Archive

Archive for the ‘Pennsylvania Death Record’ Category

Why was the 93′ attack on the WTC not the wake up call?

April 29th, 2010 14 comments

1993 WTC 2001

Within a decade, the World Trade Center has been attacked twice. However, where the terrorists failed in 1993, they would succeed in 2001. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the events on those two tragic days, discuss the individuals involved, and to comprehend why the 1993 attacks were not the wake up call to prepare for the 2001 attacks. Perhaps even more disturbing than the 1993 attacks, not waking up the American public to terrorism, is why the other attacks on the U.S, between 1993 and 2001, were not wake up calls themselves. This article will attempt to explore these issues in depth.
On February 26, 1993, terrorists declared war on the United States, alas, we would not realize it for another eight years. On that terrible day Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the attack, had one of his accomplices, Mohammed Salameh, drive a truck filled with 1500 pounds of explosives into the parking garage of the World Trade Center. “The bomb was made of urea pellets, nitroglycerin, sulfuric acid, aluminum azide, magnesium azide, and bottled hydrogen,”(Wikipedia). The total cost of the bomb was estimated at only $300. The plan was to rupture the foundation of Tower 1 so that it would fall over and collapse into Tower 2, effectively destroying both Towers. Luckily, the plan failed and the Towers remained intact. Unfortunately, six people were killed and over 1000 were wounded.
The evidence left behind at the World Trade Center led investigators to Mohammed Salameh, a Palestinian, who rented the truck in his own name. His arrest led investigators to the arrests of his accomplices shortly after the bombing. The perpetrators were a mix of Arabs from different countries but according to government reports, they were all under the control of Omar Abd al-Raham, a radical Egyptian cleric. The arrest of Salameh eventually led investigators to Yousef’s apartment where they would find materials to make bombs and documents with names of people within his faction. It was during this investigation that authorities would first hear the name, Osama Bin Laden. After all the arrests were complete and the sentences handed down, all of the conspirators, including Omar Abdel-Raham, were sentenced to life in prison.
However, before the arrests were made, there was much speculation into who was responsible for the attacks. “One FBI investigator recalls that he initially suspected Serbian involvement, and later the prevailing opinion was that Libyans were behind the attack. Others thought that perhaps the Iraqis were seeking revenge for Operation Desert Storm. This theory gained support when it was discovered that Ramzi Yousef traveled to the United States with a valid Iraqi passport,”(White, Jonathan). Eventually intelligence came in that disproved these theories and the true perpetrators were apprehended. The confusion that befuddled the team of investigators and our government was caused by the simple fact that these were a new breed of terrorists. They did not operate under a flag or have a specific nation for which they fought. Their unity came from a shared hatred of the United States of America.
Perhaps one of the most puzzling questions of this tragedy is why were these attacks not the wake up call for America to prevent the September 11, 2001, attacks? With the exception of poor intelligence by our government, three possible reasons come to mind. The first is that there was minimal damage done to the building, unlike the Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995. From the outside, not much damage to the World Trade Center could be seen. Another reason, there was relatively limited loss of life. Do not get me wrong, six dead is six too many, but in comparison to other tragedies, the death toll was relatively low. The final reason many people did not see the 1993 attacks as a wake up call is because the nation was too preoccupied with another newspaper headline. Incase you do not remember, the O.J Simpson trial was going on around the same time. With many Americans enamored with O.J, they simply did not notice the serious implications of the attack. This would prove to be one of the greatest blunders in American history.

OTHER ATTACKS ON THE U.S

Terrorism is nothing new in much of the rest of the world, but for Americans it is a relatively new concept. Just three years after the attacks on the World Trade Center, the United States was hit again. Only this time it would not be on our own shores. The attack that I am referring to is the Khobar Towers bombing. The Khobar Towers were being used to hold military personnel of the United States Air Force in Saudi Arabia. It is believed that the attack came from a terrorist group that was hell bent on removing the United States from the region. The attack claimed the lives of 19 Americans and left close to 400 people wounded. The investigation led to the arrest of 13 Saudis and 1 Lebanese man, yet America had still not woken up. Why? The most obvious reason for our ambivalence to the situation was the sole fact that it happened in another country far from our homeland. It is like the old adage, “out of sight, out of mind.” And the sad truth is, it really was out of mind for most of the Aamerican public.
Then, just two years later the U.S was struck by terrorists again. As with the Khobar Towers bombing, the attacks took place in a distant land. This time it was Africa and entailed simultaneous attacks on three U.S embassies. The operation, led by Al Qaeda operatives, claimed the lives of 220 people and left nearly 4,000 injured. These attacks focused international attention on Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda. It was also at this point that Osama Bin Laden began to foster his Allah-like status among Islamic radicals. To put it quite simply, Bin Laden became a hero. The United State’s response was swift and led to Cruise Missile strikes in Afghanistan and Sudan. Policies were also drafted by the Clinton Administration to make it illegal to do business with Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda warriors. This was an attempt to put a strangle hold on their financial support. It was around this point that Americans began to open their eyes to this grave new danger but we were still not ready to understand fully, the seriousness of the situation that confronted us.
The final attack on the United States, before 9/11, was the attack on the USS Cole, in 2000. The destroyer was docked at a Yemeni port in Aden when a boat filled with explosives trolled up beside it and detonated a bomb, tearing a gaping hole in the side of the ship. The attack claimed the lives of 17 Americans and injured 39 others. The attack was planned by Osama Bin Laden and was carried out by Al Qaeda suicide bombers, Ibrahim al-Thawr and Abdullah al-Misawa. This would be the first terrorist attack on a U.S. Navy vessel in the history of the United States. However, the ship did not sink and was carried back to the United States for repairs.
The attack on the USS Cole was, to say the least, very different from the previous attacks on the United States. The attack was considered an act of terrorism but under law, an attack on a military target could not be deemed a terrorist attack. According to the Annual Country Report on Terrorism, “the term terrorism means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetuated against noncombatant targets by sub national groups or clandestine agents.” Now, it is true that a group of sub national agents committed the attacks but their target was a combatant target and therefore it could not be viewed as a terrorist attack. It is because of this slight technicality that the American public still had not been awakened to the terrorist threat and also, because the attack happened in a distant place like the first two and received minimal news coverage, considering the severity of the event. However, it would not be long before America would wake up to a nightmare that finally brought the fear of terrorism into our reality.

A DAY OF INFAMY

On September 11, 2001, terrorists viciously attacked the United States of America. Nineteen Al-Qaeda operatives, under the command of Osama Bin Laden, hijacked four commercial airliners with the intent of ramming them into buildings that were symbolic of American primacy. The World Trade Center, symbolic of America’s economic wealth, and the Pentagon, symbolic of American military power, made prime targets. According to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the fourth plane was intended to hit the Capitol Building or the White House, both symbolic institutions of American control. Fortunately, the plane never reached its target but, regrettably, all on board the plane were killed. The attacks on America claimed the lives of 2,986 people and left thousands injured.
Armed with nothing more than box cutters, the hijackers took control of American Airlines Fight 11. The plane departed from Logan International Airport at around 8:00am on a transcontinental flight for Los Angeles. Within approximately 15 minutes, the terrorists took the plane. According to voice transcripts from the plane, the hijackers killed three of the passengers at the begging of the assault, claimed to have a bomb, and sprayed pepper-spray into the first-class cabin. Presumably, this was done to prevent the passengers from fighting back and possibly retaking the plane. At approximately 8:45am; the plane, carrying 92 passengers and crew, slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, killing everyone on board and hundreds more in the tower instantly.
United Airlines Flight 175 also departed from Logan International. It was supposed to take off at the same time as Flight 11 but due to delays at the airport was held up. According to voice transcripts from the plane, the hijackers had box cutters and sprayed pepper spray into the front cabin as they did on AAF 11. “At approximately 9:03, Flight 175 flew into the south side of the southern tower of the World Trade Center, between floors 78 and 84. The plane was carrying 56 passengers (including the 5 hijackers) and 9 crew members”(Wikipedia). All people on board were killed including hundreds more in the building.
The two planes that hit the World Trade Center were bound for Los Angeles. Since they were making a transcontinental flight, they had both been filled to the brim with jet fuel. When the planes hit the buildings they both knocked off the fire proofing that covered the steel structures and disabled the fire sprinklers, rendering the building helpless to extinguish the fire. Experts believe that the heat created from the burning jet fuel was hot enough to weaken the support trusses of the building. After some time the floors began to sag and eventually came crashing down. The falling floors created a domino effect that brought the buildings to the ground. The South Tower was the first to go, followed by its twin. However, the buildings were able to stand for some time after the impact and did not fall for almost an hour. The collapse of the building left most of lower Manhattan covered in smoke for days. In all, seven buildings in Manhattan had been destroyed and another 25 seriously damaged.
American Airlines flight 77 departed from Dulles International Airport in Fairfax County Virginia at approximately 8:20a.m. It is believed that the flight was taken over at about 8:55a.m. because the transponder was turned off and the plane began to turn around at that point. Voice transcripts from the plane described four men with box cutters or knives forcing all the passengers and the pilots to the back of the plane. “Flight 77 crashed into the western side of the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C. at 9:37 AM EDT, killing all of its 58 passengers (including the hijackers) and 6 crew members” (Wikipedia). The Pentagon sustained some serious damage but because of its design, most of the building survived the attack. Flight 77 marked the third attack of the day but would not be the last.
United Flight 93 departed from Newark International Airport at approximately 8:45a.m. Had there been no delays, the plane would have taken off at 8:00a.m like the other planes were scheduled to do. Unlike the other three planes, Flight 93 never reached its target and instead crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The plane was carrying 37 passengers and 7 crew members. All on board were killed instantly. It is widely accepted that the intended target was either the White House or the Capital Building in Washington, DC. According to voice transcripts and phone calls taken from the plane, the passengers knew of their impending doom and made an effort to retake control of the plane. In all, 10 phone calls were made and from the statements that were recorded, we have been able to construct the possible scenario that unfolded on the plane. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, some, if not all the passengers on board were aware that terrorist had been flying planes into buildings up and down the east coast. Calls taken from the plane suggest that the passengers tried to take back control of the plane and in doing so scared the terrorists into crashing the plane. That crash would mark the final attack of the day.
After nearly eight years and half a dozen attacks on the United States, we finally got the message. The attacks made the country fully aware that we were no longer living in a safe world and that not even the United States was safe from terrorism. The attacks brought about a huge international response. Governments from all over the world condemned the attacks and vowed support for the United States. A French newspaper, Le Monde, ran the headline, “We are all Americans,” in support of our tragedy, and many other countries came to our aid. Coincidentally, George Bush’s approval rating at the time was around 86%. Most Arab countries around the world also condemned the attacks while a small majority viewed the attacks as America’s comeuppance.
The final question that needs to be answered is why we were attacked and what was the specific motivation. There is much speculation as to why the attacks descended upon our cities. The Bush Administration claimed that the attacks by Al Qaeda were spurred by their intense hatred of freedom and democracy, while other government sources said that the attacks were an attempt to unify the Muslim world and pave the way for a world under Islamic control. However, there are less radical explanations of the motivations behind the attacks. “The motivation for this campaign was set out in a 1998 fatwa issued by Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Abu-Yasir Rifa’i Ahmad Taha, Shaykh Mir Hamzah, and Fazlur Rahman”(Wikipedia). According to the fatwa, the attacks were carried out because of U.S. support of Israel, U.S. occupation of Arab lands, and previous U.S. aggression towards the Iraqi people. The fatwa goes on to state that the United States “plunders the resources of the Arabian Peninsula, dictates policy to the rulers of those countries, supports abusive regimes and monarchies in the Middle East, thereby oppressing their people, has military bases and installations upon the Arabian Peninsula, which violates the Muslim holy land, in order to threaten neighboring Muslim countries, intends thereby to create disunion between Muslim states, thus weakening them as a political force, and supports Israel, and wishes to divert international attention from (and tacitly maintain) the occupation of Palestine” (Wikipedia). According to Osama Bin Laden and his followers, attacks upon the United States will continue until these grievances have been rectified.

AMERICA RESPONDS

Following the September 11 attacks on the United States, steps were taken to ensure our safety. Increased boarder control and airline security were the first steps taken to decrease the likelihood of another attack. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security, beefing up agencies already in place, and the Patriot Act were among other measures taken by the Bush Administration. The attacks also brought about what is being called the “War on Terrorism.” This war has included an increase in satellite surveillance, increased information sharing between countries, sanctions on known terrorist states, and the 2001 Invasion of Afghanistan followed by the 2003 invasion of Iraq. All of which have created much controversy throughout the entire world including the United States. Some attest that the U.S. decision to invade Iraq has effectively squandered the international good will toward our country and has in essence made us more vulnerable to future terrorist attacks. At the other end of the spectrum, there are those who say we are safer because the invasions have the terrorists on the run, making it difficult for them to plan and carry out attacks. Only time will tell who is right and who is wrong but one thing remains certain: Americas days of ignoring terrorism are over and we can no longer stand idle while the looming threat of terrorism is upon us.
Wazzo_2005 …you loose all credability by referencing 9/11 loose change….that entire film,,,though well done, is the biggest sting of lies and ill truths I have ever seen…Therefore, if you believe what you saw in that movie, you too are a lier.

It’s in the past, get over it. You only have to blame your pathetic government for it. Bush read about goats to kids while it was going on.

How is this fair please read?

April 5th, 2010 10 comments

Okay Pa laws state a baby must take a breath in order to be considered a living person.

As most of you know we lost our daughter shortly after her birth. At 32 weeks. When she was born she had heart beat therefore being a living person. Pa is one of the only 3 states in the US to have laws that say a child must take a breath to be considered born. So that being said they say that my daughter was considered still born. Every single doctor who has worked with us that night we have spoken to they say she was absolutely not still born. I wondered why I didn’t receive a birth cert for Stefanie so I went to the records office and they told me to fill out a form and they would mail it to me they do not mail them out of respect of the mother. Well the next day I got a call from them and they said she would not get a birth cert because she did not take a breath on her own. And that has got me thinking. Now say she lived but could only breath by machines and say she was on these machines for 3 months. So to the state of Pennsylvania she is not born? So a child could be 3 months old and finally take that breath on their own and then considered born? So what would the birth cert say? They make these stupid laws without even thinking what they are doing. They say they won’t pass the law because of people who have abortions. Well think about how dumb that is if a person has an abortion than they must not have wanted the child so then why the hell would they worry about a birth cert. They have not given thought to the mothers and fathers who would like to have that acknowledgment. My daughter deserves a birth cert just as much as I do and you do and the person who made this silly law. I realize that a birth certificate really doesn’t mean anything but it would have still been nice to at least have something that showed she was here. In my eyes you are a living person when you have a heart beat she was outside of the womb for almost a half hour with a small heart beat. In my eyes, husband, and doctors we feel that is a living person. It is so upsetting I have shed so many tears in these past few months that I wouldn’t be surprised if I was dehydrated.

I’m posting to get your thoughts. Would you be upset and hurt by your child not being acknowledged. A person is alive when they have a heart beat do you agree? Just any answer is fine I guess.

We have a copy of the death cert. Now how can there be a death without a birth?

Thanks guys
We have her foot prints, blankets they wrapped her in and her hat, not to make anyone sad but in her hat is a little piece of hair that I just discovered a few days ago. Which is something because the day after I wished I had a lock of her long curly hair and I just happened to turn the hat inside out just to see and there it was. The hospital made us a hospital birth certificate which was very nice of them to do.

She was born May 9th at 11:08pm and the records say time of death was 11:55pm so she lived for almost an hour.

I just wish I could change this law but I’m not powerful enough. Maybe someday it will be changed and she will get what she deserves.

I am so sorry about your loss and the situation with your precious daughter. Im in OK, and the law here is a little different. Our daughter was born at 23 weeks, and lived for 4 hours. I was able to get a birth certificate fine, but couldn’t’ get a death certificate because the on call ped was new and didn’t ever file a death certificate. It was a huge mess – bad enough my daughter was dead, but 10 months later I had to PROVE that she was dead, and had died in the hospital. Finally my ob/gyn went to bat for me adn she wrote up the death certificate for our daughter. I would see if your ob would go to bat for you on this one. I think if she has a heartbeat it would be hard to say that she never took a single breath – but its all medical terminology – they don’t really leave much room for actuality or emotion.

I will be praying fro you and your family, and your precious baby girl. Yes, I would be absolutely upset. What is even more weird is that you have a death certificate and no birth certificate – I would make up my own birth certificate for her if I were you.

Getting seriously screwed in child support?

April 3rd, 2010 3 comments

My roommate was divorced from his wife a year and a half ago. She left the state with his two children, without telling him, before the official divorce. So he remained in Pennsylvania and started the divorce all the way in Colorado. The only way he could go to the court hearing, was by phone. The day of the court hearing, their phone lines were shot out by a hunter. So he ‘didn’t appear to court’, so the judge agreed to everything …which was to pay exactly 60 of his net.This leaves him with 300 dollars a month to support himself. She refuses to tell him where exactly she is living, or even a phone number to call the kids. According to the documents he has to pay so much because she is claiming she needs child care. But we know she keeps quitting her job and now just works for Avon…obviously doesn’t need that. If he could prove that, which he sorta can, it would drop from 900-1000 a month to around 530. The problem is, he obviously can’t pay a lawyer to revisit this as he is now well below the poverty line. He would normally make 25,000 a year. Instead he gets 7800.
She doesn’t provide him with any of the documents the law requires her to do, such as address, school and medical records, ect and so forth. Not to mention she doesn’t send him appropriate tax records, as ordered. She has full custody, and he can only visit with 30 days written notice to have SUPERVISED visits. There is no reason for this…I know the both of them very well and she is just being spiteful. He hasn’t seen his kids and it’s been several years since he’s seen them. She’s claiming she works full time, but she doesn’t, he even has the records to prove it.

Now the question, what can one do in this situation? It’s obviously outrageous and should be re-looked at, especially the court orders she is breaking. Is he doomed to starve to death, pay thousands of dollars to children and never see them? Is there someone he can report this too? What can be done?

Contact the agency that he pays child support too, ask if they know of any local contacts that he can utilize at a low cost. Tell him to set up an app’t with a court employee who deals with custody issues. This is ridiculous! If he can contact the courthouse where the hearing was, they might let him reschedule the original hearing if he has proof as to why he was unable to call. There are options out there, he needs to be very pro-active and resourceful. I don’t understand why a father would go years without seeing their child(ren) and not do anything about it.

Why would a woman who had two previous serious "drugged driving" offenses be allowed to continue to drive?

March 30th, 2010 2 comments

" Springdale Township woman who died in a crash while driving the wrong way on the Pennsylvania Turnpike was awaiting trial on two cases involving drugged driving, according to court records"

Her son, Aiden Baker, 2, who was strapped into a child seat in the SUV, escaped with a bruised left cheek, police said.

The Allegheny Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Baker’s death accidental and concluded she died from blunt force trauma to the abdomen and legs.

Toxicology results will be available in three to four months, a medical examiner said.

The truck drivers were not injured.

State police are still investigating why Baker was traveling in the wrong direction. A toll ticket found in her vehicle shows that she may have entered the turnpike at the Allegheny Valley interchange in Harmar.

Court records show Baker was cited twice in the last year for driving in the wrong lane.

Other citations from police in Springdale, East Deer, West Deer, Tarentum, Pittsburgh, North Versailles and Edgewood include careless driving, reckless driving, running a stop sign and ignoring a traffic control device.

Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey Manning had issued an arrest warrant for Baker because she failed to appear July 15 for a hearing on drugged driving charges filed in April by Monroeville police. Baker was found at about 1:40 a.m. April 26 in a sport utility vehicle that was hanging over the edge of a hillside, according to a police affidavit.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/valleynewsdispatch/s_634961.html

"…awaiting trial on two cases of drugged driving according to court records."

There is the key. Awaiting trial means she has not yet been convicted of these offenses, she is only accused of committing them. Her driving privileges would have been suspended or revoked if she had lived long enough to be tried, if she were convicted of the offenses.

Even though drugged driving is a serious offense, and a hazard to all of the other citizens in the communmity … she was still entitled to due process.

I’ve been diagnosed with bipolar and anxiety. I got into some trouble with law. What is the out come?

March 28th, 2010 1 comment

I started seeing my family MD and he first prescribed me "Lexapro 10mg) and xanax .25. He changed my dose in January on the lexapro and it made me depressed and get alcohol. I got into trouble with the law. They charged me with terroristic threats 1, simple assault, 2, and disorderly conduct 3.All misdemeanors. They gave me a plea bargain to sign they threw out the terroristic threats, and simple assault if I plead guildty to disorderly conduct.. Now I find out I have Bipolar 3 disorder and anxiety and a paranoia problem. My lawyer presented all this when I put my plea in front of judge for sentencing. But now they moved the sentencing to May 26 2009 after receiving this evidence. Note from my MD stating lexapro being I’m 24 and could of caused this incident. I have been scared to death since January 30th worrying about going to jail. This happened in Erie Pennsylvania and its their court system. I’ll have a whole new judge for the actual sentencing. I have had no prior records at all with the law. My first offense and plus with this new medical evidencen and I’m going to a mental place for couseling on my own for anger management and I also have a psychiatrist now on my own and all firearms I owned have been sold. The police are holding 3 guns of mine and a knife they confiscated that night of the incident. The guns were not used in the incident I threatened to kill the police while I was hand cuffed after they slammed my head into the floor. That is written in the disorderly conduct charge. That should of been in the terroristic threats not that many have said.. I am very sorry for what I did that night to the cops and everyone else.. Finding out your bipolar and may have schizophrenia makes me feel bad about myself. my question is what do you think I will receive with medical evidence the judge seen and being its my first time offense in Pennsylvania? Any answers would be great expecially someone who suffers or has been through a situation like this before.

Don’t feel bad about yourself because you have bipolar disorder and may have schizophrenia….. A lot of people have depression.. They say 1 out of 5 people have some kind of mental health condition… It sounds like you were having a manic episode…

to Pennsylvanian Genealogy experts…I Give Up?

March 24th, 2010 4 comments

A Top Contributor, Wendy C in genealogy suggested I put this name out to see if anyone could help me find an obituary, cause of death , place of burial, or place of death as I have tried many avenues and can find nothing…Anthony J Vinnick,date of death Nov.9th 1992 date of birth Aug 28 1936 last residence Effort Pennsylvania/DOB may also be Sep 29 1935 but we are very sure this has been a recorded error
OH MY GOSH…i’m going to cry! I have tried so hard to find something with what little I know about websites etc. Your info has got to be right. Yes he has lived there also but all I have ever had is what Intelius has given me. I am from Canada I’ll see what I can do next. Any further info will be appreciated from any one. Thank you so so so so so MUCH!!!
Now what? Why can’t I type anything into the form for centrecountygenealogy…I’m lost again.

I’m in Texas, BUT have found him listed in an obituary index at this URL: www.eastonpl.org/ObitPDF/1992.pdf

The PDF displays this information:
Vinnick Anthony 11/11/1992 C-11 (meaning that his obituary was on page C-11 of the 11/11/1992 newspaper)

That website is for the Easton Area Public Library (515 Church Street, Easton, PA 18042 – 3587 phone 610-258-2917)

Perhaps you are in that area, or a phone call to the library could get further help. (The library’s website requires a local library card to search their online databases).

Best of luck, I hope that helps!

added later:
No need to cry, I’m just glad I could help! :o)
There is a newspaper in Easton called Easton Express-Times, but their obituary archives are only back to 2004 online. (see http://www.eastonpl.org/obituary_index.htm, they provide instructions on how to obtain actual copies of obituaries in the index).

Check out this site, it lets you submit a request to Pennsylvania Obituary Lookup Volunteers: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~obitl/volpa.html?cj=1&o_xid=0001177077&o_lid=0001177077

I think you’re almost there! Don’t EVER give up! :o)

to Pennsylvanian Genealogy experts…I Give Up?

March 12th, 2010 No comments

A Top Contributor, Wendy C in genealogy suggested I put this name out to see if anyone could help me find an obituary, cause of death , place of burial, or place of death as I have tried many avenues and can find nothing…Anthony J Vinnick,date of death Nov.9th 1992 date of birth Aug 28 1936 last residence Effort Pennsylvania/DOB may also be Sep 29 1935 but we are very sure this has been a recorded error
OH MY GOSH…i’m going to cry! I have tried so hard to find something with what little I know about websites etc. Your info has got to be right. Yes he has lived there also but all I have ever had is what Intelius has given me. I am from Canada I’ll see what I can do next. Any further info will be appreciated from any one. Thank you so so so so so MUCH!!!
Now what? Why can’t I type anything into the form for centrecountygenealogy…I’m lost again.

I’m in Texas, BUT have found him listed in an obituary index at this URL: www.eastonpl.org/ObitPDF/1992.pdf

The PDF displays this information:
Vinnick Anthony 11/11/1992 C-11 (meaning that his obituary was on page C-11 of the 11/11/1992 newspaper)

That website is for the Easton Area Public Library (515 Church Street, Easton, PA 18042 – 3587 phone 610-258-2917)

Perhaps you are in that area, or a phone call to the library could get further help. (The library’s website requires a local library card to search their online databases).

Best of luck, I hope that helps!

added later:
No need to cry, I’m just glad I could help! :o)
There is a newspaper in Easton called Easton Express-Times, but their obituary archives are only back to 2004 online. (see http://www.eastonpl.org/obituary_index.htm, they provide instructions on how to obtain actual copies of obituaries in the index).

Check out this site, it lets you submit a request to Pennsylvania Obituary Lookup Volunteers: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~obitl/volpa.html?cj=1&o_xid=0001177077&o_lid=0001177077

I think you’re almost there! Don’t EVER give up! :o)

Categories: Pennsylvania Death Record Tags:

Can you give me some ideas to make my biography more interesting?

March 10th, 2010 1 comment

I’m not asking for someone to do my homework but I am asking from a good writer’s standpoint to give me some tips to make this biography less boring to read. I tried but I came up short with a less than impressive paper. I’m a sophomore in high school and unfortunately my old english teachers never went over biographies very well. Here goes….

Lois Duncan Behind the Chapters

On a warm spring day, April 28, 1934 to be exact, the author who would change suspense writing forever was born. In the town of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lois Duncan, a tiny girl with an enormous imagination was raised. Little did her parents know at the time, but she would go on to become one of the best mystery novelists of all time.

Lois had one brother named Bill and two loving parents, Joseph and Lois Steinmetz. Her astonishing writing talents appeared early in her life. Her mother accounts the first time Lois’ talents became apparent, “Lois was never one to play with other children at school; she would always break away and start writing. We never paid much attention to it until she was in the third grade and brought home a book she was writing. After that, we knew writing was her gift.” Lois started submitting stories to magazines at age ten, and at age thirteen she had her first story, Calling All Girls, published.

Lois went on to attend Duke University, but she dropped out because she wanted to focus on a family and marriage. She was married twice and had a total of five children. Eventually, she went back to school to receive her Bachelor’s degree in English to help her with her writing. Over this time period she wrote over six novels in the mystery genre for children and young adults. She enjoyed using her gift to spark an interest in reading in the young minds of children. Three of her novels received a Parent’s Choice Award. She also won the American Library Association Best Book award. Lois Duncan’s career as a mystery writer for children gave her the opportunity to perform her talent everyday—writing.

However, success does not always come without obstacles. On July 16, 1989, her youngest daughter, Kaitlyn Arquette, was murdered. The case was never closed in the court records or in Lois’ heart. After her daughter’s death, Lois Duncan wrote her first psychological suspense novel entitled, Who Killed My Daughter?” The novel is considered nonfiction, because all of the facts and events are real occurrences that took place in the case of her daughter’s murder. From that point on, Lois Duncan continued writing thrillers with plots more suitable for a teenager than a child. She wrote over forty books focusing on the supernatural and was nominated for numerous awards in the mystery and suspense category. Even with the enormous tribulation Lois suffered through, it brought out the best of her abilities. She was able to use her daughter’s story to motivate her to pick up the pen day after day.

Lois Duncan has had an impeccable career full of successes and hardships. Lois Duncan is well past the age to retire but cannot seem to give up her passion for writing. She has novels still being published and plans to continue writing for as long as she can. Lois Duncan has set an incredibly high standard for future mystery authors. Her talents and impact on the mystery genre as a whole will be remembered for generations to come.

well my teacher gave me a c+ on this so something can be improved.

Actually Hun, I have to tell you..what you have isn’t bad at all. The one thing I usually look for when reading a bio is that there’s no consistancy from beginning to end or when the writer seems to add facts out of date, meaning jumping back and then forward again. You offer both insight and factual information. I didn’t find it boring at all, but indeed interesting. I really cannot see many changes needed. Good luck, hope you get an A+, cause you deserve one!

EDIT, bummer..and sorry the teacher gave you a C..I thought it was well worded..next time for sure, huh? a hug for a great attempt.

Could someone help me with my genealogy?

March 4th, 2010 1 comment

I am trying to find parents of Isaac Osman from Shamokin, PA, Northumberland Co.

He was born in Nov 1846 and died 12 Nov 1906. I have tons of info on his Wife Harriet S. Bordner, and his children,Emma M, Minnie N, William F, Alice L, but I can’t seem to find any info about his parents/grandparents.

His wife Harriet was remarried to a Frank E. Osman/Osmun after his death so it is possible that he and Frank were related.

The rumor is that either Isaacs dad or grandfather came from Turkey but I cant prove this either.

In 1860 there are 2 records for Isaac Osman in Pennsylvania, 1 born abt 1855 and 1 born abt 1848.

I thought the 1848 one was probably the one I wanted as the cencus says:
John Osman 40-Head,
Mary A 40-PA,
John, 16-PA,
Isaac, 12-PA,
Mary Miller 15

But, One reason I cant call John a match as his father is because according to familysearch.org, the Isaac Osman born in 1848 birth and death dates do not match up with the the Issac I am looking for.
Familysearch has an Isaac born 21 MAY 1848 Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania and a death of 16 DEC 1880. My Isaac was born November 1846 and died 12 Nov 1906. I know this info to be correct based on his headstone and cemetery records in Shamokin, PA.

I am looking for a document that says who Issac’s dad was before I call it a possitive match. So far I havent found any record of Isaac that lists his dads name.

In order to be absolutely certain of Isaac’s parent’s names, you really really need his birth, marriage or death record which are difficult to find on-line for Pennsylvania.

There is only a 3 week wait and $9.00 fee to order a copy of a death record by mail from The Department of Health’s Division of Vital Records. You can find the request form and mailing address is at this link:
Pennsylvania death records from 1906-current
http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/cwp/view.asp?a=168&Q=202338#DeathMulti

For Pennsylvania vital records prior to 1906, you need to contact the County Courthouse. Contact information is at this link:
http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/cwp/view.asp?a=168&q=202240

Good luck, I hope you get your answers.

What do You think of my horse racing speech?

March 2nd, 2010 3 comments

Two years ago in May 2005, Barbaro, a 3 year old Thoroughbred racehorse won the Kentucky Derby. Two weeks later he shattered his leg in the Preakness race. The next day he underwent surgery for his injuries . In July 2005, he developed laminitis in his left rear leg , a very painful disease in the hoof caused by a failure of the hoof bone to connect to the hoof wall. He had an additional five surgeries, and his prognosis varied as he remained for an extraordinarily long period of time in the equine Intensive Care Unit at the University of Pennsylvania. While his right leg eventually healed, a final risky surgery on it proved futile because the colt soon developed further laminitis in both front legs. His veterinarians and owners then concluded that he could not be saved, and Barbaro was euthanized on January 29, 2007. Barbaro broke his right hind leg in more than 20 places: a broken cannon bone above the ankle, a broken sesamoid bone behind the ankle and a broken long pastern bone below the ankle. The fetlock joint was dislocated. If Barbaro had not ridden in that race, he might still be alive today.

The Dangers and evils of horse racing
I’m going to present to you the dangers and evils of professional horse racing. Every year hundreds of race horses are raced to death, and many more are injured. If they aren’t winning, then they are frequently neglected and abused. Something needs to be done to stop the abuse and help these horses.
Injuries
There are many dangers in horse racing. A horse can slip and fall, or step on its leg wrong and break it. Another famous racehorse, Ruffian, the unbeatable thoroughbred filly was running in a match race against the Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure. Half way through the race she stepped wrong and completely snapped her leg. She had a successful surgery, but when she woke up from it she accidentally broke her other leg. She was put down eight hours after the accident.

In the 2005 racing year, 320 racehorse deaths were reported in California alone, a number believed to be an all-time high. It was a 32 percent increase from the previous year, with 154 of the deaths coming during races, up 34 percent from the previous year. And horse racing doesn’t just take a toll on the horses. Surprisingly, horse racing is the most dangerous sport for people. For every 100,000 fatalities nationwide, about 128 are caused by horse racing.

Animal Aid, a British animal rights organization. Founded in 1977, Initiated a Race Horse Death Watch was launched during the 2007 Cheltenham Festival in England. Its purpose is to expose and record every on-course Thoroughbred fatality in Britain. Their research indicated that an average of 375 horses is raced to death every year. One-third of them die on racecourses, while the others are destroyed as a result of training injuries, or are killed because they are no longer commercially viable.
From Winner to Dinner
In 2002 the Kentucky Derby 1986 Winner Ferdinand was slaughtered in a Japanese slaughter house. Though Americans were outraged, not much was done to stop slaughter until 2006 when an Anti Slaughter bill was put into the senate. The bill passed but it only protects horses going to slaughter in America. It does not protect horses being shipped out of the country and into Mexico and Canada. More than 90% of horses going to Slaughter are healthy horses, and nearly half of those horses are racehorses. In slaughter houses the horses are neglected, abused and poorly fed, if fed at all. They are given just enough nourishment to keep them alive until they can be slaughtered.
Overworking
Overworking is another danger. Many good horses are ruined because they are raced too much when they are still too young. The official thoroughbred birthday is January 1st when they can officially start racing, so none of the horses are actually a year old. Some are younger than others, thus a 5 months old horse could be racing an 8 month old horse. Since the horses are raced when they are so young and still growing, it causes bone problems. They can develop Arthritis at early ages. The bones can chip and create bumps on their legs, and their joints are often ruined resulting in lifetime lameness. Being raced or trained every day is very hard on a horse, especially a young, growing horse. If trained at the right age (3 or 4) a Thoroughbred can be raced up to the age of 10. But in America, the average retiring age is 4 or 5.
No place to call home
Many people think that racehorses ‘live the good life’. They get nice grain and fresh hay every day. They live in heated barns and have nice comfortable stalls with grooms that go in and clean up for them every 5 minutes. The problem is that they are not living as horses should, they live in a box stall, are expected to be explosively athletic at the drop of a hat, are given a bit of a cool out, and put back in their stalls. They are fed well, but are often handled by people who don’t care who they are as an animal but rather how they translate into a paycheck, or who don’t have the time to work with them individually because they have a whole barn of 20 horses to care for. A horse needs play time; time to just be a horse. It needs time in a pasture to run around and release pent up energy. These racehorses are so expensive that they can’t be let outside for fear of being hurt. They have no real place to call home. These Racehorses are still just horses. They still need interaction with other horses. The jockeys that ride them see them as a money maker, and they don’t actually ride the horse until the race. They have different riders all through training.
Think about it
Horse Racing is seen as a prestigious sport. Millions of spectators flock to the races, bet on a horse they think looks fast, and sit and cheer that horse on. Yet few ever consider the well being of the horse. They must run at top speed anywhere from a quarter mile to three miles. If they don’t win they are cooled off quickly and put back in their stall while their owners go on to race the next horse in the stock. If they do win they are taken right to the winners circle. An odd spooky blanket of flowers is thrown onto their back and lights start flashing from cameras and they are paraded off to their stall with a crowd of people following. Next time you go to a horse race or even see it on TV, think about the horses. I hope this speech has prompted you to look at it differently. Thank you.
honestly, thank you very much, but I spent WEEKS researching that. I know what happens. What happened to Barbaro wasnt a freak accident. It happens to race horses every year. I myself ride at a top class jumper barn. The horses there are treated just as well as racehorses and they arent breaking legs every year. They get time to rest and they are put out to pasture when they are tired. So plz, dont tell me i dont know wat im talking about.

honestly while you do make some very valid points I think it’s crap & you need to do a little more research on racing and maybe even experience the whole management aspect of it personally. What happened to Barbaro was a FREAK ACCIDENT, Had he not raced in the Preakness he probably would have broken it in his paddock or in the belmont, there is no way we will ever know. Throughbreds are born to run, some have stronger bone structure than others it’s just the luck of the draw. I can tell you this much you are gonna hack off a lot of avid racing fans and people who work with the animals by posting this. Those racehorses get treated better than my own horses do and they are taken pretty damn good care of. Hell they are probably proivded for better than most children. I suggest you delve further into the sport instead of concentrating on the "evils" of horse racing. If you look at it logically, look at the accidents that happen in any horse related sport, they abound everywhere not just racing. So if you are gonna say racing is evil b/c of the accidents that happen in it, maybe you should just go ahead and say all us horse owners are cruel for putting an our horses through unnatural things. Go ahead and thumb me down i dont care but God you know nothings kill me when it comes to racing. You se eone thing and label the whole sport and everything surrounding it as evil. Sorry if i hurt you feelings or hacked you off but YOU asked

also honey Barbaro won in 2006 get your years straight

if you ride at a "top class jumper barn" then you should know about the hazzards of jumping to horses, ever see a horse hit the ground wrong after landing a jump and completely shatter his leg, and I mean to the point where bone splinters out of leg? I have seen it in person and this horse was about a 65,000 horse that was very very well taken care of and had plenty of rest between shows…… you may know when it comes to jumpers but it is obvious you don’t know jack when it comes to race horses