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ORANGE PARK, Fla. — Chubby-cheeked Somer Thompson was last seen alive walking along the sidewalk in front of a vacant house, and authorities said Friday that they're searching for someone who saw what happened to the 7-year-old after that.

Her teary but resolute mother warned her daughter's killer: "We'll get you."

The day after the child's body was identified, authorities said they had ruled out all 161 registered sex offenders who lived within a 5-mile radius of Somer's home. Despite doggedly pursuing hundreds of leads, police have not made an arrest.

Investigators sifted through evidence from the vacant house and the Georgia landfill where her body was discovered Wednesday after investigators followed garbage trucks some 50 miles away from her neighborhood in suburban Jacksonville.

Somer vanished while walking home from her elementary school on Monday afternoon. The vacant house is on her route through a heavily populated, well-manicured neighborhood, and witnesses last saw the girl alive in front of it. She had become upset as she walked home with other children Monday and ran ahead of the group. Somer never came home.

However, no witnesses have come forward to say they saw Somer attacked or abducted, sheriff's spokeswoman Mary Justino said.

"What we've been trying to figure out is who frequents that area, because obviously it's more than just the people who live there," she said.

Neighbors said they were accustomed to watching out for each other's children as they walked to and from school.

"Everybody knows everybody here. If there was a stranger on the street, we'd be looking at watching where they were going, seeing what they were doing here," said Monica Loeb, a family friend of the Thompsons.

Somer's mother, Diena Thompson, had a friend greet her children as they came home from school Monday because she was working, according to a police report. When Somer didn't arrive with the other children around 4 p.m., the friend sent Diena Thompson a text message. She raced home, and flagged down a passing police officer while she, her other children and her boyfriend scoured the neighborhood.

An autopsy has been completed and investigators know how Somer died, but authorities won't disclose their findings or any details about the body.

Missing child posters featuring Somer's face, framed by her thick brown bangs, still plaster nearly every utility pole along the mile-long route from her elementary school to her home.

Diena Thompson declined to be interviewed Friday by The Associated Press. She spent part of the day making funeral arrangements, and a law enforcement officer was seen carrying a child's white dress from the family's home. A viewing will be held Monday night and a funeral will follow on Tuesday.

But Thompson appeared red-eyed on all three network television shows and said on ABC's Good Morning America that investigators will catch her daughter's killer.

"We're coming for you," she said. "We'll get you, and hopefully justice will be served."

October is officially National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All kinds of related events take place during October: The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure takes place in cities across the country, the American Cancer Society holds its Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event, and National Mammography Day takes place on Friday, October 16th.

A couple of years ago, when I was doing a lot of party planning and catering, specializing in theme menus, the more inventive the better, a friend asked me to cater a unique party. A childhood cancer survivor, she and her mother had decided to throw a big bash celebrating 20 years of being cancer-free. Having been to a few shindigs of mine before, she knew the kind of funky, funny food I loved to put together, and she wanted her own food to be very irreverent, sort of thumbing her nose and laughing in the face of cancer. An example she thought of was serving deviled eggs – with black olive “tumors” in them. I asked if she really, REALLY wanted me to run with that, and she insisted she did, as long as it was still good food, so off I went, creating a whole menu devoted to different kinds of cancer.

One of my favorite items I invented for that menu was the “Mammo-Graham”, which I share with you here today in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As you can see, it’s a fairly realistic edible depiction of the procedure, as anyone who has undergone one will attest:

This is actually very easy to put together, and, yes, inexpensive too. One option for the, er, fleshy part of the Mammo-Grahams was making them out of marzipan, but that could get very pricy very quickly. So I based them on a recipe for potato candy I found in Paula Deen’s dessert cookbook from The Lady and Sons; it’s normally used to make Easter Egg shapes. TO make about a dozen, depending on cup size:

Potato Candy:

2 medium potatoes
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, chopped
2 16 ounce boxes powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or almond, actually, if you really wanted faux-marzipan)
2-3 tablespoons peanut butter
1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Other Mammo-Graham materials:

6 regular graham cracker rectangles, each broken into 2 squares
6 chocolate graham cracker rectangles, each broken into 2 squares
about 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
about a dozen pink M&Ms, preferably both plain and peanut

Boil the potatoes just until soft. Drain, mash, and measure 1/2 cup out into a mixing bowl. Make a small snack of the excess with some sour cream and chives, I say. Add butter into mixing bowl, mix in thoroughly, and let cool completely(very important). Add sugar and vanilla/almond extract, knead until smooth.

Roll some of the dough into various ball sizes. Then add the peanut butter and knead thoroughly again – you may want to make a few different ‘complexions’, so you can add it in in increments, make a couple more balls, and repeat. Follow the same process with the cocoa, adding incrementally to represent different complexions.

Now gently squeeze each ball between a pair of graham crackers. Melt the chocolate chips (either in a microwave in 30 second increments or in a double boiler). Transfer to a ziploc bag, cut off the corner (as small as you can manage) and pipe some nice zigzaggy flourishes on top of each sandwich. Finally, complete each mammary with its own M&M nipple, using shades of pink and tan and brown as you please.


We intentionally shared this a couple of days before National Mammography Day, in hopes that some of our readers might be able to take advantage of the opportunity to get a free test on Friday. So if you find yourself at a fundraising event this October or at any other time, or should you attend any cancer awareness events in the future, consider bringing these treats along – they were a huge hit at my friend’s party!

Churches usually make events for its members. Sometimes they also do stuff for the poor. They do fundraisers so that they can gather as much money as possible.

There have been a lot of fundraisers lately. Churches near the area where the hurricane Katrina hit made a lot of fundraisers so that they can help the people get back on their feet. There was so many people accepting donations where the funds go straight to the american red cross or any foundation they choose, and it becomes a win-win situation. But won’t people more appreciate it and more willing to donate if they got a little something in return that signifies a message?


But you are asking how they raised funds? It’s simple. They used rubber silicone wristbands of course. Rubber silicone wristbands are a simple yet effective way of calling people’s attention. No matter what social class, people still support these rubber silicone wristbands because they are not only cheap, but also fashionable. They are high quality and won’t just easily snap off one day and be thrown to the trash can. They can be rest assured the durability.


Church organizations also give out these rubber silicone wristbands to people during masses and other get-togethers. Once, I went to this church function and I saw everyone wearing rubber silicone wristbands. This was during after the hurricane Katrina incident. They used it to raise funds for the people who have been affected by the hurricane.


Let us say that you are a member of a church organization, and you were wondering how you can help someone raise money for a good cause. Of course you would look for materials that are cheap and effective in conveying your message. Wouldn’t you want to customize your own wristbands for this special event? I can say that rubber silicone wristbands are the best way to do all of those things.

An East Bank Demerara man is seeking the whereabouts of his 29-year-old wife, Joy France, who disappeared three days ago.

The husband, Seepaul Paul, told Kaieteur News that his wife of 15 years left their Lot 385 Craig, East Bank Demerara home last Thursday and has not been seen since.
Joy France

Joy France

The couple has six children, including a two-year-old son.

Paul said that he returned from “the bush” at around 05:30 hrs on Thursday and gave his wife all the money he had returned with.

He then went to sleep.

Paul said that his children awoke him at around 07:00 hrs to ask him for money for transportation to go to school.

When he informed the children that their mother had the money, they informed him that she was not there.

Paul said he learned that his wife had told her father-in-law that she was going to see a doctor at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre.

The distraught man said that she was not there when he checked and he has been unable to contact his wife on her mobile phone, which has been turned off.

The woman’s relatives have all said that they know nothing of her whereabouts.

According to Paul, his wife took the couple’s marriage certificate with her, but he is unsure whether she took any extra clothing.

The man insists that the two had no domestic problems.

Paul, who has made a report at the Grove Police Station, said that he is so upset that he has not eaten since Thursday, while his wife’s mother has taken ill.

He is urging persons with information about his wife’s whereabouts to contact him and other relatives on telephone numbers: 665-6060; 683-9553; 266-2723 and 678-1986.

Legislation that requires states to publish the names and photos of minors who have been convicted of sex-related offenses in a nationwide public registry is being discouraged by a Washington, D.C.-based group.

Some states already include minors as young as 14 in their own statewide sex-offender registries, but legislation known as the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 is calling for all states to take up the practice for a national registry.

States that don't comply with the act risk a decrease in federal criminal justice funding. Yet, only one state and one tribe have complied completely since Congress the act became law in 2006.

Local lawyers see a problem with lumping minors with adults in a public sex offender registry.

"We're still hoping that part of the act doesn't get passed," said Chris Gardner, chief deputy public defender in San Bernardino County's Human Services Division.

Research does not support the stance that a minor convicted as a sex offender is going to do the same thing as an adult, Gardner said. Studies show the opposite, and the vast majority of kids don't reoffend, he said.

"If a kid's crime is tried in Juvenile Court, where the idea is rehabilitation, it doesn't make sense for there to be any kind of long-standing history or sex registry," Gardner said.

Justice Policy Institute recently reissued a report that details the harm that public registries have on minors, a demographic where criminal justice usually aims for rehabilitation.

"It's extremely detrimental to the youth," said Nastassia Walsh, a research associate at JPI. "It isn't proven to improve community safety at all. It can really harm a kid's chances of having a `normal life."'

Being named on a registry can hinder a child's access to rehabilitative services. They would likely be shunned by peers and ostracized at church, said Walsh, who has no relation to the person for whom the legislation was named.

Adam Walsh, the 6-year-old son of John and Reve Walsh, was abducted in 1981 from a Florida department store and found murdered 16 days later. Adam's parents have since become advocates for missing children and have taken up the fight to end child exploitation.

John Walsh is the host of the long-running TV show "America's Most Wanted."

In addition to strengthening sex-offender registries, the sweeping Adam Walsh Act plugged loopholes in current federal laws and increased prison terms. So far, only one state - Ohio - and a tribe in Washington have completely complied.

Other states have cited numerous reasons for not complying, including the cost and the need for more equipment, resources and personnel. A Congressional Budget Office analysis from December 2005 reported the act to cost $1.5billion to enact between 2006 and 2011.

Besides cost, California cited other reasons for not complying with the act: statutory barriers, juvenile privacy issues and constitutional privacy protections, according to an April survey conducted by SEARCH, a national consortium for justice information and statistics.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which is behind the Adam Walsh Act, estimates there were about 670,000 registered sex offenders in the United States. But about 100,000 are lost in the system.

"In order to help protect our nation's children, we must improve our current registration system so that we know where all of the convicted sex offenders are," said NCMEC's president and CEO, Ernie Allen, in a March presentation to the House Judiciary Committee.

Allen was unavailable to be interviewed about adding minors to sex-offender registries.

Prosecutors say only a limited number of sex-related juvenile crimes in California even qualify for a stay in the Department of Juvenile Justice and publishing in a public registry.

Karen Bell, a deputy district attorney who handles juvenile offenses in San Bernardino County, said she didn't anticipate there would be much support in the state for the labeling of minors through a public registry.

Wristbands are worn on the wrist. These are available in many colors and materials. These are also called as awareness wristbands. It has become a fashion statement among youngsters. It is mostly used by organizations to raise money, pride and awareness for a cause. Some wristbands are used simply as accessory or jewelry. These are made up of different materials like paper, silicone, rubber and leather. Paper wristbands are imprinted with designs like colored stripes or American Flags. These bands are excellent for security, crowd control, drinking age verification, concerts and other purposes.

Most of the people love to wear Silicone wristbands. These come in various colors and designs. Most popular colors are pink, red, yellow and black. One of the most popular bands of this type is Yellow 'Livestrong' wristbands. These were designed by Lance Armstrong who is world renowned bicycle racer and cancer survivor. These bands are given to people who pay a dollar to his cancer charity and have become popular fashion accessories.

Whenever wristbands are distributed by organizations certain message is imprinted on it. Message is written on the band so that people can remember the cause, raise money and create awareness to other people. In pink wristbands 'Making strides Everyday' is printed. It means you should support those undergoing treatment, to honor those who have been lost and to celebrate those who have survived. When you distribute these wristbands to your friends and family they can get involved in the fight and remind women of 40 and older to get their annual mammogram.

As per your wish, you can create any message. Nowadays people remember the cause based on the message. Message imprinted on the band should be such that it can be remembered by anyone. On seeing the message you should be in a position to remember the cause. Apart from organizations, wristbands are also used in birthday parties, special events, reminder, reunion, advertisement, concerts etc. Many big concerns use wristbands to promote their product. Brand name, slogans etc are written on the band and distributed in malls, concerts and other crowded places. Wristbands are distributed by concern so that people can remember their product name and the slogan on it and buy the product. So message on the wristband do play an important role.

Certain people can't resist smoking and drinking. You can stop there drinking and smoking by distributing a wristband with the message 'stop drinking' or 'stop smoking'. You can stop global warming to a certain extent by wearing messages like 'plant a tree', 'reduce waste', 'switch to green power', reuse your shopping bag etc. Certain messages like plant a tree can help you plant more trees. A single tree can absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.

Make sure that wristbands have a logo or at least the name of the organization. The message to be written on the wristbands should be sweet and simple like: I support child rights, Fight Child Abuse, Say No to Drugs, Support Animal Rights, Cancer Awareness, Stop pollution or save mother earth. Each color represents a cause.

There is often a lot of confusion regarding the various styles of custom silicone wristbands. Many people confuse embossed bracelets with debossed bracelets (even some silicone bracelet suppliers!) and are uncomfortable with printed wristbands. Throw in the option of laser-engraved wristbands and they throw up their arms in surrender.

Debossed Wristbands

Debossed wristbands are the most common and are the same style as Lance Armstrong's trendsetting LIVESTRONG bracelets. Debossed refers to the fact that the design is actually recessed down into the wristband itself. To accomplish this, a custom bracelet mold is manufactured that incorporates whatever customized design that is desired. Because they require a mold to be manufactured, custom debossed bracelets are more expensive and take longer to produce than printed bracelets or laser-engraved bracelets.

Embossed Wristbands

Embossed wristbands are not nearly as common, yet they are an excellent choice if you are looking for a custom silicone bracelet that is more stylish and unique. An embossed bracelet also incorporates any custom design and requires a mold to be manufactured. However, with embossed bracelets, the fully customized design is raised up off the wristband as opposed to recessed down into the wristband. Pricing and turnaround times for embossed bracelets are very similar to that of debossed bracelets.

Printed Wristbands

Printed wristbands are by far the most economical choice. Printed bracelets start with a blank wristband and are then silk-screen printed. The 'technology' for screen-printing wristbands has come a long way. The dyes used today actually penetrate the silicone rubber of the wristband. Many people are under the impression that the print which is used on printed bracelets is cheaply painted on and will crack or flake off. With a reputable custom silicone bracelet manufacturer, this simply is not the case. You can expect the printing to last the lifetime of the silicone wristband itself. Printed bracelets do not require a mold to be manufactured. Instead, a template is produced that is used to apply the custom design onto the bracelets. Because a template is used rather than a mold, printed wristbands are less expensive with quicker turnaround times than debossed and embossed wristbands.

Laser-Engraved Wristbands

Laser-Engraved wristbands are becoming more and more popular. Quite frankly, they are very inexpensive to produce, yet many silicone wristband suppliers still charge exorbitant prices. Laser-engraved bracelets duplicate Lance Armstrong's popular LIVESTRONG debossed style. For smaller orders of 5,000 custom silicone bracelets or less, laser-engraved wristbands are your best choice if you prefer this popular debossed bracelet style. Similar to printed bracelets, laser-engraved bracelets start with a blank wristband. A simple setup program allows a laser-engraving machine to engrave the custom silicone bracelets to the exact specifications of whatever fully customized design that is desired. Laser-engraved bracelets do not require a mold to be manufactured; therefore, they are less expensive and enjoy quicker turnaround times than debossed and embossed bracelets.

The Best Choice

So, what is the best choice when it comes to selecting between debossed, embossed, printed, and laser-engraved wristbands? The answer is that it is always a matter of personal preference. One style that is becoming more popular is the laser-engraved wristband that is then color-filled. This replicates the most popular LIVESTRONG debossed look while incorporating an appealing contrast of colors. The cost is a little more since the color-fill is actually an oil-based paint that must be applied by hand, but, by choosing laser-engraved bracelets over the more expensive molded debossed style, you end up getting the debossed look and color-fill together for about the same price as just a plain debossed bracelet. Regardless of your personal preference, it is imperative to select a custom silicone wristband manufacturer that does not hit you with hidden fees for setup, mold, and shipping expenses. Whomever you select, look for a pricing structure that offers one low price that includes everything - setup, design, mold, and, most importantly, shipping fees. This will prevent any unwanted surprises.

Clark A. Swihart is the CEO and founder of The Awristocrat, an on-line store specializing in the production of Custom Silicone Wristbands at phenomenally low prices. No Setup, Mold, or Shipping Fees! Get yours today at .