Author Anne Rice passed away 4 years ago this date, December 11, 2021.

Anne is best known for her work "The Vampire Chronicles" which contains 13 novels centered around the vampire Lestad. The first novel in the series was probably the most famous - 1976's "Interview with the Vampire."

Anne Rice sold over 100 million books during her lifetime.

Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans, Orleans Parish, LA.

 

Ed Kemper will be 77 on December 18th. I'm sharing this information because I read that he has had a few strokes, is in a wheelchair and suffers from Alzheimer's disease now. I was curious about what his life has been like. Apparently, he still gets hundreds of letters a week. He's still considered a high risk to reoffend.

In the California Medical Facility, Kemper was incarcerated in the same prison block as other notorious criminals such as Herbert Mullin and Charles Manson. Kemper showed particular disdain for Mullin, who committed his murders at the same time and in the same area as Kemper. He described Mullin as "just a cold-blooded killer... killing everybody he saw for no good reason." Kemper manipulated and physically intimidated Mullin, who, at 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m), was a foot shorter than he. Kemper stated that "[Mullin] had a habit of singing and bothering people when somebody tried to watch TV, so I threw water on him to shut him up. Then, when he was a good boy, I'd give him peanuts. Herbie liked peanuts. That was effective because pretty soon, he asked permission to sing. That's called behavior modification treatment."

Kemper remained among the general population in prison and was considered a model prisoner. He was in charge of scheduling other inmates' appointments with psychiatrists and was an accomplished craftsman of ceramic cups. He was also a prolific narrator of audiobooks for a charity program that prepared material for the visually impaired; a 1987 Los Angeles Times article stated that he was the coordinator of the prison's program and had personally spent over 5,000 hours narrating books with several hundred completed recordings to his name. Kemper was retired from these positions in 2015 after he experienced a stroke and was declared medically disabled. He received his first rules violation report in 2016 for failing to provide a urine sample.

While imprisoned, Kemper has participated in a number of interviews, including a segment in the 1981 documentary The Killing of America, as well as an appearance in the 1984 documentary Murder: No Apparent Motive. His interviews have contributed to the understanding of the mind of serial killers. FBI profiler John E. Douglas described Kemper as "among the brightest" prison inmates he interviewed and capable of "rare insight for a violent criminal." He further added that he personally liked Kemper, referring to him as "friendly, open, sensitive, [and having] a good sense of humor." However, Kemper's discussions with Robert Ressler changed how the FBI conducted interviews with serial killers. According to Ann Burgess, Kemper told Ressler at the end of one of their interviews, "The guard isn't coming back. They're on change of shift. He's not going to be here for 30 minutes. In that time, I could snap your head and leave it on the table. I'd own the prison then. I killed an FBI agent." After the guard came back, Kemper said he was joking. Regardless, FBI agents were required to conduct interviews in pairs and could no longer do this alone.

Kemper is forthcoming about the nature of his crimes and has stated that he participated in the interviews to save others like himself from killing. At the end of his Murder: No Apparent Motive interview, he said, "There's somebody out there that is watching this and hasn't done that—hasn't killed people, and wants to, and rages inside and struggles with that feeling, or is so sure they have it under control. They need to talk to somebody about it. Trust somebody enough to sit down and talk about something that isn't a crime; thinking that way isn't a crime. Doing it isn't just a crime; it's a horrible thing. It doesn't know when to quit, and it can't be stopped easily once it starts." He also conducted an interview with French writer Stéphane Bourgoin in 1991.

Kemper was first eligible for parole in 1979. He was denied parole that year, as well as at parole hearings in 1980, 1981, and 1982. He subsequently waived his right to a hearing in 1985. He was denied parole at his 1988 hearing, where he said, "Society is not ready in any shape or form for me. I can't fault them for that." He was denied parole again in 1991 and in 1994. He then waived his right to a hearing in 1997 and in 2002. He attended the next hearing in 2007, where he was again denied parole. Prosecutor Ariadne Symons said, "We don't care how much of a model prisoner he is because of the enormity of his crimes." Kemper waived his right to a hearing again in 2012. He was denied parole in 2017, and after declining to attend a parole hearing in 2024, Kemper was denied parole again. He is next eligible in 2031. Following his 2024 parole hearing, it was reported that Kemper was wheelchair-bound and suffered from diabetes and coronary heart disease. A psychiatric evaluation conducted in April 2024 classified him as a "high risk" to reoffend.

 

This 1903 Photo of a Girl Holding Grandma’s Hand Seemed Happy — Until Restoration Exposed the Truth...

 

In March 1903, in a modest Victorian parlor in Springfield, Massachusetts, a professional photographer captured what appeared to be a tender family moment. 7-year-old Catherine Rose Miller sitting beside her beloved grandmother, Ellanar Miller, holding her hand and smiling sweetly at the camera.

The photograph radiated warmth, love, and the simple joy of a child with her grandmother. For 118 years, this photograph remained in the Miller family's possession, passed down through four generations as a cherished memory of Catherine and Ellanar's special bond.

But in 2021, when Catherine's great-great-granddaughter had the photograph professionally restored and digitized, the restoration specialist noticed something that had been invisible in the aged, faded original print.

Something in Grandmother Ellanar's appearance, something in her posture, her skin tone, her eyes, something that revealed a heartbreaking truth about what was actually happening in that parlor in March 1903. Subscribe now because this photograph isn't a happy family portrait. It's something far more tragic.

And the truth has been hiding in plain sight for 118 years. The photograph arrived at Jennifer Walsh's restoration studio in Boston in February 2021, submitted by Emma Richardson, a 34year-old graphic designer who had inherited boxes of family photographs from her grandmother's estate.

Emma wanted several important images professionally restored for preservation. The 1903 photograph showed a formal Victorian parlor, ornate wallpaper, heavy curtains, a velvet upholstered chair. In the center sat a woman approximately 65 to 70 years old, Ellanar Miller in an elaborate wooden chair.

She wore a formal black Victorian dress with high collar, gray hair styled in a neat bun. Beside her, on a small cushioned stool, sat a young girl, Catherine Rose Miller, age seven, wearing a white dress with lace details and ribbons in her dark curly hair.

Catherine was turned toward her grandmother, her small hand holding the older woman's hand, her face showing a genuine smile. The photograph was heavily faded with significant water damage, cracks, and yellowing from 118 years of aging. The back bore faded ink.

Ellanar and Catherine, March 1903. Jennifer had restored thousands of Victorian era photographs during her 15 years in the business. She began her standard process, scanning the original at 15,000 dpy, then working digitally to restore contrast, remove damage, and recover lost details.

As Jennifer worked on restoring the contrast and sharpness, she focused first on the faces, standard procedure, to ensure the subjects looked their best. She enhanced Catherine's face. The bright eyes, genuine smile, childlike joy were beautifully preserved. Then she began working on Grandmother Ellanar's face, and she stopped... Grandmother, Ellanar, was, in fact, deceased.

 

Memento mori, "remember you must die." 

 

 

 

The conscience of the world is dead, and humanity has gone away.