Copycats?

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Today I have posted some pictures. There are a few from my short — 24 hour — trip to New York City on Wednesday and the rest of the images are from our Wednesday "road trip" to tape the segment on the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR.) The GPR is going to be used Friday to search the land for Natalee Holloway (search).

The images from the trip to New York are light hearted. One shows the rather stale food you find in the "Hannity & Colmes" green room. By the time their show starts, it is 9 p.m. ET, so I guess one would expect the food to be stale. Another picture is of Shepard Smith on the set for his 3 p.m. ET show. I had just presented him with a new "On the Record" pedometer. Later in the day he bragged about the number of steps he had done... not sure he was telling the truth... I should have looked at the screen on his pedometer since the number was very impressive.)

The remaining pictures are different — they give you a quick look at the behind the scenes of our taping of the GPR segment that we aired Thursday night. One of the pics gives you an idea of how the GPR is strapped to the body so that the actual search can be done. There is a harness you strap on and then you move along the terrain pulling the antenna like you are mowing a lawn. The process is not fast but quite helpful in searches. The GPR is fascinating — or at least I thought so. I like to go in the field and actually see the technical equipment so that I better understand the equipment. (I would like to see a methane detector — another device being used in the search for Natalee Holloway.)

Who doesn't love flattery? Our staff was flattered by another network when we came up with the unusual segment idea of explaining (and showing) the GPR. On Thursday I posted in this blog what we were going to do yesterday — get some information in Virginia about the Ground Penetrating Radar for you. The GPR is being used in Aruba to look for Natalee — and guess what? Another network copied us! After our posting on the blog, the other network called the organization in Virginia to do the same thing! Yes... we networks have the same guests on the same topics all the time, but this was an unusual booking and the timing of the "copying" made it fun and amusing for us. So... thanks for the complement! Call us if you want to know what we are doing Friday night! Just kidding....

Here are some e-mails:

E-mail No. 1

Greta,
Two of my friends went to Aruba in May and they said it is the most beautiful place to see and had a great vacation there.
I think that people who go there need to act responsibly and sensibly; not go crazy with drinking or drugs and lose complete control of themselves. If they do this these terrible things can happen to them. Especially to young beautiful women.
I feel so sorry for Natalee and most of all her family.
Thanks for the great coverage; I watch your show every night you're on.
Thanks,
Vi Rothermel
Shannon, IL

E-mail No. 2

Greta,
I wonder when one lives and works in Aruba — where does one go to vacation? Obviously, taking a vacation during this investigation is the most ridiculous item of the day. I so admire the Holloway family. My prayers are with them.
Pat Dykj

ANSWER: Pat, many people I met who live in Aruba and who can afford to travel go to Holland for vacations. Some go to Florida.

E-mail No. 3

Hi Greta,
First, please thank Beth for allowing the public to see the videos of Natalee dancing. It changed her from a pretty picture on a poster to a real, living, breathing, wonderfully talented human being.
Second, if you have a chance, would you ask Dr. Michael Baden what would happen if the results of the DNA (search) test came back different from The Netherlands than the FBI/Quantico? Is it even possible to get two different DNA results from the same evidence? Would it even matter now that the defense attorney has requested that the DNA results not be allowed as evidence should there be a trial?
Thanks much Greta,
Rhonda

E-mail No. 4

Are you going to go camp out in Philadelphia and devote your whole show to LaToyia [Figueroa] (search) in an effort to find her? Thought not! She's not a rich little white girl with politically connected parents. At least she didn't go out drinking and slumming to cause her disappearance.
Dan Coates

ANSWER: Dan, apparently you are not watching. Our show was — I think — the first to report on LaToyia's disappearnace. We started it on Wednesday night's show with the lead police looking for her. All day long yesterday FOX did updates on the search for her. FOX News staffers were also dispatched to Philadelphia to help collect news for us about her and book potential guests. The bottom line is this: Often you don't know the behind the scenes work we do in an effort to gain information and report on a story.

When we start covering a story (like Natalee), we have no idea if it is a one-day story (e.g. the missing person is found right away thus ending the story) or whether the story will be a long one. We can't anticipate an event like 9/11, which completely changed the topics covered for months. Once we start a story, we like to follow through — although that is not always possible. Sometimes other news stories arise bumping others off the radar screen. If you watched our show, you would know that we cover missing person stories of all races and both genders I admit I would like to cover all the stories in great depth — until the missing person is found (regardless of race, gender or economic status) and we don't. There are many reasons why we can't cover some stories in depth —including a lack of cooperation by a police force or family.

E-mail No. 5

Surely you people must realize that all these "supposedly" clues are being planted. The tape with blond hair, the grave-like sand digging, the pond, the landfill, etc. Someone is just enjoying seeing you run around the island. Or maybe a friend of the suspects is doing this just to throw the investigators off. Just think about it. The thought of the previous is just as real as anything else.
Lewis Saintsing
Capt. Dets./Vice (Retired)

E-mail No. 6

Have Satish and/or Deepak Kalpoe attempted to leave the island? It would seem to me if they were guilty of hijacking Natalee Holloway to Nicaragua, etc., they would want to take the same deceptive way out of Aruba to avoid prosecution.
The blonde hair on the duct tape not being Natalee's is one more step in a good direction. Isn't it amazing how much activity has suddenly taken place with more input from the FBI?!
We'd still like to get a thorough check of that well.
Joyce Woods
Herington, KS

ANSWER: As far as I know, they have not attempted to leave Aruba.

E-mail No. 7 — This next viewer reads GretaPoll:

For those who don't know, echinacea is used for bacterial infections and goldenseal is used for viruses.
JW Scarborough
Salem, AL

E-mail No. 8

You don't hear much about Natalee's roommates at the hotel where she was staying. Did they wake in the night and notice she was not there and if they did not wake in the night, were they concerned when they got up the next morning and she was not there? We only here that she did not show up to get on the plane. It seems strange that if she had three people staying with her in her room, why didn't they notice something earlier?
Pam
Danville, IL

ANSWER: As far as I know, they did not notice her absence until morning but I am still trying to get that answer.

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