RSSNew Server for Our Discussion Forums: Thank you Server Pronto!
The great folks at Server Pronto have donated a server for our use for the next year. They are a wonderful company to work with, fantastic technical support, and the speed improvement has been tremendous. We are looking to move the Weblog server over next, but for right now the location of our discussion forums has changed. You can find them at http://www.scaredmonkeys.net , or click on this button on the right.
Another huge thank you goes out to Rogers and Absolut (the poster not the beverage), for all their help getting the server set up and talking me off the ledge when everything started to overwhelm me.
So we now have the server set up for discussion forums, that will stop the time out and cgi errors that have plagued us the past week. We will be able to move forward with our next set of improvements for the site.
And thanks to all those who have stood by us during our growing pains, we will continue to work to make Scared Monkeys to all it can be.
Natalee Holloway; Afternoon Update
(AP) Aruba May Prosecute in Missing Teen case
ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) — Aruba’s attorney general said Thursday she could prosecute a case in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway even if the Alabama teenager’s body is not found.
Caren Janssen also said investigators have found no evidence to suggest that the 18-year-old Holloway, who disappeared May 30, was dead.
“There are no traces or facts to come to the conclusion that Natalee is no longer alive,” Attorney General Caren Janssen told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
So I guess maybe Paul Van der Sloot’s legal advice may not be 100% full proof? Seems like Prosecutor Caren Janssen may have other ideas.
“But that doesn’t mean we can’t prosecute without a body. It’s difficult but not impossible.”
Aruban officials have said previously a murder conviction is possible without a body, but the case requires strong evidence such as a confession, reliable statements and forensic evidence of wrongdoing.
>>>Aruba Today; June 29, 2005
“Donations For Search Team Still Needed”
“Aruban Leader Asks Dutch Marines For Help”
>>>Aruba Today; June 28, 2005
“Aruba Red Cross Joins Hands with EquuSearch”
>>>‘Scarborough Country’ transcripts for Wednesday June 29
Guest: Jack Tyson, Bethany Hamilton, Marcia Twitty, Claudia DiFolco, Sharon Waxman, Linda Allison, Pat Brown, Mary Fulginiti, Caren Janssen
>>> Greta Van Susteren transcripts, June 29
Interview with Charles Croes, Paul van der Sloot’s Changing Story
A Round Up of Other News
Here is a look at what other bloggers are saying on things that are in the news.
- Gateway Pundit on Renewed Patriotism. Also, Gateway Pundit is the best at blogging international stories.
- Jay Tea at Wizbang on some proactive parents and saving a school. Jay Tea can spin a yarn about Blue State New England.
- James Lileks should be read everyday. He is a genius. Really.
- If you are worried about property rights, the Institute for Justice has been following the story closely.
- Take Back the Memorial is gaining steam and will help force the NY Politicians to make the 9/11 Memorial be about 9/11.
Try these folks out, they are all good people working like we are for their causes.
Show them some monkey love …
Kalpoe Family Denied Texas EquuSearch From Searching Around Their House
Looks like everyone in Aruba may not be cooperating with the investigation. Makes one wonder why innocent people would not allow the search crews to look near their property. What do they have to hide?
Kalpoe Family Denied Texas Equusearch From Searching Around Their House (DIARIO 30 June 2005 page 3) [no byline]
The Texas Equusearch team came to Aruba, on request of the family Holloway, to try to locate Natalee who has been missing exactly 1 month today.
The Texas Equusearch Group received all cooperation from Aruba, so that they can use their expertise in search. They are going in various areas under the sea, but they are also using specially trained dogs to cover the areas around the dams that are around on Aruba.
Aruba definitely gave the Texas Equusearch group a big welcome.
However, unfortunately the group received a no welcome at the house of the Kalpoe family at Hooiberg.
DIARIO was also present, when on Wednesday, 12 noon, the Texas Equusearch team was in the area and was doing a search around the house. That way, the search can be done quickly and if there is nothing found, it can be deduced that there is nothing to be found.
But when they went to knock on the door of the Kalpoe family, [Texas Equusearch] received a You-Are-Not-Welcome-Here attitude. The mother of Satish and Deepak came out, and denied the Texas Equusearch team access on her property. Not even when they explained to her in a well-mannered way that the search would only make it clear that there was ‘nothing’ there, the denial stayed.
The Texas Equusearch group showed surprise by this attitude. They were not expecting to be denied access for this search.
CONTINUING THE SEARCH
But still the group searched in that area. They also checked two dams that were close to Indian Rock Garden [place that you can rent for parties - - - Arubagirl]. Besides that, they searched also in the area of the Canashito Dam, in [the] Graveyard [I think they mean the old Protestant graveyard at Canashito - - - Arubagirl], and are using GPS system to trace their steps. They will keep on looking today.
DIARIO was made to understand that the Texas Group, already reduced their personnel from the 27 that they arrived with. About a 1/3 went back to Texas, including 5 experts in Scuba-Diving. The rest will perhaps stay until this Sunday. [I don't know if 'the rest' refers to scuba experts or the whole group ---arubagirl]
The summary of the rest of the article …
[The rest of the article deals with the interview of the security guard on Fox News, as well as Beth Twitty's statement that her suspicions were based on Paul van der Sloot's excessive sweating while sitting underneath a fan]
Special Hat Tip to Aruba Girl for translation and back ground info as well.
Update:
Also as we were reminded yesterday in an email from “K.K.” that it would be helpful if you would remind your bloggers that Texas EquuSearch is still in need of donations. Please remember that Texas EquuSearch is a non-profit organization and in order for the search crews to stay there they do need our help.
One of their representatives informed me that their daily costs in Aruba for housing and feeding their volunteers is over $2000.00 per day. In addition, the airlines so far have not offered any more discounted fares or complimentary seats. This is a huge financial drain as well.
My husband and I work for a major carrier and donated some “buddy passes” to help them out with travel costs but they need other assistance too.
Natalee Holloway; When there is no body “you must acquit”
“When there is no body you don’t have a case.”
Boy doesn’t this sound strikingly familiar to … “If the glove does not fit you must acquit?” Wouldn’t the late OJ defense attorney Johnnie Cochran be proud? Amazingly enough this is what the father, Paul Van der Sloot, told his son and his son’s two friends. Making matters even worse and more bizarre in this case, not only was Paul Van der Sloot allowed to go free for lack of evidence of “suspicion” charges, but was also allowed to visit with his son Joran yesterday. A visit with his father who has already provided legal advice of the above mentioned comments. This hardly seems like a wise thing to do.
ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) — The father of a Dutch teenager arrested in the disappearance of a young U.S. woman told his son and his two friends that “when there is no body you don’t have a case,” Aruba’s attorney general said Wednesday.
Paul van der Sloot, a judge in training in Aruba, gave his 17-year-old son Joran van der Sloot and two Surinamese brothers legal advice the day after 18-year-old Natalee Holloway disappeared, District Attorney Caren Janssen told MSNBC in an interview.
“They spoke about the situation that when there is no body you don’t have a case, and that was already in the first day after the disappearance,” Janssen said.
Janssen said that the elder van der Sloot had obstructed the investigation by asking a friend of Joran, who had been interrogated by police, what he had told them.
Paul van der Sloot, 52, was arrested last Thursday in the disappearance but released Sunday when a judge ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to hold him.
Janssen told MSNBC that he was arrested because investigators believed he was also a suspect in the disappearance.
Here is video courtesy of Blogs for Natalee of Natalee’s Aunt Linda Allison who was interviewed and discussed Paul[us] van der Sloot hiding and his comments of “No body, no crime”.
Further from CNN and the remarkable comment that “Aruba prosecutor says judge told son: No body, no case”
PALM BEACH, Aruba (CNN) — An Aruban judge briefly held in the disappearance of an Alabama teenager told his son — who is still in police custody — that without a body police would have no case, the island’s chief prosecutor said Wednesday.
Judge Paul Van Der Sloot, 53, was arrested one week ago in connection with the Natalee Holloway case but released days later.
In an interview with CNN, Chief Prosecutor Karin Janssen said the judge made the comment “some days after” Holloway disappeared in a conversation with his son, Joran, 17, and Joran’s friends, Satish and Deepak Kalpoe, 18 and 21 respectively.
Investigators learned about the elder Van Der Sloot’s conversation with the three during questioning of one of the Kalpoe brothers, Janssen said, and when asked about the comment, the elder Van Der Sloot replied that he had been speaking about such a situation only “generally.”
The criticism has been squarely on the Aruban authorities as to have this case has been handles from the outset. The pressure is obviously getting to Arubans in the frustration of what appears to be a lack of evidence and no body. Prosecutor Jannsen made the following comment with I am sure will come back to haunt her if the case goes no where or if any of the three in custody are released on Monday.
Janssen defended the investigation, saying criticism of the way Aruban authorities have handled the case “is not justified.”
“We have a civilized society. We have a decent law system. We can’t book people when we want … (like) a bunch of cowboys,” she said. “We have made some progress, and we are doing it in our way. It is maybe not fast enough for a lot of people, but it is no grounds to have such criticism.”
Cowboys mam? One may want to check and see what that means first in a red state like Alabama before one makes such a comment.
