text:
In a real-estate spree that shows no sign of stopping, upstart Google has leased 395 Page Mill Road in Palo Alto.
The office building, which served as Agilent Technologies' headquarters for six years, was the site of HP's original 10,000-square-foot campus, built two years after founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard left the famous garage.
The 225,000-square-foot office building can accommodate up to 850 workers, according to Phil Mahoney, a broker with Cornish & Carey Commercial, who represented the owner, Jay Paul Co. of San Francisco, in the deal that was "recently signed."
When Google plans to move in, or which division will leave Mountain View - where the company is headquartered - is unknown, Mahoney said. He would not disclose the value of the lease, but the property was listed at $3.50 a square foot, making the annual cost close to $9.5 million.
Quick hits
John Chen, president and chief executive officer of Dublin-based Sybase Inc. , has received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The award was given in the technology and software category for Northern California. . . . A director of Wind River Systems Inc. , an Alameda-based software company, exercised options for 100,000 shares of common stock, according to an SEC filing.
Compiled from wire and staff reports. Got Bay Area business news? Reach Drew Voros at 925-943-8099 or at firstname.lastname@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Question by NY Giants and Yankees Rock!: What do hospitals do with all the medical waste?
Like gloves, syringes, swabs. I know, they put it in a special waste bin that is locked to avoid disease spread. Who picks that up, and how is it disposed. Do they burn it?
Best answer:
Answer by Tisha
In order to fulfill the medical ethic to "first do no harm," health care providers have a responsibility to manage waste in ways that protect the public and the environment.
Hospitals generate large volumes of waste that can be highly toxic and infectious, and burning and dumping this waste threatens human and environmental health. GAIA works closely with its ally Health Care Without Harm to eliminate the dangerous practice of medical waste incineration and to minimize the amount and toxicity of all waste generated by the health care sector.
The first step is waste minimization and separation. Minimizing waste not only protects people and the environment, but it can save facilities substantial amounts of money. Waste minimization techniques include:
Source reduction: Minimizing or eliminating the generation of waste at the source itself through techniques such as product substitution, inventory control, technology change and good operating practices. Through purchasing and product substitution, toxicity of waste can also be reduced.
Separation: Separating different types of waste at the point of generation and keeping them isolated from each other. By doing this, appropriate resource recovery and recycling techniques can be applied to each separate waste stream. The amounts of infectious waste, hazardous waste and low-level radioactive waste that must be treated according to special (and usually costly) requirements are minimized. If not separated, all hospital waste must be treated as potentially infectious.
After health care waste is minimized and separated, the infectious waste stream must then be treated to prevent the spread of disease. Cost-effective technologies are now available that are safer and cleaner than incineration and just as effective at rendering medical waste harmless.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!


text:
- Color
- Red
Red- So red its barely legal. What a tease!
The beauty is in the simplicity.
Ten chic, flattering and fabulous shades, each one individually designed to be the ultimate in its category.
Saints – Sheer, with 10% pigment.
Both formulas are moisturizing, long lasting (even the sheer ones) and have the traction reminiscent of the Golden Years of Hollywood but with modern comfort and technology.
|Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Silica, Octyldodecanol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Polyisobutene, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Beeswax (Cera Alba), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Vegetable Oil, Ozokerite, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, May Contain (+/-):, Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Red 6 (CI 15850), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Red 28 Lake (CI 45410), Red 30 Lake (CI 73360), Red 33 Lake (CI 17200), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Carmine (CI 75470)
Designed to be applied straight from the lipstick bullet – no lip brush required.
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®by PowerReviews
Reviewed by 1 customer
By Ski Mommy
from Pitkin County, CO
describe yourself Classic Style
- Convenient Container
- Even Application
- Great Color Selection
- Long Lasting
- Moisturizing
- True To Color
Best Uses
- Anytime
Comments about Lipstick Queen Sinner Lipstick, Red, 1 ea:
I have a hard time finding reds that suit my fair skin, gray eyes, dark brown hair, but the moment I put on Sinner in Red I knew this was it. It's not a scary red, it's an almost pinky red on me and it just looks lovely.
- Skin Tone:
- Fair
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Was this review helpful? Yes / No
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text: Be The One : Cassidy Sanderson is a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers - the only female scout in the major leagues. Hard-living and hard-drinking, a gifted athlete herself, she takes pride in successfully competing in a male world. But recently she has been losing prospects on the sign, and her job security is teetering on the edge. When she gets a tip from a close friend and fellow scout about Alberto Cruz, a young phenom in the Dominican Republic, she impulsively catches a flight to Santo Domingo - even though it is out of her territory and she will undoubtedly incur her boss's wrath. If Alberto Cruz is as good as she's been told, the trip will be worth the risk. The risk starts quickly. Not only has Cruz "got it all - the heart, the guts, the aptitude," he may also have "a bad spirit on him." And he's not the only man Cassidy meets on the island who might change her life for good or ill. The other is Joe Galinis, a powerful financier and real estate developer. When Cassidy returns to Los Angeles, she finds herself entangled in a blackmail scheme laced with otherworldly vodou and real-life violence: a tightening triangle of suspicion and deception that leads her to the back rooms (and backstabbing) of high-stakes sports and finance - where she is about to discover that there is a thin line between a competitor and a killer.


text:
The Best Gold Coast Hostel
Located just a block from the beach in the heart of Surfers Paradise, Islander Backpackers Resort is the biggest and best of the hostels on the Gold Coast. We offer a high standard of accommodation at an extremely cheap price.
When you arrive on your holiday, you'll find us next door to the bus transit centre. We're also right in the middle of everything Surfers Paradise has to offer, from pristine beaches to world-class shops, restaurants, nightlife and attractions.
Additionally, the hostel is located adjacent to the 3-star Islander Resort Hotel, which offers complimentary use of its facilities to all backpackers.
Boasting cheap, comfortable and clean rooms just one block from the beach in the heart of Surfers Paradise, Islander Backpackers Resort is the top choice for group accommodation on Queensland's Gold Coast.
If you don't mind sharing with other travellers, then our dorm rooms are for you. They sleep four to six people in bunk beds. Plus, all rooms above the ground floor have a private balcony to take in the views of Surfers Paradise.
- Private bathroom
- Television
- Small fridge
- Lockers
- Fan
- Bed linens
- Bunk beds (four to six people)
If you're looking for some space to yourself, you'll love our private rooms, offering twin share or double bedding. These rooms also have a private balcony as well as a bathroom, television and small fridge. Linen is supplied.
- Television
- Small fridge
- Linens
- One double bed or one double and one single bed
Guests must present an international passport (ie. a passport issued in an overseas country), $20 key deposit, and a valid credit card on check-in.
Cancellation Policy
A fee of one night's accommodation will be imposed for cancellations within 72 hours of arrival date (calculated from midnight) or guests who do not show up.
Terms and Conditions
Rates are valid for the dates indicated and are subject to availability. All bookings made indicate that you have read and accepted our terms and conditions.
Great value packages are available, combining cheap accommodation with access to some of the Gold Coast's top tourist attractions.
Packages include our:
- 2 night 'Whirlwind Package' including 3 day pass to Dreamworld, White Water World and Skypoint Observation Deck at Q1 PLUS Nightclub Party Pass to hit the Surfers clubs.
- 3 night 'Green N Gold Package' including entry to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, 2 hour surfing lesson, a half day 4WD tour of Mount Tamborine PLUS a Nightclub Party Pass to hit the Surfers clubs
All packages are based on dorm room accommodation (4, 6 or 8 share dorm).


text:
Source: EU [press release]
quote: Aren't there far more pressing matters for the EU to deal with than this silliness?
quote: I'm pretty sure either of those companies could buy Greece right about now.
quote: I must say I find it a bit ironic when Americans bring up EU fining corporations to finance itself seeing how your own justice department is doing the exact same thing, case in point the LCD cartel.For the record my view on the EU fines is that the Intel one was perfectly valid but MS shouldn't have been fined or forced to create a browser choice in their OS.
quote: True, I think it's more the magnitude (in informed readers' case, at least).
quote: Clean, decent article. Maybe EU tech should be your mainstay Jason.I don't understand international patent laws very well, can someone enlighten me?
quote: (a) directly or indirectly imposing unfair purchase or selling prices or other unfair trading conditions;(b) limiting production, markets or technical development to the prejudice of consumers;
quote: quote:(a) directly or indirectly imposing unfair purchase or selling prices or other unfair trading conditions;(b) limiting production, markets or technical development to the prejudice of consumers;Many countries have laws which prohibit the establishment of maintenance of a monopoly, yet the approach of Apple to ban Samsung (and vice versa) is exactly that: an attempt to establish a monopoly.
quote: ...limit or control production, markets, technical development, or investment;"
quote: That sounds like precisely what Apple is hoping to do... ban its rivals from making modern smartphones.
quote: Since we are reviewing the article. I'm a bit unhappy about the term "recently" as it used in the article.For sure recently may apply to years or even many years when the matter isn't tech but when used in an article about mobile phone tech the term recently should not be used about something that took place in 2008 (especially when the term is also used about something that happened in the last month or two).
quote: ...clearly IANAL and I don't know anything more about this than the article above......but if Samsung is disputing the validity of said patents, for what reason would they demonstrate a "willingness" to license them? It seems to me that Samsung is trying to get the patents invalidated...ultimately if those patents are held up in court I'm sure they'd have to capitulate and license them. But why seek to license something you're pretty sure is abusive to start with
quote: Oooooohhhh...I get it. Somehow I got it in my head that Samsung was disputing some of Apple's patents. When what they're really doing is trying to sue Apple accusing them of violating some patents they own.Nevermind me. Apparently I need more coffee.
quote: 5. Samsung has sued Apple using these patents, in response to Apple initiating the conflict with various design and technology patents on its iDevices. (present)


text:
2009: Regular in the rotation on defense ... played in all 15 games with one start ... America East Honor Roll ... second on the team in caused turnovers ... pair of ground balls vs. Harvard (2/28) ... career-high three ground balls at Hartford (4/11) ... matched that at #9 Hofstra (4/21) to go along with a pair of caused turnovers ... knocked loose three balls vs. Albany (4/25) ... matched his career-high again with three ground balls against the Great Danes (4/29) in the America East semifinals.
2008: Played in every game but one for the Seawolves with three starts ... picked up a ground ball and caused a turnover at Virginia (2/22) ... had a streak of six straight games with a ground ball ... ground ball and caused turnover vs. Lafayette (3/18) ... caused another turnover against Albany (5/1) at the America East Tournament.
2007: Saw action in 12 games as a freshman ... picked up eight ground balls on the season.
High School: A 2006 graduate of Shoream-Wading River high School ... four-year letterwinner in both lacrosse and soccer for the Wildcats ... two-time captain of the lacrosse team ... received all-county honors ... named captain for two years in soccer and received all-conference honors in 2005 and all-county honors in 2006 ... also ran for the Wildcats and was named all-league in 2005 for winter track.
Personal: Born Michael Scott Sopko on December 22, 1987 ... son of Maria and Scott Sopko ... has one brother and one sister.


text:
Kit 'N' Carlyle by Larry Wright
- March 26, 2013
- From Beginning
- Previous feature
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Comments (4) (Please sign in to comment)
That's considerate of you Carlyle!
When it's time to wake my wife I take her a cup of coffee and turn off the fan, our youngest cat Blue takes it from there
He crawls under the blanket with her to snuggle and purr until shes up
An upcoming olympic event!
Cats don't work hard. Or at all.
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text:
Top Definition
1. A pussy so fat it look like a hamburger.
2. A fat unhealthy pussy (yeast) McPussy with Cheese
Ol' girl look a lil' chunky in da club, but when i got her to da crib I see she got a McPussy! Man, good thing I love me some hamburgers.
by Dat Gal June 04, 2009
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
An alternate name for a mcdouble when someone is unable to eat a full sized burger.
Come on D, you ordering a McPussy again? man up and order a real sandwhich!
by S-Dog69 May 09, 2011
A hot girl that works at McDonalds
Yo Torch..shes some fine Mcpussy
by StevieG2 April 17, 2008
Mc.Donalds fillet O fish put in the center of two junior chickens.
Man, im soo hammered lets go get a Mc Pussy
by Dagnar February 13, 2011
a pussy shaped mcnugget at mcdonalds. or just a pussy.
by ben December 04, 2003


text:
Falls, traffic accidents, animal bites, hot liquids, electrical equipment, lawn care machinery and physical abuse have all led to soft-tissue injuries in children. Treatment in an emergency department is often adequate, but failure to provide appropriate or definitive treatment in the emergency setting may produce permanent injury or disfigurement. It is important for the primary care physician to recognize when consultation with a plastic surgeon is indicated for definitive treatment.
Soft-Tissue Injuries of the Face
Facial injuries require special attention because of their potential for permanent disfigurement. Contusions, lacerations, puncture wounds, tattoos with debris and especially avulsive injuries all have the capacity to permanently disfigure the patient. Inadequate suturing of even small lacerations on the face can result in poor healing and scarring.
Definitive repair of facial soft-tissue injuries is best carried out in an operating room rather than an emergency room – and preferably by a plastic surgeon. Should the injuries be complex or severe, the plastic surgeon can perform procedures that will be definitive or will lay the foundation for later revision surgery.
Injuries to particularly vulnerable facial features require special attention. Injuries to the forehead and eyebrow, eyelids, ears, nose, cheeks and chin have the most potential to result in disfigurement. Injuries to the cheek and/or chin may result in loss of function if facial nerves or muscles are injured. Repair to facial nerves and muscles should be performed by a plastic surgeon experienced in this type of surgery.
Animal Bites
Animal bites can present special problems – e.g., most dog bite wounds are to the face in children and are usually result in a tearing-type of soft-tissue wound. Aggressive cleaning and meticulous repair by a plastic surgeon can frequently salvage a serious injury – both cosmetically and functionally.
Snakebite presents the possibility of envenomation in addition to the bite injury. If the type of snake is unknown, emergency treatment proceeds with observation and suspicion of envenomation. Bites inflicted by rattlesnakes may result in tissue necrosis – often severe – which requires wide dissection and debridement. Skin grafting or reconstruction with skin-flap technique may be necessary after primary healing of the wound site.
Superficial Burns
Most burns suffered by infants and young children are hot-liquid scalds, and as many as 15 percent of scald burns may be due to child abuse. Scald burns on the buttocks are especially likely to be the result of child abuse, such as sitting the child in hot water as punishment.
The immediate concern in scald injury is estimation of the extent of injury. The ratio of head-to-total-body burn must be calculated differently in infants and children than in adults, due to inherent differences in relative size of head to body. Estimation of the severity of the burn depends on (1) temperature of the scalding liquid and (2) amount of time the skin was exposed to the liquid.
Good emergency management of a superficial burn – i.e., limited extent, less-than-full thickness – should result in healing without complications. Elements of good management include (1) evaluation, (2) rinsing with saline solution and light cleaning with mild soap-and-water solution, (3) debridement of any blisters that interfere with function, such as blisters on the eyelids, (4) instruction to the child's family in how to care for the burn after the patient is released from the hospital, and (5) examination of the patient by the treating physician within two days after the first dressing change to rule out the possibility of wound-site infection.
Burns of the ears and hands require special attention. Even superficially burned ears may later develop scarring or deformation. Burned hands can potentially develop scarring and contracture that limit function. A plastic surgeon should be called into consultation for burns on vulnerable sites such as ears and hands.


text:
4" loudspeakers ( 8) I would have used the $6, 8Ω
speakers from All Electronics ( makezine.com/go/
speaker1), but they were out of stock. Instead,
I bought the 40W, 8Ω shielded woofers
( makezine.com/go/speaker2) for $8 each.
The important considerations for the speakers
are an impedance of 8Ω (which is normal for
home stereo speakers) and good frequency range
(in this case 70Hz–10KHz). Sound localization is
more acute at higher frequencies, so response
>1KHz is especially important. It would be better
to add a subwoofer to make up for thin bass
than to have no high end.
Quad spring-action speaker terminals ( 4)
Ikea Reda bowls ( 2 sets) $5 each; use the large
bowl in the set of 3 makezine.com/go/ikeabowl
Machine bolts ( 32)
Locking nuts ( 32)
Washers ( 32)
Small nuts and bolts ( 8) for the terminals. Most
of the speakers were fine with ½" bolts, but the
top and bottom ones needed longer ( 1½") ones,
as you'll see later. This may vary, if your parts
are different.
Foam weatherstripping
Speaker wire I had some 18-gauge stuff lying around
the house; the project needs only a few feet.
High-speed rotary tool with #409 cutoff wheel
and #561 cutting bit
Soldering iron and solder
Heat gun and heat-shrink tubing
Wire cutters and strippers
Safety glasses
Earplugs It wouldn't do to deafen yourself in the
process of building a snazzy speaker array,
would it?
both directions to ensure there aren't any errors.
I decided to put the speakers 1" away from the
rim of the bowl. That left enough clearance to put
the lids back on. Don't put them any farther away, or
they will whack into the top speaker inside the bowl.
4. Cut the side speaker holes.
With the Dremel cutting bit, cut along the lines you
just drew (Figure D). There is quite a bit of inaccuracy introduced by drawing a flat template onto a
142 Make: Volume 11
curved surface, so the first hole you cut will be too
small. Test fit the speaker, and cut out more where
it rubs against the edge. Don't worry about ragged
edges; the speaker flange will cover them.
5. Modify the terminals.
The speaker terminals have some extra plastic that
prevents them from mounting flush to the bowl. Cut
it off using the cutoff wheel.
6. Prepare your speaker wire.
Cut a short ( 6"– 8") length of speaker wire for each
speaker. Strip the insulation about ½" back on each
end of the wires. Tin all of the ends (Figure E).
7. Solder the wires to the speakers.
It's easier to solder the wires before attaching the
speakers to the bowl. Cut short lengths (¾") of
heat-shrink tubing and thread them on one end of
a speaker wire. Solder the ends to the speaker terminals, slide the tubing over the solder joints, and
shrink the tubing with a heat gun (Figure F).
Be sure to maintain consistent polarity. My
speaker cable has one reddish and one silver wire,
which I connect to the positive (+) and negative (-)
terminals, respectively. Other wire has colored insulation, or just a stripe on one side. Conventionally,
a red or striped wire is connected to the positive
terminal. If you are inconsistent, the speakers will
be out of phase, which will probably have no audible
effect with this system, but would be a problem with
a more scientifically calibrated setup.
8. Prepare the speakers with
weatherstripping (optional).
I ran a line of open foam weatherstripping around
the edge of all of the side speakers. (The flange of
the top speaker already sits flush against the "foot"
of the bowl.) The purpose is to fill the gap between
the speaker flange and the bowl, and hide any
messy edges.
9. Attach the speakers to the bowl.
I started this process with the top speaker. Fit the
speaker into the hole, and use a pencil to mark
where the bolts should go. Remove the speaker
and drill holes that are the same size as your bolts.
Put a washer and a locking nut on the back (see
Figure G). I used locking nuts because there will be
a lot of vibration.
Click to subscribe to this magazine


text:
Providence Community Acupuncture has launched a drive to recruit new members to the People's Organization of Community Acupuncture (POCA), a national cooperative for acupuncture patients, practitioners, and clinics.
The cooperative aims --
To make community acupuncture as widely available as possible.
To establish affordable acupuncture training and continuing education programs.
To establish best practices for the operation of sustainable community acupuncture clinics.
To create job stability for community acupuncture employees, staff, and clinic owners.
To build healthy relationships and foster collaboration among our practitioners, staff, patients, and communities.
Membership fees are based on a sliding scale, just as treatment fees are in the community acupuncture movement, making healthcare affordable.
There are several benefits to membership, including a subscription to the newsletter, "Sticking Together."
Location, ST | website.com


text:
In Now Digital New York, Polaroid Artists Tout Analog Art
A couple years ago, Polaroid – onetime innovator of instant analog photography – looked like a dying technology, another casualty of the digital revolution. In 2008, the company's factory closed and the film was discontinued. Enthusiasts stockpiled what they could, saving it, waiting for that perfect shot and then snap: another click towards extinction.
Even in the fashion industry, a longtime Polaroid stalwart, some began to switch to digital. (Though others, like Kelly Cutrone of People's Revolution, grew adept at hoarding).
But recently Polaroid-style photography has found new life. Not only is Polaroid releasing a new analog instant camera, but a Netherlands-based company called The Impossible Project has developed a new type of film that works with some old Polaroid cameras.
Today, the Impossible Project opened its first American store on Broadway in SoHo, where it will sell Polaroid cameras, compatible film, accessories and books. The store will also feature an exhibit that showcases the works of instant analog photographers such as Grant Hamilton, Jake Chessum and Laura Watt, among others.
The company released the product in March, but says it will only make 1 million packs of film this year, perhaps to keep alive the allure of its limited availability. There are an estimated 300 million working Polaroid cameras still around out there.
The new film is not exactly the same as the original, according to our confreres at Speakeasy. It's not yet available in color. The pictures initially appear blue, not white as with the old film. And shooting in cold weather may whitewash some photos.
Still enthusiasts won't need to hoard it or troll for it on eBay. The new film sells for $21 a pack (eight shots). For the old film, some had been paying more than $60 a pack.
Below, see a video on the fashion industry's love of Polaroid, originally published Sept. 11, 2008.


text:
Ever notice that whenever a private porn picture of any public figure makes in it onto the internet, it also makes headlines? Is any one even surprised to see a grainy cellphone picture of their congressman/sports hero/favorite actress?
It will always be fun to look at just because we're all a bunch of voyeurs but the fact is, no one should be surprised when a sex tape get leaked online.
The number one reason is because everybody makes a little porn in their time, obviously.
The second reason is that a new study from Britain has concluded that 88% of sex tapes make their way onto the internet. Sites the study nicknamed "parasites" host images and videos that can come from lost or stolen cellphones, hacked private accounts on social media sites, chat sites, and of course Tumblr.


text:
Set of hard to find ceramic spaghetti poodles- vintage 1950's. Large poodle has Kreiss mark on bottom of foot- approx. 9"H x 9"W, body is white and spaghetti sections are pink, there is a small paint flake on the nose. There are 2 smaller poodles, each approx. 4"H x 3"W, one has a pink body, the other a white body. All ar in excellent condition.
Attitude is everything- pick a good one!
Vintage Bakelite ,vintage needlework, jewelry, fun items.


text:
Section of Grand Caillou Road to close for two months of work
Published: Monday, April 29, 2013 at 7:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, April 29, 2013 at 7:30 a.m.
A section of the northbound lane of Grand Caillou Road in Houma closed today for about two months as part of a road-widening project, officials said.
Entergy crews will begin relocating transmission poles and conductors between Thompson and Carrie Ann roads. Traffic controls will be in place for public and worker safety. The closure will be in effect daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., when traffic will detour to Denely Road.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


text: Oct. 21 TEXAS: Condemned prisoner's suicide being investigated The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is investigating convicted killer Michael Dewayne Johnson's suicide on the day of his scheduled execution. The Office of Inspector General, which is the investigative arm of the prison system, is handling the investigation, TDCJ spokeswoman Michelle Lyons said. Investigators aren't releasing any more details of how Johnson cut his neck and throat with a small piece of metal attached to a wooden base, she said. Johnson killed himself while on suicide watch on death row between 15-minute observation rounds. An autopsy on his body is being performed in Galveston County, although results wont be available for another week or more. Lyons said it is too early to comment whether any policies will change as a result of Johnsons suicide. She said officials would wait for the investigation report before evaluating procedures to determine if any changes were needed. (source: Waco Tribune-Herald) ********************** Victim's widow was to watch execution----At first angered by suicide, she says she's satisfied that 'he's still not here' At first Trish Wetterman McLean felt cheated. But when the man convicted of killing her husband committed suicide the day he was supposed to be executed, she says he probably did her a favor. "I was very angry at first," McLean said Friday, a day after condemned prisoner Michael Johnson slashed his neck and arm with a sharp piece of metal in his death row cell. The suicide came about 15 hours before Johnson was to receive lethal injection for the 1995 shooting death of Jeff Wetterman, 27, at the family-run convenience store in Lorena, about 12 miles south of Waco. McLean had planned to be among those to watch Johnson die Thursday evening and found some solace in knowing he was aware she'd be present. "We anticipated the trip for 11 years," she said. "I didn't want him to think that we were going to forget about this. It was still a very big deal to us. I was determined to watch him die. "But in the end, he's still not here. And he died in a much more painful manner than what the state would have done." Johnson, 29, was found unresponsive in a pool of blood at 2:45 a.m. by officers making routine checks at the Polunsky Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. 15 minutes earlier, he was talking to prison staff while waiting for breakfast. Johnson was taken to a hospital in Livingston, where he was pronounced dead about an hour after he was found. The Houston Chronicle reported in Friday's editions that Johnson managed to scrawl on the wall "I did not shoot him" in his own blood. Under corrections department procedures, officers begin making 15-minute checks on the prisoner within 36 hours of a scheduled execution. The inmate's cell also is searched every 72 hours for contraband. An investigation by the agency's Office of Inspector General probably would take several weeks, prison spokeswoman Michelle Lyons said. Authorities also were awaiting the results of an autopsy. Johnson's lawyer said he always found the inmate upbeat. The Waco Tribune-Herald, however, reported Friday that Johnson's mother, Patricia, said he told his sister during a death row visit Wednesday that he was thinking of killing himself. McLean said 2 prison officials came to her home Thursday to offer an apology. "All they could tell us was what they knew, that there was a breakdown and how sorry they were," she said. Johnson, who insisted he was innocent of shooting McLean's husband, had appeals pending and his lawyer was working on last-day appeals he planned to file in the courts. Johnson was 18 at the time of the crime and blamed the shooting on David Vest, who testified against him. The pair were in a stolen car in September 1995, were running low on gas and pulled into the store where they had no money to pay for the $24 worth of fuel. Wetterman came over to help them at the pump and was shot in the face. "The doctors looked to me to make the decision to turn off the life support," McLean said Friday. "That wasn't a decision I was ready to make. I was 22 years old and married 3 weeks. "I was writing thank-you notes for wedding gifts and funeral acknowledgments at the same time." (source: Associated Press) ***************** Homicide rate on track to be worst in a decade----Evacuees play large role in the rise, police say With more than 300 homicides since January, Houston is on pace to record nearly 400 slayings for the year - which would be the highest number of killings the city has seen in more than a decade. As of Oct. 16, the city had recorded 316 homicides, up 25 % from the 252 slayings at this time last year. The Houston Police Department said an uptick in homicides by Hurricane Katrina evacuees has contributed to that increase. "We recognize that the homicide rate is up as far as raw numbers and as well as percentages relative to the population,'' said Capt. Dwayne Ready. "We also recognize that Katrina evacuees continue to have an impact on the murder rate.'' Though overall crime is slightly down for the year, the police department has had a difficult time reining in the rising homicide rate. But it's still not time to panic, police said. "The homicide rate has been much higher in years past, especially the 1980s,'' Ready said. "Even if the number ... for 2006 hits 400 it's not a bleak picture for Houston.'' The city's homicide rate declined throughout the 1990s. In 1991 there were 608 homicides. The rate steadily dropped from 465 in 1992, to 254 in 1998 - a far cry from 1981, the year the city was dubbed the murder capital of the United States when it tallied 701 homicides. 65 Katrina-related slayings The continuing cycle of violence among evacuees appears to be one of the biggest contributors to the city's homicide rate, police said. Authorities first spotted increases in 2005. By year's end, the city had recorded 334 homicides. During the previous 10 years, homicide rates never topped the 316 slayings in 1995. "The Katrina population has certainly impacted the murder rate,'' said Houston Police spokesman John Cannon. One recent example was Aug. 28, when police said evacuee James Hubbard, 26, was gunned down as he stood at a cashier's window in southwest Houston. Police soon learned that the man accused of shooting him, Ralph Michael Anderson, 23, also was from New Orleans. On Wednesday, police arrested Anderson in Tyler; he has been charged with murder. Hubbard's slaying was the 65th in 2006 classified as Katrina-related, meaning either the victim, suspect or both evacuated to Houston after Katrina. In trying to offer a snapshot of how homicides in Houston have increased, police compared a 13-month span starting about a year before the arrival of Katrina evacuees to the past 13 months. Between Sept. 1, 2004, and Oct. 16, 2005, there were 344 homicides in Houston. From Sept. 1, 2005, through Oct. 16, there were a total of 445 slayings, 83 involving Katrina evacuees, an increase of roughly 29 %. The city of Houston has about 2.2 million residents, Cannon said. Less than 2 months ago, about 1,700 residents of west Houston attended a public meeting to express concern about the impact of evacuees on crime in Houston. Wider effects unknown Mayor Bill White repeated his position that all "able-bodied'' evacuees should be working and that the city would continue to arrest lawbreakers. Police have not kept records of how the estimated 150,000 Katrina evacuees have affected crime rates other than homicide. Per capita crime, defined as the number of crimes per 100,000 residents, has decreased in the city, with the violent crime rate down 3 % this year. "We may attempt to compare the figures on these crimes in November or December,'' Cannon said. "A year ago the majority of evacuees were just getting settled, so it's not yet effective to compare the statistics.'' (source: Houston Chronicle) *********************** Bayer found guilty of capital murder Byron Trent Bayer was found guilty by a jury Friday night of capital murder in connection with the strangulation death of his mother 2 years ago. The panel deliberated almost seven hours before returning the verdict, ending a 3-week trial in the 354th District Court. As the Hunt County District Attorney's Office had waived the death penalty in the case, Bayer received an automatic sentence of life in prison. In a statement, District Attorney F. Duncan Thomas said he was pleased with the jury's decision. "Mr. Bayer is lucky that his own family asked us to waive the death penalty so that a death sentence was not an option," Thomas said. Bayer, 42, will have to spend 40 years in prison before he can be considered for parole. Bayer's lead defense attorney, Jack Paris, expressed disappointment with the outcome. "We are very aware the jury spent three hard weeks listening to the evidence, then spent almost 7 hours reviewing the evidence and deliberating," Paris said. "We know they did their very best and we thank them for all that effort, not withstanding our disappointment." Byron Bayer had pleaded not guilty to 1 count of capital murder involving the strangulation death of Patsy Bayer, 63, at the home they shared in the 6500 block of Sayle Street. Prosecutors alleged Bayer strangled Patsy Bayer with electrical cords, stole his mother's Chevrolet Tahoe and used her debit card before he was caught in the sport utility vehicle near a local motel early on the morning of Oct. 9, 2004. During closing arguments Friday afternoon, Paris said the evidence and testimony revealed detectives felt his client was the only suspect within an hour of when Patsy Bayer's body was discovered. "Before they even began working the crime scene, the investigation focused on one person," Paris said. He said Bayer had permission to use the Tahoe and the debit card, noting how Bayer depended on his mother for his livelihood and therefore did not have a motive to kill her. "Who would have benefited from the death of Patsy Bayer? It was not Trent," Paris said. Assistant District Attorney Nobie Walker told the jury that the prosecution's case was largely circumstantial, but said blood evidence at the scene contained both Byron and Patsy Bayer's DNA. As for a motive, Walker said Patsy Bayer was planning on kicking her son out of the house. "Everyone did have their hand out, but the only one who stood to lose anything was the defendant," Walker said. "He took the cords, he wrapped them around her neck and he strangled her." The jury received the case at around 2 p.m. and returned with a verdict at approximately 8:45 p.m. Friday. Thomas commended Walker and Assistant District Attorney Carol Day Moss for their job in prosecuting the case, as well as the Greenville Police Department for investigation which led to Bayer's arrest. (source: Greenville Herald-Banner) *********************** Blair's attorney files motion on new DNA evidence Philip Wischkaemper, an attorney for Michael Blair who was convicted in 1994 for murdering 7-year-old Ashley Estell in 1993, said he has obtained new DNA evidence that he hopes will give the case a "fresh new look." According to Collin County court records, attorneys Wischkaemper, Roy E. Greenwood and Stephen Miller filed a petitioner's motion for additional court findings in the 366th District Court claiming that new DNA technology not available at the time of the trial in 1994 shows Blair wasn't responsible for Estell's death. Estell disappeared from a Plano soccer field on Sept. 4, 1993, while her parents, Richard and Diana Estell were watching her older brother play soccer on an adjacent field. Her body was found beside a rural road 6 miles away from the soccer field the following day. Blair was charged with Estell's murder and sentenced to death in September 1994 by a Midland jury. A date for his execution has not been set. The motion filed in the Collin County District Clerk's Office claims Orchid Cellmark, of Dallas, conducted an advanced "Y-Chromosome Short Tandem Repeat methodology" on several pieces of evidence from the 13-year-old murder case, including fingernail clippings taken from Estell's left and right hands, methodology that wasn't available until 2003. According to a lab report included with the motion, Orchid Cellmark concludes the DNA taken from the clippings are "a mixture of at least 2 males" and that "Michael Blair ... and any of his patrilineal relatives are excluded as possible contributors to the mixture." The motion also states that hair samples obtained from Estell's body and Blair's vehicle were tested by "advanced, mitochondrial DNA testing" and show they did not come from Estell or Blair. Collin County spokeswoman Leigh Hornsby said officials from the Collin County District Attorney's Office are awaiting the recommendation of 366th District Court Judge Nathan White's ruling on the matter to the Criminal Courts of Appeals in Austin. She said the deadline for his recommendation is Dec. 27. She also said the DA's office is reviewing the new motion, but could not comment on any specific evidence involved in the case. Wischkaemper said the new DNA evidence was obtained from the Innocence Project, a non-profit legal clinic based at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York, N.Y., that strives to use DNA testing of evidence and scientific proof to overturn sentences and punishments against the wrongly convicted. According to their Web site, "most of our clients are poor, forgotten and have used up all of their legal avenues for relief." Wischkaemper said he hopes the new evidence will either grant Blair a new trial or spark someone's curiosity from a law enforcement perspective. "We hope to look for another trial, which is probably the best we can hope for from the CCDA," Wischkaemper said. "It's up to the CCDA to evaluate the case, but I think law enforcement would at least be curious about who's DNA it is and try to eliminate family members and try to locate who's it is." Wischkaemper said he could not speculate on who he thinks the unidentified DNA belongs to, but said investigators initially had other suspects in the case including a "primary suspect" who is a registered sex offender. He said so far, investigators have been unable to find his DNA. Attempts were made to reach the Plano Police Department, but phone calls were not returned as of presstime. (source: McKinney Courier-Gazette) WISCONSIN: Locals favor death penalty----Voters will be asked if they favor the death penalty on the Nov. 7 ballot. Death penalty proponents often cite a quotation from the Code of Hammurabi -- and also the Old Testament: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." Critics of the death penalty counter that "two wrongs don't make a right." Residents of Green and Lafayette counties surveyed by the Times last week strongly support Hammurabi's point of view. All Wisconsin voters can decide on which side of the debate they stand on Nov. 7, when they'll have the opportunity to vote on an advisory referendum concerning whether the state should consider bringing back the death penalty. Wisconsin hasn't had capital punishment since 1853. The non-binding question state lawmakers are posing to voters reads: "Should the death penalty be enacted in the State of Wisconsin for cases involving a person who is convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, if the conviction is supported by DNA evidence?" Locally, the response is overwhelmingly "yes." In an informal Times survey of 20 residents, 85 % (17 residents) said they favor the death penalty. Ten of those 17 residents added they support the death penalty only in the most extreme circumstances, such as murder or rape cases. "I believe in the death penalty for really violent crimes," Coleen Soddy, 58, Browntown, said, "like if somebody kills somebody else, then I don't think they have the right to live either. But if (the death) is accidental, that's another issue." "If you do wrong, you do wrong," Bill Saunders, 85, Brodhead, said. "(The crime) should be paid for." "I guess I always thought it was created for a reason," Miranda Christen, 28, Monroe, stated. "If our forefathers thought we should have it, then I do too." One man, who asked not to be named, said he views it as if a murderer is put to death, that person can't hurt anyone else again. "There's a lot of people out there who need to be put to death for a lot of reasons," John Calow, 38, Monroe, said. "But we should put their organs to use, too, because there are a lot of other people out there, good people, who are dying." Only 15 % (3 residents) stated they oppose the resurrection of the death penalty in Wisconsin. "I'd just as soon not see the death penalty," John Reese of Monroe said. "There's always a chance of a mistake. It's (a wrongful conviction, not execution) been done before. Even DNA (evidence) can have mistakes." Echoing Reese, Tricia Janssen, 36, New Glarus, said, "I'm not for it, mainly because if we are wrong, it leaves open the possibility of putting someone innocent to death." "I'm not sure it deters anything," Ken Sedbrook, 70, Juda, added. "Besides, they say, 'Thou shalt not kill.'" Of the 20 residents surveyed, 12 were women and 8 were men. 6 of the 8 men surveyed supported the death penalty while 2 were against it. 11 of the women surveyed said they support capital punishment and 1 said she was opposed. According to the non-profit Death Penalty Information Center, 12 states and the District of Columbia do not have the death penalty. Those states are: Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin. The remaining 38 states, as well as the U.S. government and U.S. military, allow the death penalty. New York's death penalty statute was declared unconstitutional in 2004, but it was never repealed. (source: The Monroe Times) OKLAHOMA: THE INNOCENT MAN: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town John Grisham----Doubleday-----True Crime ISBN-10: 0385517238-------ISBN-13: 9780385517232 Fans of John Grisham know what to expect when his latest effort lands on bookstore shelves. Unique plot twists, evil villains, sympathetic heroes and a page-turning plot are the cornerstones of Grisham's work. THE INNOCENT MAN, his newest book, has all of these components in spades with one additional element: it is a true story. His 1st work of nonfiction will fascinate and frustrate readers as they ponder an American legal system run amuck. This is Grisham's 19th book, and in some respects it may be his most important. Fictional characters in fictional courtrooms may cause readers to think briefly about our legal system. THE INNOCENT MAN forces readers to take a probing look at and ask some serious questions about a legal system that, in important criminal cases, appears to be malfunctioning in every corner of our nation. While THE INNOCENT MAN ostensibly is the story of Ron Williamson, who spent 12 years on Oklahoma's death row after having been convicted of a murder he did not commit, the book is more than Williamson's heartrending tale. Co-defendant Dennis Fritz was wrongfully convicted of murder but sentenced to life in prison. Along with Williamson he was ultimately exonerated by DNA evidence. Two other inmates, Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot, whose cases were interwoven with Williamson and Fritz, remain imprisoned in Oklahoma serving life sentences despite substantial evidence of actual innocence. Ada, Oklahoma, was the venue for the outrageous events leading to the miscarriage of justice chronicled in this book. In 1982, that community was rocked by the brutal sexual molestation and murder of Debra Sue Carter. From the outset, the investigation was poorly handled by law enforcement officials, who incorrectly assumed that two individuals were involved in the crime. Promising leads were not investigated because police attempted to establish a case against Williamson and Fritz instead. Grisham records in vivid and excruciating detail how police hid evidence and ignored constitutional safeguards in their zeal to obtain convictions in the case. Sadly, they were ultimately joined in their effort by prosecutors and judges. One difference between Grisham's traditional works of fiction and the factual accounting of THE INNOCENT MAN is his hero, Ron Williamson, wrongfully convicted of Carter's murder. Williamson is not the sympathetic character one finds in many of Grisham's novels. He starred as a high school athlete in baseball and was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 1971 Major League draft. His professional baseball career never achieved the promise displayed by his youthful potential, and he returned home to lead a life dampened by divorce, drugs, alcohol and small-time crime. Burdened by mental illness, his attitude contributed in many respects to his conviction. But Grisham's portrayal makes perfectly clear that Williamson's behavior in no way justified the outrageous actions of law enforcement, prosecutors and judges. It is perhaps one of the ironies of the law that while lawyers and judges failed Williamson, it would be others in those same professions who rescued him only five days before he was scheduled to be executed from imposition of his sentence of death. Lawyers from the Oklahoma death penalty assistance program and a courageous federal judge ultimately secured a new trial for Williamson. During the course of the investigation and preparation for that trial, Williamson underwent DNA examinations that would establish his innocence. It was one of the first big DNA exonerations in American courts. THE INNOCENT MAN is not a book that Grisham planned to write. Speaking last month to University of Virginia law students, he described how he first came upon Williamson's story when he read an obituary in The New York Times. The headline of the death notice read, "Ronald Williamson, freed from death row, dies at age of 51." That simple sentence stirred Grisham's interest: "After reading the entire obituary, I knew it had the makings of a much longer story." He followed up with interviews and has written a brilliant documentation of how innocent defendants are sentenced to prison far too often in America. His research and writing have caused him to take a long hard look at justice in our nation: "Even if you support the death penalty, you cannot support the death penalty system as it stands in the U.S. My one hope is that people realize this system we have is simply too unfair to continue." 2 of America's greatest courtroom novelists are John Grisham and Scott Turow, who have written about murder and death in our halls of justice. How ironic that both have begun now to speak out about the injustice of capital punishment. Grisham does so in a voice loud and clear and through a book that fully explains why the nation needs to reexamine the process by which we sentence criminals to be executed. (source: The Book Reporter) PENNSYLVANIA: Nun speaks on eliminating death penalty The topic was intense, but Sister Helen Prejean captivated her audience with humor and compelling anecdotes while conveying her passionate belief in her cause: eliminating the death penalty. Its difficult at times to believe that this lively speaker who punctuates her words with gestures has also walked to the death chamber with men who society has thrown away because of their crimes. Prejean, a Sister of St. Joseph of Medaille, spoke to 200 people Friday night at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Newtown Township, where many parishioners are involved in the Bucks County Committee Against the Death Penalty. The author of "Dead Man Walking," which later became an Oscar-winning movie starring Susan Sarandon, Prejean talked about her experience with Patrick Sonnier, a convicted killer who was executed in Louisiana for the murders of a teenage couple. Sonnier's brother is serving 2 life sentences for the same crime. Prejean stressed the irony of the fact that Patrick Sonnier was executed while his brother was the one who actually committed the murders. "Patrick told me he didn't want me to watch his execution because it would mark me for life. I said I didn't know how it would affect me, but he would not die alone. I would be a witness to his death," the nun said. She has since walked with several other men from their cells to the execution chamber, believing, she said, that even those whom society considers "animals" are human beings. Prejeans objections to the death penalty are numerous, but her main concern is that most people on death row are there because of poverty, lack of choices and lack of education. She said that 80 % of the people on death row are in the Southern states, mostly people of color. She also cited at least one case in which a man who proclaimed his innocence to the end was posthumously cleared because a cellmate, who testified that the man confessed to murder, later recanted his story. That incident led to Prejean's 2nd book, "The Death of Innocents." "I don't condone what they do. I know about their crimes. But look at the Amish. They stand out across the world [after the recent shootings of 5 little girls in a one-room schoolhouse in Lancaster]. "They said, 'We must not return evil for evil.'" Prejean also spoke for the victims of heinous crimes, suggesting that the faithful hold annual Masses to pray for healing for themselves and their families. She likened crime victims and perpetrators as two arms of the cross that one day might be brought together to heal. Sister Jean Liston, a Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart, the director of pastoral service at St. Andrew and a member of the committee against the death penalty, said that she invited Prejean to speak at the parish because she was encouraged by an increasing groundswell of opposition to the death penalty. "There's more and more talk about how senseless it really is to kill somebody," Liston said. Parishioner Mai Pham, who serves the parish as director of adult faith formation, said that Prejean's talk reminded her that Jesus was also an innocent man executed by the state. "I see opposition to the death penalty as a seamless progression to appreciating all life, from beginning to end," Pham said. (source: PhillyBurbs.com) NORTH CAROLINA: N.C. Lawyer Ordered to Take Psych Exam After Courtroom Utterance A testy exchange between a North Carolina Superior Court judge and a lawyer has netted the attorney 2 days in jail and the temporary loss of his law license. Judge Michael Helms also sentenced Raymond Marshall to submit to a psychologist's examination and to perform 70 hours of community service for the contempt of court violation. Marshall cannot practice law for 30 days, but his license may be returned sooner if he performs the community service, Helms said. An outburst in court by Marshall was the culmination of a dispute that began about a month ago, when one of Marshall's clients appeared before the judge on an assault charge -- the third time the case was brought to a trial. Helms and Marshall clashed several times during the legal process, and Marshall filed a motion Sept. 29 seeking Helms' removal from the case, accusing the judge of intimidation. On Oct. 4, the 1st day of the latest trial, Helms stopped Marshall during the questioning of one of the witnesses. Marshall said "Lord," reared back in his chair with outstretched arms, cast his eyes upward and turned to the audience, Helms said. "How am I supposed to take that?" Helms said Thursday as he penalized the lawyer. "If the court does not get the respect from members of the bar, we can't have the respect from clients, and then we have anarchy." Marshall, who is also a minister, said the remark was the beginning of a prayer. He apologized to Helms and said he did not intend to be disrespectful or for his remark to be heard by others. "When you're involved in trial and the motors are running ... there are times when you feel you need strength and my strength comes from God," Marshall said. Attorneys at Thursday's hearing had mixed feelings about the ruling. District Attorney Tom Keith said the judgment was appropriate. "There are rules of court we must comply with whether we think the judge is liberal, conservative, tough or easy, so you don't pick a fight with him regardless of how big you think your ego is," he said. "Ray violated the rules." (source: Associated Press) OHIO: Condemned mans fate passed to Tafts successor The execution of John G. Spirko Jr., who was convicted of killing a postmistress in 1982, was delayed for a 5th time. Whether condemned killer John G. Spirko Jr. is executed or exonerated, it will be on the watch of a new governor and attorney general. Gov. Bob Taft yesterday passed on the hot-button Spirko case to his successor by approving a 5th execution reprieve for the man convicted of killing northwestern Ohio postmistress Betty Jane Mottinger. Spirkos lethal injection, which was scheduled for Nov. 29, was moved to April 17, 2007, to allow additional time for DNA testing. "It is my hope that the additional time permits the completion of the DNA testing and analysis agreed upon by the attorney general and Mr. Spirkos counsel," Taft said in a statement. By the time of the new execution date, Taft will be a private citizen after 8 years in office. During that time, 23 men were executed with Tafts concurrence. He granted one clemency. He will be replaced by either Democrat Ted Strickland or Republican J. Kenneth Blackwell. Both gubernatorial candidates support the death penalty, although Strickland, a psychologist who formerly worked at the prison were executions take place, has indicated he would carefully examine each clemency request. Attorney General Jim Petro, who requested the reprieve, also will be gone beginning in January. He will be succeeded by either Republican Betty D. Montgomery or Democrat Marc Dann. Spirko, 60, has been on death row for more than two decades. But controversy about the old case escalated in the past 2 years, with his attorneys aggressively proclaiming his innocence even though his conviction has been upheld by courts at all levels. The Ohio Parole Board has twice voted 6-3 against a clemency recommendation. However, three dissenting members called for a reprieve if "there is even the slightest possibility that errors were made in a conviction where the sentence is death." Spirko was convicted and sentenced to death for Mottingers abduction and fatal stabbing on Aug. 9, 1982. Her decomposed body was found in a bean field 6 weeks later. Spirkos attorneys, who say he is innocent, requested extensive DNA testing of the tarp used to wrap Mottingers body, hairs attached to the duct tape, 100 cigarette butts and rags found in a nearby farm field. (source: Columbus Dispatch) **************** Gov. Taft delays Spirko execution John Spirko's date with death has been postponed until April 17, putting his fate in the hands of DNA testing and possibly Ohio's next governor. Gov. Bob Taft notified Spirko's attorneys yesterday that he has agreed to a fifth delay in his execution while testing continues on 24-year-old evidence. "It is my hope that the additional time permits the completion of the DNA testing and analysis agreed upon by the attorney general and Mr. Spirko's counsel," said Mr. Taft. Spirko, a 60-year-old Toledo native, was originally scheduled to be executed 2 years ago. His most recent execution date was Nov. 29, 2006. He remains on Ohio's death row for the 1984 kidnapping and brutal stabbing of Betty Jane Mottinger, postmaster in the tiny Van Wert County village of Elgin. Unless the DNA test results or a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the lethal injection process makes the decision for him, Mr. Taft's successor, either Ted Strickland or Ken Blackwell, would decide Spirko's fate. Spirko's lawyers hope DNA results from testing on the paint tarp/theater curtain that shrouded Mrs. Mottinger's body as well as other evidence will match someone in a national database or someone on a list of other potential suspects they have provided. At the least, they hope a complete lack of a match with Spirko will shed doubt on his guilt. While agreeing to the testing, the state has maintained that a match with someone else would not necessarily exonerate Spirko. The prosecution's theory has been that he didn't act alone, although no conspirator has ever been tried. (source: Toledo Blade) ****************** Daily Poll: Death penalty no block to murders Does the death penalty prevent murders? Total votes: 910 Yes 35.9 % No 59.2 % Unsure 4.9 % (source: Canton Repository)


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HOUSTON, TX (KRIS)- Police in Houston are looking for a burglary suspect who broke into a home.
The family had no idea the thief was even inside their home, until a neighbor found something odd.
What they found next on their home security footage was even scarier.
Surveillance video of a burglar lurking around a baby's bedroom with a flashlight at 5:00 o'clock in the morning.
He even shines the light on the little boy who was soundly sleeping in his crib.
It's unclear what he's looking for, but these chilling images made the child's parents sick to their stomachs.
The scary part is he didn't even know someone had broken into their West Harris County home until the next day.
He and his wife were asleep in the master bedroom when the intruder came in through an unlocked front window.
Surveillance cameras all over the house show the burglar going from room to room looking for things to steal.
Police say he stole a briefcase and a wallet, then went and broke into a house around the block.
When the burglar left that house, he left Lee's items behind.
When that homeowner woke up the next morning, he found Lee's briefcase and wallet.
He called Lee and said check your cameras.
And the burglar is bold. Lee says he knew he was being recorded.
Lee cares and so do investigators. They're now looking for him. They believe he's just a teenager.
The family does have an alarm system, but say in this one particular night, they forgot to set it.


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Mid-Ohio Valley Explorers claim 2 of 3
Youth baseball
April 14, 2011
The Mid-Ohio Valley Explorers of the USSSA middle school league played three games last week winning 2 of the 3 contests. On Wednesday, the Explorers played Parkersburg Catholic and won, 23- ....
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Top MLB Photos
Check out the best shots of the day.
JC: That's Donald being Donald. He'd kick his own mother while she was down if it served his purpose. Witness his statement that he intends to fund $10 million each to unseat Ted Cruz and John Kasich. Once you cross The Donald, you're an enemy for life and he will stop at nothing to make your life miserable. How's that bode for a politician who needs to be able to build coalition and consensus? He'd be Democratic kryptonite and will assuredly alienate a significant number of Republicans. Result - more hamstrung and gridlocked government. Hillary doesn't have much better chances at any kind of consensus-building, but she'd still stand a heck of a better shot than Trump.


text: Picture this: an electronics store is about to open its doors for business. There is an excited murmur as a massive crowd of impatient, sleep-deprived customers looks up in anticipation. They have been waiting outside for hours, some camping overnight to ensure they would be first in line when it opens.


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First web page is back online
May 1, 2013 - Art Smith
Twenty years ago yesterday something happened that changed the world. It wasn't the start of a war or the discovery of a cure for a horrible disease, It was a website with the first pages of billions of publically accessible pages to follow. It was simple, it was ugly and it was the start of something that would revolutionize the way we communicate.
Tim Berners-Lee, a physicist working a CERN, a giant research facility based in Geneva, Switzerland, invented the web in 1989. Twenty years ago yesterday CERN put up a site that made the software needed to "drive" the web and the "owner's manual" needed to use it available to everyone, everywhere, for free.
The rest, as the story goes, is history.
The computer that hosted the first page is still at CERN, but the pages were no longer available until Tuesday. They have been restored to their original web address http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html and are accessible now, as they were then, to anyone in the world with an Internet connect.
That, of course, is a much large number than it was 20 years ago. The web has reached a level of usage faster than any other technology. Ever.
It has fundamentally changed nearly every business model that exists. It helps us learn, it helps us communicate and share. It has invaded our homes and started entire business sectors that didn't exist, while drastically changing others.
Yet if it were a person, it wouldn't be old enough to order a beer to celebrate.
It took a while for Berners-Lee's baby to grow. Large companies started adding sites in the mid 1990s. Most have gone through several generations of redesigns.
The Marietta Times put its first version of MariettaTimes.com online in 2000. The Parkersburg News and Sentinel put a single-page site up around the same time and followed with a full site in the spring of 2001. Both sites were relaunched in December of 2001 and have undergone several upgrades since. Both sites now have thousands of stories and contain an archive dating back to 2008.
The web has moved beyond the simple computer and is now also on tablets, phones, TV, even in your car. It's about to be available on eyewear and watches and who knows what else.
It will be interesting to see what the web does as it moves into adulthood and settles down.
Blog Photos


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By Brandon Speck
Daily Journal
It will be a year before you hear John Wiley Works' alliterative name. Alcorn Central's red-bearded hooper is red-shirting at Northeast CC.
The box scores will miss him as he readies himself for a return.
Works closed his prep career by averaging 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game, one of the area's most versatile threats. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Works scored from different spots, but spent a lot of time down low on the boards, too.
In college, he'll be a guard, but that won't keep him away from the rim.
"I'd rather be outside on the wing anyway, so I can attack the goal," Works said.
A natural driver, Alcorn Central coach Mitch Howell encouraged him to shoot more 3s, so teams would have to respect his outside shooting, too.
That effort was spurred by a Dec. 10 game against New Site's zone. Works had a season-low 13 points. That helped his game.
"People were just playing off of me, especially against New Site," Works said. "I didn't do so well that game. Everything just started going after that."
From the arc
He took 51 3-pointers for the season, 19 more than his junior year and shot 24 percent. He shot 60 percent overall.
A two-year starter, Works was a 3A/4A5A/6A all-star in Saturday's North Mississippi All-Star Games in Booneville.
In the Red's double overtime loss, he scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting, a 3-pointer included. He added three rebounds and a pair of assists and steals.
Works was bigger than everybody as an eighth grader, which put him in the post. As a freshman and sophomore, he worked on ball handling with then-coach Brandon Quinn.
In the future
He turned down an offer from Freed Hardeman, but still plans to play on past Northeast, now working on his outside shooting and footwork and says trying understand the speed of the college game.
"I decided to come here with Coach (Cord) Wright and get my game better for the college level," Works said.


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DLL Suite 1.0
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text:
Party guests--both little and big--will linger around this party mix bowl. Once you start snacking, you just can't stop! The color combination will tie in well with your July 4th bash, but this mix is perfect any time of year, at parties, or for on-the-go.
Watch all your favorite shows weekdays on Nick Jr.
Combine all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Toss to blend well.
Spoon into paper cupcake liners. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 3 1/4 cups.
These treats are as easy as A-B-C
No Blue's Clues birthday party would be complete without this familiar face
Want a clue about what to serve at the next birthday party?
Let's play Blue's Clues--with cookies!
Dora's dessert is a garden of delights with fruity flowers & sweet pudding!
Kids will have fun in the kitchen making these bubble bites just right!
Fishin' for a quick and easy treat for your Bubble Guppies fan?
Create a snack your kids won't be able to keep their paws off!
Make this snack in a snap & watch them disappear like magic!
Thanksgiving guests will want to swipe every last piece
Surprise party guests with this pair of costume-clad bunnies
Make this a-DORA-ble autumn treat for the apple of your eye!
Present your pie with your preschooler's favorite explorer!
Let Max wish your little bunny a happy Valentine's Day!
Turn plain pound cake into bite-sized cake pops that look like Little Fish!
Pizza for dessert? It's umirrific!
Little drummers everywhere will love these sweet treats
Make this tasty treat any day of the week--it's simple!
Kids will want s'more of this chocolate and marshmallow-filled treat!
Your kids will love keeping track of this colossal cookie that's perfect for sharing!
You'll be a star in your preschooler's eyes when you make these stellar yet easy treats!
The ice-cold treat is just right for quenching an explorer's thirst.
Take their taste buds on an ice cream Arctic adventure!
Getting hot out? Chill out with these strawberry cream treats


text:
Fuji Rockers: Hard Rain Falls, but Not Shook Up
While northeast Japan suffered a gully-wash of rain this weekend, Fuji Rock festivalgoers got on with the business of whooping it up as best they could, undeterred by the small matter of a 6.4 magnitude earthquake off Fukushima prefecture that rattled the northeast of Japan early Sunday.
Over 200 artists performed at the annual festival, held at Naeba Ski Grounds in Niigata prefecture, even though it rained two out of the event's three days. Neither rainfall of close to four inches per hour nor landslides in parts of Niigata Prefecture forced this year's event to shut down. But locals confess that excitement wasn't as grand, even with the unshaken Fuji Rock party faithful's colorful rain ponchos.
Before the event, Yuko Handa, a spokeswoman of Smash Corporation, said the company believed attendees to be holding off to the last minute to buy tickets. While Smash Corporation has not released exact numbers of this year's attendance, local inns in the hosting town of Yuzawa suspect it was less than last year.
Fuji Rock is no stranger to inclement weather. A typhoon struck the event's first launch in the summer of 1997, when it was held in what is now known as Fujiten Snow Resort. The chaos forced event-organizer Smash Corporation to cut the festival short on its second day.
Starting last Friday, the first day of the 2011 edition, buckets of rain from a stubborn front caused Igarashi river to flood Sanjo city, which lies 27 kilometers (43 miles) from the town of Yuzawa, near the concert site. Similar rainfall in July 2004 flooded 27,000 houses and killed 15 people. On Sunday, the Japan Metrological Agency issued a maximum alert warning of floods and landslides, urging over 10,000 people to evacuate in Sanjo city, which has recorded over 39 inches of rain since last Wednesday. Adding insult to injury was the magnitude-6.4 earthquake that shook up Japan's Tohoku and Kanto regions around 4 a.m. Sunday morning.
The earthquake didn't cause undue alarm at the festival's camp site, according to Emiko Nakajima, an employee at Warabiso, where some 30 vendors who worked at the festival's cafes and booths spent the night. "We don't usually feel smaller earthquakes around here," she said, "Nobody woke up, and we didn't hear anything from neighboring inns."
In the end, the rain at Fuji Rock did little more than dampen the fun a tad. "It's usually really hot, and even if it rains, it's a short downpour in the evening. But there was absolutely no sun this year," said Ms. Nakajima, referring to the fact that it remained cloudy on Sunday, despite the rain subsiding. "Vendors said it wasn't as lively and there was a lot less beer-drinking," she said.


text:
Falling in love..
..with your own product feels just wonderful!
I've never thought of my relationship to new product development this way before, but yes, this time I've definitely found "the right one" with the yoga game based on how it feels to be doing it.
Taking a few steps back, this crush of mine would definitely not be possible without few very practical things. First of all, game development has been proceeding incredibly well. Sami Liikanen joined Gajatri Studios as main developer of the product and is doing an amazing job in helping me out in everything. Sami has worked previously for Rovio Entertainment and Ironstar Helsinki. Also, I've been lucky to find really professional software and graphical designers to UI, character and item design to help us out with the game. These folks are not laughing at my dream (nor to this love affair I am having for that matter!), but instead are taking it surely towards beta capability.
Last week we had user tests for the first playable prototype and got valuable feedback from testers. Most of the corrections have now been made to core loop, and we are proceeding to second phase adding more content and features. Many of my Facebook friends and ex-colleagues have offered help for testing the game. It truly feels that we are supported by a lot of people in what we are doing. This is really valuable to me as the development phase without real customers would not be serving its purpose.
For now it definitely looks like we will reach beta capability in exactly planned schedule i.e. around end May. I will not release the details what the story and theme will be in the game until then, but core loop is about playing with yoga practises, learning them yourself and after that teaching them to others.
With the words of one of the play testers: "this game is really good because you do not have any guilt of playing it as at the same time while playing and having fun you learn about yoga as a kind of side kick". Exactly my target. Also, how to live without guilt is a major driver in yoga, so happy to live my yoga "off the mat" and to deliver joy (not guilt) to folks with the game we're building.
Have a great spring weekend everyone!


text: My sisters 94 ZJ 5.2L 4x4 has this leak.. I cant determine if that hole is supposed to be there or not. IF anyone knows please let me know. It is leaking transmission fluid at a very slow pace. The hole is located on the bottome of where the transmission mates to the transfer case. You can see it in these pics just to the right of the bolt.


text:
The Day We Fight Back
ThoughtWorks is joining with several organizations, including the EFF, Reddit, Mozilla, and Demand Progress in a call to the international community to fight against mass surveillance. If you are concerned about the growth of mass surveillance of our internet communications, I urge you to see how you can take part. On February 11th, many websites will be adding banners to their site encouraging people to make their opinions known, particularly those in the U.S. concerned about how our government is indulging in behavior that can lead to undermining democracy.
To find out more please visit https://thedaywefightback.org where you can find out how to join in by adding a banner to your web site. For more background on the rationale behind this day of action, read this statement from the EFF. Take a look at my explanation on why privacy is important, even if you think you have nothing to hide.


text:
The FINAL ULTIMATE Hip-Hop Test
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text:
I'm not making this up -- he goes 'Now if your neighbor marries a box turtle, that doesn't affect your everyday life. But that doesn't mean it's right.' I think it's pretty safe to assume that, at one point or another, Senator John Cornyn has thought about making love to a box turtle. I'm sorry, but that's not the first animal you jump to when you're writing that analogy.
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text:
A Book Ban in Miami Gets . . . Upheld
Let's move away from L'Affaire Madoff and the situation with Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg this morning, and journey down to Atlanta, where the 11th Circuit made a provocative ruling on Thursday involving children's books and Cuba.
According to this account in the Miami Herald, the 11th Circuit ruled Thursday that the Miami-Dade School Board did not violate the Constitution in 2006 when it removed a controversial children's book about Cuba from the public schools' library system.
In a 2-1 decision, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta said the board did not breach the First Amendment, and ordered a Miami federal judge to lift a preliminary injunction that had allowed the book, called Vamos a Cuba to be checked out from school libraries.
Granted, we're not First Amendment scholars, but we can't recall an incident in which a court, let alone a federal appellate court, upheld a decision to remove a book from a school's library.
But it appears the court rested its ruling on the fact that the school board removed the book because it contained "factual inaccuracies," not over anything having to do with the book's content.
In 2006, board members voted 6-3 to remove the book — which had been available in some school libraries as extracurricular reading for children in kindergarten through the second grade — a parent and former political prisoner in Cuba, complained that the book failed to accurately depict life there.
Members of the school board cheered the ruling. But the ACLU was none too pleased.
"Clearly, this can't be allowed to stand. We must take further action," said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida. "However much they try to evade the facts and bend the law into a pretzel, censorship is censorship is censorship," Simon said.
Editor's Note: Dan Slater has the day off. He will return Monday.