Josh Powell, who had become a person of interest in the disappearance of his wife Susan Powell back on December 6, 2009, killed himself and their two sons, 7 year-old Charlie and 5 year-old Braden, in a planned explosion at his home in Tacoma, Washington on Sunday (February 5).

The explosion happened shortly after a case worker delivered the boys to their daddy’s home, and the man’s lawyer Jeffrey Bassett, who was working on the kids’ custody case, received an apologetic e-mail with three simple words.

“I’m sorry, goodbye,” it read. Josh had just learned he was not likely to regain the custody of his sons, after his father, Steve Powell, was arrested and charged with child pornography in September of 2011.

This story is shocking America and the world, but according to Josh’s brother-in-law Kirk Graves, he decided to kill himself and the kids to prevent them for revealing anything about the disappearance of their mother during an overnight camping trip.

“I think this was a last-ditch effort on his part to hurt everyone around him and escape all of the problems,” Kirk Graves told PEOPLE. “Regardless of the impact on the boys, he just wanted to hurt everybody else.”

“Not only this a horrible, horrible thing, but it just came out of nowhere,” Graves told PEOPLE. “It leaves you in a total state of shock. Why did he do this to the boys? I’ve been asking myself that I don’t know how many times.”

Family members claim the boys had started talking about the night their mom went missing, which could have triggered Josh’s desperate reacting. Josh also accused the legal guardians of the kids, grandparents Chuck and Judy Cox, of turning them against him.

The father-of-two always denied any involvement in his wife’s disappearance. A year after the fact, he even suggested Susan had run off with a man from Utah – Steven Koecher, who disappeared around the same time.

Casey Anthony is convinced that her daughter Caylee was conceived when she was allegedly raped at a party at the age of 18 in the fall of 2004, according to newly released court documents.

Casey Anthony Make-Up To Cover Up Guilt (Video)

Psychiatrist Dr. Jeff Danziger, who conducted a psychological evaluation of the mother before the trial, said Casey believes that someone must have “spiked” her drink and she “blacked out” at the party.

Dr. Danziger said, “Two beers, possibly given another drug. Woke up passed out … Don’t remember anything at a party, age 18. This is how she said she got pregnant.”

The mother accused of killing her 2 year-old daughter and getting disposed of her remains in a wooded area in Florida also revealed that she was the victim of incest and believed her father George Anthony could have been her daughter’s father until DNA test proved otherwise.

Casey Anthony NOT GUILTY of 1st Degree Murder (Video)

The identity of Caylee’s father is still unknown. Another psychiatrist, Dr. William Weitz, stated Casey never considered an abortion or adoption. “She wanted the child.” The psychiatrists’ testimonies were the foundation of the not guilty verdict that shocked the country in July 2011.

According to Danziger, Casey showed no signs of mental illness. The truth is we still do not know what really happened to 2 year-old Caylee.

[image: wenn.com]

North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong-il is dead at the age of 69 according to published reports out of North Korea.

One report stated that he died of physical fatigue during a train ride in Pyongyang.

Jong II took power of North Korea in 1994 after the death of Kim II-sung.

Actor Christian Bale was blocked and attacked by guards when he tried to visit Chen Guangcheng, a blind civil rights activist who has been under house arrest for more than a year, in the city of Linyi, China on Thursday (December 15)- watch video below.

Christian Bale’s Inhumane F-Bomb Bonanza

The 37 year-old was in the country to promote his upcoming Chinese movie “The Flowers of War” when he decided to take an eight hour drive with a CNN crew to visit one of his personal heroes.

Chen was originally arrested for “damaging property and organizing a mob to disturb traffic” and sentenced to four years back in 2006. The blind lawyer and his wife continue under house arrest and Chinese guards don’t allow any visitors. In 2010, a video of authorities beating him in his own house caused outrage.

“I’m not being brave doing this. The local people who are standing up to the authorities and insisting on going to visit Chen and his family and getting beaten up for it and my understanding is getting detained for it, I want to support what they’re doing,” Bale told the CNN crew.

Bale is now being accused of doing this to create Oscar buzz for his movie in the Best Foreign Language Film category, but I actually believe the actor is genuinely interested in helping those people. Bale was seriously putting his life on the line by marching up to those thugs and demanding to see Chen.

“He’s been following the story and he was just really moved by the story and what this man’s trying to do and it’s impossible [to see him],” Bale’s representative told The Huffington Post, “and he thought, he was there for work, and he would try and see if he could help. [It was] just really being moved on a personal level and that is what he chose to do.”

“The Flowers of War,” a movie about the infamous mass murder and rape spree perpetrated by Japanese soldiers known as the Rape of Nanking back in 1937, is set for a limited release in US theaters later this month.

Christian Bale Attacked In China CNN Video go on reading »

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has a new twist to his Casanova-like campaign with alleged mistress Ginger White, from Atlanta, coming forward with the allegations of a 13-year affair according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

Cain’s campaign has been dogged by claims of sexual harassment while he was in charge of the National Restaurant Association.

Cain has denied the affair and basically told the media that his private life is his private life.

“Mr. Cain has been informed today that your television station plans to broadcast a story this evening in which a female will make an accusation that she engaged in a 13-year long physical relationship with Mr. Cain. This is not an accusation of harassment in the workplace – this is not an accusation of an assault – which are subject matters of legitimate inquiry to a political candidate.

Rather, this appears to be an accusation of private, alleged consensual conduct between adults – a subject matter which is not a proper subject of inquiry by the media or the public. No individual, whether a private citizen, a candidate for public office or a public official, should be questioned about his or her private sexual life. The public’s right to know and the media’s right to report has boundaries and most certainly those boundaries end outside of one’s bedroom door.

Mr. Cain has alerted his wife to this new accusation and discussed it with her. He has no obligation to discuss these types of accusations publicly with the media and he will not do so even if his principled position is viewed unfavorably by members of the media.”

The affairs have not ended his chances for the Republican nomination but they have no doubt hurt him as he continues to drop in the polls.

[image: My Fox Atlanta]

Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’ sister, Mona Simpson, only met her brother at the age of 27, but she clearly had much respect for the man he was and his vision that would completely change the way we now see, access and communicate with the world.

Steve Jobs Commencement Speech: How To Live Before You Die (VIDEO)

In a eulogy published by The New York Times, Mona reveals her brother peacefully passed away while surrounded by his wife, four children and two sisters. “Death didn’t happen to Steve, he achieved it,” she wrote.

Celebrity Twitter Reactions To Steve Jobs’ Death

As for Steve’s final words, Mona referred that before he “embarked” he looked at each one of his family members and simply said “’OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW’.” That was simple and succinct just like the philosophy behind his “i” high-tech gadgets.

Quote Of The Day: Steve Jobs On Life & Death

Mona delivered the emotional eulogy at her brother’s memorial service held at the Memorial Church of Stanford University on October 16, 2011. Steve Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011.

Read Mona Simpson’s “A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs” At The NY Times>>

R.I.P. Steve Jobs.

Tonight, tragedy struck Reno, Nevada as a plane crashed into the edge of the stands at the Reno Air Races.

The video above, shot by a spectator and aired on a local news station, shows that the plane crashed directly into the ground very close to the stands where tables had been set up in front of them.

The vintage World War II plane, flown by 74-year old Jimmy Leeward, of Oscala, Florida, crashed on the pilot’s third lap.

The pilot and at least four specatators have reportedly been killed so far.

UPDATE: Over 50 have been injured.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families of those that died at the Reno Air Races.

The tragic racing event for the Reno spectators reminds me too much of the similar accident that happened back in 2007, in Selmer, Tennessee, when a dragster lost control and crashed his race car into spectators who had lined along the street. Six people died from the accident with another twenty-one that were injured.

The video above was taken on September 11, 2001 from the International Space Station by Captain Frank Culbertson as the Twin Towers in New York City were being attacked and destroyed by terrorists.

The video shows a pillage of smoke escaping the earth towards the heavens.

Sunday will mark the 10th year since those horrific attacks took place.

Be sure to remember this weekend those that we lost that day when those two towers were tragically destroyed.

There might be a gag order, but Steve Branch (father of Stevie Branch who was murdered) doesn’t care according to WREG-TV.

Steve Branch, father of WM3 victim Stevie Branch: “There’s supposed to be a gag order on this but they’re not going to gag me. They can put me in jail if they want to. I’ll go to jail to stand up for my son’s rights.”

Branch says that two of the West Memphis 3 (Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelly Jr., and Jason Baldwin) who were found guilty of killing Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers will be released on Friday after they make confessions to killing the three small boys in 1993. (UPDATE: All three men have been released upon entering guilty pleas).

Two of the WM3 will be released included Echols who was sentenced to death.  The others had life sentences with Misskelly have two additional 20 year sentences tacked onto that.

DNA evidence done in 2007 was unable to tie the WM3 to the crime. However, the court found the DNA results inconclusive.

The case has been the center of controversy over the last 15 years with many celebrities joining the cause to have the West Memphis 3 released.  Celebs to support the WM3 over the years have included Johnny Depp, Henry Rollins, and Pearl Jam.

UPDATE: The WM3 are in the Jonesboro, Arkansas courtroom. So is Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder. There are two vans waiting outside the courthouse to take the WM3 away. The guilty confessions are being made and signed. All three men have now been released from prison and are free.

From the Commercial Appeal(read full article):

Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley stood before Circuit Court Judge David Laser and entered the guilty pleas while maintaining their innocence in the case.

They were given credit for time served and a 10-year suspended sentence for their pleas in an agreement with prosecutors.

All three defendants showed little emotion during the 30-minute hearing, answering the questions posed to them by Judge Laser. All three were dressed in suits, Misskelley the only one wearing a tie.

Per the Commercial Appeal’s Marc Perrusquia (on Twitter): HBO filmmaker Bruce Sinofsky (‘Paradise Lost’): “I’m glad the films helped keep Damien alive.” #wm3

More from Marc:

Ellington: “These defendants, the stat believes, could very easily have been acquitted.” #wm3

Ellington cited stale evidence, deaths of witnesses and new DNA evidence ad reasons for deal. #wm3

Damien Echols at press conference: “I’m being released for a crime I didn’t commit!”

“It’s been a living hell!” – Echols (who was on Death Row)

“There aren’t out there trying to find who really killed those boys.” – Baldwin

“They wouldn’t be able to pull the same tricks.” – Echols (on if a new trial would have taken place)

Lorri Davis Echols, Damien’s wife, was thanked profusely by Damien for her tireless work in helping secure his release.

Baldwin wanted to fight it and not plead guilty, but he said he knew that Echols had it so rough that he was willing to do whatever to go along to make all of their releases possible.

Echols at the press conference was dressed in a dark suit jacked, blue shirt, dark rimmed eye glasses, with his hair styled like Johnny Depp, who was a big supporter of helping get the West Memphis Three freed over the years.

No travel restrictions have been placed upon the WM3 releases. The men ARE NOT on probation. They can travel and go as they free. The men will likely make a large sum of money via book, talk show, and movie deals (at some point).

The men came across very well and believable in the press conference.

Agree or disagree?

Fiery. Republican Christine O’Donnell was offended by some of Piers Morgan’s questions on issues such as gay marriage, calling it “borderline rude” and walking off during an interview for CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight on Wednesday (August 17)- watch video below.

O’Donnell is asked about gay marriage and claims Piers’ rude because she wants to talk about her book, but then says her views are in the book and refuses to discuss them since she is not running for office. So what does O’Donnell want to talk about then? The type of tea and exquisite biscuits (aka cookies for the working class!) served at her tea parties?

Seriously? The book titled “Troublemaker: Let’s Do What It Takes To Make America Great Again” is actually described by O’Donnell herself as “a political memoir slash campaign diary slash position paper slash rallying cry, with an emphasis on the slash.” So let’s discuss politics/policies… or we could just discuss her incredible knowledge of witchcraft and that creepy picnic date at a satanic altar, no?

If O’Donnell really doesn’t feel like talking about important issues that might actually help “make America great again”, then the decision to walk out was the right one. Good night and good luck, you troublemaker!!

Christine O’Donnell Walks Off Piers Morgan Interview Video go on reading »

Elizabeth Smart, who was kidnapped from her home and held captive for almost nine months at the age of 14, was hired by ABC News as a contributor to help other kidnap victims and their families on missing person and child abduction cases.

The now 23 year-old is a survivor and believes her experience can help people better understand the stories, grief and heartache behind these cases. Elizabeth is said to be focused on “looking ahead, not looking back at her own story.”

“She’ll help our viewers better understand missing person stories from someone with the perspective to know what a family experiences when a loved one goes missing,” said ABC News spokesperson Julie Townsend. “This is definitely not about looking backward and telling her story, which has been well told and retold.”

Jaycee Dugard People Magazine (Video): Jaycee Lee Then & Now Pictures

Elizabeth, who is planning to move from Utah to New York City where she attends Brigham Young University, is expected to make her contributor debut in the next few weeks. Unfortunately, Elizabeth will not appear on the ABC News’ special about Jaycee Dugard, who was kidnapped, held hostage for 18 years and had two children with her kidnapper.

As most of the world knows, Casey Anthony was found NOT GUILTY of killing her 3-year old daughter Caylee Anthony earlier this week.

However, Casey seems even more guilty than O.J. Simpson seemed back in the mid-90′s.

Life outside of prison will likely be much tougher for Casey than the life she would have lived in it (awaiting death).

I tried hard to not find the video above funny, but I couldn’t help to laugh. It’s very creatively done while being funny and not holding back too many punches.

May Caylee rest in peace!