Moment of Lyric –

Some of my Favorite Things:

• Good Friends
• Newt!
• Being Silly
• Scalp massage
• Mutual Laughter
• Relaxing on my own
• Getting along without stress
• Nature Walks
• Sleeping late
• Helping someone in need
• Tiny hands (or paws) lost in mine
• Spinning in a circle
• Finding sweet reminders left behind
• Surprise phone messages
• Being Sung to
• Being told that I’m loved, and me believing it

Adjusting focus to the positives, of which there are many. I’ve got some good stuff happening, I think.

Gorillas hold ‘wake’ for group’s leader

BROOKFIELD, Illinois (AP) — After Babs the gorilla died at age 30, keepers at Brookfield Zoo decided to allow surviving gorillas to mourn the most influential female in their social family.

One by one Tuesday, the gorillas filed into the Tropic World building where Babs’ body lay, arms outstretched. Curator Melinda Pruett Jones called it a “gorilla wake.”

Babs’ 9-year-old daughter, Bana, was the first to approach the body, followed by Babs’ mother, Alpha, 43. Bana sat down, held Babs’ hand and stroked her mother’s stomach. Then she sat down and laid her head on Babs’ arm.

“It was like they used to do in the exhibit, lying side by side on the mountain,” keeper Betty Green said. “Then Bana rose up and looked at us and moved to Babs’ other side, tucked her head under the other arm, and stroked Babs’ stomach.”

Other gorillas also approached Babs and gently sniffed the body.

Fired DCF Investigator charged with 80 counts in Pensacola

The State Attorney’s Office announced today that charges have been filed against Allison Harris, a former child protective investigator with the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF). Assistant State Attorney Russ Edgar charged Harris with 18 counts of official misconduct, eight counts of child abuse, and 54 counts of falsifying records of the department. DCF officials terminated Harris in late 2003 after a routine Departmental Quality Assurance Audit found irregularities in her casework.

The charges resulted from a joint investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Department of Financial Services, and DCF of complaints that Harris had falsified or destroyed DCF case files.

Investigators documented more that 50 cases in which Harris was assigned to investigate reports of child abuse, neglect or maltreatment, but failed to do so. Instead, Harris made entries in department case files, which stated she investigated the reports and there were no indicators of abuse, neglect or maltreatment.

Investigators discovered, however, Harris never contacted the alleged victims, or their parents or guardians, or performed required tasks, as she claimed. As a result, investigation of complaints of physical and sexual abuse of children, and exposure of children to IV drug use and other dangerous living conditions were not done.

Investigators determined that Harris’ caseload was not excessive, and that she had the time and resources to investigate the complaints, but evidently chose not to do so.

1 year ago – Yuletide toe-warmer poll, creepy news, Cute Newt Pic, Medicare, clucks

2 years ago – desert dreams, “no hands” kitty, palm doodles, nice cards

3 years ago – menstruation/bear attack, Bear armor, tic tac poll

4 years ago – hungrybaby/mcnoggin, Hello Kitty Smelting furnace, Asplundh letter, why web journals suck, meat hats, comic book wrapping