Nerdy By Nature's blog: "Caley's Inner Thoughts, Ramblings And Findings"

TOWSON, Md. — A Maryland teenager calmly admitted in court Monday that he beat his mother to death with a baseball bat after an argument over his grades at a prestigious private school. Lewin C. Powell III, 16, wore a dark suit and showed no emotion as he answered questions from Baltimore County Circuit Judge Kathleen G. Cox about whether he understood the significance of his guilty plea to first-degree murder. Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence with the possibility of parole when he is sentenced April 3. Powell's attorneys plan to ask for all but 15 years of the sentence to be suspended and to have their client sent to the Patuxent Institute, a maximum-security psychiatric facility with a program for young offenders. Powell did not stir when a prosecutor read a statement of facts that detailed the prolonged attack on his mother and a similar beating of his father, who survived. "He's always taken responsibility for what he's done," Shanell Kathleen Harleston, one of Powell's attorneys, said after the hearing. "He never wanted to prolong it." Powell killed his mother, Donna R. Campbell-Powell, in May after an argument about his grades at McDonogh School, a prestigious private school in Owings Mill where he was a sophomore. But Harleston said the initial subject of the dispute with his mother was immaterial. "This is a lifetime of problems that he's been dealing with that suddenly came to a head," Harleston said. "This particular day was the first time he had ever argued back. ... He just snapped that day." Harleston would not specify what led to Powell's emotional difficulties, but the teen told police after he was arrested that his parents had pushed him too hard and he couldn't take it anymore, according to a statement of facts read in court Monday by Assistant State's Attorney Charles R. Gayle. Harleston said Powell was not abused by his parents. In exchange for Powell's guilty plea, prosecutors dropped all other charges, including a count of attempted murder for the attack on his father, who suffered two skull fractures when his son beat him with the same aluminum bat. State's Attorney Scott D. Shellenberger said after the hearing that he did not believe Patuxent was an appropriate placement for Powell. Prosecutors will argue that Powell should serve his sentence in a state prison. If he receives a life sentence, Powell could be eligible for parole after 12 years with good behavior. Parole for an offender serving a life sentence in Maryland requires the approval of the governor, which hasn't happened since 1994. The son of Jamaican immigrants, Powell lived with his parents in an upper-middle-class neighborhood in the Baltimore suburb of Towson. He had no history of violent behavior and took honors-level classes at McDonogh, where annual tuition exceeds $20,000. Powell's father, Lewin C. Powell Jr., arrived at the hearing about 15 minutes after it began. As Gayle read the statement of facts, the elder Powell buried his head in his hands. He declined to speak to reporters after the hearing. Harleston said she planned to call about a half-dozen witnesses to testify on the son's behalf at his sentencing. Prosecutors intend to call Powell's father, but Harleston said the elder Powell does not wish to testify against his son. According to the statement of facts, Powell's mother picked him up from his school bus stop on the afternoon of May 13 and told him she had received a call from McDonogh about his academic performance. The two began to argue and, after they got home, Powell began punching his mother. At one point, she tried to run outside, but he stopped her at the front door and punched her again repeatedly until she was in what he described as a "daze." He then decided to kill her and moved her near a back door, then grabbed his baseball bat. When he started hitting her with the bat, she was reaching up in an attempt to get out the back door. Powell then hid his mother's body in a garage and cleaned the house. His father got home late that night and went to sleep on a sofa. Early the next morning, Powell began beating his father in the head with the bat. The elder Powell talked his son out of killing him and told him he would withdraw money from his bank account to help the boy escape. In the meantime, two of Campbell-Powell's co-workers came to the house to check on her and called 911 when no one answered the door. When police arrived, Powell and his father were in the back yard. "Thank God you're here," the elder Powell told police. "My son killed my wife."

quick facts about Chemotherapy * Chemotherapy, in its most general sense, refers to treatment of disease by chemicals[1] that kill cells, specifically those of micro-organisms or cancer. * Chemotherapy has played a role in cancer treatment for more than 50 years. Here is a quick snapshot of additional information about chemotherapy. * Chemotherapy drugs are often given into a vein. Once the drugs enter the bloodstream, they spread throughout the body. Clolar is given by intravenous (IV) infusion, meaning the medication is injected directly into a vein over a period of two hours. * In some cases, chemotherapy may be just one drug given to fight the cancer. But in many cases, chemotherapy is given in combination with other drugs. Most newly diagnosed people with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) receive a combination of chemotherapy drugs. * Because chemotherapy drugs target rapidly dividing cells, they can also damage normal cells. This is the cause of many common side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. * Your doctor may prescribe certain medications to help prevent or lessen the side effects. * Some chemotherapy drugs may put the patient at risk for dehydration. Drinking plenty of fluids may help prevent this potentially dangerous condition.

Stab victim 'continued masturbating' A Brisbane woman stabbed a male friend twice in the shower after he refused to stop masturbating in front of her children. Defence lawyers for Kylie Louise Wilson, 28, said the mother of two "lost it" when her friend of six years, Daniel Peter Blair, went on a masturbation marathon on April 6 last year. Brisbane's District Court this morning heard Mr Blair had showed up at Wilson's unit at Birkdale unit, in Redland Shire, where he took amphetamines before having a shower. Whilst in the bathroom, Mr Blair, 32, began pleasuring himself, before moving to Wilson's bedroom, where he rolled around naked on her bed and continued his lewd conduct. He returned to the bathroom for more and was busted by Wilson, who was attempting to bath her three-and-a-half year-old daughter. The court heard Mr Blair refused her repeated requests to stop, prompting her to fetch a knife from the kitchen which she used to stab him twice in the left shoulder. Crown prosecutors said Mr Blair paused only to put on his shorts and flee outside to wait for police to arrive, but was again overcome by the urge. "Despite his injury, it seems (Mr Blair) continued to masturbate while in the garage," the prosecutor said. Police took him to hospital where he received treatment for the minor stab wounds. Wilson pleaded guilty to one count each of unlawful wounding and wilful damage. Her defence barrister, Mark Johnson, said Wilson regarded Mr Blair as a "tolerably decent person" when he was not using drugs, but had become "extremely protective" of her daughter under the circumstances. "He was in and out and round about, doing this sort of thing all over the house, " Mr Johnson said. "She just lost it, to put it crudely." Senior Judge Gilbert Trafford Walker accepted the Crown's submission that Wilson had been subjected to "grossly offensive conduct ... which in a moral sense amounts to extreme provocation." He sentenced her to nine months' jail but ordered that she be immediately released on parole.

amazing song i just heard on Crossing Jordan...... Kate Bush: This Womans Work
This Woman's Work Pray God you can cope I stand outside this woman's work This woman's world Ooh, it's hard on the man Now his part is over Now starts the craft of the father I know you have a little life in you yet I know you have a lot of strength left I know you have a little life in you yet I know you have a lot of stength left I should be crying but I just can't let it show I should be hoping but I can't stop thinking Of all the things I should've said That I never said All the things we should've done That we never did All the things I should've given But I didn't Oh, darling make it go Make it go away Give me these moments back Give them back to me Give me that little kiss Give me your hand I know you have a little life in you yet I know you have a lot of strength left I know you have a little life in you yet I know you have a lot of stength left I should be crying but I just can't let it show I should be hoping but I can't stop thinking Of all the things I should've said That I never said All the things we should've done That we never did All the things that you needed from me All the things that you wanted from me All the things I should've given But I didn't Oh, darling make it go away Just make it go away now

Things Guys Should Know About Girls (my comments are in parenthesis) 1. Don't ever lie to us; we always find out. (tis quite true) 2. We don't enjoy talking dirty to you as much as you enjoy listening. (lol again so true) 3. Don't say you understand when you don't. 4. Girls are pretty, but yours is the Prettiest! 5. You don't have PMS; don't act like you know what it's like. (AMEN!!!!!) 6. Saying something sweet might get you off the hook; doing something sweet will always get you off the hook. 7. If you talk about having a big dick; we know you don't. (those who feel the need to brag apparently have to, those who don't brag don't have to) 8. Size does matter, but only to hoes; not girls that want relationships. 9. We don't like it when you act like Mr. Big. 10. A system in your car only impresses your homeboys not us. (not quite true for me.....i'm a music gal so anything that plays music loudly and sounds amazing i'll like) 11. No matter what you say, your ex-girlfriend is a hoe. (thats not always true for me...i know lots of ex's that were sweet it just didnt work out lol) 12. It's good to be sensitive, sometimes. 13. If you did something wrong or even if you didn't, apologize. 14. Be spontaneous; dinner and a movie won't always cut it. 15. We are self-conscious by nature; we can't help it. 16. We are DrAmA queens. (ok I'll admit it i am at times...but mostly I'm just one of the guys) 17. Fashion police do exist. (oh god i hope not...I'd be screwed if they did) 18. Don't ask us to give head; if you are nice you just might get it. 19. We absolutely DO NOT care about monster trucks, car systems, paint ball, or anything else you and your friends talk about. (i like monster trucks) 20. Hugs and kisses must be given at all times. ( i luffs huggs and kisses) 21. We don't shave our legs everyday so get over it. 22. Don't make bets about us; we always find out. 23. Shave; no matter how cool you think your goatee or beard or mustache looks, we hate it. 24. Even if you think it is cool to burp, fart, or emit other strange gases from your body, it is not. (i dunno i burp alot with my friends and we think it's funny) 25. Don't compare our breasts with Pamela Anderson's; hers are fake, just remember that. 26. It is not cool to shoot snot rockets. (agreed...really not cool...maybe funny to shoot gobstoppers as a joke...stephanie did that) 27. We are beautiful at all times. 28. We will always think we are fat, so humor us and tell us we aren't. 29. You can shoot hoops, score a goal, knock down big fat guys, and hit a little baseball with a stick, so why the hell can't you piss in the toilet and not on it. 30. Most importantly: we are always right; so don't forget it.

1. Shove 20 marshmellows up your nose and try sneezing them out. 2. Use your Master Card to pay off your Visa. 3. WHEN SOMEONE TELLS YOU TO HAVE A NICE DAY, TELL THEM THAT YOU HAVE OTHER PLANS. 4. Make a TO-DO list of things that you have already done. 5. Put your little sister's clothes on her backwards, and send her to preschool as though nothing were wrong. 6. Fill your taxes out in Roman numerals as revenge against the government. 7. Draw underwear on the natives in National Geographic. 8. Pay your electric bill in pennies. 9. DRIVE TO WORK IN REVERSE. 10. Refresh your self: put your tongue on a cold steel guard-rail. 11. Start a nasty rumor and see if you recognize it when it gets back to you. 12. READ THE DICTIONARY UPSIDE DOWN AND LOOK FOR SECRET MESSAGES. 13. Bill your doctor for the time you spend in the waiting room. 14.write a short story using alphabet soup. 15. STARE AT PEOPLE THROUGH A FORK AND PRETEND THEY ARE IN JAIL. 16. Make up a language and ask people for directions.

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down. 2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice. 3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask If They Want Fries with that. 4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label it "In". 5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso 6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write " For Smuggling Diamonds" 7. Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy". 8. Don't use any punctuation. 9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk. 10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face. 11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go". 12. Sing Along At The Opera. 13. Go To A Poetry Recital. And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme? 14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area and Play tropical Sounds All Day. 15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In the Mood. 16. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom. 17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won! I Won!" 18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The Parking lot, Yelling "Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!" 19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go." 20. And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity .. Send This E-mail To Someone To Make Them Smile. Its Called ... therapy.

1 Excerpts From A Dog's Diary Day number 181 8:00 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE! 9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE! 9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE! 10:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE! 11:30 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE! 12:00 noon - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE! 1:00 pm - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE! 4:00 pm - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE! 5:00 pm - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE! 5:30 pm - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE! Day number 182 8:00 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE! 9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE! 9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE! 10:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE! 11:30 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE! 12:00 noon - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE! 1:00 pm - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE! 1:30 pm - ooooooo. bath. bummer. 4:00 pm - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE! 5:00 pm - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE! 5:30 pm - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE! 2 Excerpts From A Cat's Diary Day 752 - My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant. Day 761 - Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded, must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair...must try this on their bed. DAY 765 - Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was...Hmmm. Not working according to plan. DAY 768 - I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason I was chosen for the water torture. This time however it includeda burning foamy chemical called "shampoo." What sick minds could invent such a liquid. My only consolation is the piece of thumb still stuck between my teeth. DAY 771 - There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the foul odor of the glass tubes they call "beer". Moreimportantly I overheard that my confinement was due to MY power of "allergies." Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage. DAY 774 - I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The bird on the other hand has got to be an informant, and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room his safety is assured. But I can wait, it is only a matter of time...

MRS. LOVETT: Seems a downright shame... TODD: Shame? LOVETT: Seems an awful waste... Such a nice, plump frame Wot's 'is name has... Had... Has! Nor it can't be traced... Bus'ness needs a lift, Debts to be erased... Think of it as thrift, As a gift, If you get my drift! No? Seems an awful waste... I mean, with the price of meat What it is, When you get it, If you get it... TODD: HAH! LOVETT: Good, you got it! Take, for instance, Mrs. Mooney and her pie shop! Bus'ness never better using only pussycats and toast! And a pussy's good for maybe six or seven at the most! And I'm sure they can't compare as far as taste! [Simultaneously] TODD: Mrs. Lovett, what a charming notion LOVETT: Well, it does seem a waste... TODD: Eminently practical And yet appropriate as always! LOVETT: It's an idea... TODD: Mrs. Lovett, how I've lived Without you all these years, I'll never know! How delectable! Also undetectable! LOVETT: Think about it! Lots of other gentlemen'll Soon be comin' for a shave, Won't they? Think of All them Pies! TODD: How choice! How Rare! TODD: For what's the sound of the world out there? LOVETT: What, Mr. Todd? What, Mr. Todd? What is that sound? TODD: Those crunching noises pervading the air! LOVETT: Yes, Mr. Todd! Yes, Mr. Todd! Yes, all around! TODD: It's man devouring man, my dear! BOTH: And [LOVETT: Then] who are we to deny it in here? TODD: (spoken) These are desperate times, Mrs. Lovett, and desperate measures are called for! LOVETT: Here we are, now! Hot out of the oven! TODD: What is that? LOVETT: It's priest. Have a little priest. TODD: Is it really good? LOVETT: Sir, it's too good, at least! Then again, they don't commit sins of the flesh, So it's pretty fresh. TODD: Awful lot of fat. LOVETT: Only where it sat. TODD: Haven't you got poet, or something like that? LOVETT: No, y'see, the trouble with poet is 'Ow do you know it's deceased? Try the priest! TODD: (spoken) Heavenly! Not as hearty as bishop, perhaps, but then again, not as bland as curate, either! LOVETT: And good for business, too -- always leaves you wantin' more! Trouble is, we only get it on Sundays! Lawyer's rather nice. TODD: If it's for a price. LOVETT: Order something else, though, to follow, Since no one should swallow it twice! TODD: Anything that's lean. LOVETT: Well, then, if you're British and loyal, You might enjoy Royal Marine! Anyway, it's clean. Though of course, it tastes of wherever it's been! TODD: Is that squire, On the fire? LOVETT: Mercy no, sir, look closer, You'll notice it's grocer! TODD: Looks thicker, More like vicar! LOVETT: No, it has to be grocer -- It's green! TODD: The history of the world, my love -- LOVETT: Save a lot of graves, Do a lot of relatives favors! TODD: Is those below serving those up above! LOVETT: Ev'rybody shaves, So there should be plenty of flavors! TODD: How gratifying for once to know BOTH: That those above will serve those down below! LOVETT: (spoken) Now let's see, here... We've got tinker. TODD: Something... pinker. LOVETT: Tailor? TODD: Paler. LOVETT: Butler? TODD: Subtler. LOVETT: Potter? TODD: Hotter. LOVETT: Locksmith? Lovely bit of clerk. TODD: Maybe for a lark. LOVETT: Then again there's sweep If you want it cheap And you like it dark! Try the financier, Peak of his career! TODD: That looks pretty rank. LOVETT: Well, he drank, It's a bank Cashier. Never really sold. Maybe it was old. TODD: Have you any Beadle? LOVETT: Next week, so I'm told! Beadle isn't bad till you smell it and Notice 'ow well it's been greased... Stick to priest! (spoken) Now then, this might be a little bit stringy, but then of course it's... fiddle player! TODD: No, this isn't fiddle player -- it's piccolo player! LOVETT: 'Ow can you tell? TODD: It's piping hot! LOVETT: Then blow on it first! TODD: The history of the world, my sweet -- LOVETT: Oh, Mr. Todd, Ooh, Mr. Todd, What does it tell? TODD: Is who gets eaten, and who gets to eat! LOVETT: And, Mr. Todd, Too, Mr. Todd, Who gets to sell! TODD: But fortunately, it's also clear BOTH: That [L: But] ev'rybody goes down well with beer! LOVETT: (spoken) Since marine doesn't appeal to you, 'ow about... rear admiral? TODD: Too salty. I prefer general. LOVETT: With, or without his privates? "With" is extra. TODD: What is that? LOVETT: It's fop. Finest in the shop. And we have some shepherd's pie peppered With actual shepherd on top! And I've just begun -- Here's the politician, so oily It's served with a doily, Have one! TODD: Put it on a bun. Well, you never know if it's going to run! LOVETT: Try the friar, Fried, it's drier! TODD: No, the clergy is really Too coarse and too mealy! LOVETT: Then actor, That's compacter! TODD: Yes, and always arrives overdone! I'll come again when you have JUDGE on the menu! LOVETT: (spoken) Wait! True, we don't have judge yet, but we've got something you might fancy even better. TODD: What's that? LOVETT: Executioner! TODD: Have charity towards the world, my pet! LOVETT: Yes, yes, I know, my love! TODD: We'll take the customers that we can get! LOVETT: High-born and low, my love! TODD: We'll not discriminate great from small! No, we'll serve anyone, Meaning anyone, BOTH: And to anyone At all!

Johan Lippowitz (real name David Armand) performs his mime version of Natalie Imbruglia's 'Torn'. Yes, we all know that he does the guitar slide wrong. Get over it. It's still really funny.