Lisa Irwin from Missouri is still missing, and she is one of thousands of people who disappear each year across the country. Of the 80 children missing in Georgia, three are from our area.

The mysterious disappearing case of baby Lisa Irwin is sparking national conversation about missing children everywhere, as law enforcement in Missouri frantically search for the child.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, roughly 800,000 children (those younger than 18) are reported missing each year. That's an average of 2,000 children per day. More than 80 are missing from Georgia, as listed on the Center's website. Three of those kids are, sadly, from Norcross.

Twenty-five percent of these children, or 200,000, are abducted by family members, according to the Center. Some 58,000 were abducted by non-family members, and 115 children are taking in "stereotypical" kidnapping cases. Those are the cases where children are likely to be kept overnight by strangers,held for ransom, transported more than 50 miles away, killed or permanently kept.

Ketchup, a petite 22-year-old from Chicago with wavy red hair and glasses with bright red frames, arrived in Zuccotti Park in New York on Sept. 17. She had a tent, a rolling suitcase, 40 dollars' worth of food, the graphic version of Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" and a sleeping bag. She had no return ticket, no idea what she was undertaking, and no acquaintances among the stragglers who joined her that afternoon to begin the Wall Street occupation. She decided to go to New York after reading the Canadian magazine Adbusters, which called for the occupation, although she noted that when she got to the park Adbusters had no discernable presence.

The lords of finance in the looming towers surrounding the park, who toy with money and lives, who make the political class, the press and the judiciary jump at their demands, who destroy the ecosystem for profit and drain the U.S. Treasury to gamble and speculate, took little notice of Ketchup or any of the other scruffy activists on the street below them. The elites consider everyone outside their sphere marginal or invisible. And what significance could an artist who paid her bills by working as a waitress have for the powerful? What could she and the others in Zuccotti Park do to them? What threat can the weak pose to the strong? Those who worship money believe their buckets of cash, like the $4.6 million JPMorgan Chase gave a few days ago to the New York City Police Foundation, can buy them perpetual power and security. Masters all, kneeling before the idols of the marketplace, blinded by their self-importance, impervious to human suffering, bloated from unchecked greed and privilege, they were about to be taught a lesson in the folly of hubris.

This year marks the seventh "billion-person" milestone in the planet's history. On or around Oct. 31, 2011, the world's 7 billionth person will be born, the United Nation estimates.

Even more staggering is that of the 7 billion people on Earth, about 1.4 billion of them will be old enough to have observed the arrivals of the 6 billionth, 5 billionth, 4 billionth and 3 billionth people in the world. About 42.5 million people could have blown the party horn for the birth of the 2 billionth baby.

Yes, population has risen very quickly over the last century. Demographers do expect a decline in the population growth rate, but absolute numbers will continue to rise, likely hitting 9 billion by 2050. Meanwhile, we look back at history's past population milestones, asking: "How has the world changed?"

When it comes to having twins, not all regions are created equal. Central Africa snags the record for the highest twin birthrate, while Asia and Latin America have much lower rates of twinning, according to a new international study and global twins database.

The central African country of Benin has the highest national average of twinning, with a whopping 27.9 twins per 1,000 births, the researchers added.

The findings may help answer questions about the causes of twinning, which may range from a mother's age, height and diet to genetic factors that are passed down through the maternal line, as well as mortality differences between boys and girls in certain regions.

Tallying twins

Twins have long fascinated the world, even making their way into myth and religion, from Castor and Pollux, the brothers from Greek mythology and basis for the constellation Gemini, to the epic tales of the Hero Twins in the sacred ancient Mayan book known as "Popol Vuh." Identical twins have proven vital in science as well, in particular with questions about nature and nurture - since they are genetically identical, any differences seen between them can reveal the effects that environment might have on individuals.

Until now, scientists had a very incomplete picture of the number of twins around the world. Reliable national information on twinning was only available from highly developed countries with good birth registrations. Data from less developed regions were often weak or lacking all together.

Occupy Wall Street protesters are ditching their downtown digs - for an afternoon. Protesters are planning a so-called "Billionaire's Tour" for Tuesday afternoon that targets the homes of five wealthy New Yorkers: NewsCorp CEO Rupert Murdoch, industrialist David Koch, hedge fund manager John Paulson, real estate developer Howard Milstein, and JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.

Koch is the wealthiest of the group, with a net worth of $25 billion, according to Forbes' list of the richest people in America. Dimon, whose net worth has been estimated at $200 million, appears not to be a billionaire. He is, however, one of America's most powerful bankers.

A Facebook page created by "Beyond May 12" describes the tour: "Wanna 'see how the 1% lives'? Then join us on a walking tour of the homes of some of the bank and corporate executives that don't pay taxes, cut jobs, engaged in mortgage fraud, tanked our economy.....all while giving themselves record setting bonuses!"

Defiant Occupy Boston protesters were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly and being in a public park after hours in a massive, early morning crackdown at the protest group's second tent city on the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

"It's important that we gain control and make sure the rules are followed, " said Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, who was on site during the police action.


The protesters tents and personal belongings were also tossed into the trash during the sweep that kicked off at about 1:30 a.m. and included about 100 arrests.

The days of enjoying a leisurely smoke on a Greater Victoria park bench or at the beach could be numbered.

The capital region will undoubtedly follow other municipalities in considering a smoking ban in outdoor areas such as parks, playgrounds, beaches and trails, local politicians say.

"It's a big issue for parents," said Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin, adding residents are often as much concerned about smokers tossing cigarette butts as they are about second-hand smoke.

"I've had several people raise it as an issue for them. It's something we should take a look at."

The trend for smoke-free parks, playgrounds, beaches and trails is picking up steam.

Over the next months, Vancouver City Council members will consider a few new rules to add to the city code regarding parks. If adopted, that means no more booze and cigs in public parks.

The City of Vancouver Law Department and the Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation Department on Monday proposed to completely ban smoking any form of tobacco in public parks, trails and recreation centers, citing scientific research on the dangers of second-hand smoke. City staff also recommended prohibiting the possession and use of liquors, except during special events permitted by the city and state.

Also proposed is keeping people out of parks for unruly and disruptive behavior. The draft ordinance includes rules on how long a person can be banned from a public park or recreation facility. This can be as short as seven days or as long as one year, depending on the nature of the misconduct and prior violations of park rules.

A general overseeing the air campaign says loyalists are taking advantage of urban settings that prevent heavy airstrikes

Washington - The commander of NATO's air campaign in Libya has said that hundreds of organized fighters loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi pose a "resilient and fierce" threat in the two remaining pro-Qaddafi strongholds, and are exploiting the urban settings to complicate the alliance's mission to protect civilians.

In the coastal city of Surt and the desert enclave of Bani Walid, pro-Qaddafi snipers on rooftops and loyalist gunmen in pickup trucks are terrorizing residents, killing some and intimidating many others, said the officer, Lt. Gen. Ralph J. Jodice II of the United States Air Force.

General Jodice said a mix of African mercenaries and Qaddafi loyalist troops have successfully sustained command-and-control and supply lines in staunch defense of the cities, despite a NATO air campaign that is now in its seventh month and a multipronged ground assault in Surt by anti-Qaddafi fighters.

"It's really been quite interesting how resilient and fierce they've been," General Jodice said in a telephone interview on Sunday from his command center just north of Bologna, Italy. "We're all surprised by the tenacity of the pro-Qaddafi forces. At this point, they might not see a way out."

General Jodice's comments, coming on Sunday as former rebel fighters battled their way into the heart of Surt and then were driven back by sniper and mortar fire, tempered the boasts of anti-Qaddafi forces that Surt would soon be theirs and once again underscored the limitations that have confronted NATO throughout the air campaign.

As commodity prices have soared, thefts of said commodities have, too.

Church roofs have gone missing as the price of lead hit all-time highs, used fryer grease has disappeared from behind fast food restaurants and resold for biofuel, and thieves have robbed beauty salons, making off with -- not cash -- but tens, sometimes hundreds, of thousands of dollars worth of hair extensions.

Now, an entire bridge has been stolen for scrap -- only the folks who stole it didn't time the market particularly well.

The 50-foot bridge, made of corrugated steel and formerly located in New Castle, Pennsylvania, was valued at "about $100,000," according to the Associated Press.