Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Mike]

I wonder if Vegas has odds on any of the following:

Forcier actually makes it to camp.

Forcier takes a snap in an actual CFL game.

Forcier fails to learn the playbook, is cut, and announces he's always wanted to be a Calgary Stampeder anyway.

[Rob F]

I wonder if Vegas has odds on any of the following:

Forcier actually makes it to camp.

Forcier takes a snap in an actual CFL game.

Forcier fails to learn the playbook, is cut, and announces he's always wanted to be a Calgary Stampeder anyway.

Great post, Mike---as that seems to be his pattern

[entropy]

By PETER SALTER / Lincoln Journal Star JournalStar.com | Posted: Monday, May 14, 2012 6:00 pm | 1 Comment


The Lincoln-area retiree didn’t mind driving deep into the night. He preferred traveling with cash. And -- like most drivers -- he would pull over for police.

All that could explain how Thomas Schlender was robbed, shot and killed last week on a stretch of highway in northern Mississippi. The 74-year-old had been on his way to Pensacola, Fla., to pick up one of his dozen grandchildren from college -- a trip he’d made many times before.

He was found dead in his bullet-riddled pickup at 1:40 a.m. May 8.

“What do you and I do when we see law enforcement? We slow down and pull over to the right,” said his son-in-law, Matt Anderson. “If this vehicle came alongside, it would have given them time to open fire.”

On Monday, Mississippi authorities suggested Schlender and another motorist -- slain three nights later and about 70 miles away -- may have been victims of a police impersonator.

Why else would both drivers pull over in the middle of the night?

“The similarities lead us to believe that’s a viable scenario,” said Warren Strain, public affairs director for the state Department of Public Safety. “The fact they occurred on the side of a Mississippi highway … would lead you to believe they were on the side of the road for some reason.”

Authorities are telling Mississippi motorists to be cautious: Don’t flee, but if it’s not obvious the police officer pulling you over is a real police officer, call 911 to verify. Put on your flashers and find a lit, populated place to pull over.

And the Tate County Sheriff’s Department in northern Mississippi is telling its deputies not to overreact if a motorist doesn’t stop immediately, according to its Facebook page.

Strain wouldn’t say whether authorities have any suspects, or whether the second motorist -- 48-year-old Lori Carswell of Hernando, Miss. -- was robbed, as Schlender was.

“I’ll say we do have leads, and we’re following those leads.”

Nor would he say whether there were other recent reports of police impersonators before Schlender drove from Raymond into Mississippi a week ago.

The New Jersey native had spent decades at the Lincoln Electric System, retiring in 2000 and devoting his life to his family -- his wife, three daughters, 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

“He was the quintessential family man. There was nothing more important to him in his life,” Anderson said. “The grandkids are having a really, really tough time.”

He left Nebraska in his red Ford pickup May 7, ready for the 18-hour drive.

“It was just his generation -- he had a credit card available to him but he would prefer cash. When he went on a trip, he took the cash he needed,” Anderson said.

And he didn’t mind driving at night, Anderson said. If his father-in-law got tired, he’d pull over and rest, then resume his trip.

By 6:30 p.m., when he checked in with his oldest daughter, Tracy Anderson, he was somewhere between St. Louis and Memphis and hoping to hit Pensacola by morning.

At about 2:30 a.m., 911 dispatchers fielded three calls. One motorist reported a reckless driver -- in a red Ford pickup -- about an hour south of Memphis on Interstate 55. The other two reported the pickup had crashed into a center lane divider.

Troopers found several bullet holes in the driver’s door. And they could tell from the shattered glass that Schlender had pulled over to the shoulder before veering left toward the median.

Schlender’s wallet was missing, so the Panola County coroner called the most recent number on his cellphone -- his daughter’s. After the shock, Matt Anderson said, he and his wife helped identify Schlender, sending photos to Mississippi.

Officers recovered 9 mm shell casings from the side of the road and were trying to lift fingerprints from them. Schlender’s credit card has not been used since the shooting, Anderson said.

Three nights later, Carswell was shot and killed in Tunica County on her way home from work at a casino. She was discovered in the road after 2 a.m., just a few feet from her car.

And a Nebraska family – already grieving their own -- felt a sudden, tragic connection to strangers.

“We feel for the family,” Matt Anderson said. “We’re sickened that this has happened again.”

Reach Peter Salter at 402-473-7254 or psalter@journalstar.com.


----------------------------------------------------------

(CNN) -- Someone who may be posing as a police officer is pulling cars over on Mississippi highways and then shooting drivers dead, authorities said.

After two such shootings this month, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is asking for the public's help to find the person.

The agency is receiving leads and processing forensic evidence, bureau spokesman Warren Strain said Tuesday.

"There are some similarities between the two incidents, mainly the fact they happened alongside a Mississippi highway," said MBI director Lt. Col. Larry Waggoner on Monday. "The concern is that someone is posing as a law enforcement officer and that is how these vehicles end up on the side of the road."

How you can make sure an officer is not an imposter

The first shooting occurred on May 8. Thomas Schlender, 74, was found dead about 1:30 a.m. in his car in the median of southbound Interstate 55 in Panola County.

On Friday, Lori Anne Carswell, 48, was found dead outside her car on the shoulder of Mississippi State Highway 713, in Tunica County, about 2:15 a.m.

The shootings took place about 55 miles apart, and the victims did not know each other, authorities said.

Authorities are asking citizens to be careful if they are pulled over and feel uneasy.

They advise drivers to call 911 and verify that a legitimate officer is pulling them over or drive to a well-lit, crowded place before stopping, actions permitted under Mississippi state law.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Need to find these bastards and put them in front of a firing squad led by the victims families.

[lineygoblue]

Michigan dismisses baseball head coach Rich Maloney after 10 years.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120522/SPORTS0201/205220441/1361/Michigan-baseball-coach-Rich-Maloney-fired-after-10-seasons

[Tony G]

Just sharing a good story

Prep runner carries foe to finish line

Updated: June 5, 2012, 10:41 AM ET
By Doug Binder | ESPNHS

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AP Photo/The Daily Call, Mike UlleryWhen distance runner Arden McMath (left), collapsed 20 meters from the end of the 3,200 race at the Ohio Division III girls state meet, fellow runner Meghan Vogel helped carry her to the finish line.
Meghan Vogel doesn't understand what all the fuss is about.
Vogel, a junior runner for West Liberty-Salem High School (West Liberty, Ohio), won the 1,600-meter title Saturday at the Division III girls state meet at Jesse Owens Stadium in Columbus. But it's what she did in her next race that was most remarkable.
With about 20 meters to go in the 3,200, Arden McMath, a sophomore from Arlington High School, collapsed in front of Vogel. Rather than run by her, Vogel helped McMath to her feet and carried her across the finish line, making sure to keep McMath ahead of her.
"Any girl on the track would have done the same for me," Vogel said Monday.

But Vogel's gesture resonated with the thousands of spectators who witnessed it, as well as with the thousands more who have read about the story or seen video of the race's finish.

By the time Vogel arrived home Saturday night, word of her sportsmanship was spreading. She had 30 new friend requests on Facebook within a few hours. Ohio media pounced on the story and lauded Vogel's selfless act.
Monday was supposed to be a "pajamas day" at the Vogel home in West Liberty, a day to relax after last week's conclusion of the school year and the busy weekend at the state championships. Instead. it was spent reliving the race.
"The phone's been ringing a lot," said Ann Vogel, Meghan's mother and coach.
It wasn't Meghan's first act of sportmanship on the track.
A week earlier, at the state qualifying meet, West Liberty-Salem was running fifth in the 4x800 relay when Vogel took the baton for the anchor leg. She summoned a big effort and passed two other runners, clinching a berth in the state championships for her team.
Vogel was so wiped out after crossing the finish line that she collapsed, and her excited teammates rushed to her side to help her back to her feet. But then Vogel saw one of the girls she had passed, a freshman who also had fallen.

“ It's strange to have people telling me that this was such a powerful act of kindness and using words like 'humanity.' When I hear words like that I think of Harriet Tubman and saving people's lives. I don't consider myself a hero. I just did what I knew was right and what I was supposed to do.
” -- Meghan Vogel on carrying opposing runner across finish line

Vogel went to the other runner and offered a hand up and a few words of encouragement.
"She was in fourth (one spot from qualifying for state) and felt awful," Vogel said.

At the state championships, Vogel had a difficult 1,600/3,200 double. She won the 1,600 in a personal-best 4 minutes, 58.31 seconds, stepped onto the podium for photos and medals, talked to the local media, and went to visit with her family.
That left her with about an hour to get ready for the 3,200, in which she was seeded seventh.
Three laps into the eight-lap race, Vogel was falling off the pace. Her mother watched from the backstretch and could tell that her daughter didn't have the energy to contend for another title.
"By that time it was a matter of just finishing (the race)," Ann Vogel said. "I kind of joked with her about being in last place because she's never been last. And every lap she looked at me and smiled."
Vogel rounded the final turn for home and could see that the only other runner who hadn't finished yet was faltering. And then McMath, a runner Vogel had never met before, fell to the track.
Vogel never had a moment of doubt about what to do next.
"I remember moving to her position," she said. "(McMath) was doing the best she could to keep her body upright. There was a lot of shake in her legs, which is totally understandable."
The crowd cheered when Vogel stopped and the roar grew louder as she and McMath moved closer to the finish line. Vogel purposely steered McMath across the finish line ahead of her.
"We're a little bit of a minority being distance runners," Vogel said. "I think we all have an instant connection."
A race that had become pointless in the grand scheme of the day for Vogel quickly took on a new meaning.
"I think fate may have put me (in last place) for a reason," Vogel said.
Ann Vogel was across the track and couldn't see her daughter when she stopped. But a coaching friend told Ann Vogel, "Ann, look up at the screen."
She turned to the video board and saw her daughter supporting another runner on her shoulder.
"I ran around (the perimeter of the track) as fast as I could," Ann Vogel said. "It wasn't easy to get around with all of the people standing there but I was hearing the crowd and I could see tears running down people's faces."
McMath was quickly scooped up by medical staff. By rule, a runner in track or cross country is automatically disqualified for aiding another runner, but meet officials chose to leave McMath and Vogel in the results rather than take action.
McMath was given 14th place in 12:29.90, and Vogel 15th in 12:30.24.
A half-hour after the race was over, Vogel grabbed her mother's shoulder and said she felt dizzy and a little nauseated. Ann Vogel found a trainer and together they moved Meghan to a tent.
Vogel sat down with a cup of Gatorade on a cot that was positioned next to McMath, who was lying down and still recovering from dehydration and heat exhaustion.
"She was still pretty sick at that point," Meghan Vogel said of McMath. "Her coach turned to me and said, 'Thank you.' "
The two girls will meet again, formally this time, Tuesday morning for an interview with the TV show "Fox And Friends."
The response to her simple gesture has taken Vogel by surprise.

"It's been crazy. I can't understand why everyone wants to talk to me, but I guess I'm getting used to it now," she said. "It's strange to have people telling me that this was such a powerful act of kindness and using words like 'humanity.' It's weird. When I hear words like that I think of Harriet Tubman and saving people's lives. I don't consider myself a hero. I just did what I knew was right and what I was supposed to do."

[entropy]

very moving. thanks for posting.

[*JD*]

That reminds me of this. One of the best Olympic moments ever.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFKpZnok10s"]1992 DEREK REDMOND AND THE OLYMPIC SPIRIT (DAD HELPS HIM ACROSS THE FINISH LINE)) - YouTube[/ame]

[Tony G]

Made me think of this one. Another real special one

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jocw-oD2pgo"]W. Oregon Sara Tucholsky first HR - ultimate sportsmanship - YouTube[/ame]

[entropy]

you have to love american politics, especially how Americans react:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKmBYhYToos"]Twitter Users Want Scott Walker Dead - YouTube[/ame]

[THE_WIZARD_]

Wisconsin is the closest thing to a communist thinking state there is.

[lineygoblue]

I can't understand that kind of thinking. I've never gotten to a place where I wanted to kill someone over politics.

I used to be involved in some pretty heated political discussions online, but I'm glad I walked away from all that. People have a right to believe what they want without being in fear of their lives.

[THE_WIZARD_]

I can't understand that kind of thinking. I've never gotten to a place where I wanted to kill someone over politics.

I used to be involved in some pretty heated political discussions online, but I'm glad I walked away from all that. People have a right to believe what they want without being in fear of their lives.

I have debated with many leftists in my day liney...a handful are actually reasonable (but misguided) folk. But most are closed minded, arrogant, self righteous piags who will not listen or even debate you on the issues...they simply sling mud at you if you don't agree with them. They can't argue facts...their opinion is right and that's that.

Pointless to argue with a liberal/leftist. They simply must be defeated at the ballot box. Period.

[Rob F]

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[madootra]

Claptrap......