We are getting close to end of this last post. So I putting something together quickly. I am just thinking today of the vast differences in our temperatures and humidity. Coreen is having very wet and cool weather. Carol is having hot and humid weather. We are having heat and dry weather.
192 comments:
The 1st pic is from several years ago when my sons and grandsons visited Mexico. I call it "belly up to bar boys."
The 2nd pic is one of John a "few" years ago. See if you can find him.
The 3rd pic was taken on I 40 in Tenn. I thought it interesting and creative of the person who created it.
The last pic is also on I 40 in Tenn. it is part of an amusement park ride.
Carol, sorry I missed your link about roommate - I had looked first at the barking can and then forgot to go back and look at the roommate link.
Very interesting. If Casey did -in fact - kill Caylee, she is a sociopath. If it was an accident, and she covered it up - she probably has a narcissistic personality disorder or maybe both.
I too do not want her to get the death penalty. I would like to see how she will react years down the road when she is more mature - to this whole thing.
barking cat - not can
Neat pics Jan and just in the nick of time. Pretty refreshing place for a bar but I hope no one gets too drunk.
People are saying that the defense had a good week. I don't agree. Maybe they made some headway in their drowning theory but what confuses me about that theory is why not report it right away. Almost any explanation would have been acceptable.
If Casey and George were both involved in this drowning incident, it would have been even easier to come up with an explanation. Each could say that they thought that Caylee was with the other. Even cases of pretty severe negligence usually goes unpunished since most feel that the death of the child is a bad enough punishment.
It's not that uncommon for two parents or caregivers to think the kid is with the other. I remember years back when this Peds physician left one of his 8 kids at Mickey Ds. His family was going on vacation and they were traveling in 2 vehicles because of all the kids. Each parent thought this one kid was with the other parent. It took a while for them to realize he was left behind. I think he was the youngest of the pack.
Then there needs to be an explanation for Casey's behavior that night and the next 31 days. The first night she and her new boyfriend rented two movies, at least one was a murder movie. She spent the night with the boyfriend and he noticed no change in her behavior. She was happy.
There are just no reasonable explanations for anything except the possibility of the drowning in this theory.
I'm wondering if this trial delay might be some sort of plea deal for Casey. When the judge postponded the trial today, he just didn't seem angry enough looking like I would suspect he would if it was a lawyer mistake that took out an entire day of trial.
And if you listen to Cindy and Lee's testimony, they almost seem like they have planned what they have said. They can hear it all the testimony each day and carefully plan how to plant some doubt, not necessarily reasonable but we'll see how the jury takes it.
WFTV.com 9 has just about anything you want to know about this trial. They even show it live online each day.
WFTV.com Casey on Trial
Something else interesting.. those photos the defense showed included a demo of Caylee climbing up the ladder with grandma..going up..on the top..and going over.
Then you have a pic of Caylee with her arm stretched above her head..holding onto the handle of the sliding glass door. The door is partially open. These are pics, not videos..I think..if they were videos they should have showed them.
Those pics just don't seem like pics I would take. They seem more like "how to" pics
The child with her hand on the sliding glass door handle is taken from the back and looked like a fairly large child. But even if that is her, with her arm in that position, stretched above her head, I can't see how she could abduct her arm with enough force to open that door. Some sliding glass doors kick my ass and I don't have to stretch my arm high over my head.
Another thing I've come to learn with this trial is...some of these forensic scientists seem to have their testimony up for sale. One was the 85 year old pathologist and the other was the older female botanist. She said that body could have been where it was found for as little as two weeks.
They showed the baby blanket and it was inundated with roots. Even with Miracle Grow you can't get that kind of plant growth in two weeks and hard to do in two months. The prosecutor kinda made her appear a little senile. I think any of the jurors familiar with the grass in their yard should see thru her.
I really think they could have done without most of the forensics. A lot of time, experts and, I bet, a ton of money, testifying on the decomposition odor. There were enough people, at least 7, many who were very familiar with the smell of a dead body, who testified that Casey's car smelled like a dead body. A small bag of garbage with no rotting meat would not produce that kind of odor.
I'm gonna make a prediction here. The prosecution is going to come down with a big hammer in their rebuttal case. I think they have gone somewhat easy on the family during their first presentation and the defense presentation but that might not be the case in their rebuttal, especially now that they have seen what the family is up to. I do understand the family's motives though.
These prosecutors are sharp, very impressive. And the judge really wows me. His brain is like a law library.
Jan..I went to read Great Scots blog this morning and he reports some clitch that kept him from putting up a new post. I actually hadn't read his latest post which was his last week's post. I must have read the one he posted the week before. That happens if I go to read his blog too early.
I could relate to the experience he wrote about. When it happens you think..this could only happen to me but I guess that's not the case. That was similar to the experience I had during my last Houston trip. My experience wasn't quite as bad in one way but worse in that I didn't yet have a room.
And Coreen..that homeless man that inherited money from his brother didn't show up where he was supposed to show up to claim his inheritance. I hope he's OK. If you read anything Coreen..let us know. He was headed to NY so you might read something in your local news.
That points to something I often ponder..especially because of where I work. And that is..do people have a certain destiny that nothing seems to be able to break? And do we..in some way..determine that destiny?
Sun is out today...
Thanks Jan for posting the latest pics of your traveling days...& found John pretty quick...
Carol, looks like the Utah homeless guy arrived in upstate NY...the bus he was on broke down...
Here's the scoop from the english tabloid...
fills in some blanks as well..
homeless man who will inherit $100,000, bus breaks down on the way
Oh good Coreen.
Saw this the other day...but forgot to share it...if you put it on full screen you can see
it better...
In FL someone got a short video of a shark
(not one that attacks humans) jumping a surfer...if the guy told the story, no one would likely believe him...but...let's go to the video...(And remember the phrase 'jump the shark' origin...Happy Days...when Fonzie
jumps a shark while waterskiing, still in his leather jacket)...loved that show...where are its reruns...
Shark jumps a surfer
Coreen, that was a cool video.
yes Coreen, that shark video was pretty amazing. Wouldn't have taken me long to get my booty back to the beach after seeing that.
I've been pretty useless today except that I did do some vacuuming and mopping, not the entire place. I went out and washed off my mower because I got it stuck in the mud trying to do a good deed.
My neighbors got loads of dirt over at their place and then put down some grass seed. I didn't know it was rye grass seed. I made the mistake of doing that years ago at my house and learned not to do that again. It grows extremely fast but the ground under it, if it rains stays damp.
Until it rained the other day, I was watering their seeds daily and most of the seeds did come up. It wouldn't have if I hadn't worked hard at watering it.
That yard has been mowed twice since I mowed mine and it was almost up to my knees again. Mine barely needed mowing. When I mowed my yard yesterday, I decided I'd zip over and mow theirs. It didn't take long to realize that under that very tall grass was thick mud. I got stuck. A zero turn doesn't work in the mud. I did call my other neighbor and with his help got my mower out, but full of mud.
My ground was dry but under that rye grass it was soft deep mud. By the time that yard drys out, they can cut it for hay.
I didn't get to my yard at the house, wasn't in the mood. Spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch.
While I was being a slug, I went to the Casey Trial site and listened and watched some of the videos and audios they did of the family right after Casey returned home without little Caylee. I was very curious about the characters in the family and the family dynamics.
Lee is a very likable guy. He was very helpful in trying to get to the facts about what happened to Caylee. One video was a survelance video of him talking to Tony, the last boyfriend Casey was with when Caylee went missing. I guess the police set that up since it was done in Tony's car.
Lee was trying to get info from Tony to put together a time line. He sounded legit. I listened to an audio interview of him done by the police also and he gave them lots of information about the family and what he learned in his investigation of the timeline.
George was also very likable and helpful. You could tell that his wife, Cindy was being a handful. Cindy was the one who was not likable. I do understand what she was going thru but the others were also. Listening to her I thought..the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!
Cindy was trying to run the entire investigation, insisting that the police follow every crazy lead. If they didn't, she got on TV and ranted about their incompetence. They may have found little Caylee sooner if it wasn't for her sending them on wild goose chases.
You could tell that George was trying to help his wife and keep her lid on but that it was an impossible task. I totally forgive him if he did have an affair. You could tell he was very concerned about his wife.
It also seemed obvious from listening to that material that the family feared, from early on, that something awful happened to Caylee and the smell in the car was one of the reasons. After that early period they may have all gone into denial or are just trying to protect Casey from the death penalty.
Cindy loved that baby but she had a low tolerance for her daughter, probably for good reason. When the police asked her about the nanny and if she ever talked to her, her response was why, that was none of my business. Nothing about her daughters affairs seemed to be any of her business. She said that Casey had given her several phone numbers and addresses for the nanny but there was never a need to contact her.
They all knew she was stealing everyone blind and did nothing about that. Cindy didn't seem to care except that she did put Casey down often. She also insisted that Casey take care of her daughter even if they were around and could have babysitted. Cindy came off as a total bitch. Interesting that, for this trial, the men are on the hot seat and Cindy looks like a pityful victim.
And Jan, there was evidence that things got really bad with Casey right around the time she had Caylee.
I wish the jury could hear that material. It would give then so much more insight and maybe a little sympathy.
When Casey first admitted to Lee that her daughter had been missing for 31 days, the next words out of her mouth were about the things Cindy said to her...that her mom said that Caylee was the first good mistake that Casey ever made. I think that was very telling.
That bondsman who bonded Casey out and had that woman babysit her while she was, has nothing but horrible things to say about Cindy. He really liked and felt sorry for George.
I think some of Lee's tears are because he may feel guilty that he didn't do more to help his little sister. I do think they were close.
I think that both George and Lee might be willing to get thrown under the bus to save Casey and Cindy will help to shove them farther under.
If you are watching any of this trial, start watching Cindy with a new pair of glasses.
Casey was waving some pretty big red flags, at least in the last several years...and I can almost imagine her mom saying...it's not my problem.
Lee was crying on the stand when he said that his mom cut him out of being included in his sister's pregnancy. I think his grief is that he let her. He really regrets that.
Wow Carol, Lots of family dynamics.
Bad fire in Los Alamos area of NM. This is not too far from Santa Fe. Fire started around 1 pm today. It is so dry here. this could be bad.
Jan..isn't that where Scottyman lives??
All these horrible environmental disasters are more than I can handle. It's like everyone gets one. It's whatever your area is at risk for..floods..fires..earthquakes..tornados..and one I'm not even going to mention this time of year.
I just heard..on the news.. there was a study that included about 10 people where a starvation diet for a couple of months cured people of their diabetes.
That's not new info. When I was a diabetes educator..I kept up with all the diabetes research. Back then they reported that weight loss could significantly influence blood sugar control in persons with diabetes. In fact as little as 10-15 lbs is the most significant. After that..they found no more significant influence.
I teach that info all the time and I have seen a significant number of my patients lose weight and return their blood sugar to normal.
But actually it doesn't cure the diabetes..it puts it in remission. Put the pounds back on and it's back.
My rotten week last week did follow me to my weekend. And the things going on in health care are making things much worse for me.
One mistake that I made over and over again in my career is to take on many more responsibilities than the job originally required. Once I did this..that extra work was just incorporated in the job expectations. No way to change it unless I left the job.
I just got a nurse back who did the same thing at her new job. She left us because the job with us was incompatable with her family responsibilities at the time. She was doing the job of about three people at her new job. She tried to get that changed but she couldn't. Now they can't find anyone who will do the job she was doing. They will evidentually have to hire several people but she did have to quit for that to happen.
Today the big mystery of why CA trial was called off Saturday will be answered. The talking heads guessed just about every option possible and I heard that Baez called to tell them that all their guesses were wrong.
Carol, I don't think the Great Scot lives in Los Alamos area. Los Alamos is north of us and I am thinking he lives west of us. Not sure.
There is now mandatory evacuation of town of Los Alamos, NM. The fire is close now. That is where the A bomb was made.
Carol, sometimes the only way to get out of job that is killing you because they keep piling more on is to leave the job and find another one (not in that order).
Jan, I just looked and Mr Scotty lives in Tome. Sounds like it is part of Albuquerque. Are you at any risk with this fire?
Yes Carol, I looked it up once before and realized he is just a few miles from where we live.
We are in middle of Alb only 3 -5 miles from downtown. I don't think we are are risk unless a house in the neighborhood catches fire. I drove out to the mountains this morning to help out at an Autism camp. It is in one of several forests to the East of Albuq. There is a lot around here that could burn.
Los Alamos is surrounded by forest. Los Alamos was built specifically for national defense - so built it in a remote area.
Jan, it's not particularly that they keep piling more work on me. Occasionally that is the case like this weekend when we had an inmate who was prescribed meds late Friday at a hospital. When he returned, we couldn't fill the script because our pharmacy was closed. When I directed the nurse to let admin know that someone needed to bring the script to a private pharmacy to get the meds, some AH middle management guy told them to call me and tell me that was my job. I'm not a hired goffer.
I have done that several times and spent a half of a Saturday on the activity, paid for the meds myself and after turning in two receipts, never got my money back. I'm already voluntering much of my off time for that place and won't give any more. They don't even contribute to my cell phone bill.
I wasn't even asked to be on call when I took this job but can't figure a way to just leave serious stuff until I get back on Monday or the next day, when it is in the evenings. There's quite a bit serious stuff happening on my off time.
It does seem like the inmates we have coming in are much sicker each year and many inmates are sicker than the average population. That is easy to understand because they live high risk lives and have neglected their health for years. Many were so drunk or drugged up, they didn't notice. Then they dry out and realize they are half dead.
Almost all people with diabetes who come in have blood sugars over 300, or 500, or just Hi, which means over 600. Many blood pressures >200/120. And every whinning complaint you can imagine. And they think they just checked in to the Mayo Clinic.
You wouldn't believe how many come to me and say...I want you to check to see if anything is wrong with me. I ask, do you have any particular problem or complaint. They say no..I just want to know if I have any because I have never seen a doctor. I would like to have a pic of the look on my face when that happens. I'm sure it would be award winning. I don't want to know what my blood pressure reading is though. I have heard the roar of blooding rushing in my ears.
Isn't there some kind of weapons factory or storage there Jan. I hope none of them have a fuse!
I have always heard that but I sure hope not.
Carol, I think our jobs are "polar opposites" LOL. We always liked doing different things. You do have a tough job. But when you talk about your work with these people, you sound like you really don't want to do anything else.
Anything good on TV lately. I have been taping movies and watching one each evening. I have really not gotten into anything this summer.
BTW, I saw where a former runner-up on Idol is going to be in a sit com this fall. Her name is Katherine McPhee. The guy who won the Idol that season was a grey haired guy who in the beginning Simon said he would not make it to the finals. Katherine is lovely and sings beautifully. I was so disappointed. She wound up marrying some producer in Hollywood but didn't hear much from her after that. Look her up on Google and there is a utube video with her singing. I hope the sit com does well. I think It is going to be a musical-type sitcom.
Jan, I do love the work but over 6 years of this high intensity job with no real time off is making Carol a semi crazy person. Believe me I have complained to everyone but got nowhere. What do I do...just say I'm going on vacation, don't call me?
Jan, this was the first season that I ever got into Idol.
You know what my TV time is being consumed by. I'm ready for it to be over. It's wearing me out.
The sit com Katherine McPhee is going to be on this fall is called "Smash" it is about a group trying to make a broadway show about Marilyn Monroe. I think Stephen Spielberg is directing it.
I think the last season that a woman won on Idol was the one just before Katherine McPhee lost to the grey haired guy. He has not been heard from since.
Carol, I did not realize this was your first season to watch Idol.
And BTW, the reason they called court off Saturday is because the defense requested a competency hearing on Casey. That's very unusual at this point in a trial. It's usually done prior to trial and I think it was done prior, in this case.
None of the talking heads this weekend came up with this guess for the interruption. The defense must have had a reason to ask for the exam. Some speculate that maybe Casey wants to testify and they don't want her to.
I don't know why Idol appeals to me and the other singing reality shows don't. I guess I am a real Idol fan. I have watched since the end of the second season. I liked watching the repartee between Simon and Paula for all those years. But I enjoyed it without them too.
Was that gray haired guy the guy Ivy used to talk about? It think he was from Alabama. Was there a Taylor in his name?
Taylor Hicks??
From what I see in the news, you are not alone in watching the "Casey" show. One columnist in the Albuq paper said she plans her day around the trial on TV. She had to go to the dentist and was thrilled when the dental office had the TV turned to the trial.
I would rather hear what you have to say about the trial and read or hear about it in the news. I have tuned into the actual trial on HLN but fall asleep after a few minutes.
Yes, Taylor Hicks. He was aptly named. A good looking guy but not a real talent like Katherine. My sister voted for Taylor and after he won I would not call her for several weeks. I have my priorities. LOL
I do believe that Casey has a psychiatric diagnosis. Don't know what it is but she is sick.
LOL Jan. I'd say that Idol and DWTS is about all Mary and I do agree on.
Even young women like she is have some kind of protective thing about their little kids even if they do want to party or spend time with friends. It is not a usual thing for a young woman to have that kind of indifference toward their children.
I have always read that to be a loving mother, a woman has to have been loved as a child herself. Just makes me wonder???
My sister and I never agree on the singers. She always votes for the guys.
And I'm having some problems with the trial these days. This forensic stuff is awful and hasn't really added anything important IMO. Those attorneys go to war over them and when they're finished, you're not sure what to believe. I've lost a lot of respect for some of that forensics.
I do more fast forwarding than watching. I've enjoyed reading the evidence online. I bet the jurors wish they could FF.
Jan, one of Casey's most significant ex boyfriends said that little Caylee was a busy little girl, always getting into things and that Casey didn't alway pay close attention to her. He suggested that maybe she got into something that killed her and Casey didn't want to admit that to her mom. Like I said, Cindy was a tough and critical woman. He also said that. That certainly could have happened. It's not like Casey had a good plan to deal with anything.
I think she drove the child around in her trunk until the smell got overwhelming and then just unloaded her. Maybe the little heart was a kiss good bye, like she had done with a pet when she was much younger.
He also said that Casey would have wanted to probably bury her next to the play house she loved so much. The cadaver dog did hit next to that playhouse. She did also borrow a shovel from the neighbor. She probably thought better of that idea since a new hole in the yard would be too obvious.
This was all in the interview of this guy, Jesse Grund right after Casey returned and way before the body was found. I think that scenario is very possible and Casey just blanked out the entire horrible experience, like she never had a child.
I think her dumb attorney could have used that scenario with much more success than the one he came up with.
I think that Casey is such a conditioned liar that she can't tell the truth even if the truth might set her free. I think she is also fearful of her mother's retribution. I think she always wanted to please her mother but never could.
And again, deep down, she might not think she deserves to be set free??
One problem is that the jury doesn't know much of what I just reported here but it's in the evidence. Too bad.
George's mistress also said that George told her that he thought it was some kind of horrible accident that snowballed out of control.
And don't you think that a person could just blank on the memory of such a horrible event like it didn't happen? I've seen people who seem to blank on experiences that are far less traumatic. Our brains just try to protect us from that kind of traumatic memory.
I could plan a much better defense for this girl than that crazy Baez is. He's gonna have her fried.
And it's even possible that the chloroform is a red herring.
You could find certain things to isolate from any our behaviors and make it seem like something sinister.
The plot thickens. Now a psychic is involved.
Mr Scottie calls his place las Golondrinas which means swallows.
Carol, I think your idea about her "blanking out" about this experience is as close to the truth as I can imagine.
I was 19 when I gave birth to Bill and I shudder when I think of some of the stupid things I did. I think I (or probably my kids) had a guardian angel watching over us. So many kids have accidents that they don't die from. Do you remember when Bob and the kids and I lived in the apt complex? When we first moved there and everyone had left except Steve and me. I went back to bed as Steve was still asleep. I woke up and he was gone, the front door was open. I dressed quickly and went tearing down to the pool which was in another section. On my way, the maintenance man was walking toward our unit of the apt with Steve in hand. Steve was 2 1/2 - still in his pjs and had strapped on his little holsters with his guns and had his cowboy hat on. The Maintenance man said he was standing by the pool looking down into the water. Not another soul in sight. That night Bob installed an indoor chain latch at the top of the doors. We had front and back doors.
I just feel very lucky that my kids survived those childhood and adolescent years - and early adult years. It is amazing too - because boys are vulnerable to so much during those years.
Going to take a late evening walk.
I'm watching my recording and this PI is on who worked for the Anthonys. He later worked for the defense. He did a search of the site near where Caylee was found. He was being led by a psychic on the telephone. They won't let him tell the jury that he was talking to a psychic. Why not?? It's suppose to be the truth..the whole truth..and nothing but the truth...I think that most people know about psychics and probably many feel that some might have some crediblity. There's even programs on cable called Psychic Detectives.
Yes Jan..it is a miracle that many little ones survive their childhood. I think if I would have been blessed with a child..she/he would have been in my lap or in a cage for the first 18 years and then on a short leash thereafter. That's probably why God knew better than let me have one.
I even remember when you and I hung out together when your boys were little. You were so calm and I was a nervous wreck. When we were out by the pool at your apartment..I couldn't concentrate on a thing you said..I was watching the kids and yelling for them to cut it out. Same thing now. If there's a kid over here..I'm running around following the kid.
I even remember when I spent the night at mom's and baby Jeremy..Mary's son.. was out there. I would get up in the middle of the night and with a flashlight..watch him breath. That's when I realized that a baby's breathing is very irratic.
Maybe all parents are like that with their first child and then they have to let up or go nuts.
Mom was also very overprotective. Even when we were adults she would run out of the house and tell us to watch for the train.. before we left. I even caught her chasing me down the road waving her arms once.. when she missed telling me right before I left. I thought there was some kind of emergency but when I stopped..she said..watch for the train.
We would laugh and torment her by telling her we planned to wait for the train and then try to make a mad dash across the tracks. That was mean.
But then..none of us ever got hit by a train..thanks to mom.
Carol, I think there are things that all mother fear - for your mom, it was the train. The only thing I remember my mother consistently telling us to do before we went out was to have on a clean bra. She had a thing about a clean bra. I think now that is so funny. Bob was the one in our family who had to give some instructions before the boys left the house. He had a list of things that he always went through. I can't remember them all, but I bet the boys remember. I will have to ask them.
Bob too was somewhat overprotective. He insisted the boys be in the house before dark even as they were older. Kids have to be kids and they have to explore and sometimes they get hurt - that is their "job" I guess in a way Bob and I complimented each other in that. If we had any conflict it was that I felt they needed more freedom and Bob thought they needed protection from whatever harm might be out there in the world. I do credit Bob with the boys turning out well - not me.
OMG Carol, I just went to Facebook and my 18 y/o granddaughter is with a girlfriend and her mother on a vacation in Florida (Steve's oldest). She just wrote on Facebook, "walking on Miami Beach at night is beautiful" I immediately wanted to write "Be careful, you never know who is out there at night"
I have changed! I guess all of this is relative and depends on the situation and circumstances - and in my case - my AGE!
It was dad who gave us some freedom. Mom was sometimes right to be worried..I did some pretty stupid things at times. I even challenged danger for the thrill of it and now I'm such a nervous nellie..always looking for a soft spot to land on.
Big sis was just the opposite with her kids..for her it was...what will be..will be. That drove mom nuts and me too. But big sis had a lot more sedate adolescence.
I guess it depends on our philosophy of life and whether we think we are actually in charge of anything.
Jan..I think it was after I became a nurse and then worked in ICU/CCU as my first job. That's when I realized how vulnerable we all are. Yep..that's when things changed. I still enjoyed a little danger here and again.. but I did it with the utmost caution.
I guess that is what is positive about a kid having 2 parents. They get more than one point of view.
I woke up at 3:30 this morn. I am having to do the background check for my job - since I work with young children. It is a pain in the neck to do. We all have to do it. Do you have to do it in LA for nsg lic? We do here. I got in before it was required for lic.
I read until 12:30 - finished my book - Jane Eyre. It was long and as I got to the end, couldn't wait to finish.
So I will probably be a slug today. Oh well, I will get in a couple of cat-naps.
I can see why you felt our vulnerability - with working in ICU. Actually, I think we and kids especially are pretty resilient. Terry ran through a plate glass door at my parents when he was 3 - had to have about 15 stitches in his little forehead. No concussion or after effects. Bill tumbled off a slide in argentina - when he was 5 - on his head and didn't even cry. Do you see why I didn't get too upset. Boys are much worse than girls when it comes to these accidents - because they take more risks. I don't recall my granddaughters having these kinds of accidents.
And it seems like one parent is usually more cautious than the other.
The heat has hit here. Now our lows are in hi 60's or low 70's- which makes the entire day hot. Earlier in June, I was able to wait until afternoon to turn on ac, now I have to turn it on by 10-11 am. The elec bill will be bad for next 2-3 months. This is my least fav time of year. I would rather have cold than heat.
And that is a good thing - one cautious and one not.
Do you think a kid who has an overprotective parent takes more chances as an adolescent - because it is normal for adolescents to go against what parents want?
Carol and Coreen, what do you think about legalization of mariajuana?
Don't know Jan. Alcohol is legal and I think it may be worse than marijuana in many ways. Maybe..if it were legal..we'd have less wars.
Jan..try adding 94% humidity to that heat. I don't want to step foot out of the AC to do anything.
My sympathies about the heat Jan...
As Carol mentions, add humidity & that just
drains every ounce of energy...
So far, the nasty 90s+humidity have not arrived here...may make it out of June in the mid 80s...I remember some recent 4th of Julys
those 3Hs...hazy, hot, humid...keeping my fingers crossed that they are correct about the upcoming weekend forecast...
As far as energy costs...they are pretty high
here, all the time, but yes the summer months
are even higher..as with all costs, there is creeping inflation in every aspect of daily living...
Jan, honestly I have no opinion about legalizing the use of marijuana..it is
not an issue that concerns me in the least...
You asked but didn't offer your opinion, so what do you think...
I find such social issues to be a big distraction from the real problems this country is facing...such as...
the ever increasing national debt with neither party willing to take serious steps to resolve it...
the failure of this country to come up with jobs for many americans (outside the public/govt sector)...
we don't have enough revenue to pay for the
services we have become accustomed to & expect,
yet the political parties point fingers at each
other & do little to remedy it...
enough gloom & doom...its a pretty pleasant day, so off I go...
Coreen, well said.
For years I was not for legalization of MJ, but have come to believe that it would be better to legalize and regulate it. Much of the drug traffic across Mexican borders is due to MJ sale and distribution and so many violent deaths have occurred b/c of the Mexican drug cartel. The history of prohibition in this country, I believe, bears out this argument.
Carol, I agree your heat coupled with your humidity is worse than what we are experiencing. We still do not have much if any rain in sight now. Hope that changes. These wild fires are scary. With our forests close by, we too are at risk.
Things were awful again today at work. I wonder if it is the heat. I had threatening, demanding jerks to deal with again today. I hope this isn't going to be the case until the weather cools off.
Jan, last week Cindy told the jury that she did at least one of those chloroform searches on the home computer. It shocked the State because her work records indicated she was at work at the same time the searches were done. Her explanation was that she is management and can't list any overtime so if she has worked over 40 hours in a week she will go home early while still clocked in. I guess someone else punches her out??.
In all my experience working in health care, if you were management, either you didn't have to punch a clock or if you did, you couldn't leave work while you were punched in. Too many legal issues. We were always to punch out. even if just leaving for a short while and punch back in when we returned.
I just heard that the State is calling two new witnesses. Both are in management/corporate with the home health agency she was employed by. That will be interesting.
Wow, what a day of testimony. Still working my way thru it. Seems like family and everyone else involved.. is on trial with Casey. You almost forget Casey is the defendent here.
People keep asking, along with the talking heads about why Cindy and George are allowed to be in the courtroom. Duh, why not, it's on TV all day. There's no secrets here. Do these people live in the real world?
Family all on the stand today.
Cindy impeached by Lee, her own son as to sending someone to search the area where the body was evidentually found. She got the tip from the psychic. She testified that she didn't. Lee said she did. Lee was pissed because they were looking for a dead Caylee instead of a live child.
George, re his affair with that River lady. He protests too much, me thinks...I think there may have been an affair but I don't think it's really relevent to the case. I think he may have needed a little outlet.
Kronk, the meter reader, is all over the map with his testimony but I don't buy that he removed or moved the remains. He may have been looking for the body to get the reward money but that's no big surprise.
Everyone was trying to cash in on this tragedy. I heard Casey got 200 grand selling the family videos. I also read that George and Cindy sold the story to Lifetime for 2 mil. Neither of them have worked since this happened and they were pretty cash strapped before it happened.
In some states...CT included...either the state or the defense can make a motion to have a witness sequestered so that when that witness is not testifying, they are not present in the courtroom...
Seems this trial is nothing more than an elaborate soap opera with a cast of characters including a pathological liar, an overbearing,
controling mother, a weak, possibly adulterous
father/husband, a very unhappy, hostile son/brother, not to mention the others...the meter reader accused of 'stealing & hiding' the child's body for some unknown reason, PIs
guided by a psychic, not so expert forensic experts...not to forget a cowboy attired bailbondsman, together with a host of talking heads commenting, depending on their own slant
to offer opinions that the hosts try to elicit
by the bits & pieces shown...all & all a
disjointed, incoherent mish mash...
By the way, I can only manage a few minutes
of the various shows...too much repetition,
too much yelling...its a toss up which host
is the worse...tie between Jane? & Vinnie?....but jane is the worst she is so VERY LOUD!!!...
Oh Coreen, I vote for Nancy as the worst!
And what good is sequestering the witnesses when this thing is on TV all day. You would have to put them all in jail.
And I quit most of the talking head stuff. I try to just watch the testimony and FF the rest of it. I do catch a little.
And it is a soap opera but real and very interesting..and very sad.
That meter reader may be a duffus but I don't buy that he did anything wrong. I think he's been put in a very defensive position by the attacks against him early in this trial calling him morally bankrupt.
It's very possible that he was somewhat of a good samaritan. He really tried to report the potential remains and they make him into a criminal.
And the fact that he can't clearly remember exactly what he did and said three years ago is perfectly normal. I can't remember things I did or said a month ago.
And what is so criminal about that guy being interested in the 200 thousand dollar reward. I think a meter reader could probably use the money. If that's criminal, most of us would be guilty.
That Chaney Mason is trying to make the meter reader look like a vulture. I don't think the jury is going to buy that, at least I hope not.
Forget the trial...tell me is it possible that any of these snack foods really, really tastes
good...forget the meat ones...no chance I would
ever eat meat products...
any thoughts on seaweed, kale, pumpkin slices....how about the whole foods chips w/sea salt...I do like pistachios, but unfortunately I like things 'seasoned' with salt...never used sea salt...
13 healthiest snack foods
Sorry Coreen, I've never seen or tried any of them. Remember where I live and I really doubt Walmart carrys any of them. I do hit a few other stores for meat or veggies but not much else. We have no cool stores here.
Walmart does carry Sea Salt and since I found that, it's all I use. I read that regular salt uses aluminum to keep it from clumping. Don't need any of that.
Grocery stores in my neck of the woods are not real gourmet. When I go visit big sis in Seattle, going to the grocery stores there is one of my favorite tourist attractions. I even tried to video in the Whole Foods store once and they stopped me. They thought I was a grocery spy.
I eat sunflower seeds but the ones with salt, not very healthy but I've been trying to avoid other higher fat snacks and candy. Some of my recent weight gain is probably fluid.
I'm now about 20 lbs overweight but I just heard on TV that the average American is 20 lbs overweight so that makes me average.
I don't eat any of the snacks here. I do try to eat fresh fruits and veggies as much as possible. I eat small amounts of meat like chicken. We eat fish occasionally. I seldom eat beef or pork any longer. I have cut out most sweets. I eat nuts in everything. We both eat almonds. I read they help with reflux. I think they have helped my reflux. I try not to eat anything 2-3 hours before bedtime. That helps too. I am also taking a short walk about 8:30 pm and that seems to be working too. Dr. Oz was showing on TV the other day how long term reflux can lead to esophageal cancer - scared the crap out of me. Mint is supposed to relax the gastric valve so have cut out mint tea and the little choc mints - I loved those.
Carol, I remember the ski trip I went with you and your sis on. You had some sunflower seeds. I ate some too until my lips turned inside out from the salt.
Jan, I eat Frito Lay sunflower seeds, they aren't as salty but still bad. Those David's tear my mouth up. I shouldn't be eating all that salt but besides candy, everything I like is salty.
OK, so I have to try some of these snacks...
we do now have a Whole Foods in Fairfield, less
than 5 miles...& I did tell you about Stew
Leonards in Westport...where they have the cow
& they make you go from one end of the store to the other, with only one place to short cut
before the cash registers...
Trader Joes is another 'specialty' grocery store in Fairfield too...but its a bit to preppy for me...
Jan, you watch dr. oz...I know several people
who swear by his words of wisdom, but I'm not one of the oz-ites...
Did hear there is a good ready made salad mix
called Strawberry Fields by fresh express (not sure if that is local or nationwide) that has freeze dried berries & almonds in the mix...
I don't buy the salad bags myself, but I have been slicing strawberries in my big salad...but have to say the berries here this
summer have not been the best...lots of waste
almost like they are harvesting them too late...& you just can't see every berry in the plastic container until you go to clean them...
If you eat strawberries, best to eat organic. They are high on the dirty food list. Apples are #1. Lettuce and spinach are also on the list and Walmart does carry organic baby spinach and mixed baby spring greens. That's all I buy now. I eat a salad just about every day so organic is important.
More about food...well drinks...
My fav soda is Pepsi & it dropped to #3 behind Coke & diet Coke last year....Not good...
They have a new Pepsi with cherry...similar to
dr. pepper which also has one w/cherry...that
is my 2nd fav soda...
Don't drink a lot of soda, but those are my
choices...
I don't drink Coke...regular or diet...
but interesting in this article Coke owns the
'Simply Juices' brand...I drink them all the time especially the Simply Apple...to die for...it is soo good...the Simply lemonade/limeades are excellent too...and the orange also...
I know that is a nationwide brand...did you ever try any of them...give the apple a chance
it is just delicious...
Pepsi drops to No. 3
Carol, you watch what you eat so well, but I remember you told me you smoked...have you
stopped & would that account for your weight gain,if you have...since you are so very active, hard to imagine you even 10# over your desirable weight...
But I could lose at least 5# & feel better, but
I lag on the exercise, each time I do a few I slack off in a few days & I know when I really concentrate & do them, I do feel much better...
& remember I drink milk...the real deal...every night, before I go to sleep believe it or not, with a chocolate snack &/or some peanut butter crackers (Ritz) to be sure...
& with that confession, I should get up from this chair & move around so bye for now...
I see Dr Oz every now and again on TV. I've always been very impressed with what he has to say. IMO most docs are usually not very knowledgable about health or nutrition even if they are about disease. Dr. Oz is.
Jan..were you still down here when we changed our nursing curriculum to include more about health before introducing illness? That first sophomore class focused mainly on health. It was a tough course to develop since much of the nursing/medical texts we used back then focused mainly on illness/disease. We had to go outside of the usual texts to get our material. Later.. the texts started to include it.
Coreen..I'm not the picture of healthy behaviors. About all I can say is that I do eat many healthy foods..except way too much salt. I try to avoid chemical contaminants in my foods. I choose the poisons that I most enjoy or haven't been able to eliminate from my life.
Down here in Lousiana our philosophy focuses more on quality rather than quantity and by quality I mean what makes you feel good. I'm not looking to live to be really old. Watching SF..I can see how much fun that would be. I just hope when it's my time..I go fast.
With exercise..I need no impact. My bones are so dusty that even walking too hard I think cracks something. I was walking barefoot the other day and think I may have cracked something in my foot. I must stop trying to walk barefoot.
Swimming is perfect exercise for me but I just got the pool uncovered in the middle of this trial. I'm hooked for the duration but I think they are getting close to the end.
Yesterday I got a dose of what makes my job so extra challenging. I saw patients at one clinic in the morning and half of them were threatening and demanding..some out of control. I went home for lunch and it took everything I could muster to go back to work.
I got back to see the patients in the other clinic and they tell me that this guy said he fell down playing basketball and couldn't move either arm. Everyone thought he was full of it..security and the nurses. I watch him thru the glass in the waiting room and he's laughing. He has both arms hanging in his lap..almost fully extended. He shows no signs of pain while talking with his home boys.
I get him in my office..his demeaner changes. I get a detailed report of what happened. He jumped up to block a shot and came down.. fell forward..arms outstretched and landed on both hands.. palms down. That didn't seem so traumatic for a strapping young man. Sounded like he could have a wrist injury..muscles strain but not elbow fractures. Even just one elbow but he's saying both.
I looked all over him, no deformities..no abrasions or scratches on his hands.. no swelling..no bruises. He now has both arms flexed at the elbow and won't straighten either. No tenderness anywhere except an over exaggerated response at the elbows..almost before I even get close to touch him. That's usually a sign of BS.
And he was acting a total fool..not at all coopertive..full of attitude.
I really thought this guy was full of it but he was committed to his complaint. I ordered everything that I would if he had fractures..ice..pain med..xrays of both elbows..and protective custody since he wouldn't be able to defend himself.. but I would have bet 100 dollars he was up to something.
He threw my ice on the ground. Another bad sign.
Ordering the xray services to come out is very costly to the community. I feel that I have to carefully make these decisions. Nothing on my usual lie detector test was coming out truth but I still went ahead and did it. Thank you God.
They called me after I got home and the xray report came back that he had one non displaced fracture of the radial head..near the elbow of one arm and effusion in the other elbow area. I sent him out for ortho. And I felt terribly guilty all evening for thinking he was full of it.
I effing need a vacation. It's not in my capacity to just leave things from work..at work. Most practitioners can. Even if I could forget..I still get calls to torment me.
That's one reason I have thrown my attention into this trial or I'm usually obsessing on something..it's hard to worry about one thing while I'm concentrating hard on another.
Coreen, I drink coke in the evenings. Another bad habit. I don't like water. Another bad habit. When I drink water I feel funny. I know that's weird. It seems to makes my mouth feel dry and fuzzy. Even when I'm super thirsty, I don't like water. Could be that I'm a mutant.
Hell, I'm surprised I'm still alive.
There is so much abnormal psychology and sociology involved in this case that it's beyond the scope of understanding of many of the talking heads and likely the jury.
The day ended with this grief expert. I was impressed with her even though she was a little eccentric. She worked for both the defense and the and prosecution but the prosecution was trying hard to discredit her. It's one of the first times I've been disappointed in the prosecution in how he treated this expert.
The prosecution is still going for premeditated murder and I still don't buy it.
I mean it was the defense who called this expert but the prosecution got as much out of her for their side.
Today was one of the most interesting days of this trial.
Carol, I'm not a big water drinker either...I do try to make an effort to have at least a glass a day...I find I feel hungry if I just
drink water...during the day I do drink Snapple lemonade in the office....
And surprise, surprise we don't like the same
soda...only Pepsi for me...but that has been
forever...
The trial...did try to watch some of the shows
tonite between innings during commercials...
Forgot to say the other day that I like 2 of the lawyers...the guy named Najame? he wears
tone on tone shirts & ties, black wavy hair...
when I have seen him, his analysis is the most
objective...tonight he was on the Dr. Drew show (w/o Drew) together with the other lawyer
I like...the hot shot Miami guy....Mark Eyeglars?...but I didn't get to hear what they
were saying since I was on the phone...
There was a blonde woman psychologist on with Jane earlier, she illustrated why I have nothing but contempt for all the psychology
blather...she was so clearly biased it was
laughable...all I could think was wow whats
your personal problems that you are transfering to your biased take on the testimony...no objectivity whatsoever...just the standard psych stuff...sorry I know you & Jan are really into all that ...but I have no
respect for that discipline whatsoever...
I saw a couple of minutes of George Anthony's testimony but that was it. We watched a movie that I had taped tonight.
I drink 2-3 bottles of water a day. Should drink more just because it is so dry here. I carry a bottle around all day. I buy some plastic bottles and just refill and keep in refrig. I don't like cola drinks, but I like the orange diet decaffeinated carbonated sodas. I try to limit mine to 2-3 cans a week.
My food vice is donuts. Once in a while I buy one at the grocery and eat it on the way home. I don't dare buy more as I can eat 2-3 in a sitting. Since I have not had much sweets in past year, have lost my taste for most of them.
I figured you would like that Mark Eiglarsh Coreen. He's got that look about him. I actually agree Coreen.
I had to look up who you were talking about since I haven't allowed any of their names to stick in my head. I'm out of RAM in my brain and they don't make it anymore for this model.
This is not only an interesting psychological study of the characters involved in the Anthony family..it's an interesting study of all the other people running their mouths.
Jan..watching George on the stand was tough. I've seen so much of him that I think I can tell when he's lying and when he's telling the truth. He's not a good liar when he does. He is a very sympathetic fellow. He made me cry.
I wish you could have seen that grief expert. She was a nurse first. Started as a Diploma nurse and was even a nurse practitioner along with many other things..very typical. She taught for many years and still does at one of the Florida Universities. You would have recognized her character..you could have seen a little of both of us in her.
She knew nothing about the Casey A case..she was just called to explain grief responses which she ended up saying could run the gambit.
The defense was wanting to explain that Casey's actions.. after her child died.. could be within the realm of grief responses seen.. considering her family history and dynamics. The defense gave her this long hypothetical that included much of what we do know about the Anthony family dynamics. The expert agreed that Casey's responses were within what you might see in grief even though it is not a healthy response.
Then the State gave her their scenario of what they thought happened in this case with Casey's killing of little Caylee and asked what she thought of Casey's response. The expert indicated she needed some psychological help..and fast.
I'm taking Friday off so today is my Friday.
Oh..and yesterday at work..was very calm and pleasant. Whew!
Good for you Carol...hope you do get to relax
at least a day or two...maybe you can float
in that lovely pool & just ponder the clouds in the sky...
can you have Maggie float in the pool with you...a friend has a pitbull, petey that loves to float on his own float with her in their
pool...
We had another beautiful day...looks like the
weekend is going to be pretty nice too...
I will likely just go to the office for a short time on Friday & to the grocery store
for a few things...like salad stuff & always milk...
Well looks like the trial is ending...the defense rested...no dramatic testimony by the defendant...but apparently the alleged mistress did testify...
Have no idea what the jurors may determine...did not see/hear enough of the actual evidence presented to even guess as to
the context of all the evidence taken together...
the bits & pieces shown on tv were all segmented, out of context...only to make the point the tv hosts wanted to highlight...added to all the extra facts on tv that were not
a part of the trial itself...there is just no
way to glean what the jurors might do...
but the defense did throw enough against the wall so to speak that if, a juror was having
any sympathy for casey...a single juror could
hang the jury verdict...
logic would say that evaluating the totality
of the evidence presented to the jury should
lead to a guilty verdict on at least one of the charges...but you never know...
I just had a huge dove fly into the middle window in my living room and crack it in several pieces. I had to tape it to keep it from falling apart.
It doesn't have a screen on that window because I like the clear view. It already had a tiny little hole in the center of that window from where another bird hit it. I left a few of my old bird decorations on the window panes above those window to let bird know this was not in a flight way.
Birdy sat a little stunned for a while but must have flown off because he's gone.
Hope that's not too difficult to replace. I put in a call to one of my carpenter guys.
Yes the defense rested today and it was anticlimatic. Casey did not testify.
Highlight: River Cruz, the alleged mistress, was on the stand today to rebutt George's testimony that they did not have an affair. She did give a sworn statement to the detectives that they didn't have a sexual relationship when she was interviewed by them but a few days later she changed that story and then gave an interview to the National Enquirer saying they did have an affair. She was paid $4000 for that interview to the Enquirer.
The State tried to say that Ms Cruz changed her story because it made for a more interesting story to sell to the media. Did they or did they not have an affair...I lean toward...maybe.
She was also questioned as to whether George said that what happened to Cayless was an accident that snowballed out of control. She said yes. I think he probably thought that. Don't know how that helped the defense.
Then they put each family member on the stand to ask how they packaged their deceased pets when they died. They said they placed them in a towel or blanket, wrapped them in plastic and secured it all with tape and sometimes that was done by the Vet. Then they buried them in the yard.
State asked if they ever tossed them in a swamp or if they ever put duct tape over their faces or heads. Or if they ever euthanized them with chloroform.
I think the defense was hoping that this testimony would point a finger at George but that's not how it came across.
The defense did not back up their stated scenario with any significant evidence in this trial.
I also don't think that the State was able to show adequate evidence of murder. And since suicide and natural causes are not likely, that leaves accident. IMO, that would leave negligent homocide or aggravated child abuse resulting in death. I need to go review the charges again.
There was an interesting little finale today. Some young punk shot Mr. Ashton the bird during court today. It was caught on camera. After all the proceedings were completed, the judge pulled him up in front of the court, no jury present. He was charged with comtempt. sentenced to 6 days in jail, fined $400, and court costs of $223.
Maybe he'll get to pass by Casey's cell. I just hope the media doesn't try to make him a celebrity. I wish the judge would have ruled that he couldn't profit in any way by this action. Could the judge do that Coreen??
I was home waiting for a call. Wound up working at a table on a quilt and listened to the testimony. I do believe the woman who said she had an affair with George. I don't like George. I don't believe he molested Casey as a child. That would make him a pedophile. I do think he did have an affair with the woman. People who molest children are usually not interested sexually in an adult.
I could not figure out why they pursued the pet issues.
Jan, I think the reason they wanted to present that info on the pet burial practices is because 1, they wanted to explain the duct tape, that is wasn't over Caylee's face. I don't think that necesarily worked. There is a difference between sealing the outside of a bag to keep it closed and having the duct tape in the bag, close to the face. And 2, they wanted to make it look like maybe George did it. That was even a bigger long shot.
And I think you are correct. I do think that there is a good chance that George was looking for a little distraction with this River woman. I think he certainly needed a little distraction. Cindy was a basket case. He thought that Caylee was dead and that Casey was probably responsible. The facts pretty much screamed that. And he couldn't express some of what he was thinking to Cindy. She wouldn't hear of it. Cindy went into hard core denial. I think that was to obsolve herself of any blame
I heard someone today say that if the defense gets Casey off on murder one, they will feel like they were a success. I don't think you can really give the defense any credit there. There just wasn't enough evidence to get a murder one conviction. Of course we don't know what the jury is thinking. They would have to convince 12 jurors. Don't think they will.
I wonder how the jurors feel about Casey. She's not easy to like. She does show a little more emotion when the jury is in than she does when they are out. And this is in response to exactly the same material. She must not give a damn what the TV viewing audience thinks.
In her jailhouse visit with her mom and dad she seemed to be closer to her dad. She told him she loved him and missed him. But yesterday, when he's having a serious emotional breakdown on the stand, she sits there with a look of disgust on her face. The rest of us are crying. His emotions appeared genuine.
And often, her sadness seems to be more self serving not in response to the expressed pain of others.
I'd love to have the chance to have Casey in my office chair for a couple of hours.
Ut oh..the River Cruise is on the circuit or should I say cirus.. peddling her sorted story of the affair. She admits they were working together at one of the search for Caylee tents..often just the two of them..and she comes on the George. Kinda make her the slease bag in my book. Not really fair to take advantage of a man who is as vulnerable as George was at that time. I'll give him a pass even though I probably wouldn't feel as forgiving if I was his wife.
Does it surprise you that the rape case against the IMF guy is starting to fizzle?? I was surprised that it ever got any traction in the first place. An effing miracle.
Some poor foreign housekeeper up against power and money...that was really difficult to believe. Well if the case does disappear..at least I hope they greased that poor victim's palms really well. I'm sure they greased someone's palms but it probably won't be the housekeeper.
What you guys think? Coreen that's news from close to your hood girl.
Being caught up in this soap opera case..I've gotten really behind in the news. I just read that Mark Halperin was suspended indefinitely from MSNBC for saying that the pres was being kind of a dick. He even asked Morning Joe right before he said it if they were on the seven second delay. Whoever was on that button probably doesn't like Halperin. And if you ask me..he should be the one fired cuz he's not doing his job.
With all that we see on TV..that statement doesn't seem so awful. And didn't they say that about VP Cheney all the time?? Oh yeah..that was his name..appropriate. LOL
And Weiner's wife is laying off the Weiner for a while. She's taking a vacation.
Carol, I believe that what we see on TV in these cases is just the tip of the iceberg. Only those living in the situation know what has truly gone on. I would not put much stock in Casey's expressions. She probably "zoned" out during much of the trial. I think her expressions when her family members were testifying would be the most honest.
The testimony about the body being moved makes me wonder about the duct tape. If the body was moved, the person who moved the bag may have put the duct tape inside the bag when it was originally sealing the bag.
I agree with your earlier assessment that she probably died accidentally and Casey got scared and was covering it up. Young people her age and maturity level often do things without considering the consequences.
Carol, the quick moving developments in the DSK melodrama are on the local news casts...
including reporters at the courthouse this a.m...
one of the things that has been revealed is that the so-called victim phoned a 'friend' in jail immediately after the 'incident' to talk about how much $$$ she could make if she pursued charges(the phone call was taped)....
there are more revelations about the alleged
victim as well, which certainly impact the veracity of her claims in light of the revelations....so it seems that it could be both she & DSK are similar low-lifes...rich and poor versions...maybe the 'sex' was not
coerced at all & the 'victim' realized there was a payday in the wings...
the early morning spin is that the charges may
at the least be lowered,that he surely will be released w/o bail, no more house arrest, likely to be able to travel about the US & there is a slim possiblity that they could be dropped as per the local reporters...
the prosecutors apparently have determined that the victim has no credibility....so the
plot thickens...
By the way the Casey Anthony trial has catapulted Nancy Grace to #2 in the cable TV ratings, just behind o'reilly (with Laura Ingraham) & Dr. Drew's show also up there too...suffice it to say these shows handily beat all the msnbc nonsense....
And it is starting out to be another fantastic
day here leading into the 4th of July weekend...catch you later...
And for my silliness of the day...here's a clip of one of my absolute favorite tv comentators...Lionel....who gives his take on
current events nightly on pix11, NYC tv...
Last night's take was on the guy who was doing the catch a predator shows on nbc...who apparently has been exposed as having an affair with a FL tv reporter...
Lionel's comments are always entertaining...no bull from him...& his views make you smile...
Lionel
Coreen..can't believe they didn't do their homework before going after that high profile IMF guy. That doesn't make sense but what does these days?? With the right about of gold..anything is possible.
Coreen..I see your humidity is predicted to be higher than I usually see it. Just think of it as being great for your skin.
I've been trying to do phone call chores this morning since I am home and it is a normal business day. I keep hitting walls. I told y'all this computer softwear co auto charged my account and I haven't used that software ever or at least in 4 years. Best buy put that on one of my old computers..years ago.
They make it impossible to contact them via phone or computer. Now I'm headed to the bank to deal with it.
Then I tried to find the number for the home health agency that used to work for SF. They just changed their name and have the phone numbe4 listed nowhere. Is someone trying to tell me something. Maybe so.
After the bank..I'm going to play. No work..no TV..no chores!
Carol, I understand the frustration with trying to get something done over the phone with business these days. I have had same problem. I hope you have a great day. You may have to unhook yourself from communication devices though. I am taking day off too. No calls or anything related to work.
Coreen, I watched Lionel. Pretty interesting stuff. I am sorry about this deal with the hotel housekeeping staff. Now if something like this truly happens, it will not be good. I just wonder if the defense for this very wealthy guy has not managed to discredit the woman somehow. I am skeptical.
Jan, I see some yellow and green spots on your local weather radar, dance Jan, dance!
Funny video Coreen.
Well, I didn't get anywhere at my bank either. The manager or the head knocker there today put me on the phone with some foreign person who could barely speak English and she said I would have to close my account, cancel my debit card to get that charge off my account. I told them if I did that I would just go ahead and change banks while I was at it. I'm so sick of Chase bank.
I never authorized Webroot to auto charge me. I haven't used their software, maybe ever. Don't know how they got my info. And they make it impossible to contact them.
I left the bank and went to meet a friend at the casino. I was ahead but left when I hit even money. I had fun and was able to forget about all my problems this morning.
While I was playing, my purse was buzzing with calls from the joint but no way to talk on the phone in the casino, it's too loud so I had to wait until I went to the bathroom to call back and then there were a pile of problems I had to deal with. As soon as I got back to the casino, my purse was at it again. I waited until I left to return the calls.
Do you guys think whether George did or did not have a sexual relationship with that woman really matters to the facts in the Anthony case?
Carol, what that software guy or company did sounds fraudulent to me. You could contact your state attorney general.
Carol, sounds like you had a good day after all. I didn't think about work most of the day. I like my little job, but I need days to get away from it too. Looking forward to the weekend.
What are you all doing this weekend?
We are just having a quiet weekend but going to son's house on 7/4 - family pot luck. I am looking forward to this one. The last family get-togethers in past 2 months have included my ex and his wife. They came for graduation of step granddaughter in May and were at the granddaughters graduation in Ar. and they came last weekend for Terry's (#2 son) birthday. They are very nice and we are all friendly, but it is just not that comfortable for me.
This entire issue with Strauss-Kahn is most interesting. Is that his name? Details escape me.
Carol, I hope you are right about some "green" in our forecast.
Jan, I'm skeptical also re that IMF guy. Can't see how they would go after that guy without checking the facts carefully..considering his power and wealth and her background. Something stinks.
Didn't see you slip in Jan. I hope you have and everyone else has a wonderful holiday weekend.
I see a little green skirting your area on the radar but not sure if it is rain or artifact.
Finishing up the State's rebuttal case. They had on people from the health care agency that rebutted Cindy's testimony that she was home at the time in question to do any of the chloroform searches. There wasn't even a chlorphyll search done at the time or a search of bamboo sprouts. Cindy lied. The defense is in trouble.
Court is out tomorrow and closing remarks start Sunday.
If you are raped by a rich influencial person and you have any shadow in your past or present....tough luck sister. I guess you better be a Mother Theresa to say anything.
Seems like I remember that that IMF guy had a reputation for having some problems in his past. Do you remember that Coreen? Didn't other women come out of the woodwork..maybe in France.. to accuse him of similar actions or did I imagine that? I confess that I don't know the details in this case.
And even if this woman was a shaddy character.. saw some dollar signs or wanted some retribution because of what happened..does that negate the rape?? Just a question sistas. If a hooker is raped..when she is off duty..is it rape??
And we all do realize..I think..that justice isn't blind..and she can be paid off.
Carol, when this alleged rape case first came out and he was arrested, there were several accounts of him and other women. I cannot remember the specifics however.
I agree with you about the issue with charges of rape. That is why so many women do not press charges or do not report rape.
And it may be in this particular instance, the alleged victim is simply not a victim...
It seems the recorded phone call with her
incarcerated boyfriend which was in a foreign language took until this week to be translated & what she said about what she was doing alerted the prosecutors that she is not what she portrayed herself as...together with other
facts that investigators had learned since the
accusation...
It is not simply some shady past or present...
It is distinctly possible that she was trying to set up a 'rich' guy...
Equally disturbing is the use of her contrived, false story to seek asylum here...her story about having to flee her country & seeking asylum appears a complete fabrication...
Accuser's Call Alarms Prosecutors
And just a reminder that everything is not as it seems...an informative article about the mess that Gov. Malloy has created here in CT...
All he accomplished is to get the democratic controlled legislature to pass the highest tax burden ever that will affect all CT residents...got no concessions from the public unions...& now is in the process of laying of around 6,000 employees & cutting services...satisfying no one, & not addressing the ongoing ever-increasing tax burdens for public sector workers benefits that remain to
impact the economic future of one of the most affluent states in this country...he is proving to be an abject failure & regretfully I did vote for him...
Behind affluent image CT faces economic pain
Sounds like a bad management problem. Malloy was just elected last year. Do you think he had time to do all that damage?
The article mentions that the state isn't even funding the pensions. Not good. Some state employees pay into pensions and not into SS so they do not qualify for SS benefits.
Are there many large Corps in the state and do they pay much in the way of taxes. The article also mentions inconsistant policies on tax credits.
I got my least favorite chore out of the way. I mowed the grass at the house and then took a dip afterward. The temp of the water read 91 but it still felt refreshing. It was my first dip this year.
After 10a and before 4:30p the sun is bright/hot on that water. It was close to 11a when I got in so I didn't stay long.
I still don't think that some, barely can speak English, housekeeper would stand a chance of putting charges against a rich, powerful IMF chief unless there was some sound evidence or someone high in the political system wanted that to happen. Probably both. Maybe someone wanted him out of that job.
Coreen,
Tried to read the article for the link you posted. NYT would not let me w/o signing up for an account.
Carol, I do love getting chores finished that I don't like. We went out for a little shopping - didn't stay long. Too hot. I did need a good daily calendar to keep good track of my hours for coming fiscal year. I do that but now am going to have to account for specific amounts of time I spend on different activities as I will have to account monthly for this. My work this past year for the University I kept a calendar but did not divide the work time for things like making tele calls or time spent writing reports, writing in families records, etc.
In our Alb paper this morning, it listed at least 7 different fires going on in NM at this time. when I went for my walk about 6:20, the sun was coming up and it looked like a big red, fiery ball. It looks like that when there is a lot of smoke in the air.
People from the town of Los Alamos are in shelters. I hope they can return home soon.
Los Alamos has a population of 12-13,000 people.
The NYT let me in without making me sign up but I've signed up for their free accounts several times over the years that I've had a computer. I must still have a cookie or two floating around. I used to read articles from both them and the Washington Post so I signed up with both.
One thing I found interesting watching this trial is how many people lie about some things when they think that telling the truth will hurt their credibility with something else that they want to say that is true or when they think that some things are just not anyone's business. I think most of the characters involved in the Anthony case lied about something.
That lady might have said some untruths but it may not negate the fact that she was assaulted.
One example of that lying is the Kronk guy who found Caylee's body. He goes into the woods to urinate and sees something strange. This is in August. That area is swampy so he can't get close, especially after finding a huge rattle snake, but what he sees looks like a skull. He calls the cops at 9p that night, after he gets home, to report it. Nada. He calls again the next two nights and finally they send someone to meet him.
The cop goes out, doesn't look far because of the swampy conditions, slips in the mud and chews him out. Kronk finally goes back in Dec., less folage and water then, sees the skull again, can get closer, even takes his meter stick and puts it in the eye hole and tilts it up to get a better look. Sure enough, it is a skull. He reports it again.
They try to make him into someone who was involved, someone who removed, stored the remains and then replaced them. That sounds really far fetched to me but people believed it when they heard it.
He probably did tell people that he would be rich and famous for finding the remains but he doesn't want to admit that because it doesn't sound good and they are trying to make him into some creep.
Same with George and the affair. He had multiple reasons to lie about that.
We learn over the years that telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth can get us in hot water. How about when your friend asks you if their outfit makes their butt look big? Do you say yes, like the titanic or do you say no, I don't think so?
Carol, You can say "Big butts are beautiful, just look at Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce."
That is the problem with rape cases, the victim winds up getting blamed.
Our spell is broken. We had a light rainfall this afternoon about 3 pm. It was lovely - but too short.
I was reading NYT articles last month and at a certain point my reading got interrupted with a message that I had read all the free articles allowed for the month and if I wanted to read more I would have to pay for them. It costs $19.00/month.
Jan, do you ever get a frog strangler there? That's what I call a big downpour.
Rut rho, fireworks have started. Maggie dove for cover but that's no big deal..she's been practicing that drill for a couple of months now.
While I was mowing today I listened to a program on C2C on my Iphone. George had on Dr. Jeffery Long last night. He is a radiation oncologist and has done much research into near death experiences. He's got a best seller on Amazon titled..Evidence of an Afterlife.
Listening to that program made mowing more tolerable. There's also a website for the near death experience research foundation:
http://www.nderf.org/
They collect experiences of many people who had nde in this country and around the world and people of many different spiritual backgrounds and those without any. He said the experience is similar for all.
Here's his book on Amazon. It's also available for Kindle.
http://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Afterlife-Science-Near-Death-Experiences/dp/0061452572/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1309667914&sr=1-1
I've been reading on that nderf site and it's really interesting. Anyone who has had a nde can leave a description of the experience and answer a questionaire and you can read them all.
I just ordered the book from Amazon.
This one guy described himself during the experience as "I experienced all individual beings as spheres of light able to exchange all their understanding and memory immediately through an act of communion."
That made me think about those orbs I've talked about.
Amazing Carol. Sounds like a great read.
Interesting that you should post this. We got a call at 1:30 this morning that a good friend of ours had died. He is more of John's friend, someone he had lunch with a couple of times a month. He has been John's best friend since we moved here. This is going to be tough for John. His name is Bob Browne. He was 86 years young. He died at 9:30 last night. He was a Presbyterian minister (retired). He had at one time been a stand up comedian in San Francisco. He also marched in the Freedom marches in the 1960's in Alabama. His wife (2nd) worked for the national Planned Parenthood, her name is Susan. She said he had gone outside for something and she heard a noise. She went outside and he was laying on the driveway. She called 911 and by the time EMT's arrived he was gone. He did hit his head but they don't know as yet what was the exact cause of death. He had been falling lately and was getting dementia. He had not been driving for about a year. John would pick him up about every other week and they would go out for lunch.
Bob was a really witty guy. Rest in Peace Bob.
When we had been here about a year, Bob became very ill with a digestive disorder - not cancer. He was in the hospital about 3 months total. He completely recovered, although he was usually cautious about what he ate, and was always thinner after that. While he was in the hospital 7 years ago, John stayed with him a lot. That was when they became good friends.
After being awakened at 1:30, I was not able to go back to sleep, so had my tea and John and I talked until about 5 am when I went for a long walk. When I got back I slept until a few minutes ago. So glad this isn't a work day. If It was, I would have taken the day off.
Hope you all are having a nice Sunday.
I don't have any ideas for a new post. Not very good at pulling off some pics from internet for Independence Day. Coreen and Carol, you all do a great job of doing that. Chloe did too. Wish she would do that. Come back Chloe!
Lesson of DSK? Be careful who you're alone with by Pepper Swartz on CNN news is an objective discussion of this issue when there was a "rush to judgment" in this case.
Jan, sorry about your friend...but after reading that material about nde..I think he's in a good place. I would recommend that material for anyone facing any death, their own or someone else's. Makes me feel like we all have something to look forward to when our learning time here on earth is up.
I hope you share that site with John. I'd be curious about what he thinks of it. Something I found particularly interesting is that some describe Jesus, God and other great spiritual leaders in their experience. Some all of them.
I was sitting with a good friend of mine's father when he died years back. I didn't know the man that well but my friend and her mother were both very uncomfortable with his dying process. By that time, I was more comfortable with it so I sat with him. I was holding his hand when he left. He opened his eyes and said.."I love you Jesus" and took his last breath. It was as if he saw Jesus.
The man was very religious. Those stories do often include experiencing God, even for those who were not religious or who identified themselves as atheist. Interesting.
Some of the people describing their nde's did not share that experience with others. Some said when they did, they got strange looks and reactions.
I experienced the same thing when I showed my orb and aura pics with people. Some people were cool with it and some were very spooked. I don't find any of it spooky. I find it very comforting. I think my orb and aura experience, when mom died, gave me some peace.
That name Pepper Swartz rang a bell so I went to look her up. She is a Yale educated sociologist. I have one of her books..titled.."American Couples" Very interesting book. She compared married, heterosexual cohabitating, gay and lesbian couples in the issues of money, sex and power. The book was written in the mid 80s. Did you ever hear of it?
As you probably realize, I've been watching the closing arguements of the State and defense in the Casey A trial. I have it on pause. The State has finished the first round of arguement and the defense is now up. I'm behind because of all my pausing.
The State's first arguement lays out a pretty good case for premeditated murder. It kinda broke my denial. I just don't want to believe that anyone woman is capable of what they are accusing Casey of. Will soon listen to the defense to see if they can help me regain some of my denial.
Heat index here predicted to be between 105 and 109. Won't be much going outside for this girl.
Carol, Pepper Swartz is a respected sociologist and researcher. i am fairly certain she is in Seattle with a group of family researchers. Most of my research has involved family and developmental issues. So Pepper and her colleagues have published a lot in this area.
I still don't think the prosecution has shown murder beyond a reasonable doubt. I have heard all sides now.
The State hasn't finished their presentation yet. They have over 2 hours tomorrow. Baez is pulling some BS.
But I agree to a certain extent about 1st degree beyond a reasonable doubt even though they probably have more here than most cases are convicted on.
Ok...a new post is up....
I'd rather not see Casey get a 1st degree murder conviction.
I'm pretty dang sure that both Cindy and
George knew Caylee was dead and Casey was involved from the moment she returned and was stalling bringing them to little Cayless. Later, Cindy went into denial but I don't think George ever did or didn't for long. And you can never convince me that he had a thing to do with Caylee's death. Nada.
I've never been really convinced by the chloroform evidence even though Cindy lied about her doing the search. There were some good possibilities that Casey may have been looking up chloroform because a boyfriend had that My Space posting about chloroform. But it could also be true that that's where she got the idea originally of using chloroform to knock Caylee out. It's an old drug and you would have to be older to even know about it. But then why did she need to search how to make it??
But if we eliminate chloroform as being used in this case then it's worse to imagine the use of that duct tape. I feel pretty convinced that the duct tape was over Caylee's face..beyond a reasonable doubt convinced and I'd almost rather hope that chloroform was used first. I think even the State made that point.
I'm still listening to the defense presentation. I recorded it since I've been interrupted many times today and didn't want to miss a word.
The State did a wonderful job explaining Casey's motives and the situation Casey found herself in re her desires for her freedom and her being burdened by a child who was getting old enough to bust her for her lies. That rang very true. That child could sing all the words of a little song. Wouldn't be long before she could do more talking.
The State didn't spend much time today on their first presentation today. Baez is making some wild accusations that the State will be able to counter tomorrow. That's why they left so much of their time for rebuttal. They knew he would.
Had to leave the house because I had another crisis with SF. He's more devious than Casey but I hope no one ends up dead in his case.
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