Beth Twitty: Bittersweet Home Alabama

Beth Twitty's return to Alabama was not unplanned and has been anticipated for a few days. While she will return for any developments in the search for her missing daughter, Natalee Holloway, for now she'll get to spend some time with her son. I know some folks in Alabama who will be glad to see her home for a spell. Speculation suggests she may return this week, or earlier if anything significant develops.

According to a relative, it was "very difficult" for Beth Holloway Twitty to leave without knowing her daughter's fate, and she plans to return soon to keep the investigation alive.

A North Carolina couple spoke highly of her here, having been able to meet her while they were on the island.

"I told Eileen, 'Let's go down to meet her after the interview,'" said Ricky. "We saw her that evening and told her we were from North Carolina and that we come every year.

'We're here on vacation, but if there's anything we can do to help, feel free to call on us,' we told her. "'You're so sweet,' she (Twitty) said to us.

As it turned out we saw her three different evenings we were there (in Aruba)," said Eileen. "Beth Twitty is such an amazing person-so composed and relentless. She's one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet." Later Ricky would be involved in one effort to follow up on a tip about the teen's possible whereabouts.

As it turned out, the search turned up nothing. "She didn't ask us for any help, but on the last night we saw her, she told us that she'd been having difficulty getting her mail," said Ricky. "I told her that I had been friends with the manager of the Marriot since the first time Eileen and I visited the island.

Additional news reports, like this one, suggest a sense of what might be the inevitable is beginning to sink in.

Marilyn Whitlock of Columbiana, who flew in from Aruba to sell the "Hope for Natalee" bracelets, said she has been close with the Twitty family for a number of years, ever since her husband and Jug Twitty met in college....

However, officials in the investigation stated last Wednesday that the award would now pay for any information leading to her recovery, a definite reflection of the family's changing attitude toward the investigation, she said.

"The last time I talked with Beth, I was real hopeful. She said, 'One day, I am burying her. The next day, I am wanting her home alive.' It's just like the waves in that ocean," she said tearfully. "It is a ride."

She said the Aruban justice system has confused and frustrated the Twitty family since their arrival, especially since many of suspects in the case have been released.

When an Aruban appeals court ruled last Thursday to keep Joran van der Sloot, a Dutch teenager who appears to be the primary suspect, for 60 more days, Whitlock said everyone was relieved.

"Beth was panicked. She thought they would release him," she said. She said family and close friends of Natalee believe that the three men, Deepak Kalpoe, 21, Satish Kalpoe, 18, and Joran van der Sloot, 17, were involved in her disappearance, but she said everyone has different theories about exactly what happened to her.

Comments

[linda]

Dan,
Great reporting - you have a great ability to show humanity with your words. My heart aches for Beth, Dave, Jug and family.

[deb]

No one ever includes Dave's wife Robin - Don't forget about Robin too!!!!!!!!!!!

[NevadaMom]

Dan,

Your empathetic reporting, plus timely yet distinctive reporting sets your blog way above the rest.

A grateful reader

[k.jeanne]

Thank you, Dan...for this update and all the great reporting you do. It is very much appreciated!

Best wishes,
jeanne

[RealPotential]

Thanks again Dan. GREAT reporting! :)

[TS]

Dan, I clicked on "like this one" and read the whole article which included more comments by Ms. Whitlock about Beth Twitty:

Whitlock said Twitty still has hope that Natalee will come back to the hotel room where her things were packed to go home, but she is also preparing for the worst. "She won't look at the water. She won't go out on the beach," Whitlock said. "She is afraid that (Natalee's) body will be found."

My God, that is just soooooooo sad...

[bubble]

You know I've been in health care a long, long time; however, until today I just didn't know you could extract a DNA sample from foot odor. Blood- yes, hair-yes, tissue-yes, saliva-yes

Who knew? Dr. Schoales Foot Odor Remover = DNA Eraser. roftl

[MrsJimiHendrix]

so sad

DEB i care about robin too : )
she looks like a lovely lady

[bubble]

My apologies, the last post was meant for the "missing shoe" forum.

[Freddy Kruger]

Yet more festering manure for the dung heap

"""she told us that she'd been having difficulty getting her mail," said Ricky. "I told her that I had been friends with the manager of the Marriot since the first time Eileen and I visited the island. ""

oh I see all this time we were led to believe she's staying in the Holiday Inn, in the same rooms as her daughter, along with her belonging just as she left them. I see. Of course the Marriot handles the Holiday Inn's mail because?

All these losers rubbing on off of some sick fame, like these horse's ass secretmonkey.com idiots, fawning and spluttering over Tomathy Miller and Dave Holloway. What a gang of nobodies, just because some is on tv means zilch. Whooooooo looookeee there is the weather man from knbc let's go and wipe his ass for him.

[annie]

I can't imagine how difficult this is for Beth. She wants to bring her daughter home and continues to hang on to that thread of hope that she is still alive, yet she doesn't want to neglect her child that is still at home and with her. What an awful, awful thing these boys are doing to this woman. They KNOW information and are causing this woman, her husband, her ex-husband and his wife, and her son such pain. They rile me up so much. They are arrogant, selfish and sick individuals.

[Kay]

Thanks Dan as always Great Reporting!

[Concerned]

Check out http://www.scaredmonkeys.com
Am I missing something?

[Sam]

Great reporting Dan.My prayers go out to all of Natalees family,friends and loved ones.
Sam

[Pearl]

Keep it up Dan! good work. And for Beth pls come back and concentrate on van der Straten.

[TS]

Check out http://www.scaredmonkeys.com
Am I missing something?
Posted by: Concerned | July 31, 2005 08:33 PM

The scaredmonkeys.com is down, Concerned.

[agalag]

Hey Dan: You do a great job, but don't you get tired of everyone kissing your a**?

[birmingham dog]

It seems from my view that DAN has now seen the light in keeping an open mind. God Going Dan-o. As for ScaredMonkeys, they lead the lynch mob.

Blind leading the blind.

Dan, I NOW look forward to your reporting and DONT look at those "OTHER" Tabloid forums/sites.

THANX, and IMHO it is Your reporting that Might shed some light on this very dim case.

GWD

[jbt]

TS:
I think I remember reading a post by Dan regarding SM had been hacked. Don't know if this is why site is down...

And yes, Dan, let me add my thanks to you for your sensitive reporting in so many regards.

[Jessie]

Just for the record. That NC couple from Elizabethtown, NC. We Tar Heels do not consider
Elizabethtown a part of NC. Mostly a bunch of rednecks whose ancestors were too damn lazy to immigrate any further west. Most of them cannot even speak the English langurage so that you can understand them. As god is my wittness, it's true.

[NC greenbean]

I beg your pardon, Jessie-they certainly ARE from NC. Where do you get your info from? We're in big trouble-they can't talk and you can't spell!

[Jessie]

No need to beg NCgreenbean. Just ask. It just drags the State down when one of those Bladen County rednecks who cannot speak, let alone spell
makes a damn fool of themselves. Guess they think they just met the Queen of England. Good god, have some pride, or at least don't tell the reporter that you are from NC.

[Roy]

No one ever includes Dave's wife Robin - Don't forget about Robin too!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: deb | July 31, 2005 06:38 PM

Fact: Dave and Robin are far more educated and sophisticated than Beth and Jug.

[elizabeth]

Where is Steve Cruise? That Tatoo boat disc jockey They let him go too. Don't you think they should go back to square one and bring them all back in for any kind of analysis? DNA, blood, anything, fungus samples. This is oh, so sad. Bring Natalee home.

[james]

It's getting to the point where I can't feel sorry for this woman any longer. Her logic is out of whack. She's basically saying that because these guys won't asdmit to killing her daughter, that sevresd as PROOF that they must have done it? I bet she's be the first person to orgainze a lynch mob if this were the 1880's.

She doesn't seem concered about the law, only her feelings. At some point she has to understand that these boys have rights and aren't not guilty until proven innocnet. A concept lost on most Americans these days.

[Althor]

Though it is understandable that in her desperate search for her daughter, and for answers, Natalee's mom, Beth Holloway Twitty, would have availed herself of all means at her disposal to further her cause. It is also patently clear that she is a manipulator.

To call upon the media’s attention to help her put pressure on the authorities to resolve her daughter’s disappearance is one thing, but Beth has long ago crossed the line of propriety, and turned this tragedy into a farce.

We all have seen her, constantly in the limelight, always having a camera follow her in a very undignified manner, as if she was a participant in a TV reality show, rather than a grieving mother immersed in her pain.

As time progresses, it seems more apparent that most of what we have seen of her on our screens, has been staged, and or scripted, no doubt to elicit greater viewer sympathy, and support.

The latest incident at the Internet Café, where Deepak Kalpoe works, where she alerted an ABC camera crew as to her intentions of confronting Deepak, and posted members of her entourage in front of the entrance to the establishment to be in control of the situation, is a clear indication of it. A mother really looking for answers would have met with him alone, to coax him into opening up, and get them, not made a publicity stun out of the encounter.

Being that she is professionally a “Speech Pathologist”, I myself have been somewhat suspicious of her “Scarlett O’Hara”, “Genteel”, “ Southern Drawl”, and have wondered if it isn’t inflected, or exaggerated, to give us a performance of the “Poor”, “Helpless”, “Demure”, “Lil’ Ole’ Me”, “Southern Belle”; an image she has also tried to project upon her daughter. Obviously, if that’s the way she normally talks, she would be a poor choice to help someone with a speech impediment!

Undoubtedly, the original intention in all of this was to expedite the search efforts for her daughter, but the whole thing has turned into a huge media circus, and the fund raising into a burgeoning commercial enterprise, even with with Natalee Holloway bracelets selling on Amazon.com!

One observation worth making at this point, is that the question begs to be asked: With millions of dollars worth of donations being raised, pouring in from well intentioned, but gullible, viewers, who is managing those funds? Who is keeping track of the accounting? What is the money being spent on, and by who? And, if rumors are true, why has Natalee’s father have had to pay his own way through all this fiasco, when so much has been collected in her name?!?! Perhaps the IRS should Audit Beth and “Jughead”, and take a look into the matter!

What is really sad, is that this tragedy could have easily been averted. A bit of common sense, and parental discretion, on Beth’s part, would have gone a long way in avoiding this incident from ever happening.

Beth Holloway Twitty’s decision to unleash her daughter (no matter how level-headed, trustworthy, and deserving she thought she was, which apparently she wasn’t; and, or how much she may have wanted to join her friends, and classmates) into this Aruban “Girls Gone Wild” environment fraught with “alcohol”, readily available “drugs”, and plentiful “gonads”, with little or no supervision, was an accident waiting to happen at best, aside from any foul play.

That Natalee would have died in a car accident because a Kalpoe, or Van Der Sloot, drunk, and or on drugs, would have slammed their car into a light post thereby killing her, would not have made this less of a tragedy, which is the result of bad judgement, firstly on the part of Beth, for letting her daughter go, and secondly on the part of Natalee, for getting in a car with three young men she barely knew, at that time of night, and under the influence of God only knows what! What were her intentions? What was she expecting of them, to play patty cake with her???

If I'm so wrong in this, then pray tell me how if Natalee was sharing a room with other girls from her party (three I believe), they never reported her missing until the last minute just before departure late the following morning? Even Greta Van Susteren, Beth’ staunchest ally, has had to admit to this inconsistency in the statements made by Natalee's roommates in her programs!

Why did they not report her missing before? The obvious answer is that either they assumed she had not returned because she was "making out" (remember Natalee waved at some of her friends as she drove by with Joran, and the Kalpoe brothers in their car), or did not notice, because they were all either too drunk, or busy "making out" themselves! Otherwise, how can you explain it?

Also, at the outset of this melodrama we were told, that Natalee’s roommates, would not accede to being interviewed, on account that they had been asked not to do so by the FBI (absurd, since at that stage it was solely an Aruban investigation), until the on-going investigation would be completed.

Now information has surfaced that indicates, that it was Beth Holloway Twitty who had asked the girls not to comment on the particulars of the events taking place that evening in Aruba, in particular, on her daughter’s behavior prior her disappearance that night.

If this is true, why did Beth wanted them to lie? Perhaps, to be able to portray, her “innocent”, “virtuous”, daughter as the victim of a “dastardly deed", “perpetrated” upon her by others, rather than a willing participant in the folly responsible for her demise???

All I know, is that on the few occasions, where Natalee’s friends, and classmates have been interviewed on TV, their deportment has not been one, of someone distraught, and grieving for a missing friend, but rather one of fidgeting , evasiveness, and apparent complicity; lacking in emotion, as if concealing shame, or the knowledge that whatever happened, she had brought upon herself. How much do they know about what went on that day, that they are not telling?

At any rate, it is irresponsible, and highly reprehensible, on the part of the Networks, and the media, that while wars are raging, and terrorist attacks have been taking place around the world, other young “beautiful”, “American” girls have gone missing, hurricanes have come an gone, Supreme Court Appointment battles are being waged, floods have killed thousands in India and other parts of the world, nuclear threats are being tried to be diffused, and other far more significant news and developments, which will have a greater impact on all of our lives, are taking place, they are being mostly ignored, or sublimated, to the exorbitant, excessive, barrage of coverage given the disappearance of this one unfortunate girl!

Isn’t it time to put things in perspective? Enough of all this Natalee Holloway / Aruba media frenzy, and manipulations by Beth! Let events unfold as they may. Let the Aruban investigation come to its finality. Let her keep searching for her daughter as well she should. May she find her!

Let us, get back to focusing, as a Nation, on the events, and decisions we will take, which will shape our Country’s future, and that of the world we live in. Let us go on with our lives, and stop indulging in the morbid obsession with this "News Media TV Melodrama"!

Enough is enough!

Althor

[Althor]

Dear Valentine,

Thank you for the response to my Post!

Your statements are so full of inaccuracies, misconceptions, and fatuousness, that when I read them, my mouth just watered to respond .

First of all, if I have followed this case at all, it is not out of choice, but because it has been thrust by the ratings-hungry media in all our faces for over two months with such an exorbitant, and pervasive persistence, that it is very difficult to steer away from it when watching any news programs at all, and trust me I do, and have been changing the channel!

As a matter of fact the reasons for my posts here, are not to comment on the latest hear-say about Aruba, or Beth’s most recent antics, but indeed, as you suggested I should do, to talk about Afghanistan, and Iraq, the London terrorist bombings, the pending Supreme Court confirmation, and all the other important, relevant news and developments taking place, which are been overshadowed by this soap opera melodrama, and which are far more important, and consequential to all of our lives than the disappearance of this one insignificant girl!

Trust me! Osama must be laughing in mockery at this media fiasco, and pointing it out to his followers as one more proof of our banality, lack of backbone , and weakness. He must be wondering why all this fuss about a girl, when we should be focusing on fighting him in Iraq!

Now, I hate to burst your bubble, but I live in the US, I am not from Aruba, have never been to Aruba, and though I particularly have no reason to wish the island, or its people, any ill, I really could care less about them.

A journalist reports news. Natalee’s disappearance at the time it occurred was news. But devoting nightly two hours of “prime time”news coverage to interviewing Beth and her cronies every night at this stage of the case, with no new “hard” evidence or developments to report, but just going over, and over the same old baseless allegations Beth has been making all along, the same “rumors”, and “hear-say”, is like a dog going over, and over, his own vomit!

It is amazing with what rapidity you, and those of your ilk, are quick to jump to the conclusion that those boys who, unfortunately, were the last ones known to have been with Natalee, are premeditated cold blooded murderers, though this is unlikely.

They were partying with Natalee, and if they were involved in any crime pertaining to her disappearance, logic dictates that most likely it was not a “diabolical” plan well hatched in advance of which poor, virginal, Natalee was the intended victim, but an accidental mishap of which all have now become the victims!

I do not know Joran personally, not care to, He may be a brat, and what have you, but Joran is a child, 17 years old, younger than Natalee, and I’ll be damned if I pre-judge and condenm him for the rest of his life, without solid evidence of his culpability! So, let the evidence decide. “No body, no case!”

Yes, Natalee was an Honor Student (perhaps she knew how to use commas, and capitalization better than I do), and her loss, as that of any human being, is a tragedy in and of itself. But pray, what has her academic achievements have to do with her sexual behavior, or wether she was sexually active, promiscuous or not?

Yes, she deserved a trip for her academic achievements, and to enjoy herself before going on to college. She could have gone to Disney World, but it so happens her mother unleashed her alone, without supervision(where were the chaperones that night when she got in the car?), into a “Girls Gone Wild” environment, brimming with booze, drugs, and sex. Aruba, by the way, is a stopping point on the route for drugs coming into the US from South America. What a haven of safety to let your child loose in!

What do you think that they use in the “Girls Gone Wild” informercials you see on TV, actresses?

No! The girls on those shows, which for the most part take place in locales similar to Carlos& Charlie’s in the Bahamas, Cancun, and other “Tropical Paradise” locations, are for the most part students at “Spring Break”, or celebrating a “Graduation”, like Natalee; who are so gone into the partying , the dancing, the drinking, the drugs, and the sex, that they think nothing of it, and funny, to take their clothes off, and do all sort of crazy stuff in front of a camera. The company filming of course, has them sign a release before they film them, and they must attest to being over 18 years old, but it is real, not made up in some sleazy Hollywood back-drop! And Carlos & Charlie’s with one hundred partying teenagers, drunk, many on drugs, horny and sweaty, was certainly no nursery!

To say that Natalee got into the car (which it is reported Joran was driving), because she thought she was getting into a Taxi is ludicrous!

What, they now have “Self Drive-A-Taxi” taxi service in Aruba? She knew it was their car, and most likely where they was going, and she was willing to go.

If Natalee took any drugs, and she may have been taking drugs, they were not placed in her drink.If she had been drugged against her will at Carlos & Charlie’s, to the point that she was not fully conscious of where she was, or what she was doing, she would have had to been literally held up by someone to walk her out to the car, and according to witnesses this was not the case, also a person who is drugged, would not have the presence of mind to wave to friends as she passed by them in the car as it is reported she did. If there was an overdose of anything later on, she most likely was a willing participant.

From the very onset, Beth has been manipulating the media and all around her. Why did she prevented Natalee’s classmates from doing interviews, and making statements at the beginning of the investigation while blaming it on FBI directives? Was she afraid one of the kids would slip, and let known what had really been going on in Aruba, and tarnish her precious daughter’s image?

She has been manipulating everything all along, and has made a mockery of the tragedy of her daughter’s loss with all her parading in front of cameras as if Natalee’s disappearance was a “TV Reality Show”. She would have better served her daughter’s memory, had she gone about it all with more sobriety, and decorum, even if it had meant her having to dig up Aruba with her bare hands, rather than turning it all into a farce as she has!

Though obviously Beth did not set out to commercialize her daughter’s disappearance but only to find her, she, and her husband Jughead, are receiving sizeable donations which keep pouring in from gullible viewers, and well-wishers.

Now, who is in charge of that money, and what is it been spent on? Beth, and Jughead, may not have set out to do so, but obviously, they are profiting, and will profit from the windfall. And that’s not counting future book deals, TV mini-series, and the like!

Her latest escapade at the Internet Café was set up, like most of the rest of her performances. The ABC crew that took the footage has acknowledged to having been forewarned by Beth of her intentions of confronting Deepak and at what time and place; and she posted her two security guards outside, to keep “undesirables” away while filming took place. Talk about a premeditating, and manipulating!

Oh, but naturally Beth wants answers! Well what about the mothers of Tamika Houston, or Brenda Y. Cisneros, they were young, they were pretty too, don’t you think their mothers want answers too? Well, apparently the media has been too busy with Beth, and Natalee, to be able to pay any attention to the plight of these mothers, and many others like them, and it is unfair!

Natalee is no more, nor no less than any other child missing, or lost by a parent, and the preferential treatment given by the media to her disappearance, and all the unwarranted attention it has gathered due to no higher moral motive than “Ratings”, is an aberration, which is offensive to the parents of all the other missing children who have, because they lack the economic means, the savvy, or the connections, been cast aside, and not given the same exposure as Natalee, while the media lavishes its undivided attention on her. It's just wrong!

The evidence points out that whatever happened to her, Natalee’s lack of judgement was the cause of her doom. Had she left in the company of her classmates back to her room, instead of staying behind, and venturing alone with three male strangers into the night with God only knows what intentions, today, she would be alive. So yes, I have to say, that whatever befell her, she brought it upon herself!

Finally Valentine, it is highly commendable on your part that you should pray for Natalee, and for Beth, and their family. But shouldn’t you also pray for other missing children, and their parents, and families?

After all, they have only God, while Beth has the media!!!

Althor

[John]

This case has been interesting. I started to follow it initially out of sympathy for Beth Twitty and then hoping that Natalee would be found having a roll with a local before some premed grind.

Then it took on the dimensions of a mystery novel, with possible romance, a possible crime, a cast of characters I don't think even Faulkner could have invented.

The information that is not forthcoming is not from the Aruba authorities..(they need to withhold information to protect the integrity of their possible prosecution of Joran and possibly others). The information that seems essential to me in a missing person case would be initially from the family and friends. "Honors" student doesnt tell me anything. I was an "Honors" student, lots of my friends were and lots of kids I've worked with in the public schools are...all burning alcohol and having sex and doing drugs because they dont smell on your breath. Then it was reported that her graduating class has a 3.84 cumulative average......are they ALL smart...or is it a segregated school or what? The "friends" on TV seem actually to be either average of below average abilities AND hiding something.

Where is all this trust fund money going? Who is the trustee? Who the heck has a missing offspring gets to go to Aruba for months on end with everything paid for? I know literally hundreds of Speech Pathologists which apparently Beth is. One of the first things they do in the exclusive training programs is to teach the person not to speak (especially publically) with an indentifiable regional accent and dialect. Another strage thing is her insistance that this lack of eye contact by the people she confronts is evidence of something. Every SLP I know is taught that in actually MOST cultures making eye contact with an older person is RUDE........Strange........

The Tim Miller search group is also interesting with a web site starting with "donations". hmmmm

Where in the blue blazes did the Twitty's come up with this TJ Ward character? He has a black box that can tell if someone is lying regardless of language? The the guy is believing that Jossy Mansurs nephew's gardener who is and illegal allien is a credible witness located by one of Jossy's "investigators"?

I am watching Beth's mental condition which is now approaching paranoia and obsession, deteriorate by the day. Fueled by Fox and Grace spewing hate and bias dailey.

What was initially a human interest sympathy story is now a travesty and publicity money story and has really lost sight of Natalee. Now the story is Beth and Jug and these strange quacks that have emerged from the woodwork or from under southern rocks somewhere. John

[bryan]

Lets not let logic interfere with this investigation.

Remember way back when Beth Twitty first decided Joran was guilty. He was guilty because he did not tell Beth anything and was arrogant about it.

Now, coincidentally after Beth can not get Deepak to tell her what she wants to hear a suspicious story arises about Deepak being the killer.

Josey looks dumb but is he. He is so dumb that he stays on international TV with hopes of future jobs , books, etc. I wonder who's money Josey used to buy this "document" with. Beth does know how the game is played in the US media trials.

Lets also look at two nonforthcoming witnesses found as a result of Beth's money via a "private investigator". One disappeared and the other who claims to have helped in a burial is in a looney bin. Money for information buys information.

The point is lost that Natalee did a stupid thing and paid - or maybe she just ran away from control at home.

Whatever happened Beth, Fox, and a nation of others are determined to find a guilty party with no evidence.
Keep going and you can make the entire world as free of fact as the US court system.

And, don't think I do not know it from personal experience. My step daughter was raped and the court in the person of Sandra Ross in Birmingham Alabama let the rapist go. And the prosecutor tells us there is nothing she could do. Do you have that kind of experience?

Twitty is manipulating everthing she can to find an answer that satisfies. Having had the experience I know there is no such answer. At least not a US version and Beth Twitty is determined to foist her "truth" on any fact money can elucidate.

[Althor]

The disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba, and her likely demise, like that of any other human being, is a tragedy in and of itself.

It is understandable that Natalee’s mom (Beth Holloway Twitty to those who may impossibly not know at this point) would avail herself of every mean at her disposal to find her daughter, and answers, and this combined with the media’s insatiable appetite for “sensationalist” updates on a case with very little “hard” evidence, and few significant developments for over two months, has resulted in the whole thing having been “spin” out of control.

The story, in the words of a fellow blogger, has “...taken the dimensions of a mystery novel, with possible romance, a possible crime, and a cast of characters I don’t think even Faulkner could have invented,” all of it fueled by the “ratings” driven obsession of the media, and the increasingly paranoiac antics of Beth in front of the cameras which follow her assiduously, making of this tragedy a “media circus”, a “soap opera melodrama”, and a “TV reality show!”

Now, with all the hype been given to this story, I believe a good hype deserves another, so here it goes:

“It was bound to happen, in our consumerism oriented society.
The disappearance of young, pretty, Natalee Holloway in Aruba, has sparked the public’s imagination, and driven the ratings of those newscasts devoting prime time to her case through the roof. The attention given Ms. Holloway’s disappearance has far surpassed that of any other media event in television history.

On the web, countless blogs keep the avid public continuously updated of the least possible development on the story, and people are downloading a song / tribute written about Natalee from a site called “Nat’s Place,” a forthcoming recording of which has been rumored, possibly in Memphis.

On E-Bay, posters of Natalee dancing at Carlos & Charlie’s, and of her Yearbook picture, are on sale, as well as pirated DVDs of her home movies showing her at a High School function whirling her baton, Natalee “T” Shirts, and some of the reward posters from Aruba.

Some people have written the Postmaster General suggesting a US Commemorative stamp remembering Natalee should be issued by the Postal Service, featuring her Yearbook picture.

There are talks in Hollywood of a possible movie, and or TV mini-series, and several book deals are on the work, one by the Georgia investigator brought by the Twittys into the case (who will also be doing public appearances as a speaker on the subject), one by Mr. Mansur the Editor of “Diario,” the Aruban Newspaper, concentrating on an inside look at the investigation,
as well as well as an “official” account from Beth being negotiated with the Twittys.

In light of all this. Milton Bradley has announced its plan to release a new version of their classic game “Clue”based on the Aruba mystery.
The new game will be called “Natalee Missing in Aruba: Without a Clue.”
Though many of the details are still on the works, the cover will reputedly show Natalee’s Yearbook picture on one side, with a smaller picture of Greta Van Susteren, the Fox News pundit so devoted to her case, on the lower right corner endorsing the product.
The game will feature a map of Aruba, with such landmarks as the “Carlos & Charlie’s,” the “Marriott,” the “Pond” etc, in place of the old “rooms” of the original game.
Other elements of the game will also be updated to make it relevant to the actual case, so that instead of having “Mr. Green, with the Lead Pipe, in the Conservatory” or “Colonel Mustard, with the Revolver, in the Library” it will now have “ Joran Van Der Sloot. With the Dildo, in the Lighthouse” or “Deepak Kalpoe, with the Vibrator, in the Holiday Inn” and so on.
The final release date will be made public, as soon as licensing negotiation with Beth, and her husband Jughead, have come to a close.
As pre-release reservations keep pouring in at Milton Bradley’s web site, the game is expected to be sold out upon release, making it one of the hottest items on the market for this coming fall.”

This is farce of course, but the sad part is, that with the exception of the game, much of it is actually coming to pass. Truly sad!

Althor

The disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba, and her likely demise, like that of any other human being, is a tragedy in and of itself.

It is understandable that Natalee’s mom (Beth Holloway Twitty to those who may impossibly not know at this point) would avail herself of every mean at her disposal to find her daughter, and answers, and this combined with the media’s insatiable appetite for “sensationalist” updates on a case with very little “hard” evidence, and few significant developments for over two months, has resulted in the whole thing having been “spinned” out of control.

The story, in the words of a fellow blogger, has “...taken the dimensions of a mystery novel, with possible romance, a possible crime, and a cast of characters I don’t think even Faulkner could have invented,” all of it fueled by the “ratings” driven obsession of the media, and the increasingly paranoiac antics of Beth in front of the cameras which follow her assiduously, making of this tragedy a “media circus”, a “soap opera melodrama”, and a “TV reality show!”

Now, with all the hype been given to this story, I believe a good hype deserves another, so here it goes:

“It was bound to happen, in our consumerism oriented society.
The disappearance of young, pretty, Natalee Holloway in Aruba, has sparked the public’s imagination, and driven the ratings of those newscasts devoting prime time to her case through the roof. The attention given Ms. Holloway’s disappearance has far surpassed that of any other media event in television history.

On the web, countless blogs keep the avid public continuously updated of the least possible development on the story, and people are downloading a song / tribute written about Natalee from a site called “Nat’s Place,” a forthcoming recording of which has been rumored, possibly in Memphis.

On E-Bay, posters of Natalee dancing at Carlos & Charlie’s, and of her Yearbook picture, are on sale, as well as pirated DVDs of her home movies showing her at a High School function whirling her baton, Natalee “T” Shirts, and some of the reward posters from Aruba.

Some people have written the Postmaster General suggesting a US Commemorative stamp remembering Natalee should be issued by the Postal Service, featuring her Yearbook picture.

There are talks in Hollywood of a possible movie, and or TV mini-series, and several book deals are on the work, one by the Georgia investigator brought by the Twittys into the case (who will also be doing public appearances as a speaker on the subject), one by Mr. Mansur the Editor of “Diario,” the Aruban Newspaper, concentrating on an inside look at the investigation,
as well as well as an “official” account from Beth being negotiated with the Twittys.

In light of all this. Milton Bradley has announced its plan to release a new version of their classic game “Clue”based on the Aruba mystery.
The new game will be called “Natalee Missing in Aruba: Without a Clue.”
Though many of the details are still on the works, the cover will reputedly show Natalee’s Yearbook picture on one side, with a smaller picture of Greta Van Susteren, the Fox News pundit so devoted to her case, on the lower right corner endorsing the product.
The game will feature a map of Aruba, with such landmarks as the “Carlos & Charlie’s,” the “Marriott,” the “Pond” etc, in place of the old “rooms” of the original game.
Other elements of the game will also be updated to make it relevant to the actual case, so that instead of having “Mr. Green, with the Lead Pipe, in the Conservatory” or “Colonel Mustard, with the Revolver, in the Library” it will now have “ Joran Van Der Sloot. With the Dildo, in the Lighthouse” or “Deepak Kalpoe, with the Vibrator, in the Holiday Inn” and so on.
The final release date will be made public, as soon as licensing negotiation with Beth, and her husband Jughead, have come to a close.
As pre-release reservations keep pouring in at Milton Bradley’s web site, the game is expected to be sold out upon release, making it one of the hottest items on the market for this coming fall.”

Althor

[Kimberely]

Althor,

YOU ARE A JERK! I DON'T KNOW YOU BUT I HAVE A PICTURE OF YOU IN MY MIND. YOU SEEM TO HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO SPEND ON THIS BOARD WRITING. COULD IT BE BECAUSE YOU'RE SUCH A FREAKIN JERK THAT YOU HAVE NO LIFE AND NO FRIENDS??? YOU MAKE MY BLOOD BOIL!!! WHY DON'T YOU START YOUR OWN BOARD AND GET OFF OF THIS ONE.

[Valentine]

Right, Kimberly! Althor has FANGS! We are learning new things since he (or she) wrote his little tirade. Kalpoe Bros have been re-arrested, as well as next door friend Freddy A. Hopefully one of them will get a little poke to their conscience and forget what Joran's dad told them to do (shut up!) and we will get some answers, here. What does anyone think about a pig farm? This is totally disgusting, but my sister mentioned it to me--the pigs would eat every single thing. Do you think they dumped Natalee at a pig farm? I know they must have them in Arubs, don't they have the same sort of foodstuffs and tastes as Hawaii?

I sort of glossed over Mr. Althor's note, so I don't really know what he said, and don't really care. I do recall the other night when Robert Redford was on a show, he actually said, people, something like this: "I don't get caught up in this insignificant stuff like Michael Jackson or a missing girl from Alabama" and went on to say he cares about the environment. What an asshole! I have made it a point to never rent or watch a movie of his since Jeramiah Johnson (good movie) cause he is such an asshole. He's as bad as Timothy Treadwell (not his real name, read "The Grizzly Maze" --yes, you have guessed it, I am from Alaska. And they are bound to make a movie about Timothy Treadwell and the grizzly bears of Katmai. Starring, I have heard, Leonardo DiCaprio. Pah-leeze! Well you know who won't be going to see it. Timothy Treadwell killed two bears, himself and his girlfriend--oh, let me rephrase that--a girl he was using to make himself look like he had an education and knew what he was doing.

[Valentine]

Bryan,

Jossie Mansur is the editor of the Aruban newspaper, "Diario". He has been one of the main contributors to information in the case. He was responsible for some females coming forward, telling about other sexual advances/rapes committed by Joran and his cronies. It will be found out, soon.

All I can say to Althor is, don't watch the news. I can't imagine what kind of thing he is. Did anyone think about that the peace sign is just the footprint of the American Chicken?

[John]

Althor and those of like mind, to put it in a few words, fault Beth Twitty for allowing her daughter to vacation in Aruba and blame Natalee for bad judgement. Add to that all the criticism and suspicions about Beth Twitty's motives.

The media comes in for attack for their nightly attention to the mysterious disappearance, during an island vacation, of a young American woman.

The arrests (remember also the two black security guards), the lies, the suspicious involvement of Paulus Van der Sloot (yes, I believe he is protecting his child despite the grief borne by the Holloway/Twitty families), and to boot, the fact that Aruban authorities neglected to deal with the case properly from the outset.

That said, I have no problem with Althor's viewpoint. Our thoughts and beliefs belong to each one of us.

For some reason I can understand why this particular case became a media story. One can pontificate on why Natalee was permitted to take the trip to Aruba, or that she made some stupid decisions. Name someone who hasn't. But did she deserve to die, if that is what occurred?

As to the media coverage, radio and television programs run 24 hours a day. Most of the programming is inane, IMO. If an hour or so focused on this missing young lady in Aruba, so what.

For those who object, I'll have to assume they don't watch any of the police/detective programs prevalent on television. For those who looked forward to NYPD Blues, Law and Order, and so many other cop shows...keep in mind...they're fiction. OK. They are usually aired once a week. Yet many find them interesting. I have, also.

Who decides that those who look forward to their weekly "cops and robbers" programs shouldn't have that interest? Following that, is it bizarre for people to give some of their attention to real-life crime cases?

Plenty of information is made available and those interested at all in U.S. and world affairs have every opportunity to keep abreast of what's happening. It does not require 24 hrs. a day.

The whole country has been bombarded with news of hurricanes...Katrina and Rita. EVERY news channel I watch is dedicated to the destruction. Repetition abounds.

Do I believe all American taxpayers should pick up the tab for those who choose to live in coastal, hurricane-prone cities and towns? NO.

Sorry. I digress. That is another topic.

[valentine]

I am going to ask Dan to remove my last two posts because I am sure the intended person saw them, and they don't belong on this site. This person claims I have sites up about her, and I don't. I made web pages for her several years ago--and deleted them. She invaded a poetry site I am on, made slanderous web pages about me on yahoo and wrote a phony book review on Amazon, all of which I got removed. I'm just letting everyone know that my posts were taken off by my own request, and not for any other reason except that I want my side of the street to be clean.