, 1958, the family was officially reported missing. Police investigated their residence for any signs of foul play. The house had been left undisturbed; a load of laundry was still in the washing machine, and dishes from the previous day were left on a drying rack in the kitchen; there was also a substantial amount of money in the Martins' bank accounts. Searches were undertaken by both Multnomah County and Hood River County police, but neither were able to produce substantial leads. An abandoned stolen white Chevrolet was found in Cascade Locks the day of the Martins' disappearance, and was initially reported as a possible connection, but was dismissed by police as it did not match the Martins' vehicle. Also found nearby was a .38 Colt Commander handgun that had been stolen from a Meier and Frank department store, and the subsequent arrest of two ex-convicts for car theft in Hood River County on December 8 raised further suspicion. Whether these incidents were in any way connected to the Martins' disappearance could not be determined. On December 31, 1958, a man called police reporting he had seen a vehicle matching the Martins' speeding on the Baldock Freeway. Police were alerted along the freeway, but the car could not be located. Three months after the family's disappearance, a volunteer searcher found tire tracks leading off of a cliff near The Dalles, Oregon, which reportedly matched the tires on the Martins' Ford Squire. This conflicted with the eyewitness reports that had placed the family on the north bank of the river at nightfall, which would indicate that they had crossed the river into Washington state in either Hood River via the Hood River Bridge, or in Cascade Locks, via the Bridge of the Gods, 24 miles (39 km) and 42 miles (68 km) west of The Dalles, respectively. Discovery of Susan and Virginia: On May 1, 1959, three months after the tire tracks were reported, a river drilling rig near The Dalles reportedly hooked something of substantial weight to its anchor; however, it became dislodged before it could be pulled to the surface. On May 3, the body of Susan was discovered on the north bank of the Columbia River, near Camas, Washington, roughly 70 miles (110 km) from The Dalles. The following day, the body of Virginia was discovered near Bonneville Dam, roughly 46 miles (74 km) from The Dalles. Susan's body was taken to the Clark County medical examiner's office before being transferred to Multnomah County in Portland for autopsies on both bodies to be performed. One of the technicians who had taken fingerprints prior to the autopsies indicated to the medical examiner what they believed to be bullet holes in the heads of each of the girls' bodies; however, according to the medical examiner's report, no such injuries were found, and the cause of death for both of the girls was officially declared drowned. Rupert Gillmouthe, the sheriff of Hood River County at the time, suspected that the drilling rig had overturned the Martins' car at the bottom of the river, and dislodged one of the doors, allowing the bodies of Susan and Virginia to escape and surface downstream. Further searches of the water were undertaken by both sonar and helicopter, but were unfruitful. The search for Kenneth, Barbara, and Barbie was subsequently suspended after a search diver nearly drowned. Susan and Virginia were interred at Rose City Cemetery in Portland, in the same neighborhood as the family's home. Theories: Police theorized that the family may have died as a result of Kenneth Martin crashing their vehicle into the river, while another theory held that the family had been abducted and forced off of a cliffside into the river. Multnomah County police consistently suspected foul play in the Martins' disappearance, based on the evidence of the tire tracks that indicated the family's vehicle was deliberately pushed from the cliff. Also troubling were the reported sightings of the family at dusk on the north bank of the river in Washington state, while the tire tracks placed them on the south side of the river in Oregon; this would suggest that their car would have fallen over the cliff after nightfall. The arrest of the two ex-convicts in the Hood River area the day after the family's disappearance, for car theft, was also noted, though police were unable to determine if the incidents were related. The remains of Kenneth, Barbara, and Barbie remain undiscovered, and their vehicle has never been found.

Murder of Riley Ann Sawyers

Riley Ann Sawyers known as Baby Grace prior to her identification, was a two-year-old American girl who was beaten to death by her mother and stepfather. Her body was later found in Galveston Bay, Texas. Police were unable to immediately identify the remains, and began a nationwide effort to learn the child's name. Riley Ann's identity was confirmed when her paternal grandmother, Sheryl Sawyers, notified police after seeing a composite sketch. Her remains were then positively identified through DNA testing on November 30, 2007. Home environment: Riley Ann was the daughter of Robert Thomas Sawyers and Kimberly Dawn Trenor. Her mother became pregnant at the age of 15 when the pair developed a relationship while students at Mentor High School. Her father dropped out of high school during his junior year. The family lived in Mentor, Ohio, with Robert's mother, Sheryl, who was Riley Ann's primary caregiver. During this time, Riley Ann's parents grew apart and were no longer a couple. They all continued to live in the same home. Riley Ann's father began dating a woman named Catherine Priester, whom he later married. In October 2006, alleging physical abuse and having filed a domestic violence charge against Trenor, Sawyers left the home. In May 2007, Trenor and Riley Ann moved to Spring, Texas. Trenor married Royce Clyde Zeigler, Jr. on June 1, 2007. Trenor met Royce Zeigler while playing World of Warcraft; her previous husband had introduced the game to her and Trenor began putting a lot of time and energy into it. Zeigler believed Riley Ann should be disciplined to say "Sir" and "Ma'am" to adults, as well as the phrases "please" and "thank you," and that corporal punishment was the best means of disciplining a child. Believing that Trenor was not properly administering the beatings, Zeigler himself beat the child. Ziegler's former stepmother explained that his father had used similar characteristics to raise his children, which often involved abuse. Other ex-wives also gave recollections of Ziegler's father's abuse and likened the circumstances to that surrounding the death of Riley Ann. Death of Riley Ann: In a videotaped confession and signed affidavit, Trenor admitted that on July 24, 2007, she and Zeigler beat Riley Ann with two leather belts and held her head underwater in the bathtub. Trenor also stated that Zeigler picked Riley Ann up by her hair and threw her across the room, causing her head to slam into the tile floor. Riley Ann, having been injured by the beating, was unable to stand up when ordered to do so. “She didn’t have control of her legs,” Trenor stated. The child had also tried to hinder the beating by saying "I love you" to her mother as the abuse that night took place. She maintained that the death was accidental and that it was "a case of discipline that went too far." When they realized Riley Ann was dead, Trenor and Zeigler went to Walmart to buy a Sterilite plastic storage container. They wrapped Riley Ann's body in garbage bags and stuffed it into the plastic container. They kept this container in a storage shed for about two months before dumping it into Galveston Bay from a bridge near the Galveston Causeway. Trenor forged legal documents as an attempt to conceal the murder. Such documents cited that Riley Ann had been removed from their custody due to alleged "sexual abuse." She claimed Ziegler had forced her to do so. Discovery and investigation: Sawyers' body was discovered in the Galveston Bay by a fisherman on October 29, 2007. A coroner discovered three skull fractures on the body, and the investigation then proceeded as a homicide case. The extent of the injuries was described as having similar force to falling from a rooftop. After police were unable to identify the remains, forensic artist Lois Gibson was recruited to create a forensic sketch to illustrate an estimation of the victim's appearance during life, as the body was unrecognizable. The unidentified body was then nicknamed "Baby Grace." National efforts began to uncover the identity of the remains and the reconstruction was released to the public. Eventually, Riley Ann's paternal grandmother, Sheryl, reported to authorities that the sketch resembled her granddaughter. Sheryl had discovered the sketch online when she made the connection between the cases. DNA testing later confirmed that the remains were that of the child, as authorities had already suspected, given the statements made by Riley Ann's grandmother. Trials: Shortly before Thanksgiving Day in 2007, Zeigler attempted suicide by overdosing on blood pressure medication and prescribed anti-depressant pills. He left a suicide note stating, "My wife is innocent of the sins I committed". However, he later claimed during his trial that he was in another room of the house when Riley Ann died, and therefore could not have been guilty. Following their arrests, the pair were held at separate bonds of $350,000 each. They had initially been charged with injury to a child and tampering with evidence. The trial for Trenor was delayed due to her becoming pregnant and it was postponed until after she gave birth in January 2009. Murder convictions: Trenor and Zeigler eventually took responsibility for Riley Ann's death. Trenor was convicted of capital murder on February 2, 2009. It took the jury 90 minutes to reach a verdict. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 38 years. She is incarcerated in the Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, Texas. Her first parole eligibility date is November 24, 2047. Zeigler was charged with capital murder and evidence tampering. On November 6, 2009, he was convicted and received an automatic sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole. The sentence was automatic because the state did not seek the death penalty. Such verdict was reached after four hours and thirty minutes of conversation by the jury. He is incarcerated in the Wallace Pack Unit near Navasota, Texas. Aftermath: On January 14, 2008, the cremated remains of Riley Ann were turned over to her family in Ohio, after a Texas judge ruled that evidence collected during the autopsy would be sufficient for trial. Sheryl Sawyers' facility of employment also raised money through a fundraiser to pay for the child's funeral. A ceremony later took place and Sawyers' remains were interred at the Mentor Municipal Cemetery. As many as twenty countries reportedly performed a similar memorial service for the victim. The Hitchcock City Commission in Texas named "Riley's Island" after the victim in March 2008. The television show Investigation Discovery aired an episode about the case on June 15, 2011.

good hurt

my back is in pain but it's good pain since i did a ton of dancing and my back is screaming at me for doing that.

Disappearance of Rahma el-Dennaoui

Rahma el-Dennaoui is a Lebanese Australian girl who went missing on 10 November 2005. She was last seen in the bedroom of her home in Lurnea, Sydney, Australia, early that morning, where the 19-month-old girl and her siblings slept. Despite a police search and appeals to the general public, no trace of the little girl has yet been found. Background: Rahma was born to Hosayn El-Dennaoui, a migrant from Iaal, Lebanon, and Alyaa, from the nearby village of Dayranbouh. Rahma was between two of her sisters on a double bed under the window. She had trouble sleeping in the heat and her father got up and went to check on her at 2 am. When he returned at 8 am, she was gone. Rahma had not been walking long, and it is nearly a kilometre from the el-Dennaoui home to any bushland, making a toddler's journey there unlikely. There was a rip in the fly-screen covering the window above her bed, and this opening was large enough for Rahma to fit through. Other sources say the screen was cut, not torn. Sniffer dogs found no trace of the little girl, and police are now treating the disappearance as an abduction, although no motive was known. Reward: In May 2007, New Idea magazine offered a $20,000 (AUS) reward for information on what happened to Rahma. The magazine's editor-in-chief Robyn Foster says it was the similarities between Rahma and the highly publicised case of Madeleine McCann that sparked her interest in the case.

Suprise

Bumped into 1 of my former teachers

Take it and run with it

When I converted to mormonism I took the idea of baptism and ran with it. I obviously converted but not sure I wanted to originally