My Dad is a Secret Criminal

Until February 8th, 2012, Edward Maher's family believed him to be your average Missouri man. Maher, 56, has lived with his wife and two sons in Kansas City, MO for years, running a traditional and respectable household, so it came as a small bit of a shock when he was arrested two weeks ago and charged with being and international fugitive, accused of stealing a $1.5 million fortune in Britain in 1993. Maher had been working as a security guard for an armored truck company, but had fled the country after committing this major felony. He was able to evade arrest and lead a reasonably normal life for nearly 20 years by holding inconspicuous jobs, making sudden, frequent, cross country moves, and paying in cash only. The family lived in comfort, and were described by neighbors to appear not overly wealthy, but frequent spenders. They avoided keeping money in banks, and it turns out they were also in debt to the IRS over $3,000. Maher's adult son Lee, 23, claims he knew nothing about his father's criminal past, and his wife refused to comment on the matter. British police have requested that Maher. nicknamed "Fast Eddie," be returned to his home country to be dealt with there, but this process could take up to several months. Maher's wife stated that they would follow her husband wherever he went, so I guess this wasn't really all that big a breach of trust after all.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/20/british-fugitive-eddie-maher_n_1289457.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl9%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D137031#s711114

Simple Names Lead to More Success in Life

Over the years, dozens of studies have been conducted on how a person's name affects them throughout life. It has been concluded that children with popular names (Jacob, Sophia, Michael)  get into less trouble with the law, boys with unisex names are more likely to be suspended from school, and even that girls with more feminine names, like Alice or Marie are less likely to pursue a career in math or science. Recently, it was determined that children with easy-to-pronounce names are more likely to be generally successful in life. Take Bill Gates for example. By common pronunciations and simple spelling, his name is incredibly easy to say. Studies show that when evaluating applications for a job interview, employers choose applicants with easy or simple names. Names with racial connotations or clearly expressed nationality are associated with negative feelings of complication and malfunction. Maybe now those quirky parents longing for originality with think twice about naming their baby Kyishaiwnnae or Aliaune. 

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/02/09/people-with-easy-to-pronounce-names-more-likely-to-succeed/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl22%7Csec1_lnk1%26pLid%3D135234

Snake Taming Gone Wrong

Hoarding is a serious mental problem found in people across the world. A seriously entertaining mental problem that is. People feed on their ability to compare themselves to others in order to raise their own self esteem, so it is only natural that shows like Confessions: Animal Hoarding would be wildly popular. Recently featured on the show was Patrick, who owns over 20 different snakes and reptiles which, more often than not, are about double his own size. One morning, while taking one of his twelve foot snakes for a walk, Patrick was attacked by his own pet, and struggled to wrestle the snake into submission in front of his young son and sister, Shauna. Episodes such as this inform the general public about disorders like Patrick's and the harmful effects they can have on both the victim's on the people around them.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/06/confessions-animal-hoarding-patrick-snakes-video_n_1256694.html?ref=tv-replay&icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl15%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D133066

Mushroom Pickers: Lost and Found

It turns out mushrooms have more risks than poison or drug use! While mushroom picking in Oregon, the three members of the Conne family and their dog Jesse got lost in the wilderness. Dan and Belinda and their 25 year old son had lost track of where they were and eventually stopped trying to find their way out of the foliage. The family was forced to sleep in the hollow of a large log with nothing to eat, and even considered sacrificing their dog for food.  After six nights in the forest, they managed to use the screen of a cellphone and the blade of a knife to signal to the helicopter that found them.
"The wife had the Blackberry and I had the knife," says Dan Conne. "I kept flashing. The wife said, `You're blinding them.' But I wanted to make sure they seen us. I wasn't taking no chance."
 They had five football fields from the nearest road, and only a mile from their own Jeep all along. Intelligence is questionable.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/05/oregon-mushroom-picking-family-found_n_1255889.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl13%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D132990