New, Big, Blue

How do I love thee, big blue recycling bin? 

Let me count the ways.

It's New

My old bin that we carried down to the curb was held together with duct tape. It's continued existence as a container was a matter of uncertain survival week to week.

It's Big

At 96 gallons, it holds a lot of recycling.

It's Blue

Actually a rather pretty shade of blue, particularly when its standing next to the drab green trashcan.

It Has Wheels

We can roll it down to the curb instead of lugging the heavy, filled bin.

More Recycling

Now that we have this big container, we are allowed to recycle more stuff.  Now we can toss in cardboard boxes and paperboard packaging.

No Sorting Required

That's right!  We do not have to separate plastics, glass, paper, whatever.  We just toss it into the big, blue bin, roll it to the curb, and let the city do the rest.

Thank you, City of New Braunfels, for our new bin and expanded recycling options.

Thank You, New Braunfels High School

 

I spent yesterday in the library at New Braunfels High School talking to students during six different periods.

We discussed the cases I'd written about in my ten true crime books as well as discussing my five fiction novels.

We also took a look at lessons learned: how not to become a victim, how to recognize the warning signs of a bad relationship and the dangers of posting on the internet.

I had a great but exhausting time--how do teachers do it day after day?  I also have a few new Facebook friends from the high school and a few more followers on Twitter. 

The school library computers block a lot of sites and this is one of them.  Students will have to check their home computers to see the pictures that I shot on my iPhone before I started talking to them. 

Thank you all for spending the day with me.  I really enjoyed meeting all of you!

Joy in the Garden

The flowers are beautiful right now--golden clumps of esperanza, stalks of red salvia flowers, pink buds of roses--how do I love thee, let me count the blooms. 

But the biggest joy in my greenspace this weekend are the signs of fall crops starting to live up to their potential. 

Bunches of eggplant

And even a couple of little green tomatoes

Life is Good!

A Grim Anniversary for Casey Anthony

Two years ago today, the Grand Jury in Orlando handed down an indictment charging Casey Anthony with the first degree murder charge of her young daughter, Caylee Anthony.  It is now about two years and four months since anyone saw little Caylee alive.

By the time this case goes to trial in May 2011, Caylee will have been dead longer than she was alive.

It doesn't seem right, does it?

It made me wonder if the death penalty is the reason it's taken so long.  Jose Baez has played that card quite often in order to postpone the inevitable.  If the state had not sought the death penalty, would Casey's future now be a foregone conclusion instead of a matter for debate?

There's no real way to know if the possibility of capitol punishment has slowed the forward march for justice.  But there is one thing that is certain, if Casey does get the death penalty, that will leave the door open for a protracted appeals process after conviction. 

Unfortunately, I think Casey will enjoy the extra time in the limelight.

MOMMY'S LITTLE GIRL by Diane Fanning is available online and at book stores everywhere.

Is Jose Baez His Own Worst Enemy?

Back when Jose Baez requested that Judge Stan Strickland be removed from presiding over the Casey Anthony case, I--and a lot of others--suspected it might be a change that would worsen his defense position.  It turned out we were right. 

Strickland gave Baez and the defense team a lot of leeway in the courtroom.  The new judge, Belvin Perry, is well known for a more no-nonsense approach.  In this case, he has ordered regular pre-trial update hearings. has insisted there will be no further delays and made it clear that he does not suffer fools.

Now, Baez is asking for something else that might not been in his client's best interest: touch DNA testing on  the shorts thought to have been worn by Caylee Anthony and the laundry bag found with her body.  Touch DNA analyzes skin cells left behind by assailants when they touch a person or object.  It was this technology that cleared family members in the death of Jon Benet Ramsey.   

Baez wanted the testing done by Richard Eiekelenboom's Dutch lab, Independent Forensic Services.  Baez and his sidekick Cheney Mason argued that the labs in Florida were all connected to law enforcement and therefore, biased against the defense.

Perry granted the defense request to have testing done, but insisted that it be within his jurisdiction so that the lab technicians could be compelled to testify if the defense chose not to use the results at trial and the prosecution wanted the jury to hear that evidence.

If Casey Anthony's touch DNA is found on either item, it would another nail in the coffin the state is building for Baez's client.  So why does he even want to go there?  But he has.  He got what he requested.  Now, we'll wait and see if he soon regrets this move, too.

MOMMY'S LITTLE GIRL by Diane Fanning is available online and at book stores everywhere.