Sunday, July 12, 2009

Earthquake Drill?

One of the things I do almost every day, in fact sometimes several times a day, is to check the USGS website to see what kind of seismic activity there has been. If there's been a quake over 3.0 in California or in the states nearby, I post about it on the California Fire News website (If I can beat the blog owner, that is! LOL). This afternoon, shortly after peeking in on the USGS site I went over to the LOLCat's site and found this cutie and just had to share:

funny pictures of cats with captions
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Thursday, July 9, 2009

Skating Babies? Cute Commercial!

A friend saw this on a news broadcast earlier tonight and told me about it.. I had to go hunting for it on YouTube so I could see it... Watch this! It's great! LOL!!

A "Wow" Photo

Every once in a while you happen across a photo that makes you say "Wow!"... This afternoon, I found one of those. The Wallstreet Journal has a "Pictures of the Day" in their Photo Journal. I've had the pictures of the day in my Google reader for a while now, but this shot of a Sunrise at the Rams Island Light near Portland, Maine made me stop and admire the color and the composition of the shot. Kudos to Robert F. Bukaty from the Associated Press for a gorgeous photo.

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I've been avoiding posting on the blog for a bit now. One of the reasons is that there is really nothing "new" with most of the cases I've been watching.

Phil Spector is adjusting to life in the prison he's been assigned to (Corcoran) and his wife has been amazingly silent for the last couple weeks, so there is nothing new there. Especially since any kind of news about the two civil cases just doesn't make it into the main stream media. I keep searching though.. I'm really curious as to how the suit Spector brought against Robert Shapiro will turn out since Phil doesn't want to answer any questions in a deposition.. He just wants Shapiro to simply hand over the money..

Casey Anthony is still in jail waiting for the murder trial, which has been postponed with no definite start date thanks to Casey's new lawyer, Dr. Andrea Lyon. Apparently her teaching schedule is in conflict with the trial date that was orignially scheduled. So, the murder trial is postponed until sometime next year and there will be a status hearing in January. Meanwhile, the prosecution wants to push ahead on the financial fraud charges stemming from Casey's theft of Amy Huizenga's money and checks. During a meeting with all the attornies invovled in the murder trial, the judge requested something in writing from Amy invoking her right to a speedy trial. It'll be interesting to see how Jose Baez will try to squirm out of that..

I'm also watching for news about the murderer of Brianna Denison, James Biela. He's tried twice now to have all the charges against him split into separate cases instead of trying them all in one trial. He's failed at both attempts to have the cases split with the latest attempt having been denied in June. No word yet about when the trial will happen up in Reno.

There are a few other cases that I look for information on, but it's hard to find anything about. I'm not going to list them out until I find some kind of update. The problem right now with watching the news (Both print and televised) is that the majority of what we're seeing is all about Michael Jackson. Apparently we are supposed to hear all the rumors about him, his children, his ex-wives, drugs, illnesses, etc, etc, etc... I'm sorry, but I am tired of hearing all about this stuff. I've enjoyed his music, but I've never been a fan of the man. (shrugging my shoulders)

And so, to close, here's an LOL Cat that I shared on facebook last night:

funny pictures of cats with captions
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Yep, I do feel like I'm in a rut... lol.. How about you?

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Please Be Careful Out There....

Last night, after returning from the trip up to Redding my folks dropped me off here at my home and drove to Yuba City to their home. Not long after they left, my daughter (across the street) called me to ask if I'd heard from my folks, her grandparents, to let me know they'd made it home. I hadn't, so my daughter told me that there'd been a very bad accident on the highway between here and Yuba City... I tuned into the scanner and listened and then made my way to the local paper's website and then got on the phone......... (My folks made it home ok!)

Yes. It was a horrific accident as you can see in the photo to the left. A sedan and a van involved in a head-on crash. There were reportedly at least 9 people in the van and 2 people in the sedan. The driver of the sedan is the single (so far) fatality. Amazingly, the 9 people in the van, including an infant were not wearing seat belts.

Please, people. If you're going to be out and about on this holiday weekend, be safe! Use seatbelts and don't drink and drive! Don't be a statistic!

Source: Appeal Democrat

UPDATE:
They've identified the young woman who died in this accident... The Sutter County coroner's office reported her name was Lorretta Lynn Deniz, 22, of Yuba City. My condolences go out to the young woman's family and friends.......

Source and more information: Appeal Democrat

A Sundial Bridge and a T-Rex Named Sue....

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July yesterday and that everyone is still enjoying their holiday weekend. Yesterday was a fun one for my parents and I even though we saw no fireworks except on TV last night. My Step-dad had gotten bored with sitting at home and came up with the idea of going up to Redding and visiting the Sundial Bridge and the Turtle Bay Museum. I'd never gone to either the bridge or the museum before, so I was happy to be the driver for the trip. Redding is only about 2 1/2 hours from here, so it was an easy drive up there even with a stop halfway there for breakfast at a Black Bear Diner in the city of Willows. If you've never experienced a meal at a Black Bear Diner, I'd advise you to arrive at the restaurant hungry. The portions are big, the meals reasonably priced and definitely delicious!

Anyway, we found our way to the museum fairly easy, the route is well marked once you get into Redding. The park that surrounds the museum was apparently to be the site of the 4th of July festivities there in Redding, so there were lots of tents and awnings being set up, people wandering around and security directing traffic. I'm not going to give you a running commentary of the whole visit to the museum and the bridge... I'll just give you a few pictures of some of the things we saw...

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When you first enter the museum, the first exhibit is of a sculpture of a tree set on a glass floor, and the view of the sculpture includes the root system of the tree!

We arrived at the museum about 15 or so minutes before the feeding time in the huge aquarium they have, so we made our way down into the chamber where you can view the fish.DSC02019

As you can see from the image above, the children were fascinated by the fish swimming past the windows... There are sturgeon, striped bass and rainbow trout swimming around in this tank which is constructed to look like the Sacramento River. The fish kept in the tank are what would be found in the river itself.

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The museum does have a couple of "rare" fish swimming around... Both are albino rainbow trout... The markings are quite different on the two fish...

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Here's a view of the tank windows that also shows what we saw above the water level. That's one of the museum employees up there in the process of feeding the fish...

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One of the exhibits that the museum is hosting this summer is called "A T. Rex Named Sue" that is on loan from The Field Museum in Chicago. That thing is HUGE! lol...

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Another exhibit is called "The Art of The Brick" and consists of pieces of art that are constructed of Lego building bricks! The artist, Nathan Sawaya uses thousands of legos of different colors to construct his sculptures... Including a T. Rex not named Sue.. lol

Oh yeah.. I almost forgot to give you a photo of the Sundial Bridge!

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I'd like to go back up there and spend some more time in the museum and see some of the other things they've got there. The arboretum, the butterfly house and I'd also like to walk across the bridge. Yesterday was hot. Too hot to do much walking about outside. My folks and I decided that we'd pick a cooler day to go back. Perhaps midweek and not on a holiday so there would be fewer people and spend some more time enjoying the place....

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Amazing Basket!

I saw this on the news and went hunting for the video... This kid is amazing! LOL!!

"Top Cat" LOL! (And a gripe at the end.. *sigh*)

Can you imagine walking down the street and seeing this fellow with his pal? I'm sure the regular readers of my blog know I like cats, and I think I've mentioned a while back that I have 2 cats here that "own" me. But my cats have never tried riding around on my head! LOL


I guess I'll continue the feline funnies by adding an LOL Cat...
funny pictures of cats with captions
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I'm still watching the news, both on TV and online. I just haven't found a lot to write about lately. The Casey Anthony case is progressing, both for the murder trial and for the fraud case. Apparently the prosecutors are going to try to push the fraud case ahead of the murder case. The defense for the murder case is saying they won't be ready until some time next year, so why not push the fraud case ahead.. The motions have been filed, so we'll have to wait and see what the judge says. And we'll probably have to listen to Baez whine about how unfair it is for Casey to have to face up to her theft of money from her friend and her grandparents before she has to face the music for Caylee's death.

Someone recently asked about the case against a local man that I posted about months ago, and I've done some looking around and have found absolutely nothing online about the case that is recent. The man I am talking about is Rex Archer. When I went for that drive on Sunday with my Mom and Stepdad on Father's Day, we talked about Rex and the lack of news about the case against him. (Rex Archer was accused and arrested for sexual abuse on two girls. ) There were two postponements of hearings and then suddenly there was no news at all about the case. My folks and I are thinking that Rex has pulled some strings in Yuba County.. After all, he is one of the "good old boys" over there. I'll keep trying to find out what has happened with the case.

Now, about a case that is done with. Sort of. Phil Spector. Apparently there are a few people trolling the net who object to anything being posted that is the least bit unfavorable towards thier idol, Phil Spector. They've decided my blog is a good place to play again. (Similar childishness happened back when I posted the photo of Rachelle Spector playing with a gun during the second trial for Phil.) So, since the children have decided they want to use my blog for their games, I am putting the comment moderation back into effect. If they want to post about how much they love Phil and Rachelle Spector and spread their hate for everyone that doesn't love them, I suggest they start their own blog or message board. I guess they haven't noticed that Phil Spector is only a very minor part of my blog. As the civil cases that Phil Spector is involved in advance, there may be other posts about him on here. If Rachelle Spector does any outrageous things again, there may be other posts about her. The fans of Mr. Spector and his wife need to grow up and realize that their games aren't going to change anyone's minds about his guilt or anything else. Give it a rest, kids... I'm not going to change my mind about Phil Spector. He has been found guilty of murdering Lana Clarkson. And rightly so. He has been sentenced to prison, most likely for the rest of his life. Again, rightly so. If his "fans" don't want to behave themselves in the comments here, the comments won't see the light of day. Period.

After all, this is my blog and since it is my blog, I can post my opinion whenever I want, no matter how popular or unpopular it is. (And I don't have to put up with abuse from people who oppose my views... lol)

My apologies to my regular readers and commenters. Hopefully the children will go find another place to play soon.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day!

I don't know how many readers of my blog are Dads, but I'll send a wish for a lovely Father's Day out to all Dads in general. I'll be spending the day with my Mom and Stepdad today. My Stepdad decided that he wants to go for a drive today, so my chauffeur duties will be starting as soon as they pick me up. Hmm.. I should probably go grab my camera. No telling what kind of scenery we'll be seeing.

Meanwhile, here's a LOL Cat for the Dads out there....

funny pictures of cats with captions
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Friday, June 19, 2009

Caylee Anthony Autopsy Documents Released Today

George and Cindy lost their bid to have the autopsy results sealed until trial. Judge Stan Strickland ruled the autopsy report of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony would be made public despite the motion that Brad Conway filed on George and Cindy's behalf.

WFTV has raw video available for you to watch George's speech and the rest of the hearing. Click WFTV to get to the page. Watch the video and George's performance. Watch Cindy shake her head at what the judge is saying.. Can someone explain to me why the Anthony family thinks they are above the law?

I'm copying and pasting an article from the Orlando Sentinel about the documents released today with my comments in blue italics:

Autopsy of Caylee Marie released

The Medical Examiner's autopsy report on Caylee Marie Anthony released today showed there were no drugs found in the body of the 2-year-old at the time her death.

Amy L. Edwards | Sentinel Staff Writer
1:07 PM EDT, June 19, 2009

The official autopsy and other forensic reports released today indicate there were no drugs found in the body of 2-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony at the time her death. ~ From what I've read in the reports, there was no soft tissue left to test for drugs...

The Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office released dozens of pages of documents in the first-degree murder case against Caylee's mother, Casey Anthony, after a judge ruled today that the autopsy report could be made public. ~ George and the Anthony's attorney Brad Conway did their best to convince the Judge that the autopsy report needed to be sealed. George got up and spoke about how "fragile" they are and how they are still trying to cope with having a murdered grandchild. He begged the Judge to give them privacy and "dignity". He managed to cry on cue, too. But, the tears and anguished voice disappeared when the attorney for the media asked him how many times he and Cindy had been on TV talking about the case.

Also released today were reports from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, where scientists analyzed decomposed pizza and a squirrel.

Some findings from the reports:
Crime scene technicians spent more than a week scouring the wooded area at the end of Suburban Drive to locate the remains.

The autopsy report shows they collected "an almost complete skeleton of a young child with only multiple small bones missing. The missing bones include small bones from the wrists and hands, as well as fingers and ankle, hyoid and patella," the report said. ~ With the hyoid bone missing, there is no way to know whether or not Casey strangled her little girl.

The report shows several overlapping pieces of duct tape on Caylee's skull. ~ Several pieces of duct tape? That is new news. It has been publicized before that there was duct tape over the mouth area of the skull.

"Although there is no trauma evident on the skeleton, there is duct tape over the lower facial region still attached to head hair," the report said. "This duct tape was clearly placed prior to decomposition keeping the mandible in place." ~ The report confirms the location of the tape and the fact that it was still attached to the hair, but most everything I'd read up to now was talking about one piece of duct tape, not several pieces. Why on earth did Casey have to put all that duct tape over her daughter's mouth?

They also noted that a portion of her skeletal remains were intermixed with two plastic trash bags and a canvas laundry bag. "The bags have a woodsy, outdoor odor with no smell of decomposition," the report said. ~ In other words, the bags and Caylee's remains had been out in the woods long enough for the decomp smell to fade away.

Vertebrae were found clustered in an area away from the skull. ~ Evidence that animals had scavenged in those bags? How awful to think of that...

Medical examiners noted that there were multiple roots extending through portions of the plastic garbage bag and skeletal remains. At least one root was 10 centimeters in length and "completely extends through the bag."

"The roots growing into the vertebrae and bags indicate that the body was placed there months prior to being found. There is nothing inconsistent with the body being placed there soon after the day of being last seen alive." ~ In other words, Casey discarded her daughter not long after Father's Day and went merrily on her way...

Roots had also grown through the Winnie the Pooh blanket found with the plastic bags.

According to a forensic report from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, scientists performed tests that allowed them to analyze the decomposition of a squirrel and pizza.

Casey Anthony's relatives have maintained the pungent odor coming from the trunk of her Pontiac Sunfire could have come from an old pizza or squirrel.

The Oak Ridge report states that previous reports of a decomposing pizza found in the vehicle trunk were not true. But the scientists went ahead and analyzed a piece of mushroom and pepperoni pizza, in the original box, which they let decompose for several days. "It is interesting to note that no maggots were found on the pizza," the report said.

The adult squirrel – apparently the victim of a hit-and-run – was allowed to decompose outdoors for about 10 days in a trashcan with fly access. The researchers said the maggot activity and odor was "significantly less than expected." They noted, "Results of this analysis showed very little similarity to the Florida carpet sample." No sulfur compounds or chloroform were detected.

Of the 51 chemicals identified from Anthony's trunk carpet sample, 80 percent were consistent with decompositional events, the report said.

"Nearly all the compounds present in early human decomposition were detected in the trunk samples if their concentrations were high enough to detect," the report said.

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Here are the documents I've been able to get so far:

I can see why the Anthony's didn't want these reports released. Some of the findings clearly disprove some of the lies that the Anthony's have been putting out to the media. The "decomposing pizza", the "dead squirrel" and so on.. George and Cindy need to realize that this is not about them. Perhaps their plea for dignity and privacy might have had more weight if they hadn't been so ready to jump in front of a camera to spread the lies and propaganda to try and get their daughter out of "trouble". They say that they've only been doing the interviews to promote the "foundation" that they've started in Caylee's name.. Uhm.. Yeah, right. I don't believe it. I've said it before. They need to stay home and cope with the murder of their granddaughter and stop spreading the lies. Casey is going to stand trial for the murder of Caylee no matter what George and Cindy want.

Friday, June 12, 2009

(The Customer Is) Not Always Right

Ok, today's post is going to be a shameless plug for another blog. A blog that has had me sitting here laughing out loud... A friend on Facebook posted a link and a recommendation for the site and I've been "stuck" there ever since... The name of the blog is "(The Customer Is) Not Always Right" and it's a compilation of anecdotes of.. uhm.. strange encounters between customers and sales or service people. This site had me laughing from the very first post:

The Store, My Friend, Is Blowing In The Wind

Customer: *on the phone* “I’ve been trying to order a book from your store in Palm Harbor for the last two days, but they never pick up the phone!”

Me: “OK, what number are you calling?”

(The customer gives me the number and I check our records. She has been calling the right number.)

Customer: “I’ve been calling and calling and they never, EVER answer! It’s so unprofessional! I need you to contact them for me.”

Me: “Well, to be honest, if they never pick up for you, they’re not going to pick up for me either, but I’ll see if our manager has a suggestion.”

Customer: “Well, obviously you should try calling on the employee line!”

Me: “We don’t have that, ma’am. We call each other’s stores with the same numbers you’re using.”

Customer: “When you get through to them, tell them I want them to order this item…”

(The customer gives me all the book information and her phone number, then proceeds to complain about how frustrated and angry she is about our company’s terrible attitude. I talk to my district manager, who gives me some very important news. I relay the following to this woman’s answering machine…)

Me: “Hello, I’m calling you back about the item you wanted ordered from another store in our chain. Unfortunately, we’ve just found out that our Palm Harbor store was blown away in the recent hurricane. I’m sure this is why they’re not answering their phone. Please give us a call back any time, and let us know if we can assist you further. Have a nice day!”

If you have some time, go browse a bit and get some laughs... Although it does make you wonder about how many stupid people there are!!