Casey Anthony Acquittal and Free From Jail Sunday

The Florida trial of Casey Anthony ended last week with her acquittal of the murder of little Caylee Anthony based upon the jury’s finding of “reasonable doubt.” You can find my opinion piece about the decision by clicking on my Helium writer link.

Casey was accompanied by her defense attorney Jose Baez as she left the jail Sunday morning. There has been a lot of speculation as to where she will go and what she will do. One thing is certain, that she will probably be faced with many civil suits by the child-search organizations and those who provided her security in light of the fact that the defense claimed Casey knew the child died by accident in the swimming pool back on June 16, 2008.

If, in fact, Casey Anthony did not murder her little 2-year-old daughter, then law enforcement in Florida and Casey Anthony along with her family should be seeking the true killer or killers. We still do not know the child’s biological father, who George and Cindy say had the last name of Baker as testified to during the trial.

Like O.J. Simpson, Casey Anthony will have many appearances now with the media, a book or movie deal in the works, as well as a lot of unanswered questions. The lead prosecutor in this trial has now retired after serving Florida faithfully for over 30 years. The meter-reader who found the body near the Anthony home, Roy Kronk, left the employ of the County and is suing others for slander.

We would all do well to read Jaycee Dugard’s new book (she is the young girl who was abducted for 18 years and appeared on ABC), to learn how even in tragedy, grace, humor and inner strength can be found in order to help others.

Elder Abuse Considered By Congress

Mickey Rooney has now testified before Congress regarding his own experience with elder abuse. Elder abuse can also include such things as denial of housing and medical care, theft of mail and finances, as well as alteration of estate documents like wills and deeds of trust.
I had previously written about the proposed Senate Bill 795 here:ELDER ABUSE

More distressing are the apparently legal investment clubs which include in their portfolios life insurance on the NOT YET deceased. I believe this was featured on a CBS “60 Minutes” show. It used to be only immediate family members could buy insurance on another; they had to show a legitimate insurable interest in the person (for example, one must have a reason or hold a title/registration on a car in order to buy car insurance for the vehicle). Buying insurance for only mercenary reasons pushes a kind of moral boundary when others have a financial interest only in an elder’s demise.

Bravo Mickey Rooney and AARP for bringing this important elder abuse legislation to the public’s attention.

Lost Art of Charm

Lately I have been ruminating upon the lost art of class and charm. It seems that society today has completely forgotten about such things while focusing primarily upon economics, religion and politics. Here is my contribution on how to restore Class without Money, but it really has nothing at all to do with economic stature. Anyone with class and charm would know that already.

Here is the article on class and charm CHARM

Egypt’s Revolution Good For Israel?

Although the new administration of Egypt and their ideological direction are still undecided, it is hoped that the desire of the Egyptian people for free and fair elections, free speech and free press will be honored. This can only be good news for Israel. Here is my latest about this click hereIsrael and Egypt Revolution.

Egypt and the PBS News Hour

Once again, PBS has outshown NBC, CBS, CNN, ABC and even the New York Times with their indepth reporting of the Egypt uprising. If you missed the February 7, 2011 broadcast, I would encourage you to check it out to see who is showing up in Egypt to help in the “transition” – none other than Nobel Prize Winner Ahmed Zewail. He was the third Egyptian to win a Nobel after Anwar Sadat and Mahfouz (Literature). ElBaradei also won a Nobel Prize, but the Mubarak supporters did not take too kindly to his comments to CNN or his connections to the Muslim Brotherhood.

I have written about Ahmed Zewail and U.S. concerns to the departure of Mubarak here: Egypt Transition

Portlandia TV show

If you or someone you know is from the Portland, OR area, they might want to check out the new comedy/parody on IFC cable TV called “Portlandia” which airs on Friday nights. The NewYorkTimes did a small article about this show which stars two seasoned SNL comedy actors and writers and is quite original and funny.

The show pokes fun at the very 90s attitude of the mostly under 30s Portland population and features all the little ideological counter-culture craziness that makes Portland so unique such as a preference for bicyclists (cruisers) over cars, feminist bookstore banter, coffee shops and those who drink from mason jars, literary snobbery, dumpster diving, urban library hide-and-seek, prefering the less popular authors, putting birds on everything, co-ops, non-profits, communal living and ordering only free-range chicken with provenance.

Having spent many years in Portland, I find the show hilariously spot-on in their characterization, but many from there say it portrays a kind of bluejean Eugene likeness more. Regardless, that axe-to-grind attitude and high-minded socialist absoluteness and eco-minded, left-wing, anti-populist mindset is quite specific mostly to Portlanders. Not all, but Portlandia certainly captured the essence of this group.

You can see clips from “Portlandia” on YouTube.

Conservative Talking Heads on Egypt

Now that Pres. Mubarak of Egypt has made his decision 2/1/2011 the conservative Republican senators like John McCain and Lindsey Graham are speaking out on Hannity’s Fox News, CNN and other media outlets. These are long-time, seasoned politicians who do not always see eye-to-eye with Pres. Obama. It appears that they are asking Egypt to “choose wisely” now that they have a choice, and to respect the Army who will help bring order to the region while the new government forms. Contrary to many of the links and pundits, they are speaking out against a RADICAL Islamic fundamentalist regime, not an Islamic nation governed by a free people. Here is the McCain response link: Republican Response

I would also encourage anyone interested in women’s rights in the region of Egypt to read Paul Jeffrey’s 12/9/2008 piece for the “Catholic News Service.” In that article he includes information about loans, laws, ID cards, and possibilities for running of office for Egyptian women. Hopefully their sisters in Iraq and Afghanistan give them support and hope.

You can find my three articles about Egypt’s Uprising by following my links at Helium.com

Proposed Washington State Senate Bill

A newly proposed Washington State Senate Bill would help the families and widows of police and fire fighters who die from work-related stroke, heart attack and other illnesses. See here: SB 5354

Egyptian Uprising – Theologically

International affairs are one thing. For theologians, any country that has Biblical significance or prophetic ties should sound alarm bells. The current uprising in Egypt is significant for many reasons and I have written a little piece on the breakdown of free speech and why Egypt important here: Egypt Uprising

For a more detailed news analysis, I would suggest the New York Times and Los Angeles Times (two distinct perspectives on Egypt). I have posted links to Reporters Without Borders website and newsworthy pieces by NYT, CNN and LAT on my Facebook profile.

Product Review Dog Chews

As a former market researcher, I still use my talents from time-to-time to do product reviews for Epinions.com. I like the site because you get instantaneous feedback from the advisors and critics, so it is a great place to hone one’s writing skills. My most popular review was about dog booties that protect a pet’s feet in the winter, so I thought my readers might enjoy this one about Waggin’ Trails Chicken Dog Tenders treats. You can find it here: Dog Chew

Another reason why I like Epinions is that they have several ways to earn royalties, have a big audience through Shopping.com and allow you a free writer/rater page that accommodates fancy graphics.