Subway cruise ship...

Casey Geneology back 10 generations

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First Generation

1. Joel LOVELL was born about 1965 in Unknown.

Second Generation

2. Unknown LOVELL was born date unknown. Unknown LOVELL and Peggy Jean CASEY were married.

3. Peggy Jean CASEY was born on 17 Feb 1934 in Lubbock Co., TX.

Third Generation

6. Jack Pushmataha CASEY was born on 11 Oct 1900 in OK. Fed Census 1920, cannot locate! Fed Census 1930. He lived (SSN card was issued there, per SSDI) in Louisiana in 1957. He died on 3 Jan 1977. He was buried in Pushmataha, OK - Old Town Tuskahoma Cemetery. He was possibly the Jack C Casey on Dawes Rolls. Jack Pushmataha CASEY and Lottie Elizabeth GIBSON were married about 1928 in prob AR.

7. Lottie Elizabeth GIBSON was born on 29 Apr 1908 in AR. Fed Census 1910. Fed Census 1920, cannot locate. She died on 15 May 2003 in Lafayette Co., LA - Lafayette. She had Social Security Number issued 1973 in LA if this was the same person.

Fourth Generation

12. Wiley Parris CASEY was born on 25 May 1873 in GA. Fed Census 1880. Fed Census 1900. Fed Census 1910. He lived according to his WWI draft registration card in Jackson Co., OK - 2 Blair St. on 12 Sep 1918. He cannot currently be located in the Fed Census 1920. Fed Census 1930. He died on 22 Dec 1940. He was buried in 1940 in Hennepin Cemetery, Murray Co, OK. Wiley Parris CASEY and Julia Adelle-wifeofWileyParrisCasey UNKNOWN were married about 1896 in prob OK.

13. Julia Adelle-wifeofWileyParrisCasey UNKNOWN was born about 1878 in OK.

14. Richard GIBSON was born about 1873/74 in LA. Fed Census 1910. Richard GIBSON and Rhoda UNKNOWN-MARR #1 JOBE were married about 1903.

15. Rhoda UNKNOWN-MARR #1 JOBE was born about 1870/71 in IN. (There were “Jobe” stepchildren in the census of 1910 in Richard Gibson's household.)

Fifth Generation

24. Wiley D. CASEY was born on 19 Dec 1851 in GA. Fed Census 1860. Fed Census 1870. Fed Census 1880. Fed Census 1900. Fed Census 1910. Fed Census 1920. Fed Census 1930. He died on 22 Feb 1936 in OK. He was buried in Hennepin Cemetery, Murray Co, OK. He lived Near Ft. Worth, TX. Wiley D. CASEY and Sarah Elizabeth EWING were married in 1873 in GA (prob. Jackson Co.).

25. Sarah Elizabeth EWING was born in Mar 1837 in GA.

Sixth Generation

48. Parris Pace CASEY was born in 1814 in GA. He was a member of Yellow Creek (Baptist) Church, located in Hall Co. GA north of Murrayville between 18 May 1834 and 18 Oct 1834. He was Liberty Baptist Church, Clerk or Deacon in 1839/40 in Cherokee Co., AL. Fed Census 1840. He was Liberty Baptist Church, Clerk or Deacon between 1844 and 1846 in Cherokee Co., AL. He lived in Georgia (from Alabama previously, where oldest 3 children born); moved from Alabama back to Georgia about 1848. Fed Census 1850. He listed as member of Grand Lodge of Georgia, Phi Delta #148 in 1854 in Bushville, Franklin Co., GA. Fed Census 1860. He was Clerk of Unity Church, Maysville, GA about 1860. Fed Census 1870. Between 1875 and 1885 he was a Postmaster; Schoolteacher in Maysville, GA. Fed Census 1880. He died on 24 May 1885 in Maysville, GA. He was also mistakenly called "Hains" because of how his name appears on GA 1850 Hall Co. census. He served in the military Civil War in 245 Georgia Militia District, CSA. Parris Pace CASEY and Mary HOGAN were married on 18 Dec 1835 or 1834 in Jackson Co., GA.

49. Mary HOGAN was born in 1816 in GA. She was Baptist between 1839 and 1846 in Cherokee Co., AL. Fed Census 1840. Fed Census 1850. John Hogan was a large landowner in the area. Mary may have been related. Do not know.

Seventh Generation

96. John CASEY was born about 1780 in VA. He lived in Elbert Co., GA in 1800. He, Amas Straughn & B Pace witnessed land sale, 1806 by John Casey to Alexander Henry on 20 Dec 1806 in Elbert Co., GA. One John Casey was a J.P. in Jackson Co., GA on several deeds 1815, 1816, 1817 between 1815 and 1817 in Jackson Co., GA. (This may have been a different John Casey since one James Casey of Sandy Creek in Jackson Co. also had a son, John.) Fed Census 1820. He appeared in the census in 1824 in Hall Co., GA. Fed Census 1830. Fed Census 1840. He signed a will on 25 Jan 1844 in Hall Co., GA. Will probated. He died bet 1 Jul 1844 in Hall Co., GA. He was buried in Family Cemetery, Banks Co., GA, near Gillsville. He was a Farmer. He lived at Gillsville, Hall Co., GA. John CASEY and Elizabeth (Betsy) PACE were married about 1800 in prob GA. No, there is no Georgia census for 1790, 1800 or 1810.

97. Elizabeth (Betsy) PACE was born between 1780 and 1785 in GA. Fed Census 1850. Fed Census 1860. She Slave Schedule, 2nd Militia District, Banks Co. in 1860 in Banks Co., GA. Fed Census 1870. She died on 4 Jul 1870 in Hall County, GA. She was also known as Betsy. Her name has erroneously been stated as “Elizabeth Parris Pace” because someone mistranscribed a deed which, in the old style, had omitted the comma between her name and the given name of her brother, Parris Pace, and this misinformation has now “made the internet.” Elizabeth was buried Casey Family Cemetery in Banks Co., GA - Gillsville.

Eighth Generation

192. Daniel CASEY was born before 1760. He lived in Henry Co. VA in the late 1780s. He lived in Elbert Co. GA, at time of the 1820 GA lottery in which Appling and Irwin Lots were drawn. in Elbert Co., GA - Webb's Dist. in 1820. Daniel Casey resided in Elbert when drew land in Irwin Co. on 11 Nov 1821. He lived Elbert Co. GA on 11 Aug 1838. His descendant Joyce Harris was admitted to NSDAR, #833268, on Daniel's Rev. War service on 5 Feb 2005. GA 1820 census(?): John Casey's h/h has an older male. Daniel CASEY and Mary UNKNOWN were married before 18 Oct 1806 when her name appeared with his on a deed. His death date and burial place are unknown.

193. Mary UNKNOWN was born date unknown.

194. Barnabas- youngest son of Richard PACE IV was born about 1747 in NC - Northampton/Craven/Bertie Co./Johnston Co.? He had various land holdings totaling 1,187 1/2 acres of land in Georgia. He served as a justice of the peace in Georgia between 1790 and 1805. Fed Census 1820. He signed a will on 24 Mar 1827 in Elbert Co., GA. Fed Census 1830. He died about 3 Aug 1831 in Elbert Co., GA. He was also known as Barny. He is listed in the DAR Patriot Index 1966 iii.. Barnabas Pace mentioned his GRANDson Barnabas in his will. (Whose son was this? - jh) Barnabas, the youngest son f Richard PACE IV and Agnes AYCOCK were married. [His second wife was said to be Mary Casey, the sister of John Casey, son of Daniel Casey.]

195. Agnes AYCOCK was born about 1757 in NC. She died about 1799 in GA.

Ninth Generation

388. Richard PACE IV was born about 1700 in VA or Bertie Co., NC, have seen both. He moved with family to about 13 miles above Augusta. in SC about 1757/58. He Land surveyed in St. Paul Parish (22 ac on island in Savannah River) on 12 Aug 1759 in St. Paul Parish, GA. He lived 1761, moved back to N.C. "near Uncle Cox" til 1763 in NC - near Uncle Cox. Was probably still in St Paul's Parish, GA near Edgefield, SC in 1768. He died about 1775/76 in St. Paul's Parish, Georgia, near Savannah River. Order of children is not known. Confusion herein about dau's of Richard IV & their husbands! Richard PACE IV and Elizabeth CAIN were married about 1723 in Anson Co., NC.

389. Elizabeth CAIN was born about 1705. She died about 1775 in GA.

Tenth Generation

776. Richard PACE III was born about 1661. He lived in Surry Co., VA in 1703. He came to NC from VA, was in Albemarle Co., NC in 1704. He moved back to Surry Co, VA in 1709/10. Court Record. Land Transac.. Court Record. Land Transac.. He lived Moved back to Chowan Pct of Albemarle NC during "this time" (abt 1719) He signed a will on 13 Mar 1736 in Bertie Precinct, NC. He died before Feb 1738 in Bertie Precinct, NC. Richard PACE III and Rebecca\Rebecka UNKNOWN (NOTPOYTHRESS?) were married about 1688.

Rebecca\Rebecka UNKNOWN-NOTPOYTHRESS was born before 1665.

Prepared 6/29/08 by:

Joyce Harris

1530 Harold St

Houston TX 77006

Please send any updates or corrections to: joy_harr@swbell.net

Note: I have stopped with the tenth generation because the continuation of the Pace line is well documented and discussed online, especially in the Rootsweb PACE Mailing List and PACE Genforum. There are differences of opinion as to the wife of Richard Pace III. - jhh

Casey Ancestry Notes

More ancestors of Julia Walker Casey signed-by swbell.net

hide details 7/2/08

Joel and Charles,

According to an unproven source, you can see that Mary Florence’s maiden name was Robinson. See the info posted at the following URL: http://trees.ancestry.com/owt/person.aspx?pid=38122482

Mary Florence Robinson
Born:	23 Mar 1862 Crawford, [county], Arkansas, USA
Died:	10 Apr 1900 Thackerville, Love County, Oklahoma, USA

The researcher that posted that information has a couple of mistakes (e.g. shows Wm Walker to be Mary’s second husband instead of first and has the marriage date to Samuel Gatlin in two places), but they have listed a few additional generations of Mary’s ancestors to be checked out. Apparently, she was born in Arkansas in 1862, had moved to Texas by 1865 and then was taken to her father’s birthplace in Missouri by 1868. Mary’s father, William Penn Robinson, had moved his family down into southern Oklahoma (Indian Territory--almost into Texas) by 1871. The hardships and dangers of the Civil War may have had an influence on all of their relocations. Check Ancestry.com to see if you can locate the name and e-mail address of the person who posted this information. They may have some proof sources to share with you.

It’s interesting that William Penn Robinson’s mother was Mary Penn Matherly (Born abt 1800 in Pennsylvania). If her maiden name was Penn, I wonder if she named her son after the William Penn for whom Pennsylvania is named and if she was a descendent of “the” William Penn. If you were to descend from Chief Pushmataha and William Penn that would be some pretty high cotton!

Good luck with your continued research. Let us know if you have any major breakthroughs.

Regards, Mike

TWo yEaRs!

I guess I'm busier than a one legged man in a butt kickin contest...

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Near miss

Near miss, originally uploaded by MoNeart.

Whew

Sometimes I REALLY hate this old dell 5150

Flickr: Organize your photos

It says...Something really bad has happened

Flickr: Organize your photos

Blue Screen O Death

Blue Screen O Death, originally uploaded by MoNeart.

Sometimes I really hate this dell.

Morgan "Fair" child...

Morgan "Fair" child..., originally uploaded by MoNeart.

___

Joel Lovell / Sr. Storage Consultant

joel@storageengine.com

732.747.6995 x 265 Office

203.444.2526 cell

Maximum Lovell

Maximum Lovell, originally uploaded by MoNeart.

___

Joel Lovell / Sr. Storage Consultant

joel@storageengine.com

732.747.6995 x 265 Office

203.444.2526 cell

Lil einsteins on april&brian t.v.

Lil einsteins on april&brian t.v., originally uploaded by MoNeart.

hard at work :-)

hard at work :-), originally uploaded by MoNeart.

___

Joel Lovell / Sr. Storage Consultant

joel@storageengine.com

732.747.6995 x 265 Office

203.444.2526 cell

hey! That's my stetson!

hey! That's my stetson!, originally uploaded by MoNeart.

___

Joel Lovell / Sr. Storage Consultant

joel@storageengine.com

732.747.6995 x 265 Office

203.444.2526 cell

Morgan going crazy at art store...

Morgan going crazy at art store..., originally uploaded by MoNeart.

___

Joel Lovell / Sr. Storage Consultant

joel@storageengine.com

732.747.6995 x 265 Office

203.444.2526 cell

A rare moment...

A rare moment..., originally uploaded by MoNeart.

Kristina and morgan playing together.

max's star clown...

max's star clown..., originally uploaded by MoNeart.

___

Joel Lovell / Sr. Storage Consultant

joel@storageengine.com

732.747.6995 x 265 Office

203.444.2526 cell

journey home

journey home, originally uploaded by MoNeart.

I read an interesting article today, actually, quite a scary one, about how

horrific the 1920 influenza was.



It killed 20 to 100 million people. It apparently originated in Kansas, and

soldiers from there spread it to Europe where it then quickly began killing

people even in remote areas like Samoa. I do mean quickly - there are

reports of people getting on streetcars and several dying by the time they

got down the street.



When I took this picture, I was starting my journey home from a customer

call in NYC. I couldn't help but think about how far from home I was, I

just wanted to get there, and keep close to my family.

___

Joel Lovell / Sr. Storage Consultant

joel@storageengine.com

732.747.6995 x 265 Office

203.444.2526 cell

Year's end near, will be off for 10 days or so.

I'm waiting to find out if I published my short story for 'Strange New Worlds Vol. VIII', which is a collection of 'Star Trek' short stories. Not sure if I'll get picked in even the 20 honorable mentions but we'll see.

Hoping to write up a summary of the past year, and to finish a couple of projects, such as my sister-in-laws wedding video.

Also thinking about Nemo Cove and whether I should try and move that project forward. Nemo Cove you ask? Check back in a week or two and you'll see more information.

Joel

Ticket To The Moon (Copyright E.L.O.) (sorry)

Remember the good old 1880's,
When things were so uncomplicated,
I wish I could go back there again,
And everything could be the same.

I've got a ticket to the moon,
I'll be leaving here any day soon,
Yeah, I've got a ticket to the moon,
But I'd rather see the sunrise, in your eyes.

Got a ticket to the moon,
I'll be rising high above the earth so soon,
And the tears I cry might turn into the rain,
That gently falls upon your window,
You'll never know.

Ticket to the moon
Fly, fly through a troubled sky
Up to a new world shining bright.

Flying high above,
Soaring madly through the mysteries that come,
Wondering sadly if the ways that led me here,
Could turn around and I would see you there,
standing there

Ticket to the moon,
Flight leaves here today from satellite 2,
As the minutes go by what shall I do,
I paid the fare but what more can I say,
It's just one way.

Ticket to the moon.

Who's Aldo Nabi?

Review of THE LIVING SWORD by Aldo Nadi

Book Review from "The Sword," Magazine of the British Amateur Fencing Assoc. October 1995, page 32-33.

THE LIVING SWORD Aldo Nadi, US$17.95 Laureate Press, P.O. Box 450597, Sunrise, FL 33345 US Tel. 800-946-2727

Reviewed by Malcolm Fare

Those of you who, in an idle moment, have wondered who was the best fencer ever can now read the autobiography of a strong candidate: Aldo Nadi.

Born in 1899, he was the son of a fencing master and younger brother of Nedo Nadi whose five gold medals (two individual and three team) in one Olympics (1920) is a record that will probably stand for all time. Like his brother, Aldo turned professional after the 1920 Olympics and so the record books forgot him. Yet for 12 years he challenged and defeated every champion, amateur or professional, who was prepared to fight him.

It is, of course, inconceivable in today's climate of intensely competitive sport that a fencer could remain undefeated at one weapon let alone all three. But in the days when there were relatively few competitions and training meant a few days practice before an event, good fencers could be equally adept at, any weapon.

Apart from the Italian professional championships, which he won at all three weapons for four consecutive years, Aldo Nadi did not normally submit to the rigors of competitions so we will I never know whether he had the stamina to stay the course of world championships and Olympics. But in a single encounter, he was unbeatable.

Two years after his last public defeat at the hands of the great Lucien Gaudin (see The Sword, April 1988), he arranged a return match (unscored) and made the last three hits. Afterwards Gaudin, who went on to win the 1928 Olympic foil and epee titles, refused to meet him again, saying, "No one will defeat Aldo Nadi in the next 20 years."

The following year he beat Rene Haussy, who was to be professional foil champion of France for 14 years, 14-9. Roger Ducret, 1924 Olympic foil champion and runner-up at epee and sabre, chose to take him on at epee and was crushed 12-5. Olympic foil silver medalist in 1920 and 1924 Phillipe Cattiau went down twice 10-4 and 14-8. Triple world epee champion Georges Buchard lost 12-5. The 6ft 6in tall double world foil champion Gulio Gaudini was destroyed 9-2.

In 1933, running out of fencers prepared to meet him, Nadi entered the most important foil tournament outside the world championships, open to amateurs and professionals. In the direct elimination final tableau he won his first fight 10-2, beat the 1931 world champion Lemoine 10-4 in the semis, and then just had the strength to overcome the French military champion Battesti 10-9 in the final. After that he decided never to take part in competitions again.

The only adversary he could never entice on to the piste was his legendary brother. But in 1935 Nedo agreed to a demonstration match that was billed as being "between the two greatest fencers in the world." Because their father would be watching, Nedo insisted that at the end of the bout neither should be able to claim superiority. Aldo reluctantly consented, but placed four hits in quick succession on his brother before allowing the bout to finish as agreed.

Nadi says little about how he achieved his remarkable victories. It is left to former pupil William Gaugler in a postscript to explain something of his technique. All his parries were executed from a central position, which he maintained reduced the distance a parry had to travel to deflect the incoming steel. And his attacks were deliberately made in the best protected lines, demoralizing his opponents by striking through their favourite parries.

Although written in 1955, the book has remained unpublished until Gaugler, its guardian, found a publisher prepared to make it available to the fencing public. And deservedly so, for it illuminates not only Nadi's extraordinary exploits but a lifestyle that has vanished for ever.

Not that Aldo Nadi comes across as any sort of sporting role model. Arrogant, vain and selfish, he was the playboy sportsman par excellence who gambled his way across Europe with a succession of beautiful women. For nine years he kept a suite at one of the best hotels in Paris. When he ran out of money, he arranged another lucrative match, needing only three or four a year to keep himself in luxury.

But in 1935 the clouds were gathering. With Mussolini in power and the risk of being called up to join the Italian army in Ethiopia, Aldo decided to leave for America. What a shock that was. Short of cash, he enlisted the help of Georgio Santelli, the leading professional in New York, and put on a gala display. To his distress the public showed little interest and he lost money.

After 15 years of earning a good living from giving a few exhibition matches a year, Nadi was faced with the brutal truth that to the Americans fencing was a non-event. With the war coming in Europe, he had little alternative but to settle down and teach fencing to survive.

In the hope of using his talents in Hollywood, he moved to California, but producers found him too critical and uncompromising. He dismissed the swashbuckling swordplay in "The Three Musketeers" and "Scaramouche" as ridiculous spectacles.

Nadi was equally contemptuous of American fencing in general and competition organizers in particular. Not surprisingly, he had little regard for the immediate post-war world champions, regarding D'Oriola as second rate on the basis of reports from three Italian friends.

Aldo Nadi's hero was Cyrano de Bergerac and like him he took a perverse pleasure in being disliked.

An interesting excerpt from a book on fencing...

From Aldo Nadi's On Fencing, The Sword -- Yesterday and Today The difference between the duelist's and the fencers psychology is best appreciated "on the ground"

In Europe, I had one exciting personal experience.

Although the reasons for the duel impress me now as not being worth the risks involved, they appeared to be most serious at the time. My provocateur was the excellent fencing critic of the most important Italian newspaper. He was in his early forties; I was twenty-four. He had fought five successful duels; I, none at all. Although not a champion, he had considerable knowledge of the sport. With thirteen years of successful competitive fencing behind me, I had just won my first professional championships of Italy in the three weapons without suffering a defeat.

Personal implications and reputations were therefore in the balance once our duel had been decided. My position was pretty tough. Were I to be defeated, my professional career would be seriously jeopardized. Should I kill or seriously wound my opponent, public opinion would unjustly react against me. I was on the spot. I had to wound not too severely a man who knew much more about dueling than I, and who was by no means a third-rate fencer--an almost impossible assignment in the excitement and self-preservation of a duel. Little wonder that I could hardly think of anything else during the night preceding the encounter.

The rendezvous was at the famous Milan race track of San Siro (The police always manage to know in advance where duels take place, but as a rule they are inclined to rush to the spot only when the whole thing is over. Nevertheless, the chosen ground is secluded.) We were to fight in the paddock. Arriving there shortly after dawn with my seconds, I remembered that only a few weeks before the place had cost me money. This time something else was involved.

The first thing you forget "on the ground" is your fencing superiority. Your sensibilities increase tremendously. As soon as you are stripped to the waist, the chilly morning makes you think: "Even if I come out of this in good shape, it wouldn't be a bit funny to die of pneumonia."

A few yards away, you notice that your adversary talks leisurely with his seconds. You recall that he is also a racing expert, and it seems to you that he couldn't behave any differently were he waiting for the morning training gallops. Since the war, however, you have never arisen so early--for gallops, or any other reason; moreover, this is your first duel. You are not at ease. Particularly when you see a couple of doctors in white shirts silently laying out a hideous assortment of surgical instruments upon a little table. "They may be for me in a few seconds"--and this though is definitely unpleasant, even if the birds are singing happily in a beautiful sky.

The four seconds are now measuring the ground. Both limits are marked with a pointed stick in the ground itself. Once on guard you may retreat about fifteen yards. if you overstep the limit behind you with both feet, you are disqualified--branded with cowardice for life. professional pride makes you decide instantly not to retreat an inch, no matter what.

Before putting on your street glove (dueling regulations) your seconds fasten a white silk handkerchief to your wrist. "What for?" "To protect the main arteries." You don't like the explanation.

You are now handed the same battered epee with which you have won so many different fights. Is it going to lose this one? Remembering that the old weapon has never borne defeat, you draw the rather optimistic conclusion that it must be lucky.

The extreme sensitiveness of the moment makes even the slight difference in the weight of the epee without the customary button on the tip very noticeable. The lightened and perfectly balanced blade suddenly makes you feel extra-confident. But such trust does not last: your eyes have fallen again upon that little table, and you cannot avoid a sensation reminiscent of nausea.

Then you look around. There is a small crowd of celebrated artists, famed writers and journalists, and great sportsmen. Also, several well-known fencing masters and amateurs. Among the masters you quickly detect the one who has trained your adversary. You could beat him all right, but you feel less sure about the pupil. The only member of your family present, a great fencer, appears to be terrified.

None of these people are supposed to be there. Believing this to be a strictly private affair, you do not fully approve of their presence. They all remain at a distance, but you can hear their whispers. it looks as though they were discussing some exceedingly important, mysterious, yet totally alien business. The scene reminds you of an assembly of conspirators singing sotto voce in an old-fashioned opera.

To break the heavy atmosphere, you turn to one of your seconds, and almost shout: "Had I known of such interest, I would have sold tickets!" it is partly braggadocio, partly they subconscious necessity of doing or saying something. As an echo to your words, you hear muffled laughter. You don't dislike that--it sounds encouraging.

There is no fuss, however. Everything proceeds smoothly efficiently and quickly. Now, even the birds sound expectant. Suddenly, the dropping of a surgical instrument by your own doctor makes a terrific clatter.

The director of the combat tells you most politely that everything is set. Your adversary is in front of you. in your thoughts you had lost track of him, and you are almost surprised to see him standing there. You don't look him in the eye as yet.

The doctors meticulously sterilize both weapons, and it is then, and only then, that you realize the other fellow too is armed with a blade exactly like your own. Despite its slender length, you know only too well that it is practically unbreakable. Positively unbreakable against your body! You cannot help looking at its fascinating point, and its needle sharpness reminds you that it can penetrate your flesh as easily as butter.

The shining blue reflections of the blade impress you still more ominously than its point. Suddenly you look up and see a pair of eyes glaring at you with defiance. They shine even more than the blade. They are bluer than the blue steel. The effective stare of the veteran. What can you do about it? Stare back, yes--but you know what you are, a novice....

While you try to listen to the last, short, sharp instructions of the director, hardly understanding any of them, you feel, oh, just for a little while, rather afraid. Of what? Difficult to tell. but the heart jumps up and down, fast and hard. maybe you are scared, after all.

Well, never mind the heart. let it jump. Not without a little effort, you succeed in pulling yourself together by taking a deep breath, actually whispering: "Just mind your own skin."

As a cue, the director speaks his last sentence:

"Gentlemen, on guard!"

These, and none other, are the words you were subconsciously waiting for. You hear and Understand them. Automatically, you execute the order. The birds no longer sing.

You have gone on guard thousands upon thousands of times before, but never was it like this. In competition, the good fencer leisurely watches his opponent for a few seconds before starting the slightest motion. Here you are by no means allowed to do so because your adversary immediately puts into execution a plan evidently well thought out in advance: surprise the youngster at the very beginning; take advantage of his lack of dueling and bear upon his nerves and morale. Get him at once. to succeed, and regardless of risks, the veteran attacks with all possible viciousness, letting forth guttural sounds. Although probably instinctive, these may have been intended to increase the daring and efficiency of the attack, and your own momentary confusion as well. but the plan hits a snag. for the vocal noises instead, work upon you as a wonderful reawakening to reality.

You have heard shouts under the mask before, and you have never paid the slightest attention to them. why even without mask, this man is like any other. He is armed with a weapon quite familiar to you, and there is no reason why he should beat you--none whatever. When these few seconds of uncertainty and uncontrollable fear and doubt are over, you counterattack, and touch, precisely where you wanted to touch--at the wrist, well through the glove and white silk. but during the violent action of your adversary, his blade snaps into yours, and its point whips into your forearm. you hardly feel anything--no pain anyway; but you know that after having touched him, you have been touched too. "Halt!" shrieks the director.

Caring not for your own wound, you immediately look at your opponent's wrist, and then up at his face. Why on earth does he look so pleased? Haven't you touched him first? Yes, but this is no mere competition. He has indeed every reason to be satisfied for having wounded you--supposedly a champion--even if he nicked you after you touched him.

Young man, you must never be touched. Otherwise, the blood now coming out of your arm may instead be spurting from your chest...

The doctors take care of both wounds. What?... they bandage your own and not the other?...Preposterous! you feel perfectly furious with everything and everyone--above all with yourself. Silently, your lips move with a curse. You know best, however, and you keep as quiet as in competition; but, as in competition, you are eager to go at it again--the sooner the better--and in a spirit, now, vastly different from the original start.

The air vibrates with a great deal of low-toned, confusing talk. To many people speak at once. You care so little about it all that you cannot even grasp the meaning of a single sentence. The iodine stings. but what are they talking about anyway? This is no opera stage, and the tempo of the orchestra is certainly not one for sotto voce curses. What are they waiting for? Well, yes you let your point touch the ground, as in the Salle d'Armes--but it has already been cleaned, young man! And why does he, your surgeon, look and act so strangely? Why, you just told him, the blade has been sterilized--what does it matter anyway, pretty soon it's going to be soiled again--red, not earthy, muddy brown--red--yes, all right, oh, let's go, for God's sake.

You are on guard again.

Fine.

Successive engagements produce more wounds. While these are being disinfected, and the blade elaborately sterilized each time, my seconds repeatedly suggest tat I accept proposals emanating from my adversary's seconds. "Shall we stop?"

My representatives were elder friends of long standing, expert amateur fencers, and knew me well. It was therefore easy for them to see that, in the first engagement, my professionally pride had been wounded far more severely than my flesh; that I intended to avenge it with ominous determination, and that my impatience was steadily mounting.

They were only performing their duty, however. Seconds have the moral responsibility of all that happens "on the ground." All of them are liable to imprisonment in the case of death. yet, reading my mind clearly, my supporters were proffering their requests in an almost apologetic tone. I did not even bother to answer them.

After the fourth engagement, they again insisted. One can hardly say that I lost my temper then, for it was gone long before. Following the first double touch, I mean double wound, my adversary had not remained perfectly silent; evidently he had hoped--ad did everyone but me--that the whole thing would stop then and there. it was now my turn to breach the strict dueling etiquette. Quietly, but firmly, I replied: "Stop annoying me, I am going to stay here until tomorrow morning." I was young.

Afterward I was told that at this point one of the spectators had muttered: "Now he is going to kill him." he was a veteran duelist and friend. he had not heard my words, but had seen my left forefinger resolutely pointed at the ground. My own doctor, a young scientist bearing an illustrious name in medicine, was white as a sheet and looked about ready to collapse. That's why he had acted so peculiarly after the first engagement. Now he was far too dazed to be of much help in case of real trouble. Disliking the idea entirely, he had finally agreed to assist a friend in need. After the duel, he warned me never again to request his services in similar circumstances.

Fortunately, my adversary's surgeon seemed at home. he was an expert at such jobs, and it was somewhat heartening to see him, sleeves rolled up, going about his duties in the most efficient manner.

Doctors are forbidden by law to attend such meetings, and they too are liable to heavy punishment. They are, however, given almost dictatorial authority, and as a rule duels are stopped upon their advice. Eventually, after examination and medication of the latest wound, they enunciate and countersign that one of duelists "...was thus in a condition of physical inferiority. Declining all responsibility for any further fighting, the doctors declared him unable to continue"--the usual formula. They know, moreover, that a serious operation cannot be performed properly with the limited equipment they have "on the ground," and that even if it were successful, the cold morning air would, in all probability, kill the patient. On the other hand, the doctors have to be careful before stating their indisputable decision, lest they offend the susceptibilities of either duelist by declaring an "inability to continue" when, actually, it does not exist yet (For all of these reasons the stiffness of the surgeons' fees is quite understandable. My own doctor refused to accept a cent--what a friend! Duels are expensive affairs, what with fencing masters' heavy fees, surgeons' fees, gifts to the seconds, traveling expenses, banquets, champagne, etc.)

Nothing of the kinds happened in this duel, but when they give the word, it becomes law, regardless of what anyone involved may think or say. At such a point no second would even dream of letting the duel proceed, and the whole business is over.

Now, at each wound, the surgeons' silent looks were only too eloquent. Clearly enough, they wanted the whole affair ended as soon as possible. Even the veteran was beginning to look worried. They had heard my earlier reply to my seconds, however, and my continuously adamant attitude prevented them from stopping the combat. I had been brought up with the idea that duels should be avoided, but, were I to have one, ti should be fought seriously. I had not come here for pin pricks. Everyone knew there were not serious wounds as yet, and it was my right to go on. we went on.

In such moments man can consciously lose all understanding of pity, generosity, and of the meaning of life itself. He knows that his seditious will may spell death for a fellow man whom he has no well-founded reasons, nor definite wish, to kill. Through somewhat silly codes of honor and more or less ridiculous regulations created by his kind alone, he arrogates to himself the right of murder. Where is that part of God he pretends, boasts, and almost scientifically asserts to exist within his own being? Uncheckable and unchecked, Mr. Hyde comes in.

So far the slippery pebbles of the paddock, upon which my street shoes (dueling regulations) could not find firm foothold, had prevented the possibility of any well-determined movement. I had succeeded in not retreating at all, and had limited my footwork to the short, strictly necessary motions of the contretemps, parry-ripostes and stop-thrusts. Fearing the undependability of the ground, I had not yet attacked.

Now it was a different story. The pebbles ad been pestering me far to long. it was high time to stop this nonsense. I wanted to lunge, and I would lunge.

My left foot went to work at once. Pawing and pushing sideways in the manner of a dog after a rabbit, it cleared away the little stones, and entrenched itself in the sticky ground underneath. Now I could go. But first, a rather vicious curiosity compelled me to look up at my adversary's face.

It was distorted, physically and morally. it displayed none of the defiance and self-control it had shown immediately before the fight. his glassy eyes appeared to be perfectly hypnotized by the point of my blade. he seemed confined in a world of fear of that point alone. A lowered vitality was barely sufficient to keep him on guard. All physical reserves were exhausted. He was in my hands. he could not escape. it was written all over him by the very blood which slowly but steadily was coming out in rivulets from his several wounds--not a chance. It was murder, plain murder--and the word itself blazed through my brain, dimming my eyesight for a second. But Mr. Hyde only grinned in his sureness of self. He would attack

Was it my though that flashed into my adversary's mind, or did he receive some other perfectly timed warning? No one can tell--not even he. The fact remains that I saw him get up from his guard in an entirely unexpected, nonconformist and most dramatic manner, disarm his right hand quickly, and proceed briskly toward me, hand outstretched, just as fencers do at the end of a bout. "Oh! I have had enough! Thank You!"

This was not at all the expression of a vanquished, dejected man. Rather, that of a man who had regained his civilized sobriety miraculously fast--a human being already far more virile than in his fighting position. naturally, I was thoroughly astounded; but when he reached me, his hand found another that shook it warmly.

The duel had lasted less than six minutes. "Enough," my adversary had said. Quite! the sun had melted the morning mist, and was now shining brilliantly.

My one wound was beginning to make itself felt. My valiant adversary appeared to be bleeding from everywhere. There were three wounds in his arm, two in almost the same spot, and three in his chest. how I reached his body without hurting him seriously is a mystery, or a miracle, which I have never been able to explain. That evening, he and I drank champagne together.

Fascinating, Very Thorough Family Name Website

Donna and David Clark are cousins, and they have done an amazing job compiling information on our different families. The amount of information on our Lovell side of the house was just stunning. There are pictures and information that I never even knew existed, and cousins and entire families we are related to that I never had known.

Thank you for such a fascinating and organized compilation.

Joel

Spooky Action At A Distance - Albert Einstein

August 09, 2004

Artist's rendition of an atom. Image credit: NSF

Essay by Mark Waldron

Once derided by Einstein as "spooky action at a distance", quantum entanglement could hold out the promise of a novel means of space propulsion, perhaps even making interstellar travel feasible.

Astrobiology Magazine -- In 2001, researchers at the University of Aarhus' Quantum Optics Center in Denmark successfully applied a phenomenon of physics known as quantum entanglement to two specimens of cesium measuring in the trillions of atoms apiece, transferring the quantum state of one group of atoms to the other. Such a transfer is called "quantum teleportation," though it is hardly teleportation of the Star Trek variety.

The success in Denmark was noteworthy due to the scale of the experiment; previously the quantum states of only a handful of atoms at a time had been successfully entangled. In addition to whole atoms, there have also been multiple quantum teleportations of laser beams beginning with a successful experiment in such teleportation conducted by the Australian National University in 2002.

At present, the primary application of quantum teleportation is viewed as being the development of quantum computing, in which the logic gates of a computer processor are integrated at the atomic level and the logic state of one of the processor's bits would be denoted by the quantum state of an individual atom. (Such a representation of computer logic can be applied to computer's memory as well, creating, in effect, quantum RAM.) In addition, a field of quantum cryptography is being developed from the ability to teleport laser beams, which are capable of carrying information. A teleported laser beam that conveys data would provide an ultrasecure, essentially unbreakable means of encoding sensitive information.

This author would like to propose a third (and even a fourth) application of quantum teleportation, an application with implications at least as far-reaching as the two mentioned above: propulsion. It should be possible to apply quantum teleportation to the problem of deep-space propulsion; not only is such an application possible, but, if implemented, would revolutionize space travel, even to the point of making interstellar travel (both manned and unmanned) truly feasible for the first time. Interestingly, the initial steps of applying teleportation as a propulsion method can be taken using present-day technology.

In brief, the idea is to apply quantum entanglement to ion propulsion. An ion drive system is a form of rocket propulsion which uses a stream of charged particles, or ions, as a rocket exhaust. Ion drives typically yield far lower thrust-to-weight ratios than traditional chemical rockets, but because of their much slower fuel burn rate they can gradually accelerate a spacecraft to speeds that no chemical rocket can reach.

Ion propulsion was used on NASA's highly successful Deep Space 1 probe, in the form of a solar-electric drive, that is, an ion drive in which solar panels provide the electrical power that is used to excite the fuel material to produce the ion stream that propels the craft. Interestingly, cesium is one of the materials that has been used as a fuel in ion rockets.

While quantum entanglement and quantum teleportation experiments have to date been confined to entangled specimens of materials within the same laboratory, there is no theoretical limitation on how great a distance quantum entanglement can operate across. In other words, once two groups of atoms have been entangled, that entanglement would still be in effect were one of the entangled specimens moved to the other side of the earth.or the solar system.

Therefore, were two specimens of cesium (to take one example; other materials would also work) to be entangled on earth, then one of the specimens lofted into space, exciting the earthbound cesium sample to produce ions would result in the space-traveling cesium sample becoming energetically excited and producing ions like its earthbound counterpart. A resulting ion stream, produced without the benefit (or hindrance, for that matter) of any form of internal engine system onboard the spacecraft, could propel the craft through space. It would be a kind of engineless drive system, which I am calling the teleportation drive. The actual engine and, even more importantly, its power source-a nuclear reactor, a solar array, or other form of power generation-would remain on earth along with the earthbound, entangled fuel sample.

The benefits of a teleportation drive are most apparent when one considers the various forms of nuclear-electric propulsion that are currently in vogue among NASA researchers. A nuclear-electric drive is a form of ion drive which uses a nuclear reactor to produce the electricity needed to generate its ion exhaust stream.

Because of the far higher power levels a nuclear reactor can yield versus solar power, the nuclear-electric drive has risen to the forefront of NASA's ion drive design options in the last few years; being the centerpiece of its Project Prometheus, a long-range research effort into nuclear propulsion systems for spacecraft. For example, the space agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) project, an offshoot of Project Prometheus, is to be powered by a nuclear-electric drive system.

JIMO will require a 100-foot boom section to separate the craft's instrument payload from its nuclear reactor; large radiator fins will also be mounted on the reactor section to dissipate excess heat generated by the drive. These two requirements-physical separation of the drive from the rest of the craft and radiator fins for heat dissipation-are two distinctive hallmarks of traditional nuclear-driven propulsion system designs.

From the standpoint of a government-funded space agency, there are also political drawbacks to placing a nuclear reactor in space. With a teleportation drive, there are no radiator fins or separator sections needed on the spacecraft; furthermore, the negative political issues surrounding nuclear space propulsion systems vanish. These, however, are all secondary benefits, as important as they are. The primary benefit of the teleportation drive is that it effectively removes all limitations on how much power can be generated to propel the spacecraft.

The need for a high-yield yet compact power source has been the bane of nuclear propulsion designs in the past; it is, for instance, a major technical barrier to seeing the realization of NASA's VASIMR (Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket) drive, under development at the Johnson Space Center in Houston under the direction of Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz. Because the power source of a teleportation drive is earthbound, it can be arbitrarily large.

A very large nuclear reactor-which now of course does not need to be flown into space-can provide the power for propelling a very small spacecraft. Such a craft could enjoy a very high thrust-to-weight ratio, potentially greater than that of chemical rockets, with obvious benefits in terms of maximum attainable speed when combined with the teleportation drive's inherently high fuel efficiency (high specific impulse, in rocketry parlance).

The new thrust levels attainable by a teleportation drive might also allow for the craft to take off directly from the earth's surface, without the need for chemical rockets to place it in space, something never before attainable with any form of ion drive. Finally, in the past only two forms of power source have been put forward for ion drives: solar and one or another form of nuclear power.

Since a teleportation drive's power source remains earthbound, any method of generating electricity can be applied to power the drive, including hydroelectric power (imagine Hoover Dam generating the power for a deep space probe's engine). There is also an economy of scale that applies to the earthbound power source in that the same source can be used to excite multiple entangled fuel specimens: the same plant can therefore be used to accelerate multiple spacecraft.

There is another propulsion application for quantum entanglement which, while probably requiring more R&D investment than the teleportation drive, would have even greater (as in, several orders of magnitude greater) speed benefits for a spacecraft: applying quantum entanglement to produce the first viable photon drive.

A photon drive system uses nothing but a beam of photons (a beam of light if the photons fall in the frequency spectrum of visible light) to propel a spacecraft. The photon drive is a theoretical possibility that has been talked about for decades but has never been practical due to the immense power requirements it would take for such a drive to generate sufficient thrust to propel a spacecraft.

An example of the simplest photon drive imaginable has been given in the past: if a flashlight were to be turned on in space and left there by an astronaut, its light beam would provide a miniscule amount of thrust to the flashlight, but not nearly enough to accelerate it to any noteworthy speed before the battery burned out. A photon drive requires essentially no fuel, only power. In other words, a photon drive has an extremely high specific impulse but a very low thrust-to-weight ratio.

The great advantage to a photon drive is that if its power requirements were to be overcome, a photon drive system could eventually accelerate a spacecraft up to very high speeds-even, theoretically, close to the speed of light. However, both nuclear fission and nuclear fusion fall short in terms of generating the necessary power, at least from a reactor small enough to be realistically carried onboard a spacecraft.

A matter-antimatter reaction of a sufficient size could generate the required power, but antimatter is exquisitely expensive to produce at the time of this writing, and containment and manipulation technologies for it are still in early stages of development. Thus, a photon drive powered by matter-antimatter reaction is currently not a viable option. There is another option.

Applying quantum teleportation to a photon drive (to produce what I am dubbing the telephotonic drive) would remove the one great engineering obstacle (i.e., power generation) to producing a viable photon drive system. Recall from earlier in this article that laser beams (i.e., concentrated streams of photons) have been successfully teleported.

Without knowing it, the researchers who accomplished this feat created a basic telephotonic drive in the course of their experiments. In the case of a telephotonic drive powerful enough to propel a spacecraft, earthbound electric plants (nuclear or otherwise) would generate the power for a laser beam which would then be teleported to a spacecraft.

While even a dedicated nuclear power plant may not generate sufficient power to create a laser powerful enough to realistically provide propulsion for a spacecraft, there is no reason why a single spacecraft would need to be powered by a single entangled laser beam; multiple power plants, perhaps widely spread geographically over the earth's surface, could generate multiple laser beams which would then be teleported to adjacent "cells" to the rear of the spacecraft, producing an array of high-power laser beams that would collectively propel the craft...potentially to near the speed of light. Incidentally, since entanglement information is itself conveyed (either by laser or radio waves) at the speed of light, and since even a telephotonic drive could never, according to relativity theory, propel a craft up to the speed of light, a spacecraft propelled by a telephotonic drive could never "outrun" its lasers' required entanglement information.

A variation on the telephotonic drive concept involves using entangled lasers, generated on the earth's surface, to create a laser fusion drive. The idea behind the laser fusion drive (which, like the photon drive, has been talked about for years but has never been developed) is that pellets of frozen hydrogen fired out of the rear of a spacecraft like a machine gun are individually struck by powerful laser beams, igniting each one in an individual fusion reaction; the resulting series of energy bursts push the craft forward.

There is an engineering obstacle in creating lasers powerful enough to fuse the hydrogen pellets; as in the case of the telephotonic drive, teleporting entangled laser beams from earthbound power plants to the spacecraft would overcome this obstacle. While an entangled laser fusion drive would not accelerate a spacecraft to the speeds attainable by a telephotonic drive, or even a teleportation drive, I suspect that it is more immediately realizable from a practical engineering standpoint than either of those propulsion concepts.

The first step, of course, towards implementing any of these drive schemes is to test them on the ground. As stated before, the theory of the telephotonic drive has, in effect, already been proven; it only needs scaling up (though vastly so) in order to become a viable propulsion method. The successful entanglement of lasers also proves the conceptual soundness of the entangled laser fusion drive.

The teleportation drive could be proven, in concept, for relatively little cost or resources. There are commercially available small ion rockets designed for use as maneuvering thrusters on satellites and space probes.

An experiment to prove the theoretical soundness of the teleportation drive would involve taking one of these commercial thrusters and entangling its fuel to another specimen of the same element. If, upon activation of the thruster, the entangled second specimen generated an ion stream, the theory would be proven. Such an experiment is well within the resources of even small government or university physics laboratories.

Spacecraft propulsion is therefore a third practical application of quantum teleportation, in addition to quantum computing and quantum cryptography. There is, however, a fourth application, one which deserves its own treatment in a separate paper but which I will briefly introduce here because of its relevance to the propulsion systems outlined above. That application is wireless power transmission.

NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy have, over the last three decades, studied various concepts for generating electric power in space and then beaming it (via microwave in most design concepts) to the earth's surface for public use. In the late 1970s the DoE, under the Carter Administration, studied the possibility of orbiting large satellites that would collect solar energy and beam it to earth.

The idea was unviable due to the immense size of the solar arrays involved (on the order of tens of square kilometers). There is also a problem presented by beaming energy to earth in this manner, as such a beam would have a tendency to diffract in the earth's atmosphere.

However, aided by advances in solar cell technology, much smaller solar arrays could today be placed in orbit around the sun, perhaps within the orbit of Mercury (naturally the arrays would need to be designed to withstand intensive bombardment by heat and radiation; the upside would be that the proximity to the sun would also allow for greater power collection).

A resulting microwave beam generated with the energy collected could be quantum-teleported directly to the earth's surface. Aside from the obvious immediate benefits of such an efficient power generation system, these satellites could also provide the power input for a telephotonic or entangled laser fusion drive. Thus quantum teleportation could provide an "end-to-end solution" for propelling a craft up to near-light speeds.

Einstein was uncomfortable with the idea of quantum entanglement, referring to it as "spooky action at a distance". By applying quantum teleportation to deep-space propulsion, that element of distance may be measurable in light-years.

Vonage IP Telephone is COOOOL

It works fantastic, and it's only costing me $14.99 a month, and it's working via software on my notebook. Bye, Bye $BC.

Web Digital Video is BACK!

Thanks to Dr. Phil! His help was most fortuitous!

Update for June & July

Sorry no posts, though I doubt anyone is following this blog. :) Here is what's new:

New construction is almost done, we were able to use the deck the other nice, weather was pleasant and breezy, had a nice barbecue (without my burning the side of the house this time). I'll post pictures when I get a chance.

Might be able to afford the lawyer to start my lawsuit against UPS/UPSStore soon.

I have some major sales opportunities that are just hanging out there...c'mon, c'mon Purchase Orders!

We went camping over the July 4th weekend at River Bend campground. Fairly fun place, the kids didn't want to leave. We stayed in one of their RV trailers instead of tenting it or using the storage sheds (cabins?). :)

Might have my server back soon.


Regards,

Joel

Granville Shaw, sharpshooting Sheriff, Louisiana. A Great, Great, Great Uncle.
by Joel

Jack "Pushmataha" Casey, my Grandfather.
by Joel

News - I'm ashamed to say it, but I got scammed.

I had created an advertisement on Craigslist.org, AFTER I failed to find a buyer on ebay, to sell my video camera equipment. I had decided that since I wasn't using the equipment in any profitable way I should sell it while it still held a lot of it's original value. Of course, being able to catch up on a couple of mortgage payments was a big plus.

I had been contacted by 'John Webb' who said he saw my ad on craigslist.

He called me from 510-467-4462 (a number which conveniently became no longer in service, reverse lookup tells me: "We did not find a listing for the phone number you entered. The phone number "(510) 467-4462" is a Okld Frtville, CA based phone number and the registered carrier is Time Warner Telecom Of California, L.p. dditional information for this number is not available."

He indicated that he had been 'burned' by internet transactions before and would not pay in advance, I suggested an escrow account and he said it wasn't necessary, that from talking to me felt that we could do business. If I hadn't been in a hurry to sell my equipment (had two back mortgage payments to contend with), I would have insisted on payment in advance or waited until I had a local buyer with cash, but stupidly agreed to use COD via UPS (his suggestion that UPS has COD Guaranteed Funds). Of course, the reality which i found out after the fact is tha UPS doesn't guarantee anything and their insurance, which I paid for, doesn't cover anything. Note these links which describe their policy, which plays nicely into the scammers plans, because it gives you a false sense of security:

Click here to read this cleverly hidden document on UPS website which tells you that basically the insurance doesn't cover anything.

Click here to read about their so called guaranteed funds COD.

NOTE: I currently am pursuing legal action against ups/ups store because I am contending that they should have delivered to the address, not to the individual waiting outside the appartment. The individual that resides there would have denied expecting a package which probably would have tipped off the driver. It was too much to ask that the driver question the cheezy looking 'bank draft' from the TrustMark bank - these people must love their tongue in cheek cleverness - a 'Mark' is a victim of a con, who usually get's to be a victim because of the 'trust' they establish.

The address which the package was shipped to I did a reverse lookup on whitepages.com and I called the # listed. The lady there confirmed that she was unit B. I asked her if she knew anyone with the name of ther person who had signed for my shipment, she said 'I don't know any guy named Marshall'. So either she was just someone picked out whose address someone could use to wait for UPS and intercept my delivery or she was working with them, but I suspect that the address was just some poor schmoe who they figured they could wait in front of for UPS to gift them with $7000 of video equipment.

The checks I finally received on 5/27/2004 was suspcious looking, so I called directory assistance in San Francisco, CA and they could not give me a number for that bank, "TrustMark Bank". I talked to my bank branch (JP Morgan Chase in Milford, CT) when I made the deposit and related my concerns, the teller placed it under a scanner and told me that it looked good. The funds were deposited, and within a few days the bank undeposited the money and took out the larger amount ($3216.71) which caused my mortgage payments to bounce, and the remaining amount came out on 6/8/2004 for $1065.78. So far, I am out $4282.49, which specifically was to have been my asking price of $3900 plus shipping and insurance charges. Of course, other damages are happening to me such as Insufficient fund charges, attorney fees - if I can every afford their retainer, and time I missed from work to deal with this mess.

I learned of the problem I was facing some ten days or so AFTER the bank took the money back out of my account - by a letter which included the counterfeit bank draft from chase. They didn't even call me. I did not notice that my accounts shortfall of $3200 was due to this process because I had expected a similar amount to come out from my mortgage.

I contacted my bank, the local police, filed a report with them, the FBI and I of course, contacted UPS and UPS Store and they are categorically refusing to even file a claim, so I'm having to see about sueing them.

Then I did some searching and ha! on the same craigslist.org forum where I had advertised my equipment, these cocky con-artists advertised a setup that was painfully identical to my own. They did so anomynously but when I contacted craigslist.org admin they recognized them as a bogus group that had been scamming their patrons - so yeah, this has got to be my equipment. They gave me the aol email address and I quickly found the same ad on their 'instant' free website, with another throwaway cell phone. So hopefully law enforcment and justice will prevail and they will bust these yahoo's, but I suspect I'm on my own here.

I've tracked their IP's, I'm albe to look at their website right now, but I can't call them without possibly tipping them off.

All in all, a very lousy situation. Financial disaster, very demoralizing. But we'll see. I will get my equipment back, just watch and see. "John Webb" I'm watching for you, your life is going to get very complicated.

Joel