More Snow, Less Wind, and a Long Weekend

More snow, less wind, than last night. November 23, 2012.

It sounded like winter last night, with wind rushing a little snow around the house. I stayed up later than I might have, since weather reports kept adding 'one more thing' to the forecast: but kept insisting that the excitement would be over at 6:00 this morning. As it turns out, they were right.

Staying inside makes sense in that sort of weather, but for some folks staying put isn't an option.

"Warm weather gives way to snowy, cold Thanksgiving"
Ryan Johnson, INFORUM (November 22, 2012, 9:26 p.m.)

"The unseasonably warm weather of recent days came to an abrupt end Thanksgiving afternoon...

"...Meteorologist Brad Hopkins said Fargo started its Thanksgiving at about 39 degrees, but the temperature dropped to about 20 by the evening as strong winds and 1 to 2 inches of snow swept across most of the Red River Valley and parts of Minnesota.

"...Pembina County in northeastern North Dakota issued a no-travel advisory at 6 p.m. because of black ice and poor conditions.

"Gusts of more than 30 mph also reduced visibility and contributed to accidents along Interstate 94 near Fergus Falls, Minn...."

Now I'm going to get back to having a relaxed Thanksgiving Day weekend.

Somewhat-related posts:

• "Thanksgiving, 2012: Macy's Parade; Wind Advisory; Relaxing"
  (November 22, 2012)
• "Thanksgiving Day, 2012: Desperate Times..."
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (November 22, 2012)
• "Christmas, 2011"
  (December 25, 2011)
• "Wintry Weather and a Balky Furnace"
  (October 27, 2010)
• "October's Dull Gray Weather; Winter Preparations; and a Fine Son"
  (October 20, 2009)

Friday the 13th and Good News: No Fractured Necks Here

Good news about #3 daughter's neck: The CAT scan results are back, and there's no fracture in either of the out-of-position vertebrae.

That doesn't make her neck feel any better, but it does mean that there's one less thing to worry - or be concerned - about. And, it helps define what can - and can't - be done about getting the bones and muscles in her neck back where they're supposed to be.

My wife and #3 daughter are both recovering from that near-head-on crash: and it could have been a lot worse. All they experienced were sprained bodies and a broken wrist.

I read in the news about a woman in Utah who lost her claim to fame in a crash this week: "World's Longest Nails Cracked in Crash" (Apathetic Lemming of the North (February 13, 2009)).

Exorcism, Yes - Catholic, No

I was going to make my first entry for the week upbeat, but there's something to get out of the way first.

"Fatal end to exorcism attempt"hit the news over the weekend. Someone named Ronald Marquez, a 48-year-old grandfather in Phoenix "whom authorities say was choking his 3-year-old granddaughter during an exorcism...." (Arizona Republic, July 20, 2007).

When police got to the house, they heard screams inside. They had a hard time getting in, because someone had pushed a bed against the door.

After forcing the door open a few inches, the police saw a shirtless Mr. Marquez, choking a bloody three-year-old girl, and a naked and bloody 19-year-old woman chanting what police characterized as "something of a religious nature."

Police officers had to use a Taser on Mr Marquez, after initial attempts to subdue him failed. He later stopped breathing and died.

The three-year-old is alive, as is the young woman, who seems to be her mother. Their condition hadn't been reported,the last time I looked.

Mr. Marquez was trying to squeeze demons out of the little girl. I suppose that would make it an "exorcism." That's certainly what it's been called in the news.

We've even seen footage, presumably inside the Marquez house, showing distinctly Catholic wall plaques.

What struck me about this tragic mess is that only one news service bothered to mention, briefly, that this half-naked/naked/choking/screaming/chanting/bloody event bears no resemblance to a Catholic exorcism: apart from human beings being involved.

And that's why I'm posting this entry. This fatal farce bears no resemblance to a Catholic exorcism. The Catholic Church doesn't operate this way.

It should be obvious: But growing up Protestant and converting to Catholicism as an adult has shown me how little many people know about Catholicism.

Is knowing whether or not this is a Catholic rite? I think so. "It AIN'T so much the things we don't know that get us into trouble. It's the things we know that just ain't so."

(Information from Arizona Republic and FOXNews.com)
(The "It AIN'T" quote has been attributed to Mark Twain, Artemus Ward, Kin Hubbard, Will Rogers. Others to whom it’s been credited include inventor Charles Kettering, pianist Eubie Blake, and, I'm not making this up, Yogi Berra.)

Move Over Paris, Here Comes Lindsay

Looks like Lindsay Lohan is due for a third appointment at one of the better "rehab" spots: tears optional.

Just because she was chasing another vehicle in her SUV, with booze in her blood and snow in her pocket.

The real story, I think, is that the anklet that was supposed to check on her sobriety doesn't seem to have worked quite as well as hoped. In fact, the company that monitors the bracelet was surprised to learn that she had been arrested.

It is, of course, a sad day when one of this nation's leading citizens gets arrested for DUI and cocaine possession. Again.

Ms. Lohan apparently was chasing another vehicle in her SUV when authorities pulled her over and discovered that she wasn't driving so much as flying. To be fair, it's possible that she was in an enthusiastic caravan, headed from one party to another: although a interview with a police officer indicates that the lead vehicle called police for help, indicating that an unknown vehicle was chasing the lead vehicle. Also, that Ms. Lohan and the lead vehicle's driver were in a headed argument when police arrived.

It is an even sadder thought that Ms. Lohan, Ms. Hilton, Mr. Vick, and Mr. Kobe Bryant in fact are considered to be among this nation's leading citizens.

It's only a few hours after Ms. Lohan's arrest: I suspect that it will be a little later today, when commentators start discussing how disturbing it is when a role model and example for so many young people has exhibited behavior which may not be entirely appropriate.

Maybe this is bragging, but when I asked some of my kids whether Paris Hilton was a role model, I got very odd looks before being told what a dumb question it was.

I'm told that Lindsay Lohan has a decent singing voice, and has made recordings. At the very least, I hope she considers what booze and drugs are likely to do to her vocal cords.

Shooting on I-94: News, Videotape and Iraq

Brian William Skold, a 28-year-old man from Sauk Rapids got drunk back on May 27. His family called the police, saying that he drunk, making threats, and had a shotgun with him.

The family stayed in touch with Skold via cell phone. He let them know that he was still armed and "threatened to come out shooting." To their credit, the family relayed information to the police.

A chase through Alexandria, Minnesota, surface roads, and finally I-94, ended around mile marker 115. Law enforcement stopped Skold's pickup with stop sticks. That's when he called the Stearns County dispatch center. After he found out that his tires were flat, he "became increasingly agitated and threatening."

Sadly, Skold decided to fire a shot in the air, and then aim at police officers. A hearing determined that they were justified when they shot and killed Skold.

Thankfully, the police had one of their squad car video cameras as a witness. The Army Times reported that the tape shows the incident ending after "Skold had fired a round of birdshot in the air and threatened that the next round would be 'lead.' The tape, made from a squad car, shows Skold chambering a round, dropping into a crouch and pointing his gun toward officers."

Echo Press, the Alexandria newspaper, did a pretty good job of reporting the incident.

Elsewhere, on the state and national level, news coverage of Skold's inebriate death dutifully reported that he was Iraq veteran who had returned from Iraq. And that he was depressed. After returning from Iraq.

The Star Tribune's Wednesday edition that week had "Did war's demons follow Iraq veteran in I-94 chase?" splashed across the top of the front page.

The post hoc ergo propter hoc argument was obvious.

Problem is, Skold's depression didn't seem to be connected to his tour in Iraq. His family "backed off" (as the Star Tribune put it) the news report that Skold had been suicidal since returning from Iraq. As an off-the-front-page article in the Star Tribune later put it, "one source had never met Skold. The other knew him only in passing."

That "Iraq Veteran" tag added to Skold's name in the news reminds me rather unpleasantly of the "Vietnam veteran" used to identify alleged suspects back in the seventies. True, the guys who were caught robbing convenience stores and liquor outlets had served in Vietnam, but they were also in the age-and-sex demographic that's most likely to commit violent crime.

Journalists do, of course, have high and noble reasons for what they do. And if you have any doubts about that, just ask them.