They did see tents and knew he was weird. That area of Antioch is very poor and everyone keeps to themselves. The neighbors were interviewed on the news and they said there was never any sign of children living there. Then one day they heard kids voices, so they called the police. This was in...1996, I think. The officer interviewed Dugard in his driveway, never going inside or checking out the backyard. Pitiful!!!! That cop should be fired!
@GuntherGebee: The cop should not be fired. An officer can't enter a residence or or the fenced in backyard without permission, a warrant, or knowledge of a felony occurring. If the officer showed up and spoke to him and didn't hear children's voices or anything else to create suspicion amounting to probably cause there would be nothing else to do but leave. Yeah, it sucks they didn't find this sooner but it isn't that officer's fault.
Re: Caster Semenya, if she has no uterus or ovaries wouldn't that mean that she has never menstruated? I know she's young, but wouldn't someone (ie Caster, her mother) think something was wrong given the lack of bleeding?
@VirtuousVixen: They could have just thought that it was because she was exercising so much; her body fat was too low to menstruate. I agree that it would be kind of suspect for her to NEVER have had a period though.
@VirtuousVixen: Given that these tips from "a source close to the individual" are often quite bogus it is quite likely not even true, but as to your point it is actually fairly common for hardcore athletes to skip periods, stop menstruating, or never even start if they are fairly young because their body doesn't want to be fertile when it is working that hard.
@VirtuousVixen: It does mean she has never menstruated, but given how thin she is from all the training she likely does to be such a good runner, it wouldn't be at all unusual for her not to have reached menarche yet.
Similar to many elite female gymnasts, many of them don't menstruate until late teens or even early twenties when they stop training. Below a certain % of body fat, and women don't menstruate.
@formergr: Yea, I know how it works with athletes, though I've really only ever heard of it with gymnasts and dancers. Makes sense with Caster's case though too. Although I'm wondering if that's a situation that Caster and her family would have known about - I'm really not trying to sound condescending or "oh people from the village are dumb" or anything, far from it, but I just don't know if, given how rare an athlete of that caliber and training level is, her mother and family would know that delaying menarche results from the training.
When I read the news about Melanie Oudin's parents I felt so sorry for her. If she hadn't have done so remarkably well and become news herself, her parent's twisted and embarrassing divorce would probably not have become so public. That is just so backwards. I hope she can get through it and focus on tennis. We need inspirational women athletes (or just women in general) in the news.
OK, one thing that baffles me about the Dugard case is the neighbors who lived next door to the house where she was kept. I haven't read anything about them. Didn't they SEE the tents in the backyard? Wasn't anyone SUSPICIOUS? Have you all heard anything or seen any interviews with them?
Butterflies doing it is always cute, until they land on you. It becomes awkwards(because they're fucking) and you kind of want to leave the room and you feel bad at the same time for wanting to sweep them away with your giant hands.
@rumpelshowsskin: Don't ever do that agian. I damn near lost my mind when I saw that word in print. People stop with the comments that are boderline, quote or not a quote.
@thesciencegirl: It is a hateful word used against black people. I think it is southern in origin. Consider it a good thing that you have not heard it.
@JerseyGrrrl: The people I grew up around were just less creative. They generally stuck to calling us ni**ers and porch monkeys. You know, the classics.
Here in the STL, we have an extraordinary place called the Butterfly House: thousands upon thousands of butterflies in a beautiful structure that is kept at sub-tropical climate year round. Also, for some reason that both eludes and charms me, the B-House is home to oodles of tiny fat quail. They skitter around, and sometimes the butterflies land on them, but it ain't no thang. When you leave, there are floor-to-ceiling mirrors, so you can check to make sure you're not taking a Monarch home in your hair.
I DESPISE BUTTERFLIES. They give me the serious wig. They're the squirrels of the insect world - like, squirrels are just 'pretty' rodents, butterflies are 'pretty' BUGS. I do not like their deceptive practices. I like my rodents and bugs ugly and yucky.
@lolowyo...wants a zombie baby: Say what you will about bugs, madam, but DO NOT DARE disparage the noble squirrel. I LOVE squirrels. They are, to me, little tree-dwelling kittens. So I advise you to mind your tongue on that subject, or me and Squirrelcop will be obligated to dole out a whuppin'. Or at least a citation, bearing our official crest. (see my avatar.) Thank you for your cooperation:)
Every autumn in my city there's a butterfly show at a university greenhouse. It is so fucking awesome. Totally breathtaking.
Really it's a shame that her eyes are closed in this picture... every person I've seen who's had a butterfly land on them is lit up like the sun, beaming as if they've been spontaneously blessed by the highest divine authority. Like I said, awesome.
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Similar to many elite female gymnasts, many of them don't menstruate until late teens or even early twenties when they stop training. Below a certain % of body fat, and women don't menstruate.
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Even though since they're both black AND white I don't know who you would call the jiggaboos
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But honestly, I learned most hate slurs I know in a cultural studies class. Which I also was loath to admit then.
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Really it's a shame that her eyes are closed in this picture... every person I've seen who's had a butterfly land on them is lit up like the sun, beaming as if they've been spontaneously blessed by the highest divine authority. Like I said, awesome.