Checking in

Hello! Not much to say at this time, although I may have an announcement to make. Stay Tuned! Right now as I am doing this, I am listening to Elvis's version of "Any Day Now" on CD. LONG LIVE THE KING!

Lori Hacking Case

In my opinion, I believe that her husband did it. His stories do not add up, and he has a tendency of lying, from what I hear. It also sounds like he was lacking a little attention growing up. Also, I believe that he is trying to act crazy, so that he could get the insanity plea. He was an orderly at a psychiatric warden. I hope that nobody buys the act.

Any way, I will post these two links, which are less than twenty-four hours old.:


Lies Catch Up to Missing Woman's HusbandBy PAUL FOY SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - By all accounts, Mark Hacking was fun to be around - a loving husband who wanted to be respected and, like his father, become a doctor. But years of deceptions are catching up to the former nightshift hospital orderly, and he has become the focus of the investigation into the disappearance of his wife. As the search for Lori Hacking enters a third week without a trace of the 27-year-old woman, her friends and co-workers are recalling moments when they believe she discovered her husband's propensity for lying. Detective Phil Eslinger said police are trying to build a ``rock-solid'' case, but they lack one important piece of evidence. ``We need a body,'' Assistant District Attorney Bob Stott said Friday. Dogs trained to locate cadavers were used this past week to search a municipal landfill.
In the hours that he was supposedly studying for medical exams, Mark Hacking often was hanging out at a neighborhood store - refilling sodas, eating hot-dogs and smoking Camel menthols.
He told store clerks he was a therapist, and asked them never to reveal his cigarette habit to his wife - both are Mormons and aren't supposed to smoke.
He got his wife to pack up and move to North Carolina so he could attend medical school - where, it turns out, he wasn't enrolled.
He kept textbooks spread open around his apartment, but in fact, he had dropped out of college.
Hacking is being shown by Salt Lake television stations on a videotape standing in a kitchen and lying about his education. In one scene, Hacking entertains friends by making loud palm noises, then in another he talks about college.
``I started off in social work - No, I lied. I started in sociology,'' Hacking deadpans on the videotape. ``I finished my degree in psychology and yes, I do love it. And now I am moving on.''
Hacking's history of deceptions took relatives by surprise when his stories started unraveling in the past weeks, says his father, Douglas Hacking, a pediatrician.
``We didn't see it coming,'' he said. ``We got completely blind-sided by it.''
Mark Hacking's family has described him as a kind, loving husband who may have felt driven to lie by perceived family pressures: He has an older brother who is a doctor, and another who is an electrical engineer.
Fellow Mormons who knew Mark Hacking when he was a missionary in Winnipeg, Manitoba, told The Winnipeg Sun that he loved cracking jokes and wanted to be popular.
Lori Hacking's supervisor, Randy Church, said the couple appeared happy at a going-away party at his mountain cabin, posed for pictures and talked about moving to North Carolina. The Friday night party, three days before Lori vanished, was the last her co-workers saw of her.
``From all outward appearances, you would think they had a great relationship and that he had a future ahead of him,'' Church told The Associated Press. ``It's devastating.''
Mark Hacking reported his wife missing on July 19. The next day, he was taken to a psychiatric ward after he was seen running around at night naked in sandals outside a motel where he'd taken a room.
Doctors are trying to ``sort out what is going on in his mind,'' his father said.
The family hired a noted Utah defense lawyer, D. Gilbert Athay, who was seen at the University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute on Thursday. Athay will confirm only that he has spoken several times with Hacking.
Mark Hacking, 28, never was on track to become a doctor, nor is he a therapist. State records show he is a licensed health care assistant, a job he resigned July 23. The University of Utah says health care assistants start at $8.42 an hour.
Records show Lori Hacking, a stock broker's assistant at Wells Fargo, graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah in 1999.
She put her plans to pursue an MBA on hold until her husband could graduate from medical school.
But a friend of Lori's recalls her confiding in 2000 that Mark Hacking ``just lied to me'' about having enrolled one semester at college, both Salt Lake City daily newspapers reported Friday.
A bigger lie apparently left Lori Hacking stunned and sobbing on Friday, July 16.
Her colleagues say she had been trying to make some arrangements at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where she believed her husband had been accepted into medical school, but they believe a school administrator returned a call that day to say her husband wasn't enrolled there.
Lori Hacking, a private woman, didn't share her grief with co-workers but took up their suggestion to leave work early.
That night, she showed up with her husband at a going-away party at her boss' mountain cabin, betraying no sign of distress. She was last seen by friends Sunday night, July 18, and failed to show for work the next morning at 7 a.m.
Mark Hacking has told police his wife didn't return from a sunrise jog July 19, but his timeline is falling apart.
Police don't believe Lori Hacking ever went jogging at a city park, as he said.
And they doubt his claim that he jogged the route before reporting her missing. They say he was across town at a store buying a new mattress at 10:23 a.m, before alerting police at 10:49 a.m. Police have recovered the old mattress from a trash bin in their neighborhood, but have not commented on its condition.
On the Net:
http://www.findlori.com
07/31/04 20:15

The following link I just saw a few minutes ago.:


Search Called Off for Missing Utah WomanSALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Authorities investigating the case of a missing woman were surprised by her relatives' announcement that new information from her husband had prompted them to tell volunteers to stop searching for her. The statement released late Saturday by the families of Mark and Lori Hacking did not say what Mark Hacking had told them. Police were planning a news conference Sunday. Investigators said they had not heard from the Hackings' relatives and were trying to reach them. ``If they've got information that's breaking, that's something we need to hear about.'' Detective Phil Eslinger told The Associated Press. Eslinger said detectives were trying to arrange a meeting with Mark Hacking's parents, Douglas and Janet Hacking, who refused to comment when contacted by The Associated Press early Sunday.
Lori Hacking, 27, has been missing since July 19, when Mark Hacking told authorities that she failed to return from an early morning jog.
Lori Hacking's father, Eraldo Soares, said late Saturday that he was unaware of any new information about his daughter.
The organized search for Lori Hacking was called off by the families earlier this week, a decision they said was made out of concern for the volunteers' safety. The search was in neighborhoods, industrial areas and canyons near the park where Lori Hacking was said to have been jogging the morning she was reported missing.
Since that day, Mark Hacking's credibility has crumbled amid revelations that he lied to his wife about enrolling at medical school in North Carolina and about graduating from the University of Utah.
The day after Mark Hacking reported his wife missing, he was taken to a psychiatric ward after he was seen running around at night naked in sandals outside a motel where he'd taken a room.
Investigators focused on Hacking, 28, after learning he was at a store buying a new mattress just before reporting his wife missing. Authorities were later seen removing a box spring from the couple's apartment. Investigators have refused to confirm reports that they found a mattress in a nearby trash bin.
Hacking has not been charged.
On the Net:
http://www.findlori.com
08/01/04 07:12

The Associated Press is the source of both articles.

Counting Down...

For the latest on the Presidential Campaign, go here:

http://www.georgewbush.com/Blog/

A First, I Believe

This has to be a first for me. I have had Messenger installed since April, and this is the first time I ever remember having zero IM friends online. There has always been at least one always on it seems. I am not complaining, just pointing something out.

I highly recommend the show "Blue Collar TV". It just debuted this past Thursday, and I could not stop laughing. Yes, I am a country, so I can relate to their material. It airs on the WB network, Thursdays at 8 PM.

I just heard on the radio that "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" was cancelled. Oh, well. I did not miss much. It is now called "Off Air with Ryan Seacrest".

I have to go, and get ready for work soon. Have a great day!

Changes

As you can see, I have changed the template for my weblog. I hope that you like it. Take care until next time!

"Living in Utopia"

While I was at work on Sunday, July 25, I let my mind whirl a little. The following is from what I wrote in my binder that night. :

I let my mind drift a little over the overcast weekend, when I was not thinking about Ashley. For those who know (me), I tend to live in the present; but, I decided to let it run in utopic mode. It was good to clear my mind from a weekend of miscommunication.

Whether it be here in New Jersey or in Ashley's Arkansas, and with enough capital, I would start a combination news agency and luncheonette/cafe. Since this is utopia (which is what many liberals live in), I have the money. I would like to have it on Main Street, or the main artery downtown, so that the locals can have a place to buy a morning paper or two, have a cup of tea or coffee, and have a morning conversation, whether they are heading to work or just reminescing about the old days. You don't see it that much anymore. I would also have a couple small areas where they could listen to talk radio, which I would control. Imagine going to a place where folks could listen to the likes of a Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity. I would probably call it the Conservative Cafe.

Yes, I would be behind the counter serving drinks and greeting the folks. Maybe I could have Ashley do the cooking, if she wants to . She says that she does good in the kitchen, I will have to wait and see. In it would be a section with recliners or rocking chairs for the lifelong town "historian" to share stories of the past. They are the types of folks I gre up around with, and I always love a good story.

The way I see this unravel, it would make a nice grassroots forum towards running for municipal government. You have to start somewhere.

Blogs from Boston

I wrote the following on July 26,2004, while at my second job. :

2042- I am looking through the Philadelphia Daily News, and they have listed a few weblog sites of interest. these sites were listed by William Bunch, whom all happen to be at the Democratic National Convention this week:

www.wonkette.com: this one belongs to Ana Marie Cox, "tops in the blogosphere".,

www.atrios.blogspot.com: anonymous Philadelphia resident, and

www.musselmanforamerica.com: Karl-Thomas Musselman, 19, an elected delegate from Texas, plans to do his thing from the convention floor. His should be very active, I would believe.

Of course, there is always the inspiration of both weblogs and show prep, the Drudge Report (www.drudgereport.com).
---------------------------------------------------------------------

I wrote that on Monday. even though the convention concluded last night, I am certain that there should be some neat stuff on them.

"Poetry Corner"

This will the first of an occasional series that I will call "Poetry Corner".

This first one was my gift to Ashley. (I did not tell her so, but it was my one month "anniversary" gift to her.) She like it a lot, calling it a tear jerker. :

MY GIRL ASHLEY
by
William N. Phillips, Jr.

Ashley... is a beautiful name.
Ashley, how did I win the game
of love and your heart-
can you tell me when did it start?

It has only been a few months,
and a thousand miles or two
since we met in a room
that a date was only due.

When did I win you over?
When did you fall for me?
Like the 'White Cliffs of Dover"
or even "Unchained Melody"?

My heart is still a little numb,
but my brain is far from dumb.
Ashley, you make me very happy-
I'm so glad that you're with me!

I wrote this on July 26, 2004.

A Week in Review- "Me"

Hi, everyone! It seems like a bit has happened over the past week. All in all, I am glad that the end of the week has finally arrived. I will discuss some about Blogging in Boston and Poetry Corner in separate postings. Here, I will do a simple synopsis of some of the "me" events.

I received an e-mail from one of my best friends from both grade and high school, John Sander. It was a blessing, since I have not seen him since our classmate and friend, Dave Logar, left us in 1998. John now lives outside of Houston with his wife of two years, Keri. What I would do to meet them right now. My other co-best friend, Sam Haines, will be getting married soon. I am happy for both for them, and I am certain that this dog's day will come some day.

Ashley and I have been together for one month yesterday. I am enjoying it very much, despite the distance. While I am thinking of her, her sister, Angie, gave birth to a seven pound, five ounce, 19.5 inch baby boy at 4:21 am. She did not give me a name. Lucky for Ashley, Breanna, and Dylan, they are heading up to Kansas on Sunday. ... BREAKING NEWS... Since her and I are big NASCAR fans, Casey Mears just won his first NASCAR Nextel Cup Pole at Pocono Raceway. He is the nephew of legendary driver Rick Mears. Congraulations, Casey!

Overall, my body is very stressed out right now. I rubbed myself with Icy Hot on my arms, neck, and back. I will do my best to take it easy this weekend.

I will be glad when July leaves us tomorrow. Hopefully, the month of August will be dry as a bone. I have seen enough rain, Mother Nature! Please, if you can hear me, keep us dry so that the towns of Medford Lakes, Medford, Lumberton, and my old hometown, the Southampton/Vincentown area rebuild in an expedited manner. Less rain would be appreciated.