Happy trails…

I am taking a few days off from the criminal justice system…

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, you will be on your own in your travels…

 

 

 

 

 

But, if you run into any trouble with the law, remember that famous quote:

“STOP TALKING”

 

 

 

 

 

Happy trails!!

Justice is blind…

Looking for…justice

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Justice is the symbol and personification of justice. Lady Justice is based on Justitia, the Roman goddess of justice.  The personification of justice balancing the scales of truth and fairness dates back to the Goddess Maat, and later Isis, of ancient Egypt.  Ancient Rome adopted the image of a female goddess of justice, which it called Justitia. Since Roman times, Justitia has frequently been depicted carrying scales and a sword, and wearing a blindfold. (from Wikipedia)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(from Google images)

Her modern iconography frequently adorns courthouses and courtrooms, and conflates the attributes of several goddesses who embodied Right Rule for Greeks and Romans, blending Roman blindfolded Fortuna (fate) with Hellenistic Greek Tyche (luck), and sword-carrying Nemesis (vengeance).

Justitia is most often depicted with a set of scales typically suspended from her right hand, upon which she measures the strengths of a case’s support and opposition. She is also often seen carrying a double-edged sword in her left hand, symbolizing the power of Reason and Justice, which may be wielded either for or against any party.

 

 

 

 

 

(Bailey making herself blind with plastic flower pot on her head)

Since the 15th century, Lady Justice has often been depicted wearing a blindfold. The blindfold represents objectivity, in that justice is or should be meted out objectively, without fear or favor, regardless of identity, money, power, or weakness; blind justice and impartiality.

On the road again…

Went to a surrounding county today, which reminds me of a basic rule:

Always be friendly to all the court staff…

 

 

 

 

 

“The wayfinder (Polynesian navigator) concentrates 100 percent of his attention on his place in the sea and sky. With his one-pointedness, he processes all of his data on his course, speed and current, etc. His point of concentration is his navel, called the piko in Hawaiian. This is considered the center of the one’s body and being, so that it – not the brain – is the point from which to live.”

– Harriet Witt-Miller “The Soft, Warm, Wet Technology of Native Oceania

Keeping your balance…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I thought of that while riding my bicycle” – Albert Einstein on the Theory of Relativity

Just when you think I may have too much of a “cycle” theme going in this blog about the justice system, I come across this cool exhibit of old bicycles….

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel that I am entitled to my share of lightheartedness and there is nothing wrong with enjoying one’s self simply, like a boy. ~ Leo Tolstoy In response to criticism for learning to ride a bicycle at age 67

 

 

 

 

 

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving ~ Albert Einstein

…wow, that guy was a genius!

new cases…

No matter how long I have practiced criminal law – about 26 years now- it seems I come across a new type of problem in every new case.   As you may suspect, the attorney is always expected to tackle the problem head-on.

 

 

 

 

 

“Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Shidoni Gallery, Santa Fe)

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”    – Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

 

 

 

I guess that’s what makes it so much fun…

dna – a little bit more…

A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top.  ~Author Unknown

Today was cloudy and rainy.  Good for another piece of dna..

 

 

 

 

 

Remember the genetic code?  It determines each person’s individual characteristics and in so doing dictates that no two persons (with the exception of identical twins) are the same.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid – got that?)  analysis began in medical research. (1953 was a milestone)

DNA is a polymer which is a long molecule composed of only a few simple units.  Deoxyribose (a sugar), phosphate and four different organic bases. Those units taken together are nucleotides, which are the raw building blocks of DNA. The DNA structure has been likened to that of a long ladder that has been twisted along its axis. The sugar and phosphate together form the outside support of the ladder and the four different bases are the rungs or steps of the ladder. Simple…

 

 

 

 

(taken from Google dna images)

DNA…

Seems to me that anyone even remotely interested in the criminal justice system should have some sort of understanding of DNA, as it is sought, collected, and talked about in virtually every serious criminal case, whether pre-trial, at trial or post-trial.  However, any discussion of DNA gets complicated pretty quickly- especially for those non-science grounded folks. Having said this, let’s get started with some basics.

The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step  – Lao Tzu

 

 

 

 

 

(Callie)

Genetics is the study of genes, and tries to explain what they are and how they work.  (What follows is from Wikipedia)

Genes are how living organisms inherit features from their ancestors; for example, children usually look like their parents because they have inherited their parents’ genes. Genetics tries to identify which features are inherited, and explain how these features are passed from generation to generation.

 

 

 

 

 

(Bailey)

In genetics, a feature of a living thing is called a “trait“. Some traits are part of an organism’s physical appearance; such as a person’s eye-color, height or weight. Other sorts of traits are not easily seen and include blood types or resistance to diseases.

Some traits are inherited through our genes, so tall and thin people tend to have tall and thin children; such traits which result due to inheritance alone are called genotypes. Other traits come from interactions between our genes and the environment, so a child might inherit the tendency to be tall, but if they are poorly nourished, they will still be short; such traits which are manifested due to the combined action of inherited genes and environmental circumstances are called phenotypes.

 

 

 

 

 

Genes are made from a long molecule called DNA, which is copied and inherited across generations. DNA is made of simple units that line up in a particular order within this large molecule. The order of these units carries genetic information, similar to how the order of letters on a page carries information. The language used by DNA is called the genetic code, which lets organisms read the information in the genes. This information is the instructions for constructing and operating a living organism.

The information within a particular gene is not always exactly the same between one organism and another, so different copies of a gene do not always give exactly the same instructions. Each unique form of a single gene is called an allele.

In criminal justice and DNA analysis, you hear alot about DNA and allele.  So, we will come back to them.

 Time to stop!!

Flying and color…

I’m not into lecturing kids about the reasons they should not be smoking dope, selling drugs, stealing, fighting, etc…but, if asked, I would say that staying out of jail is certainly one of them.

 

 

 

 

 

In fact, I think (legal) activities worth pursuing often involve two things:

(1) recreating the sensation of flying

 

 

 

 

 

and (2) color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Petty hard to argue with that… 

 

 

 

 

 

“The earth laughs in flowers.”   ― Ralph Waldo Emerson