UPDATE: Casey Anthony murder trial - Cindy Anthony (Grandmother) of Caylee, takes stand for most of today, jury sympathizes?

Opinion street

Orlando, Florida - I'm no lawyer, but sympathy, emotions, and non-facts, should not be part of any murder trial. Today's evidence in the murder case of Casey Anthony was not evidence, but pure emotion, speculation and sympathy for the grandmother. It has been reported that the whole family is dysfunctional and it was very clear today this may be true, and although it is only the seventh day of trial this is a very dysfunctional family in my view. In previous testimony by George, Casey's Father, he would never answer the defense attorney's questions, and today it was the same approach from the mother, Cindy.
Let's face it, Casey Anthony is not the poster child for Mother of the Year,  but this is just so, so slanted, since everyone has been coached to hate her and that is not right. How she acts in the courtroom to her mother, how she dresses, how she looks at anyone, these are not reasons for convicting someone of the worst crime ever. Innuendo, speculation, looks, clothing they are not evidence.

Caylee Anthony

I agree, I suspected she was guilty from three years ago, and she may well be, but we must let the trial play out. From what I understand as a layman, people get convicted on evidence and we have seen very little so far. Yes, computer checks for chloroform, checks for neck breaking, hair in the trunk, these are all circumstantial evidence and no one has placed Casey at the desk of the computer, or putting her daughters hair in the trunk.

 Tonight on Nancy Grace show on HLN, where she is in true form, she has said such things as "Casey placed her daughters dead body in a pet cemetery with duct tape over her mouth" is just all conjecture and not based on any real facts. She even had a veteran New York City lawyer Paul Batista as a guest on her show tonight and he spouted the same as me, and she said, "cut his microphone, he's not answering my questions"  which means he is not in lock step loop with Nancy Grace's view, and can't be heard, doubt if he will be asked back on. I have read that the duct tape over the mouth of young Caylee was probably done by the person who killed/or covered up the death, to make it appear that it was a kidnapping.

Defense team

It appears that everyone from CNN - HLN shows, seem to have  closed minds, and think/demand that Casey is guilty. Thank goodness we even have trials, with people thinking like this, and spewing their biased opinions. I have not decided yet, if I think Casey is guilty, it looks very bad for her if I just listen to the main stream media, but I have my doubts, but they may be addressed later in the trial. But I have not decided to take her out and finish her off before she gets a fair and unbiased trial, what is happening people, there must be evidence, proving these things especially in a murder trial, it must be beyond reasonable doubt. Are people saying, they have no doubt in their minds after the revealing opening statement at the beginning of the trial by Casey's defense attorney Jose Baez?  Maybe not, but I sure do, have all kinds of doubt in my mind and I'm just a regular guy.

Casey is the one everyone loves to hate, and "string her up" mentality, but that went out, back when cattle rustlers were hung, not today.

It shall be very interesting in the next few days, when George and Cindy's son Lee takes the stand and maybe then, we will see we have a package deal of a fully dysfunctional family, and it also appears they may all be liars, just as they programmed their daughter Casey.

Check out my pics

TRIAL CHATTER: I thought it was just me mixing up Casey, Caylee, Cindy, all such similar names but I heard Cindy today on the stand make the mistake herself, at least twice?

Daniel .. Toronto, CANADA
My take on everything
@dandmb50

To go to my FULL BlogSpot BLOG CLICK HERE or click the Header .. Daniel .. Toronto, CANADA  at the top of each page.

UPDATE: Casey Anthony murder trial – ‘Dick Tracy Orlando’ was discussed, in the absence of the jury this afternoon, but the jury heard it

Orlando, Florida - The fantasy world touched the Orlando courtroom murder trial of Casey Anthony today as they spent almost an hour discussing whether they would allow defense attorney Jose Baez   to introduce information about the Orange County Sheriff’s Office detective nicknamed “Dick Tracy Orlando.”
Not sure which is more REAL, Dick Tracy Orlando or the stories told by Casey Anthony on her way to this murder trial of the millennium. The prosecution indicated to  Chief Judge Belvin Perry   today that they are only half way through their witnesses.
Today was day seven of the trial and there are few “facts/evidence” so far, and now that we are hearing Casey’s stories, it is clearer that her stories, were never true.
But just as the country was shocked when Jose Baez startled everyone by saying “Caylee Anthony was not murdered, she downed in the backyard swimming pool”, we should have learned to never take anything for granted in this trial. It may well appear that Casey has been lying all along, but we have not heard the whole story yet.
Lee Anthony was the only family member on the stand this morning and never really revealed anything exceptional, but did confirm he is part of the same dysfunctional family tree, with his little sarcastic laugh. And he did mention that he had to “roll play“  to get a story across to his sister Casey. It appears, not only do these Anthony’s, all of them admit to lying, they all seem to be great actors as well.
One of Cindy’s admitted lies was when she called the police on Casey and told them she “smelled a dead body”  in the car, to get them to arrive faster, another mysterious lie, was when she did not know Casey was pregnant, but a picture of the two at a local wedding make it abundantly clear she was seven months pregnant. Click the picture to the left to see a larger view of the pregnant Casey, but her mother could not tell she was pregnant even though she is a health care professional.

Lead Detective, Yuri Melich of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office took the stand late this afternoon and he is the one that Jose Baez says is called “Dick Tracy Orlando”   after he admitted posting some comments about the case on some local blogs prior to the trial. Melich, has created, or trying to create a fan club of sorts, and at the time back when he first arrived on the scene at the Anthony home at 3:50am on July 16/2008 he was a Detective Corporal but now is working in the Professional Standards division which is internal affairs. As Melich was giving his testimony today about Casey’s statement, Baez asked him “did you ever go by a different name than Yuri Melich?”  The prosecution made an objection and the Judge sustained it, and then Baez went ahead and said quickly, “did you ever go by the name of Dick Tracy Orlando?” to which he received no reply, and the Judge said “sustained” again, and then “next question” and then Baez asks for a sidebar and the Judge refuses, but then allows it, and they remove the jury and have a hearing over “Dick Tracy Orlando.”  He sure has a smug, arrogant/smart ass attitude while he is on the stand at the trial. I hate to see him in person.

Jose Baez   has some information that Melich overlooked during his investigation, and feels he is biased towards his client and unprofessional, but the Judge didn’t buy it, but it took up almost an hour of valuable court time. Melich claims he was only at the house to do an investigation about a missing child, and although he admits he smelled the human remains in the car, he never called CSI or made a report about the suspicious smells.
He also talked about what Casey told him, as to where Caylee was at the time, and he spoke about Zenaida Gonzalez (Zanni the Nanny) and he didn’t say this, but apparently she was being paid $400 a week to babysit Caylee, and Casey has been telling so many stories, she even made up a dog and friends for Zanni, since Caylee came home one day and had been scratched by the made up dog, but maybe, that was made up too.
The trial continues again tomorrow at 9am.


Daniel … Toronto, CANADA
My take on everything
@dandmb50

To go to my FULL WordPress BLOG CLICK HERE or click the Header .. Daniel .. Toronto, CANADA  at the top of each page.

UPDATE: Day 15 - Questions: still outstanding about Casey Anthony murder trial - Does anyone have answers? Dates and times of key evidence

Orlando, Florida - Friday was very disturbing with Judge Perry allowing speculating evidence into the trial with videos that were very damaging to the defense which had nothing to do with "real evidence."
It appears that the prosecution is getting very desperate, and just working on the emotions of the jury and the public by continually showing the death scene photos with the duct tape over and over and over. The pictures are real, but it doesn't show how the duct tape got onto Caylee.
By saying "there is no other way it could have happened," is not evidence, and it appears many of the prosecution witnesses are saying just that.

Dr. Jan Garavaglia, Chief Medical Examiner explained there was no other way it could have happened, just her opinion, but the prosecution never showed any videos of Caylee drowning in the pool?

Questions: still outstanding about Casey Anthony trial - Does anyone have answers? Dates and times of key evidence.

What was the date the car was found in the tow yard?

If it was mid July 2008 according to defense attorney Jose Baez, Caylee died June 16/2008 and evidence has been made that the body was in trunk of car for only 2 days.

How is it the body was not in heavy decomposition if it was 29 days later that it was placed in the car?

Cindy Anthony called police July 15/2008 about Caylee missing.

I always thought that hair samples could be tested for any type of drugs in the body. Did they test the sample in the trunk for chloroform and did they find any?

Have they proved, or are they going to prove that Casey put the tape on Caylee's face, or even prove that Casey put the body in the trunk?

Are they going to prove that Casey made the searches on the internet for chloroform, neck breaking and if she didn't make the searches, who did and why?

Are we seeing all jailhouse videos, or only those that are beneficial to the prosecution?

Caylee's body found Dec 11/2008 in the woods.

Dr. Voss from earlier in week, is a bit of a nut job, using his "defining rod" which is a hangar that detects dead bodies in the ground, and wants to put "tracking devices" on (yes really) flies??
Emotions should not be the "Evidence" that convicts Casey, it should be real facts about the alleged murder and until we hear what the defense has to say, we must just hold back judgement. I think she did it, but I still have an open mind.

 
Trial continues Saturday at 9am.

 






Daniel ... Toronto, CANADA
My take on everything
@dandmb50

UPDATE: Casey Anthony murder trial Day 20 - Defense makes some huge advances with evidence and drops some bombshells

Orlando, Florida - Key pieces of evidence that the prosecution said were a slam dunk were challenged today as the defense started with their charge to the jury. Duct tape, blood on many items was discounted by Heather Seubert, an FBI - DNA expert from Quantico, VA when she said many times, there is no blood or DNA on these items that link directly to Caylee, or Casey Anthony.

A big part of this case has been the duct tape which the prosecution said was used to kill Caylee. Today it was proven by Seubert, that there was no DNA on the sticky side of the duct tape. The prosecution countered with the fact that it was under water, six months in the woods, etc, so it will be up to the jury to believe or not believe her testimony.

This was only the second witness that the defense had called and already the prosecution is on the defensive, making all kinds of objections to keep this evidence out but Judge Belvin Perry is allowing most. (overruled) Seubert did many tests on all of these items and found no blood or semen on all items pointing to Casey and the prosecution just kept objecting.

The prosecutor was furious when Jose Baez (defense attorney for Casey) asked the witness about the parentage of Caylee, and Judge Perry said "I don't have a hearing problem, the amplification of questions and objections, I don't need them." and then they broke for lunch. Defense council Baez has said from his opening statement (which is not evidence) that Casey was molested by George and brother Lee and although he knew already they were not matches for paternity, he still tried to get it in their minds before lunch break.

The defense dropped some bombshells, or it would be better described as, Carpet Bombing. Why did the prosecution hide these facts?



Daniel ... Toronto, CANADA
My take on everything
@dandmb50

Driving in Toronto, can it be dangerous, costly, frustrating and just plain madness. Do we have enough enforcement?

Toronto, CANADA - An excellent article in the Toronto Star today prompted this blog, and writer Ian Law was concentrating on the four driving offences that "drive him crazy" and he could issue tickets (if they game him a title and a car) to drivers, under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act (HTA.) He covers his worst, distracted drivers, running red lights,aggressive driving, and illegal turns.

These are all good points and although many residents would say "We have enough enforcement, too much,in fact" that is not the case. Recently the Province of Ontario added a new traffic law which makes using any hand held electronic devices illegal and subject to over $100 fine and points. This is mainly targeted at people texting and driving, or stopped at a traffic light, and are not using a hands free device. And since the start of this new law, about a year ago, has this eliminated the safety hazard? Not a chance, it's a wee bit smaller than in years past, but it still continues to this day, and I see people texting in backed up traffic all the time. If caught, I think a more realistic fine should be imposed since they are only catching about five percent, so let's make the fine $500 and see how the public reacts to that.
This texting and driving has been responsible for so many accidents since texting started, and now with everyone having a smart phone, and traffic snarls all over the city, people think they can do both. Studies have shown that someone texting and driving is very similar to the conditions of an impaired driver and in Ontario that is a criminal offence.

I just don't get it, people can't wait to answer their phones and for some reason are aware of the dangers, but continue to use their hand held devices while they try to manoeuvre through the heavy traffic of downtown Toronto, and I suspect other major cities across North America. It's getting so bad, it's not even safe in a wheelchair. (picture below)

So what do you think? Are there other things that DRIVE YOU CRAZY about Toronto Drivers? Let's hear what you have to say.

If you need a good safe driving school, check this place out, it's Ian Law's school just north of Toronto. (Car Control School)

People who liked this BLOG post, liked these, remember the women who walked into a fountain while texting check her video out.
Walked into water fountain while texting.
What's the rule for parking VALET giving keys to drunk drivers?
Can car companies eliminate the bar on the drivers side that blocks view when turning?

Daniel ... Toronto, CANADA
My take on everything




Did you ever get CASH, $25.00 to open a bank account, well you can do it now with ING and they even pay you interest, NO fees ever, yes I said NO FEES, go to my BLOGSPOT BLOG and look for the ING Dangling KEY logo and .. FLIP OVER for the LINK - Check it out. You are required to make a minimum deposit of $100, but where else can you make 25% interest in one transaction instantly. Huh?
Be sure to copy the NUMBERS on the key to get the $25 credit. ...

Favorite links about Toronto

• The Wall Photo Group-JoinJoin today - simple rules
  
• WordPress BLOGJust UPDATED
  
• BlogSpot/BloggerBlogSpot BLOG - My take on everything
  
• Toronto access pageEvents, movies and anything else happening in Toronto
  
• Sewers under the CityPics stories about sewers
  
• FamilyPhoto2000Family Photo 2000
  
• Toronto News 24 - excellent online news about TorontoOnline NEWS site about Toronto and the whole GTA area
  
• My first BLOG tumblrAll about Toronto, TUMBLR Blog
  
• blog.commy other BLOG - My take on everything
  
• AllVoicesNews/comment - citizen journalists
  
• Now PublicNews/comment - citizen journalists
  
• IPTV - Bell Fibe TV forumForum about Fibe TV
  
• TwitPicPictures - photos - comments
  
• My photo AlbumsPictures - photos - comments
  
• City of TorontoMunicipal Government site
  
• Libya EgyptMy take on "Middle East"
  
• All about dandmb50#dandmb50 on google 54,000 hits
  
• My Flickr pictures on flickriverFlikr pictures on flickriver portal, click picture to see full discription and scroll down to see more
  
• Flickr albumsSome of my favorites on Flickr
  
• Digital Journal - Online news around the worldOnline news - Toronto and the WORLD - great site
  
• On-line Radio ShowInteresting topics check it out
  
• Madison, WisconsinAll about Wisconsin, great site

The strength of Tuscaloosa is the people, and 'THEY' will overcome.

Tuscaloosa, Alabama -

The Royal Wedding - Enough already, I didn't receive my invitation so I'm not watching, um, going.

Toronto, Canadar (CANADA) - (That's how THEY say it, I don't know where they get the "r" from) Is it just me or is this Royal Wedding thing too much for everybody. They have created stamps, dolls, coins, trinkets, bobbleheads, complete TV/Radio coverage, and we are all suppose to be interested?
It's a wedding. I'm happy for William but it's too much for me.

It's as if the media is telling us, we should be interested in this whole big spending spree and everything associated with it. Am I the only one not interested?

Let us know what you think of it all. I have mixed feelings on the Monarchy in Canada, but all the fuss is a bit too much for me.
I don't usually watch much on TV live anymore because of DVR/PVR so it gives me the opportunity when the Royal stuff comes on to just click through it, and I seem to be doing a lot of clicking the last few days, since it's on every newscast. Bloody HELL ...But I must admit, I do like the crowns.
And why are they calling her "Kate" when her name is Catherine? Most parents name their girls Catherine because they don't want people to call them "Kate."

Daniel … Toronto, CANADA
My take on everything

Can you believe this HAT, yikes. This is how much out of control this thing is, women are suppose to wear hats (by tradition, not required) but someone did not wear a hat and is now ostracized  by the British community, Huh ?


This is the Queen arriving at the Westminster Abbey, (founded 960) BELOW, and what's in her purse? Yes, I confess, I did watch a bit of it. I'm so happy for the two of them and so happy everything went smoothly. She's on our money?