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Costco is offering the Garmin Nuvi for $349 online (selling for about $440 at Amazon). The very capable unit has Maps of North America, Speaks Street Names, Bluetooth Handsfree, and TMC Traffic capabilities. Offer through 6/22.
For More Information see my Full Review of the Garmin Nuvi 760
Thanks to everyone who sent this in!!!
I like the Garmin Edge 705 that I have in for review right now, and it appears that I am not alone. Wired Mag has a review up of the Edge 705 calling it the Holy Grail for cycling enthusiasts, and for good reason. The thing grabs a signal, dumps a ton of information your way, tells you where to go and when you are done, allows you to analyze the data collected from the heart rate monitor, the cadence sensor and if you are really into it, you can get power readouts if you add a compatible powermeter. The sensors are all wireless and the edge is smaller than a deck of cards.
At Amazon - Garmin Edge 705
The Garmin Nuvi 750 is one of the newer and hotter widescreens on the market. With the latest software and the slim new Nuvi design, it makes for a great high-end package. The unit has a long list of features, but a few standouts are:
See my Full Review of the Garmin Nuvi 750/760/770 for more information.
Sam's Club has the Nuvi 750 available for $299 right now, while it's running $367 at Amazon as of this writing.
Thanks to Rick for sending this in!
(If you want to wait for the Nuvi 760; reportedly the Nuvi 760 will be $349 from 6/2 - 6/8 at Costco - Thanks Thaddeus )
Mio recently opened up a new headquarters in Belgium, and had a few things to say about its business; where is it and where it is going. According to GPSNews, and Canalays, Mio has a 9.5% share of the global navigation market (GPS & PDA), which is a combination of the Mio and Navman brands. They recently moved to more of a Navman interface, away from the iGo interface that they had been using. I just reviewed the Mio Moov 300/310 that has that new interface, and for the most part they did a good job, but could use some more work in some areas.
Mio will be adding in the NavPix capability from the Navman line into the Moov line later this year, as they will be adding cameras to their GPS line.
Finally, they are now saying that their work on a connected GPS should come to market in Q2 2009, not 2008 like they originally indicated when they announced the work.
TomTom's newest ONE is the ONE 130, that serves up entry level features with a good routing and feature package all for a nice $149 price; a $50 price drop. With the addition of the Easy Port suction cup, the unit is thin, highly portable and very functional. The EasyPort folds up snugly to the back of the TomTom making the whole thing easy to stow in a purse or briefcase.
The list price is $199, but the unit is going for $149 now. Unfortunately the TomTom ONE 130S, which is the Text to Speech version is not discounted, as it is still $249.
At Amazon TomTom ONE 130
The folks over at CellFanatic have posted some news about the upcoming iPhone software release that will allow the iPhone to geotag photos taken with its camera. So the whole thing relies on the not-so-good GPS wanna be triangulation capabilities that the original iPhone has. By triangulating or just dead reckoning using cell and wifi signals it can offer a guess as to where you are. In my experience, my iPhone has me in a radius of about half of downtown Boston which is a pretty big swath of area.
The new iPhone which is supposed to be announced in June, should have a true GPS, eliminating the current patch job of location based information.
CellFanatic says...
"While the iPhone lacks the dedicated GPS receiver most of us desire, it still does an adequate job of positioning through cell towers and this capability has now been passed on to the Camera application which presents the user with a pop up window stating, "Camera would like to use your current location". By selecting OK at the prompt, the location data will be pulled from the Maps Application and 'use your current location' in order to deliver the appropriate tags to identify the location the photo was taken. "
The Nextar Q4-01 was recently released into a competitive market where more consumers are deciding to move to the widescreen instead of the standard 3.5-inch screens that so many people know. The Nextar Q4 has the 4.3-inch screen which is based on a new user interface. The interface update is a welcome one, as the last Nextar interface was not much to talk about. I reviewed the Nextar C-3 last year and definitely saw room for improvement in the interface and the mount. The Nextar Q4 packs some decent stats into the package along with the redesign including text-to-speech, maps of the 50 states from NAVTEQ, and a light 1.6 million Points of interest. The unit also features an MP3 player and a photo viewer.
So can the Nextar Q4 with its widescreen and new user interface compete for your dollars in the GPS market?
I have been testing out the Mio Moov 300/310 for several weeks now driving the highways and byways of the Northeast this spring to check out the latest offering from Mio. The Mio Moov series, including the standard screen 200/210, and the widescreen 300/310 are a big change for Mio, as they adopt a new operating system to carry the brand forward. After the acquisition of Navman, Mio decided to bring the software development in-house and leave the iGo interface behind. Switching to the iGo interface helped to launch the brand in the US and was one that set Mio apart from other GPS brands because it was functional, reasonably good and with their value positioning on the unit cost, not a bad trade-off for the value oriented market. I used and wrote full reviews on a lot of these units including the Mio C310X, Mio C220, Mio C230, Mio C320, Mio 520, Mio C720T. Things are changing though, as the big guys drop prices hard and fast, it leaves smaller slices of the market for value oriented brands. With a more competitive market, the bar raised due to other stronger players (think Navigon) coming to the market, it all raises the stakes for the new Moov line and Mio's new software bet.
From a core product standpoint, the Mio Moov 300/310 comes with maps of the US, and 3.5 million POI on its 4.3-inch widescreened unit. The satellite acquisition times are quick, as it sports the new SiRF InstantFixII chipset. The unit lacks the bells and whistles that are sometimes seen on GPS units, but are barely appreciated; MP3 players, and Picture viewers. The Mio Moov 310 differentiates itself by adding in the TMC traffic receiver for only a few dollars more, and includes a one year subscription to the service which will cost $60 a year afterwards. Pretty good bargain.
NAVTEQ has updated their Historical Average Speed product, called NAVTEQ Traffic patterns, including more connector roads to stretch out coverage to over a million miles of roadways across North America. The Traffic Patterns product was announced back in February 2007, and announced a partnership to product GPS units with the data through Intellinav this past January.
So let's review:
More on the NAVTEQ upgrade from its Press Release.....
Garmin gets a boost from Oprah's top picks for the summer as she adds the Pink Nuvi to her list of hot items for the summer. The Pink version is only available at BestBuy right now. She calls the Nuvi "The perfect road trip gadget."
On her list at the website, she actually calls out the Nuvi 250, which is still a standard screen (3.5-inch) units that has not just the maps of the continental US (Nuvi 200), but has the maps of all of North America. So if you were planning on hitting any of Canada this year, bump it up to the Nuvi 250. If you don't mind the plain old color, you can get the extra map coverage in the Nuvi 250 for about $20 less online than the Pink one at BestBuy.
Things are starting to settle in for the summer, if you are going to upgrade on features above the base models, I recommend spending money on Text to Speech and Widescreen units if you can afford it. That puts you into a unit like the Nuvi 260W, or the TomTom XL-S. You can always move up from there for additional features like traffic, gas prices, more map coverage (i.e. Europe), optimized multi-stop routing, etc. See below for prices and for links to reviews on a lot of these models.
Standard Screens - 3.5-inch
Widescreen Models
It's Running Season and for many, it's time to hit the roads. I am starting to watch the prices on the Forerunners. Steady price these days.
Cool stuff ahead with the Dash - they have opened up their platform to other developers as they roll out applications that illustrate the capabilities. The Dash is a pretty amazing GPS with 2-way connectivity that allows for a platform to push information to the unit while you are on the road. Given the flexibility, they are starting to push a lot of things: real estate information, weather, red light cameras, and even geo-encode their Outlook calendars to route right to the address of their next appointments.
Via Dash
As more people ask, and the summer travel season is right around the corner, I thought I would again offer some advice on driving around Europe with a GPS.... you bought here.
If you don't have a GPS and want to use one in Europe, I highly recommend that you get one now, before you go. If you do, you can drive here, and get used to it before taking it overseas where things will be a little different; better to be confident of what you are using and navigating with.
If you are thinking about renting a GPS in Europe, limited non-guaranteed availability and steep rental prices (up to $60/day) can cramp your style, so I thought I would review your options for getting a GPS for Europe. With rental prices that high, it can pay to either buy a GPS and keep it, or buy a GPS and then eBay it when you get back. I will say that the addition of Euro Map data isn't always cheap. I especially recommend a thin GPS for travel as it will save space and hassle.
Garmin announced a pretty good move today offering Garmin Mobile to the Blackberry crowd for a $99 lifetime fee. The deal offers Garmin maps and a Garmin interface streamed over the network for your GPS enabled Blackberry. Turn by Turn directions will get you there.... all while giving you gas prices, weather and traffic.
Very much targeted at the traveling business type, the unit should be pretty popular with road warriors, or the growing legion of consumers who are heading out to their kid's games on the weekend tapping away to friends.
The $99 lifetime fee is a new move from the usual monthly fee or daily/one time use fees on a lot of other navigation plans.
After the Nuvifone, and launches like this, clearly Garmin has figured that they need to be a part of the mobile phone navigation market.
Press Release follows....
The MSN Direct connected Garmin StreetPilot C580 is available for a pretty low $224 today, with MSN traffic, gas prices and more. The unit is a standard, 3.5-inch screen with maps of North America, and text to speech so it says the name of the streets. I reviewed its sister product the Nuvi 680 (Garmin Nuvi 680 Full Review) a while back and enjoyed the capabilities. These days, having the gas price capability is a nice plus. The StreetPilot line is not a flat product like the Nuvi, but to get the Nuvi 680 that is flat (and widescreened) you'll pay almost $400.
At Amazon Garmin StreetPilot C580 with MSN Direct
Nokia is a powerhouse of a mobile phone maker, and with the move to acquire map maker NAVTEQ, they set in motion the wheels to make sure that they are a key player in location based services, and navigation. According to a recent interview, Michael Halbherr, the head of Nokia's location based activities, said that they are set to hit their goal of having half of their handsets GPS enabled by 2010-2012.
I have no idea if that means the death of the GPS stand alone device or not, but I am leaning more and more towards not these days. When GPS units cost $400 for an entry model, I could see the attraction of a small screen, phone based navigator that was essentially free (already had the phone and an extra $10 a month is pretty cheap).
With the drop in GPS prices, entry level units are going to be under $100 and that's not even a splurge item for many folks. Unless the connectedness of the mobile phone can offer a significantly better user experience, I think that the spread of mobile phone GPS will only spur demand for a better and not too expensive stand alone GPS device.
The European Union gave clearance of the TomTom TeleAtlas deal which paves the way for the merger to move forward; the US gave its OK last year.
"The Commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition," an European Union executive said in a statement.
TomTom and Tele Atlas issued a joint release on the subject saying:
"The ruling of the EC is the best possible outcome for TomTom and Tele Atlas allowing the new combination to go ahead with the full execution of its strategy."
It's unfoutunately illeagal to mount your GPS on the windshield in Minnesota and California, but a lot of people also don't want to have those suction cup rings on the windshield to deal with either. There is always the dash mounting option that solved these problems.
Here are a couple of options:
1. Adhesive disk - these come with almost all GPS units, usually black and can go right on your dash. I saw a driver the other day with one of these mounted vertically on his dash near the center stack that put the GPS well within reach. Wouldn't work in my car, but it looked great in his. The downside may be looks; a lot of folks don't want one of these stuck to the dash no matter what.
2. Garmin Friction Mount - Garmin offers this, and a lot of people are happy with it, judging from the emails I get from readers and the ratings on Amazon.
3. Bracketron NavMat GPS Friction Mount - is another option that allows you to use the mount along with the suction cup mount that came with your GPS. I have also had readers write in about this one too, and from the reviews at Amazon, a lot of people seem to like the mount for a lot of different GPS models.
Best buy this week has to be the Nuvi 260W that dropped again this week - down about $75 in the last two weeks; very good navigator. Widescreen and text to speech with the new thin Garmin design.
Standard Screens - 3.5-inch
Press release after the jump...
You've seen the icons you can download for the Garmin GPS units, and now you could win a Garmin Nuvi 205 if your icon is the winner of the contest. Every week Garmin will choose 5 weekly winners, for which you will get a t-shirt. At the end of the contest, they will put up all icons for internet voting. If the net likes what you've done, you win the contest and the Nuvi 205.
Cruise over to Garmin and check out the entries so far. Get creative, and submit your own.
The Garmin Nuvi 760 came out on top of Consumer Reports' latest GPS rating, with TomTom and Magellan also rounding out the top 5. It's not a big surprise that these three occupy the top 5, I have always said, it's easy to design a GPS, but it's hard to design a good one. The big guys have been designing their units for years, and the difference is a solid understanding of the basics, with a very good interface. I am still not as impressed with the Magellan interface still as the Garmin and TomTom interfaces.
The Top 5 were:
Let's face it, gas prices are pretty high, and finding cheaper gas can save some big bucks. There are some great options to help find cheap gas prices around you where ever you go. Instead of driving around and keeping track of the ever changing gas prices there are a couple of ways to keep track of gas prices when you need them and where you need them. Let's run through some options for GPS units:
Garmin Nuvi 680 & Garmin Nuvi 780 - Both Garmin Nuvi models come with MSN Direct services optional, which with a $50 annual subscription you will get the ability to search nearby regular gas prices. The feed comes over the FM airwaves and is cached on the unit. When I reviewed both units, I found that the gas price capability was one of the most attractive features on the units. It was easy to find gas for a nickel or a dime cheaper per gallon without working too hard. See my Full Review of the Garmin Nuvi 680, and my Full Review of the Garmin Nuvi 780.
TomTom PLUS with Gas Prices - Compatible right now with the TomTom GO 920/920T, the ability to pull in gas prices is only a low <$20 per year subscription away. The system goes through the Bluetooth connection to your COMPATIBLE bluetooth phone running on a data network. This will pull in data through your phone and populate the data into the TomTom to give you a bead on cheaper gas. After subscribing through you TomTom HOME computer application, you will select which grade of fuel (regular, mid, premium, or diesel) which will then show up in your Gas station POI search.
Dash Express Connected GPS - This new generation GPS has a a cellular radio built in so it is connected to the network whenever you need it (and are in range of a cellular tower). A quick search for gas on the Dash allows you to pull up station by station listing and with the tap of the button, you can grab not only the "Regular" gas price as well as the prices on other grades.
Finally, you can always get local cheap gas prices on MapQuest with their new gas pricing capability and MSN. Cool searches allow you to search around addresses, with the ability to search by price, distance and by name.
How's it all work? No, there isn't someone riding around phoning in the latest gas prices.... A company called OpisNet scans the credit card transaction streams for fleet vehicles and watches for gas transactions, checking for gas prices and reporting them. These updates can come several times per day in the case of Dash (although any particular station might get updated less than that), to slightly less frequently for other manufacturers.
Best buys this week have to be the Nuvi 260W that dropped $50+ to $290, which is about right-priced for its capabilities. The Garmin Nuvi 200 is $139 at Office Depot after discounts and Mail In Rebate. Staples has a good low price for the Nuvi 200W - $199.
Standard Screens - 3.5-inch
Engadget had this story yesterday on Garmin testing Nuvifone ideas and potentially price points. Typically this type of concept testing is done far in advance by the maker of the product to test out features and designs, and yes price points. At this stage in the game, this concept is probably checking out the appeal of the carrier, the wireless features and the price point of the phone.
The $500 price tag is not so outrageous now, but Apple, who is rumored to be putting real GPS capability into the next generation of the iPhone, is also working with AT&T. Now a recent BusinessWeek article speculated about AT&T dropping the price on the iPhone as a way to spur on demand in this sluggish economy. That $500 price point for the Nuvifone all of a sudden would be pretty expensive in comparison.
Thanks Jim for sending this in.
April saw some serious discounting hit the store shelves as GPS makers are getting ready for the summer driving season. New models have been announced, store shelves are getting stocked and with Tax Rebate checks in the mail, maybe people will be grabbing GPS units by the handful. If so, we are locking and loading on a bunch of reviews coming up so stay tuned.
Garmin GPS News
TomTom GPS News
Magellan GPS News
Mio GPS News
Navigon GPS
Earnings Announcements
Fitness GPS
GPS Rebates and Sales
Mapping News
Traffic News


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Paatelainen appointed Kilmarnock boss
Mixu Paatelainen has been confirmed as the new manager of Kilmarnock.
Paatelainen, 43, met the media at Rugby Park on Wednesday afternoon where he was announced as successor to Jimmy Calderwood, who left at the end of the season.
Paatelainen has been out of football since leaving Hibernian in May 2009.
The Finn will have to work under the same budget cuts which led to Calderwood's refusal to return following a short spell as boss at the end of last season.
Killie chairman Michael Johnston reportedly spoke to a host of candidates including Gus MacPherson, Malcolm Crosby, Alex Rae, Lawrie McKinna and former Hearts bosses John Robertson and Csaba Laszlo.
German World Cup winner Thomas Hassler withdrew his application on family grounds, while compensation ruled out a move for first target, the Blackburn coach Steve Kean.
Prior to his 16-month spell in charge at Easter Road, Paatelainen managed TPS in his homeland and Cowdenbeath before his spell at Hibs.
"I'm delighted to be manager of Kilmarnock Football Club," Paatelainen said. "I was desperate to get back into football and I look forward to it. I missed the training ground and the adrenaline."
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subset: commoncrawl


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This weekend we got to stay home and race "locally" in Northampton, Ma. The Cycle-Smart International was celebrating its 20th year in the running with some slight changes to its classically fast, flat and challenging race. I was looking forward to racing and hoping my legs were feeling good after a long stretch of busy travel. The weather leading up to the race was cooler and rainy but it looked like both race days would be sunny and dry with cooler temperatures in the 40's – finally!
We stayed at home Friday night and made the two-hour drive to the race in the morning. It was nice to see all of the fall colors of the trees as we headed into Western Mass. Thanks to our sponsors Mavic and Pedros for letting us set up nearby to get ready for the race! I was happy to finally be able to wear long sleeves in the race and not be sweating profusely. After a preride of the course and a warm up, I was ready to race and headed off the start line quickly with a group of four other riders.
At the run-up, we established a small gap over the field but as the race went on, small mistakes along the technical sections of the course and the unrelenting power straight-aways eventually brought the group down to three of us. With one lap to go I was sitting in second place trying to keep my momentum on the long flat power sections of the course with third place close behind. The leader was able to get a small gap and it came down to a duel for the last half lap where I finished third for the day.
Race reports and photos from Cyclingnews as well as Velonews can be found here and here. Lyne Lamoureux from Podium Insight was also on hand providing excellent coverage as usual. Check out coverage of Day 1 and more great photos here. Thanks for the pics, Lyne!
The course for Sunday was slightly less technical with what felt like even longer, smoother, faster straight-aways. The wind had picked up a bit as well and the skies were slightly overcast. I knew that the race would play out much like a road race with riders taking turns at the front but no one really wanting to be pulling in the wind. I decided to simply race as hard as I could despite the tactical advantage of sitting back and being patient. Off the line, a group of five quickly established a lead and we pretty much stuck together the entire race.
Anytime another rider went to the front and I felt they were slowing down, I would jump on the front and do my best to gain time over the barriers, out of corners or on the more technical sections of the course. A few times it was looking good but the long flats were enough to always result in a regrouping. In the last lap it looked like it would come down to a sprint so I did everything I could to get a gap on the other riders but in the end was sprinted at the line taking 4th. I was disappointed that all my hard work still meant I missed the podium but was happy for the challenge to be able to race aggressively and take that gamble.
Race reports and photos from Cyclingnews as well as Velonews can be found here and here. The Podium Insight race report can be found here and another great photo gallery here . Also, check out the photo montage from Natasha of Pedal Power Photography here. Lastly, Thom Parsons was on hand representing Cyclingdirt. Check out his video coverage here.


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Test Report: GoldenEar Technology Triton Three Speakers Page 2
I didn't have some grand plan in mind when I chose Donald Fagen's The Nightfly LP as the first thing to play through the Triton Threes; it just happened to be the first record in the stack. But The Nightfly turned out to be an ideal test of GoldenEar's claim that its internal subwoofer integrates better with the midwoofer than a standalone subwoofer could. Bassist Anthony Jackson's lines in "I.G.Y." sail above and below the Triton Three's crossover point, yet no matter what notes he hit, his playful timing subtleties came through perfectly.
As the record continued to play, I noticed that all the instruments in the lush production were reproduced with unusual specificity — i.e., they seemed to come from more precise positions than I'm used to hearing. In "I.G.Y.," for example, the background vocals were spread from speaker to speaker but no further, while the synthesizer washes wrapped around and behind me. Fagen's voice and the cheesy-sounding "synth blues harp" he plays on the track sounded as perfectly placed as they would have if I had gone into the studio, pushed engineer Elliot Scheiner out of his chair at the mixing board, and done all the panning of each voice and instrument myself.
I suspect the Triton Three's broad soundstage will help it blend well with center and surround speakers in a 5.1 or 7.1 setup. In fact, when I streamed the racing documentary Senna from Netflix, I heard sound effects of racing cars coming from the sides of the room several feet behind me, even though only the Triton Threes were playing. I also noticed when streaming Flat Top, an old mono WWII flick, that the dialogue centered perfectly in the midst of my screen, even when the Threes were 9 feet apart.
Seems time to add some comments about voice reproduction, but even though my test CD is loaded with vocal tracks chosen because they reveal flaws in speakers, I found little on which I could fault the Triton Three. I did note that the speaker added a little emphasis to Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto's voice in the lower treble, around 3 kHz, and the same held true for Chancellor Palpatine's voice in Chapter 4 of Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones. But by and large, the vocal reproduction is so good that you'll probably never even notice this. And that's the way it ought to be.
The bass delivered by the 5-by-9-inch woofer isn't going to knock you out of your chair, but it's deep and satisfying enough that I think most people would be happy without a sub. Home theater enthusiasts, though, will almost surely want to add a sub or two. As I stated above, the middle and upper bass registers were beautifully blended and flawlessly tuneful. However, the bottom octave-and-a-half wasn't as smooth and even as I can get it in my room using standalone subwoofers. Such is the nature of tower speakers.


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Sports Archives The Altamont Enterprise, August 11, 2011
Surprise leaders in World Junior Championship
By Peter Henner
Axel Rombaldoni, an Italian International Master, and Girish Koushik, a relatively unknown Indian Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) Master, are leading the 50th World Junior Championship, held in Chennai, India ahead of 18 International Grandmasters who are also competing in the tournament. The American Grandmaster Ray Robson was in a tie for 6th through 15th, and 16-year-old Schenectady player Aaron Deepak was tied for 75th through 92nd place.
The event is a 13-round Swiss system Tournament, with 126 players. At the same time, there is a Junior Girls Chess Championship, with 69 players. Unfortunately, there are no United States competitors in the Girls Championship.
As young players have gotten stronger, the World Junior Championship has changed. In the past, it was primarily known for providing an opportunity for young players to obtain international titles. Today, when many young players already hold titles, the top competitors hope for a strong showing, to obtain invitations to the elite tournaments of the world.
The fact that the tournament is being held in India highlights the rising strength of that country, and the growing number of internationally recognized chess players in India. At the opening ceremonies, World Champion V. Anand, from India, described his own experiences playing in his first World Junior Championship in 1984, and the important role that the tournament plays in developing friendships between chess players around the world.
The tournament has become a source of national pride: Five Indians have won either the World Junior or Junior Girls Championships in the last few years. This year, because the tournament is held in India, and Indian junior players with FIDE ratings over 2000 are eligible to compete, there are 61 contenders from India, and 29 Indians in the Girls Championship, where the minimum rating is 1800.
Although Rombaldoni is ranked only 26th in the field, with a FIDE rating of 2459, he won his first six games, including two victories over Grandmasters, before drawing his seventh-round game against another Grandmaster, to lead with a score of 6 1⁄2 - 1⁄2.
Girish Koushik, although rated only 2309, has won three straight games against Grandmasters to place him in a tie for second with the Armenian Grandmaster Hovhannisyan with a score of 6-1. Although the American Robson has a score of 5-2, he lost rating points as a result of his loss to Russian International Master Goganov and his draw with the Turkish Grandmaster Firat Burak and will need a strong showing in the second half of the tournament to regain the lost rating points.
Our local player, Deepak Aaron from Schenectady, has played some tough games against higher rated internationally titled players, losing to Grandmaster Salgado Lopez, the third-ranked player, and Indian International Master Ramnath, on his way to a 3-4 score. Bill Little's blog on the Eastern New York Chess Association website (www.enyca.org) contains all of Deepak Aaron's games, as well as several other games from the tournament, together with his usual insightful commentary.
Deepak, who was born in India, moved to the United States when he was 2 years old. His grandfather, Manuel Aaron, was India's first International Master and a nine-time national champion. His father, Ashok, is a strong local player with an Expert rating who does not usually play in tournaments.
The tournament will conclude on Aug. 15, and I will have a complete report on the results in two weeks, in the Aug. 25 Enterprise.
This week's problem
This week's problem is the conclusion of Rombaldoni's fifth-round win against Grandmaster Salgado Lopez. This was a very tactical free-flowing game arising from Rombaldoni playing the Keres Attack against Salgado Lopez's Sicilian defense.
Black's 36th move, Bc7 is a tactical blunder, which allows a quick and pretty finish to the game. See if you can find it.


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All of the remaining ICE events are up at
Check event details or Facebook for sign up dates and times.
Note NEW WAG car # rules listed at above link.
Please be courteous to our local hosts and fellow WAG participants by following all event rules and local ordinances while at WAG Ice Trials events.
The WAG studded tire rules were designed to maximize driving fun and grip on the ice while keeping damage and deep grooves in the ice to a minimum.
The nice people of Hustisford WI are happy to have law abiding driver's visit and shop the corn free gas pumps and enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner at the local diners. This year our friends at downtown Hustisford Rock River Bowl Bar & Grill at 96 South Lake Street will open at 8am on Sundays to offer breakfast and also host our awards event after each event.
Drivers not running studded tires will use the same car classes as WAG Rallycross.
ICE Trials are a BLAST. Be sure to follow WAG on Facebook for updates to this and all events.
Entry fee if pre-registering through MotorsportReg.com. There must be a least 30 entries by Thursday prior to the event for us to conduct this event.
ICE events are LIMITED to 60 drivers! After 60 Drivers the Stand by list will be here too. Please check in at event to confirm your spot on the stand by list.
Event fee is $50.00 each drivers paid CASH at EVENT! $10.00 discount if you ran with WAG in 2013 or 2014 and another $10.00 off if you are among the 1st 60 drivers to sign up here.
You can't pay here or online. Please ignore the payment links and status.
Check WAG Facebook page for confirmation after 6:00pm Friday before traveling to the event!
Sun. Jan 5, 2014 - Day Ice Trials - Lake Sinissippi, Hustisford, WI
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – Registration & Tech @ South Boat Ramp see map link
10:15 a.m. – Drivers Meeting
10:30 a.m. – Limited Practice (2 runs per entry – time permitting)
11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Timed Runs – Min. 6 Timed Runs
5:00 p.m. – Results Posted- at Timing Vehicle.
6:00 p.m. - Awards at downtown Hustisford Rock River Bowl Bar & Grill at 96 South Lake Street
Please review the listing of classes and rules for the event here or at our Facebook page or site below.
2014 ICE Trials Rallycross Style Classes
(non-studded tires)
RS/A – Rally Stock, AWD
RS/F – Rally Stock, FWD
RS/R – Rally Stock, RWD
RP/A – Rally Prepared, AWD
RP/F – Rally Prepared, FWD
RP/R – Rally Prepared, RWD
RM2 – Rally Modified, 2WD
RM4 – Rally Modified, 4WD
Studded Tire Classes
S/A – Studded, AWD
S/F – Studded, FWD
S/R – Studded, RWD
U/A – Unlimited, AWD
U/2 – Unlimited, 2WD
The WAG standard for Studded Ice Racing tires is the Menards Studded Ice Racing Tire by Prymetire in 13", 14" and 15" sizes and other sizes soon.
This is a re-cap style tire featuring the studs through the cap adhered to the outside of the tire carcass.
Dec 26 2013 update. Menards tire molds are now owned and being made by http://www.prymetire.com/
Drivers using Menards tires will fall into one of the following Classes based on number of drivers in each;
S/A – Studded, AWD, S/F – Studded, FWD or S/R – Studded, RWD
In the event that the Menards tire will not safely fit a car a self-made studded tire substitute may be allowed.
All self-made studded tires must pass WAG Technical Inspection for Compliance and Safety. These tires may use a bolt through the tire carcass no larger/longer than 5mm [#10] or 1/4" will be accepted if it is sharpened, with one nut on the opposite side of the carcass with up to two washers no larger/longer than 1" allowed on each side of the carcass under the bolt head and the nut. The bolt may not protrude more than 5mm through single nut on the outside of the tire carcass.
These rules serve the primary goal of ice surface preservation for the safety of ALL Drivers.
The through bolt/nut "studs" must be sealed to the tire in such a way as to hold air indefinitely without leaking. In the event of a sudden tire deflation on Ice Trials course during a practice or timed run, the car must be driven off the racing surface immediately so as not to impede any following car[s]- if the car cannot return to the paddock area under it's own power, it will be towed back by the WAG Course Control [tow] vehicle. This will only be allowed once per event day- if it occurs a second time, the car and it's times will be deleted from that day's competition. You are encouraged to have at least ONE back up studded tire and inflation tools as needed.
There may be no more than 135 studs on 13" tires, 150 studs on 14" tires, 170 studs on 15" tires or (new for 2014) 185 on 16" tires.
Drivers using self-made tires that do not fall under the Menards Tire Classes above will fall into one of the following Classes based on number of drivers in each;
U/A – Unlimited, AWD or U/2 – Unlimited, 2WD
Motorcycle tires mounted on an automotive wheel are not allowed. They are not weight loaded for cars.
Screw-in type studs are not allowed.
If your tires do not meet our Home Made Tire rules but are deemed safe for competition you will be able to compete in the unlimited tire class. However this does not mean you build the craziest tires you can think of just for this class. They must still be inspected by our tech official and approved. If your studs do end up damaging the race surface significantly you may be asked to remove them and you will be able to compete in a standard tire class for the rest of the event. People in this class will run last in their own [3rd and 5th] heats, but may be called upon during the day to assist with corner working to watch for cars hitting cones, as well as grooming the race surface before or between heats.
The one and done rule; if they are allowed to race at 1st visit but attempt to come again with the same studs that are not acceptable, they will not be allowed to race at following events on same studded tires.
The WAG Tech Committee will inspect and rule on any items outside the normal WAG Tech.
Questions or Requests for Exceptions must be submitted in writing through the Messages on WAG Facebook page.
Rallycross 2014 posted after ICE racing events.
Wisconsin Autosports Group organizes a variety of competitive timed events, including winter ice trials, Rallycross, TSD (time-speed-distance) & road rallies.
Spring, Summer and Fall Rallycross events at Gravity Park
W2571 Hickoryhills Road (Hwy 57) Chilton, WI 53014 Phone (920) 849-RACE
One car at-a-time Trials on a
hard-packed dirt/clay/gravel surface
Open to All Licensed Drivers and street legal cars and light trucks & SUV's Approximately .35 mile course — SCCA Type Classes - based # of entries
SUNDAY, NOV. 3, 2013 Rallycross
Entry Fee: $50.00
9:00 - 10:00 a.m. – Registration
Please review the listing of classes
and rules for the event below.
For more information about ALL upcoming events,


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When I was a lass, my mother would sometimes tell me to do the damnedest things. Things like, "Don't just leave that there, take it and put it away," and "The living room floor is not where your shoes go, put them away," and "No, you actually have to rinse the dishes off after you wash them, you can't just put them in the dish drainer." All of these demands (and others) perplexed me greatly and I would always ask her "Why?"
Every time. "Why can't I just leave that here?" and "Why do I have to put my shoes away?" and "Really with the rinsing? WHY?"
My mother would answer me, but apparently she was speaking another language because that's the only reason possible as to why I was not getting an acceptable answer I could comprehend. Sometimes she would just look at me, sigh, and explain again in her strange, foreign tongue and I would be forced to conclude that she was crazy. It went something like "because we blah-biddity- blah clean house - blah blah blahda dadblah - all live here- blah bloop bladdam - do your part - blahdadoo blah - not the maid" or something. I can't remember exactly, but I'm sure I'm close.
Deprived of a satisfactory answer, I would question her again and again.
And then she just started answering me with teeth clenched, "Because."
"Mother," I would say in my most reasonable tone (which was something like muh-THER or Muuuuuh-ther!) "'because' is not an answer,"
"It is too," she would say.
"It isn't!" I would argue; reasonably, I might add.
"It is too, because I said so!" this she would say with triumph, casting her lengthy finger at me.
Oh-ho-ho, ladies and gentlemen! Did she just go there? Did she? I think she did! Because she said so? What kind of garbly nonsense is that? Because she said so. Pffft.
Only, I couldn't really argue with it. Because she was my mom, and when my mom said to do something, said in The Voice, with that glint in her eye, and actually meant business... yeah. Kinda had to do it. Because she said so.
I would mutter under my breath (but more, like, in my head, because if she heard me, sooooooo not worth the angst) "because she said so... pfffft... really? when I'm a mom... not gonna do that.... explain to my kids... actually have a conversation... instead of do this and do that... because I said so... what the heck kind of mom does that?"
I was oh so put upon, as you can imagine.
Fast forward, like, a whole lotta years later. Now, I'm the mom. Now, I call the shots, which isn't as glamorous a job as I thought it was when I was ten.
I tell my kids, "Hey, you. Yeah, you there. See that pile of stuff right in the middle of the living room floor? Yeah, that stuff. Otherwise known as YOUR CRAP. How about you put it away...? Cause that's not where it belongs... why, you ask? Well, because this is our home, not a pig-sty, and in our home we put our things away. This makes our home clean and tidy, and it also takes good care of our things. So you go and put that stuff away. No, now, not later. What do you mean, why? Because, you see, this is our home... wait, I just told you why. Now go do it. I'm not doing it for you. Why? Because I'm not the maid. And other people live here, not just you, when it's just you, you can do what you want. So go put it away, okay? What do you mean, why? I just told you why. Because! Because, okay? It is too an answer. Because I said so!" and there I am, steely glint, finger pointed, using The Voice and realizing that oh em gee, I am my mother.
Her fondest wish for me has come true, that when I had kids, I would have one just like me.
Weird how that happens.
Jenna, this is my favorite journal of yours so far!
Holy bananas...it was pure awesome.
I giggled muchly. :)
That is weird, Jenna. Really. Who does that? Who becomes her mother? Not I! (Not much, anyway. Not that I'll freely admit.)
You know what else is weird? That spam in the "response" above mine. Who is this irismmm, anyway, and why does she think that anyone who is reading your journal is in the market for a $75 watch. Does she really get hits working this way? Better take it to the streets, lady.
LOL jackie, right? I deleted her "comment". I normally don't do that, but I am so not interested in ad spam on my journal.
Oh darlin I was just like you. Always asking why. Except when I really needed to know why I'd still get the "Because I said so". So I was even more set on communication and never using those bad mother words "Because". eh hem... Can't say I haven't used them. lol. But I do try to explain first. At least that is a concession to my mothers way of parenting. Because she would never have explained first. It was always do as I say, right now, or else. Never allowed to question or comment just do!
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quote:Originally posted by amberwaveWe can not find that brand of chili anywhere in the stores in Bakersfield Ca. The meat market man said they are haveing problems getting it but they dont know why?? Here it is winter and no darn chili!They have the tamles of that brand but no brick chili, is any of the rest of the U.S. getting that brand?
quote:Originally posted by MikeS.From what I remember of xlnt brand the chili was tasty but the tamales were only 1 step up from the crap that comes in a can form Hormel. I'm still buying tamales from Costco, they are the best I've found locally. Mike, in Mexican food starved WVa, S.


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Last week, my five-year-old storehouse of wisdom confessed that she has changed her aspirations from being a veterinarian to a teacher. When asked why, she said, rather nonchalantly, that doctors need to study a lot. Quite offended by her observation, I retorted, "But teachers need to study a lot too."
"Ah, but I will be a nursery teacher," she argued.
Her statement got me thinking.
It reminded me of the days when self-professed career counselors in the family and beyond would disapprove of my choice of profession (journalism) and shake their heads in disapproval. "Teaching is what you should do," they would suggest, leaving me fuming and cringing at the thought of doing what in our country almost any woman is always advised to choose. Back then, I considered teaching beneath my knowledge and skills.
But it happened. A decade later, I was to be in a class with a bunch of 30-35 students almost daring me to make them study. I remember my first day in probably one of the most infamous classes in school. I remember how I looked my best and practiced my best smile, expecting 35 pairs of eyes on me, wishing me when I would introduce myself to them. It would be a cakewalk, I figured.
I entered a classroom saturated with chaos. There were no greetings, no smiles. In fact, no one even acknowledged my presence.
That day, I realized two things. One, that it was much easier when I interviewed a murderer in jail during my reporting days, and two that I could shout really loud. Unfortunately, no one except me realized this. To them, I did not exist and my shouts were lost in their pandemonium.
Insulted and ignored, I stormed out of the classroom. Back in the staffroom, I was in tears telling my best friend that maybe I just shouldn't be here.
My friend, who also happens to be one of the most respected teachers in school, decided to sort things out. She went to the classroom to speak to the students who still hadn't realized that they had literally driven their new teacher out of their class.
In her 15-minute long tête-à-tête with the students, she screamed at them, scolded them and made them feel ashamed of their actions. The result: I received a poem beginning with "Roses are red, sky is blue, oh our teacher….. " undersigned by almost the entire class, and I too started believing that maybe, I had won them over.
The effect stayed for the next two classes but slowly they were back to doing what they were best at — being disobedient and uninterested. It took me three months to realize that no job in the world can be as personal as that of a teacher. I learned that to win them over, I needed more than knowledge of my subject or a shrill loud voice, I needed to be me. A much better me.
My students are still unruly in class but now, when I shout at them, they smile warmly and tell me, "Ma'am, you teach really well but you don't scold well!!"
When I asked this friend, how does she manage to get her students to study, she gave me the magic mantra: "Simple. Just make them love you and every thing else will follow."


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Philadelphia -- Urban Outfitters Inc.'s profit for the second quarter rose 8% to $61.3 million from $56.7 million in the year-ago period, helped by strong sales as its namesake stores.
Total company net sales for the quarter, ended July 31, rose by 11% over the same quarter last year to $676 million. Same-store net sales, which include the direct-to-consumer channel, increased 4% for the quarter, while comparable store net sales decreased 1%.
During the six months ended July 31, 2012, the company opened a total of 28 stores including: 10 Free People stores, 10 Urban Outfitters stores, six Anthropologie stores, one BHLDN store and one Terrain garden center. It closed one Anthropologie store.


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Mueller Home
Search billions of records on Ancestry.com
Springfield Journal Register, date of paper which originally published the following is unknown.
This pretentious old residence with 160 foot frontage on the west side of Douglas Avenue south of Adams - here pictured in the Nineties - stands on a part of the original site of the Sangamon County Fair Grounds, linked up with the early days here and especially the Lincoln period. The tract was entered in 1824 by Andrew Laswell who disposed of his interests to Washington Crowder, a well-known pioneer figure here, in 1852. John W. Chenery acquired the property in 1866 and built the original house, consisting of six rooms, three upper and three lower, with kitchen and servants' quarters in the basement. However, about the same time Mr. Chenery bought the homestead at Pasfield and Lawrence, and without having lived in this house sold the property to George W. Shutt, lawyer. At that time there were only two other houses in the immediate neighborhood - those of James C. Robinson and D. L. Phillips. The property then comprised a square block, bounded by Adams, Douglas, Monroe and Illinois. In 1874 Mr. Shutt sold to David C. Brinkerhoff, and that same year the latter disposed of the place to Henry R. Mueller, whose son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Ira L. McKinnie, are the present owners. That makes a total of 70 years that the home has been in the Mueller family. Mrs. McKinnie tells us that the property was extensively landscaped in 1884 by Henry Strange, who in addition to constructiong drives, gardens, walks, etc., set out the fine linden and walnut trees which are so beautiful today. That same year, Mr. Mueller enlarged the house to fourteen rooms. There were later alterations in 1918 and 1930, and the house is now a "triplex" while retaining the general appearance of one large residence. The big barn on the place, destroyed by fire some years ago, was the original restaurant on the old Fair Grounds. All down the years of the Mueller occupancy, the home has been noted as a center of hospitality and culture. In particular, many notable musical events have been given there. It is one of the few remaining landmarks of the West Side, linking up the older Springfield with the present.
Submitted by:
Jeanie Lowe.


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Monkey Mind wrote:I am not sure what the agenda of the OP was, but When I first read this post it touched on a concern I have.
In my therapy office, I've encountered people who refuse to take pain meds, psychiatric meds, even HIV or cancer meds because they believe to do so is inconsistent with Buddhist teachings. Most of these folks have been the "do it yourself" variation, I encourage them to seek monastic guidance. However, there is a Tibetan Rinpoche in my area who promotes an anti-med agenda. All I can do is shrug and say that's not what I learned in Buddhism 101.
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[xbindkeys] Advanced mouse binds?
I have a logitech mouse with some extra buttons on it. Previously I installed xbindkeys and set it up so that b:8 and b:9 (the shoulder buttons) on the mouse changed workspaces (well, emulated some keypresses).
"xdotool key --clearmodifiers ctrl+alt+Down"
I want to have it set up so that b:8 acts as a modifer to my scrollwheel. So that if I scroll while holding down one of the shoulder buttons, it will change my workspace in the direction that I scroll. And I want to set it up so that when I hold the other shoulder button and use the scrollwheel it will activate the flip switcher.
Now here's the clincher. xbindkeys doesnt appear to support multiple mouse keys to perform a single action. I tried to make my .xbindkeysrc contain the following:
"xdotool key --clearmodifiers ctrl+alt+Down"
Does anyone know how to do what i'm trying to do?
I figured it out on my own. After hours of searching, I realized that the default .xbindkeysrc file syntax could not do sophisticated enough logic to handle multiple mouse keys, however it did mention that it supported the guile scripting language so after more searching I stumbled upon this guide:
Using that guide I managed to make xbindkeys perform these functions:
The file is as follows
~/.xbindkeysrc.scm [OBSOLETE: See next post]
;; This configuration is guile based.
Improved the script.
- Modifier keys will no longer get stuck as they are forcefully released
- Can properly handle events where the shoulder buttons are pressed by themselves (no scrollwheel used).
;; This configuration is guile based.
Interesting. I use a big Kensington trackball myself and I've been wanting to do something similar for a long time. I even posted something a few years ago about it (since I don't have guile experience) but got no answers (possibly because I screwed up the title for it. :doh:)
I'm going to be too busy this week to try it out right away, but I'm certainly going to look into it when I have the time. Thanks.
|All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:02 AM.


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The top three choices for our school board
I have been following school issues in Alameda since we moved here more than seven years ago. I worked as the volunteer chair for the last two parcel tax campaigns, Measures E and A.
As a supporter and strong advocate of Alameda schools, I am reaching out to ask for your help in keeping our schools strong. In these difficult times while many districts are struggling, our schools continue to improve. Parents and students have innovative options and magnet schools, our test scores are climbing and our enrollment is increasing.
This Tuesday, consider voting for the following candidates and propositions to keep our district moving forward:
Mike Robles-Wong, who has served as the Measure A chairman, whose family is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against the state for fair school funding and who has held many leadership roles, including heading the human resources department for Berkeley Unified. He has the knowledge, experience and leadership and collaborative skills to hit the floor running.
Ron Mooney and Niel Tam, who are running for re-election. Their votes have supported educational excellence (i.e.; a five-year master plan, Measures E and A, innovative school choices and a cutting-edge anti-bullying curriculum). They also have shown fiscal responsibility by supporting conservative budgets that allow our district to survive the continued financial attacks from the state. The other candidates running just don't have the credentials these three candidates have.
Keep our schools strong, Vote Robles-Wong, Tam and Mooney on Tuesday.
Sarah Olaes
'Yes' on 37 — tell us what's in our food
As we wind down the silly season leading up to Election Day, I urge my fellow Californians to create real change by voting "yes" on 37, mandating labeling of genetically modified ingredients.
Mandatory labeling is the law in more than 50 nations, including all of Europe, Austrailia, Japan, India and China. So why are the United States and Canada the odd nations out? I'll give you six big reasons, the "Big Six," to be exact — pesticide companies Monsanto, BASF, Bayer, Dow, DuPont and Syngenta — have penetrated our governmental agencies and politicians so much that they literally write the laws. And it's this Big Six that have ponied up the lion's share of funding to blanket our mailboxes, television sets and radio airwaves with propaganda and flexed their advertising muscle to pressure newspapers' editorials throughout the state.
Proposition 37 will simply allow us a choice. If GM ingredients are really no different, then why spend so much money to discourage choice? Their silence will be met with our reply — "yes" on 37.
Gene Oh
owner, Alameda Bicycle
Tam, Robles-Wong, Mooney for schools
Alameda Unified School District board members Niel Tam and Ron Mooney were strong advocates for the inclusive Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender anti-bullying curriculum that the Education Board adopted.
This curriculum and subsequent inclusive anti-bullying "literature lessons" for all protected classes (e.g. people who differ because of disability, religion, gender, race, nationality or sexual orientation) were publicly endorsed by the teachers union, Girls Inc., Alameda Journal, Alameda Sun, the city's Social Services Human Relation Board, Alameda Family Services, First Congregational Church of Alameda, Temple Israel, Buena Vista Methodist Church, then-AUSD board member Tracy Jensen, then- and current AUSD board member Mike McMahon, former Alameda High School principal and current AUSD board member President Margie Sherratt and Alameda Vice Mayor Rob Bonta — among a host of other community members.
One must wonder with that kind of support how anyone could have been confused about voting for the program. Upon the complete and final proposal by Superintendent Kirsten Vital, the Board of Education vote was split by four "ayes," Niel Tam, Ron Mooney, Mike McMahon and Tracey Jensen; and one "nay," Trish Spencer.
In light of that, this gay man of two children in the district schools will be voting for individuals lifting all boats, and that is why I will be voting Tam, Mooney and Robles-Wong.
Sean Cahill
Murphy, Spencer, Kahn for our schools
Alameda is in the middle of an important school board race.
When hard times come to a school district, communities rely on their school boards to get things back on track. Alameda is facing hard times, and classroom teachers are under attack.
Classrooms and entire schools are becoming more crowded and teacher salaries are inadequate for health care or even food. We teachers create lessons, tutor students, coach teams, create clubs, collaborate with colleagues and improve the climate and culture of our schools by dedicating countless hours beyond our already-long days.
Despite doing work we love, we are experiencing the lowest teacher morale in Alameda's history. We need you to vote for Trish Spencer, Barbara Kahn and Jon Murphy for school board.
Coalitions of wealthy private interests, political parties and even local individuals who profess support for teachers are hurting us and the students we serve. The current school board (with the exception of Trish Spencer) has painted a picture of Alameda's teachers as greedy, self-serving and antagonistic to the interests of the students we serve.
Can a teacher who pays 25 percent of his/her meager salary out of pocket for health care be called greedy? We have teachers who qualify for food stamps.
Teachers stay in this district because we love the students, and we feel loyalty to this community. People so dedicated to their students and their craft do not waste time needlessly hounding the board; however, we also will not allow ourselves to be abused and bullied.
In ordinary circumstances, a district's school board would take up the cause of improving conditions within a district. The current board has not done so; instead they have repeatedly exhibited contempt for our teachers. We, and other working families, support school candidates Trish Spencer, Barbara Kahn and Jon Murphy. This slate of candidates is the best chance we have to create a responsible school board who will end this thoughtless obedience to the superintendent and return attentive concern for our students and community.
Please show your support for our kids, your appreciation for our working families and your optimism for our future by voting for Murphy, Kahn and Spencer on Tuesday.
Gray Harris
president, Alameda Education Association
Island's best picks for Election Day
Alameda is facing significant choices for Assembly, the City Council, the Board of Education, and the Health Care District.
Rob Bonta is best qualified to find legislative solutions for Alameda's school funding deficit and California's governmental quagmires.
Stewart Chen and Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft are the most experienced City Council choices for Alameda's transportation, land use, and environmental future. The Sierra Club liked their records.
Ron Mooney, Niel Tam, and Mike Robles-Wong will bring reason and intelligent analysis to solving AUSD's complex problems. Mooney and Tam steadfastly supported expanding AUSD's anti-bullying efforts in our schools. As a Franklin volunteer for three years I saw firsthand the need for Lesson 9 — which helps all students. Mike Robles-Wong always brings an intelligent, independent, and logical perspective to the table. Taking on the state of California shows this former police officer's courage and determination.
Incumbents Jordan Battani and J. Michael McCormick have worked hard to take Alameda Hospital in the right directions amid a fast-changing health care environment. They deserve your vote.
Alameda needs more reasoned solutions — not inconsistency or partisanship — in this often emotional and overheated atmosphere. Please vote for Bonta, Chen, Ashcraft, Mooney, Tam, Robles-Wong, Battani and McCormick to bring reasoned and intelligent analysis to bear on Alameda's many complex problems.
Jon Spangler
Thanks to AEF, their supporters
Many consider the island of Alameda a special place to live and work. In these tough economic times, many lose sight of the little things that we should be thankful for. Recently, our band was blessed with one of those moments.
The Alameda Education Foundation recently held an Equipped 4 Success school supply drive. Through this drive, many backpacks, supplies, and instruments were donated by Alameda's generous residents, as they have in the past, to benefit the islands students in need.
This community's kindness and thoughtfulness through their donation of time, supplies, and instruments helps so many schools and students. Our guitar class received two new guitars as well as the band received several instruments from AEF.
I would like to thank each person who donated to the AEF drive, as well as AEF for the amazing work they do on behalf of the students; you all are valued deeply. This truly is a special place to live and work, for which we are thankful.
Anselmo Reis
Wood Middle School music director
Don't vote for Tam, Mooney for schools
On July 27, the Alameda Unified School District school board met in a special meeting to approve a $3.3 million/six-year lease for their new district administrative office.
This meeting took place on a Friday night in the middle of summer, when the board is generally at recess and people are on vacation. The meeting also took place at the Alameda High School cafeteria, where it couldn't be televised via cable channel 15.
At this meeting, the superintendent said that her staff had carefully evaluated all location options for the new offices. The three options evaluated by the district's staff were 1) various school district properties, 2) Alameda Point property and 3) private commercial properties. It is the Alameda Point evaluation that I want to discuss in more detail.
The City of Alameda had been given the right by the Navy to lease properties that they consider to be safe before the complete transfer of the former base to the city. The 'so-called' careful evaluation of Alameda Point consisted of a phone call to the Alameda Point Leasing Agent and a tour of the City Hall West building (recently remodeled by the city and currently housing City employees). On the tour were three AUSD representatives, including a local realtor, who never revealed that the school district was their client.
Apparently, a discussion took place, but there is no documentation indicating the nature of what was covered on the tour. Nothing in writing was ever done, and no follow-up was ever made by the district. In other words, no real negotiation with the city was ever made.
Besides having a majority of school board members that didn't fully analyze and question the lease proposal, we may also have an ethical concern with this matter. The person handling this search for a new district office was not a district employee, but a private realtor who possibly stood to benefit financially by steering the district toward leasing private commercial property. It appears that is what happened.
At the lease approval meeting, school board members Sherratt and Spencer voted no, based on their beliefs that inadequate research had been done. Members McMahon, Mooney and Tam voted to approve the lease as presented by the district staff. It is time for Mooney and Tam to leave.
Virginia Bergstrom
retired Alameda teacher


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NewswireToday - /newswire/ -
White Plains, NY, United States, 2011/02/11 - ITT Corporation (NYSE: ITT) has announced that Gretchen McClain will present the current Fluid Technology business at the 2011 Gabelli 21st Annual Pump, Valve & Motor Symposium on February 17. NYSE: ITT
ITT Corporation has announced that Gretchen McClain, senior vice president and president of ITT Fluid and Motion Control, will present the current Fluid Technology business at the 2011 Gabelli 21st Annual Pump, Valve & Motor Symposium on Thursday, February 17, 2011. McClain's comments will begin at 12:15 pm. Eastern Standard Time.
The content of McClain's presentation will also be webcast live at: itt.com/investors. A replay of the webcast will be available on the site until February 24, 2011.
About ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation (itt.com) is a high-technology engineering and manufacturing company operating on all seven continents in three vital markets: water and fluids management, global defense and security, and motion and flow control. With a heritage of innovation, ITT partners with its customers to deliver extraordinary solutions that create more livable environments, provide protection and safety and connect our world. Headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., the company reported 2010 revenue of $11 billion.
Investor Contact: Thomas Scalera / T: +1 914 641 2030 / E: thomas.scalera[.]itt.com.
Written by / Agency / Source: ITT Night Vision and Imaging
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Traffic Booster: [/] Quick Newswire Today Visibility Checker
Distribution / Indexing: [+] / [Company listed above is a registered member of our network. Content made possible by PRZOOM / PRTODAY indexing services]


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Much like cling wrap on food, body wraps encase the body and prevent it from spoiling. Keep your protective layer in prime condition with this Groupon.
Choose Between Two Options
- $39 for a one-hour massage or a one-hour body wrap (up to a $180 value)
- $59 for a one-hour massage and a one-hour body wrap (up to a $300 value)
Clients choose massages to boost relaxation and banish stress, or select from a collection of body wraps that aim to reduce the appearance of cellulite, fight signs of aging, or burn fat.
Mon Plaisir
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When last we left embedded Amtrak writer, Peter King, he was asking all the vital questions about the pig in the GEICO commercials. HOW DOES HE USE THAT PHONE WITH HIS HOOVES? It's a good thing we have the Fourth Estate to get to the bottom of those sort of pressing matters. But what about this week? Well, he tries to inflate Mike Florio's story about the Jim Harbaugh trade without actually knowing anything about what happened because that's journalism for you. Oh, and Johnny Manziel gave Peter an exclusive interview. Shockingly, that helped improve PK's impression of the kid. Incredible, I know. Now READ ON.
INDIANAPOLIS — The offseason. That's a good one.
Good joke! Because there aren't any games scheduled, people can be forgiven for just assuming that the most popular sports league in the country and a multi-billion dollar enterprise with a host of media that rely on it for their existence wouldn't generate any news between February and September. Those rubes! Ha ha!
Browns chase Jim Harbaugh. Lose.
I begin my week by reading Peter King. Lose.
Michael Sam meets the press. Wins. Then he lifts weights. Loses.
Did I click on some condensed version of Peter King's column? MMQB: JUST THE HOT TAKES. ALL ACTIONS WILL EITHER BE ASSIGNED A WIN OR A LOSS REGARDLESS OF HOW SEEMINGLY NUANCED THE SITUATION.
Johnny Manziel undergoes radical image-ectomy. Early returns: good.
It was just last summer that Peter was basically calling Manziel the next Ryan Leaf. But it's amazing how he's suddenly starting to look better once Dr. Peter King performs his patented image-narrative-ectomy on Johnny Football. The advanced procedure, in case you weren't aware, is PK watching Manziel glad-hand a bunch of front office people then, more importantly, PK getting a one-on-one sitdown with the quarterback. If you give PK the interview he wants, it's amazing how well that image-ectomy works.
Ray Rice undergoes radical image-destruction. Early returns: awful.
The worst elective surgery! Also, sad that we've abandoned the win-lose binary for this very complex one-word description of news events. Janary Palmer gets dragged out of an elevator: Lose.
Players might get flagged in games for using the n-word. Tremendous.
I swear the NFL did this only as a means to generate easy positive press after a few terrible weeks of the league looking like a retrograde organization full of bigots. So of course PK loves it. I'm sort of curious how much refs actually hear slurs on the field and can identify who exactly is saying it on the field. With so players mic'd up, how much is it going on? None of these things are answered or even questioned because Peter King is too busy being a cooperative cheerleader for the league. WOOOOO GOOD JOB GUISE! WE ENDED RACISM!
Though I will enjoy white referees enforcing this penalty, if they ever get a chance.
The NFL scouting combine's halfway over. Overrated (as always).
So don't go, you fucking asshole. Your entire column this week is filled with material that you got from going to the combine, as you do every year while bitching about it. If it's such a waste of time and resources, spare us the talk of how it's such a huge imposition on you. Ah, but why miss out on the handful of expensed dinners?
One point before we get to my Johnny Manziel Experience and everything else: Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported Friday that the Browns "nearly pulled off a trade" for boffo 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh. That set the combine on its ear, and set off a flurry of denials and non-denial denials. Cleveland officials wouldn't deny the story, lending it added credence, and then, on Sunday, owner Jimmy Haslam told USA Today, "There was an opportunity there, and it didn't materialize." Harbaugh denied the story, and the Niners organization mostly kept quiet except for a tweet from CEO Jed York Friday night denying the story.
Yes, the Niners kept mostly quiet except for the flat denial made by the team's owner to the asshole media troll who swore that no one would go on the record.
That was until Sunday night, when York told me he would not rehash the entire story but did say: "The Browns reached out to me, and we had no interest in pursuing it."
That confirms this story was more than the Browns spitballing an impossible dream, as the Harbaugh quotes and early Niners denial would make it seem.
No, actually, it doesn't confirm anything. In fact, it supports the idea that it was just a desperation move by the Browns that the Niners didn't give any time to. No one "nearly pulled a trade off". An idea was floated and immediately shot down.
If I called the 49ers and asked to be their head coach and they told me to fuck off, I suppose it's then accurate for me to say that I nearly became the head coach of the 49ers, according to the Florio/PK story manufacturing template.
But as I first heard Friday night, I don't believe terms were discussed back and forth between the Browns and Niners. I believe that, as York said, the 49ers decided not to engage the Browns on any substantive negotiations for Harbaugh.
On Friday night at the combine, the Jacksonville Jaguars had a 15-minute session with Johnny Manziel, the Texas A&M quarterback. Manziel hadn't met anyone in the room. When he walked in, all the Jaguars coaches and officials stood.
Looks like Manziel already got elected president and pope. The image-ectomy works!
Manziel wanted to address all the Johnny Nightlife questions—the ejection from the Manning Passing Academy last summer for turning up late for his job as a camp quarterback counselor, the tweeted photos at all hours at all sorts of bars. Some teams won't like that; Houston's buttoned-up owner, Bob McNair, certainly will frown at the prospect of having a playboy quarterback, if that's what the owners of the top pick, the Texans, judge Manziel to be. An executive of one team who met with Manziel over the weekend said, "Has there been one killer incident for him? If there is, we haven't found it."
It's almost as though not giving some stupid camp that the Mannings run his full attention doesn't actually mean shit to teams interested in winning football games.
[Manziel and his agent, Erik Burkhardt, declined to discuss how many teams he met with this weekend or which they were, and the executive of the team I just referred to didn't want to identify his team because it has an established quarterback and didn't want to drum up controversy in that market.
At least this anonymous source isn't bashing gay people? That's progress, I guess?
On the other hand, PK basically gives Florio another half dozen speculation posts here. WHAT TEAM WITH AN ESTABLISHED QUARTERBACK IS SNIFFING AROUND MANZIEL!? OUR SOURCE SAYS THE NINERS UNTIL JED YORK APOLOGIZES!
It all seems like a smart approach. Manziel is a unique prospect who will require significant research. Even though 5-10 ½ Russell Wilson just won the Super Bowl, being 5-11 ¾ (Manziel's height) is a detriment to being great in the NFL.
That's just a tremendous sentence. "Even though a shorter quarterback just won the Super Bowl, being short is the kiss of death for NFL quarterbacks."
But he's also unique in this regard: How many prospects get less famous going from college to the NFL? Manziel might be the one.
Not unless he's a bust. Is that what you're trying to say is going to happen to him? Otherwise, I have no idea how a college quarterback expected to go in the top five somehow becomes less famous when he enters the NFL as a presumed starter for a team.
I met Manziel in the back of the restaurant at the Holiday Inn where the players are housed at the combine. He didn't want to come to his agent's place, the Omni, because he'd have been hounded by autograph seekers. It's late at night, but he's still on. As with what he says to the teams, he knows the words he says will be parsed and read by those who might pick him … and he'll be damned if he's going to have a repeat of last week, when he told the Houston Chronicle that if the Texans passed on him with the No. 1 pick, "It would be the worst decision they've ever made." (Even though—funny—it's become part of Peyton Manning folklore that Manning did precisely the same thing with the Colts in 1998 when they were choosing between him and Ryan Leaf to be the top pick in the draft. Manning said to GM Bill Polian's face, "If you pass on me, I will come back and kick your a– for years." So let's go easy with the idea of Manziel's brashness ruining his chances in Houston.)
Luckily there's a precedence of Peyton giving a similar quote or no doubt PK kills Manziel for this.
This is what Manziel was asked, to be sure, in his meetings here. Some of them, at least. And he was prepared to answer the questions about his partying. "I've tried to be completely honest with the teams," he said. "I was in college. I did some college things with my friends. I had fun, and the thing that I told some team tonight is, my Mom always told me, 'There's a time and a place for everything.' There were points throughout the last year maybe I was a little bit out of that saying. I did things too much and maybe overly aggressive. At the same time, things progressed fast for me. A lot of things were thrown on my plate and pushed into my life, and I really ran with those. To get back to that saying, there's a time and a place for everything. There's a time to have fun, there's a time to work."
"Say there, football writer, I notice you happen to drink a lot. In fact, you even have a section in your weekly football column dedicated to drinking, so is it possible that you haven't grown up and are mentally unprepared to run a stupid boutique website for a renowned media company?"
He says he doesn't feel he's in direct competition with Blake Bortles or Teddy Bridgewater, though certainly he is. "I'm going to go be extremely honest with these teams, let them see a side of me that some people don't get to see," Manziel says. "Talk football, which is something we all love to do. And from there, it's their decision. I'm going to put myself in the best situation possible, but at the end of the day, I can only control what I can control."
"Manziel is trying to be mature and mentally frame the rigorous personal assessment he's being put through in a healthy way by tuning out things he cannot control, but I'm here to tell him he's dumb and wrong."
Then he begins talking about Russell Wilson. Though they're different as people, their size and competitiveness are very close.
And their charm? WHAT OF THEIR CHARM?
Manziel is not the warmest guy, nor the fuzziest.
Sounds like there was some after-dinner fun.
Nor, obviously, the tallest.
But he is the guy Nick Saban cannot solve. Manziel's numbers in two games against Alabama: 71 points, 717 passing yards, one gigantic upset. If there's no incident under a rock that will doom Manziel, this is all going to come down to football, and playmaking, and determination. Manziel will take his chances against anyone in those categories.
And yet you asked him nothing about football.
I'm not convinced how far down the road Cleveland really got. Did Jed York get an offer of a draft pick or picks from Cleveland for coach Jim Harbaugh, mull it over, talk to his inner circle and decide not to accept it? Did he ask Harbaugh if this was something he really wanted? Or did York simply decide, "We're not trading our coach?" We might never know, though my guess is the only way York would have agreed to consider a deal is if Harbaugh told him flatly he wanted to take the Cleveland job. But what would trouble me about the story is how far down the road it got.
Harbaugh clearly hasn't gotten the money he thinks he deserves for leading the Niners to three straight playoff appearances, including a Super Bowl—for making the Niners a star franchise again. He's entering year four of a five-year deal, which pays him $5 million a year. The Niners and Harbaugh have tried to do an extension but failed. And now you have to think his future beyond this year is murky at best. The Niners are unlikely to break the bank for a coach who hasn't won a Super Bowl, and even if they win the Super Bowl next season and make Harbaugh an $8-million-a-year coach, is there any guarantee he'll be happy with that contract for an extended period? The one thing the Pro Football Talk report leaves in its wake is the impression this story, and Harbaugh's wanderlust, is not over.
The only thing this story proves is that Florio and PK have no shame about tag teaming a half-formed nugget and trying to turn it into a huge story solely through conjecture.
Not only do you not know how far the negotiations went, but you're projecting Jim Harbaugh's feelings a year from now with the hypothetical that he has a Super Bowl title and a new contract. This isn't journalism. This might as well be NFL front office fan fic.
Greg Schiano is here, meeting with some of his friends in the coaching business, trying to figure out his next move
I'd go to Indy just to follow him around with a boombox playing the Charlie Brown Christmas music.
Quotes of the Week
"I think it's widely known that every locker room has a number of gay individuals. Quite honestly, it speaks to the evolution of acceptance in our society. I really believe the NFL is quite evolved. It continues to be very progressive and out on the front end of the curve in many ways."
—Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitroff
I did not know that.
Tell that to the denizens of Nuke Island.
Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me
I am on record as being opposed to the absurdity of having the NFL draft in May.
Oooh, on the record. That's when whining is official.
Teams do not need 95 days after the Super Bowl to scout the players they've already been scouting through an entire college football season. But you can't fight city hall. The NFL buys two more weeks of free hype by pushing back the combine, and the draft now fills some of the spring dead time that the NFL wants to control on the sporting calendar. As it is now, there's the Super Bowl … and the combine three weeks later … and the start of free agency two weeks after that … and then three weeks of heavy free agency coverage at the same time as pro days at colleges coast to coast … and then six weeks of draft hype … and then the draft … and then offseason workout camps for much of May and early June. Good deal for the NFL. There's only a month of down time on the calendar—approximately June 20 to July 20.
But I digress. Here's the Factoid:
Factoid of the Week: Peter King uses 200 words to introduce his Factoid of the Week.
The Buffalo Bills are doing something very nice, and smart, for their scouts and officials who work the draft: They're giving them Easter week (the week before April 20) off. "We want our guys to be fresh," GM Doug Whaley told me. "There's only so long you can study guys."
That's how Peter defends his bellyaching about the draft – which is really about him not being able to fuck off and start focusing on minor league baseball until May – by making it seem like he really gives a shit about team staff. "OH THOSE POOR SCOUTS. HOW WILL THEY GET A CHANCE TO SEE THE RIVER CATS PLAY A LATE APRIL DOUBLEHEADER WITH THIS DRAFT MADNESS!?"
Mr. Starwood Preferred Member Travel Note of the Week
Checking in at the downtown Marriott the other day for the combine, and a woman next to me was doing the same with another front-desk person. She asked the woman checking her in: "What is the scouting combine?" The Marriott attendant said it was the NFL bringing college players in for workouts and interviews with teams, and it comes to Indianapolis every February.
"I don't get the name," the Marriott guest said. "The combine … it's a combination of something?"
Yes. Fat old slobbering asswipes and smokescreens.
Tweets of the Week
"Carlos Hype."
—@TonyGrossi of ESPNCleveland, after vaunted Ohio State running back Carlos Hyde ran a 4.66-second 40-yard dash and limped off Sunday, saying he strained a hamstring.
More like CarLOL Hyde! Ha, epic burn, bros! Up top!
"Ha Ha Clinton Dix just said the worst thing about his nickname is 'the whole Clinton/Lewinsky' thing.'
—@NFLCharean, Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star Telegram, reporting from the combine about the Alabama safety prospect.
He should stop wearing blue dresses, then.
Ten Things I Think I Think
1. I think the difference between this year and many recent ones is that we know which players to place at the top of the draft, but we have no idea whom to match where. I'll take this shot at the top 10, though the Rams certainly will have a chance to trade the second pick, and will be very interested in doing so:
Houston: Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida.
St. Louis: Greg Robinson, T, Auburn.
Jacksonville: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina.
Cleveland: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville.
Oakland: Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M.
Atlanta: Jake Matthews, T, Texas A&M.
Tampa Bay: Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo.
Minnesota: Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA.
Buffalo: Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson.
Detroit: Taylor Lewan, T, Michigan.
I hate mock drafts but I'll hang onto this just to laugh about how wrong PK is later. Also, the idea of the Texans being dumb enough to take Bortles no. 1 amuses me.
3. I think this was the line of the weekend, from one GM to me when I asked about the value he got from his six days in Indianapolis: "I look at it as the combine and the 'con-bine.' So many agents are telling you what your players are worth, and what their players are worth."
More like comb-ine as you gotta comb through acres of Peter King bullshit and still find nothing of use.
8. I think this is all I could think to say when I ran into Rob Chudzinski quite late Saturday night here at the combine: "Whoa! Rob! How the heck are you doing?" Or words close to that.
Chudzinski, now a Colts offensive assistant, has been invisible to the public since suffering the most ignominious job fate in recent NFL history—he learned he likely was getting whacked after 50 weeks as Browns head coach (his dream job) while on a bus ride back from Pittsburgh after the final game of his rookie season. It was just a sight I didn't expect to see, sitting there having a drink with good friend Terry Robiskie at the JW Marriott. We spoke for a few minutes, and all I can say is this: In words and facial expression, he is not over the Cleveland nightmare.
Wow, you find a Colts coach hanging around in Indy. WEIRD!
Also, how's about actually publishing what he had to say about the Cleveland firing? Facial expression journalism is what wins awards, apparently.
9. I think the league's a more fun place with Mike Tice in it.
NFL really dropping the ball by not putting Mike Tice front and center in all promotional campaigns.
10. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:
c. Saw 12 Years a Slave. Then I cried for 12 years.
There aren't enough dismissive hand wank GIFs on the Internet for that one.
d. Tremendous movie. Riveting, painful, memorable. I haven't seen all the Best Picture nominees, but it will take an epic film to beat that one in the Oscars for me.
Yes, it's a shame you're not an Academy voter because I could really use another 800 words about how you allowed yourself to be convinced to come around on Captain Phillips. SUCH GRITTY BAHHSTON LEADERSHIP! QUASI-EDELMAN-ESQUE!
e. Really liked the Kerrigan/Harding show Sunday night on NBC. I'd forgotten how nutty the whole thing was.
Really? Because you told your readers to Google (or BING!) the incident a couple months ago like they're a bunch of idiots.
f. Coffeenerdness: Patachou, the great breakfast spot and NFL personnel hangout in downtown Indy, could use one darker roast coffee, but the Simon Blend, with a medium bite, is so much better than coffee you get in restaurants almost anywhere.
Note to self: travel to Indy early next February before the combine starts and make sure to piss in all the coffee makers in Patachou.
g. Beernerdness: Two selections from a weekend of fine beer-drinking in the fine city of Indianapolis. One: Osiris Pale Ale, by Sun King Brewing of Indianapolis. A delicious and perfectly hoppy pale ale served in a tall can. That beer needs to get to New York, and fast. Two: Rail Splitter IPA, of Triton Brewing, also of Indy. (Great craft beer town by the way. I'd be hospitalized if I tried them all.) Not many IPAs give off a citrus scent, but this one does. I really liked it.
No way Peter didn't show up drunk for Manziel interview.
"Say, kid, what do you have to say about your out of control [hicc] partying ways."
/chugs entire bottle before Manziel can respond
h. One last Indy reference: I strongly recommend a pizza shop there, Napolese Pizzeria, downtown. The crust is a bit thicker than my wafer-thin crust preference, but the taste of the crust, and the fresh ingredients, make it a great meal. Looking forward to going there in the summer, because locally grown stuff will make up all the salads and pizza ingredients then. Very good wine list too.
So is the combine overrated because it interferes with your non-stop drinking and eating for a few hours?
i. You tell 'em, Bob Costas. Of the home country's government as the Sochi Olympics wound down, Costas said: "This is still a government which imprisons dissidents, is hostile to gay rights, sponsors and supports a vicious regime in Syria—and that's just a partial list."
Will you cry for another 12 years or did you double down on the tears already going? The Russians must know that you give their plight a passing mention before downing another sixer.
j. Pleasure to see you and spend time with you at the combine, Matthew Berry.
k. Speaking of Mr. Berry, I am 15 days out from my Rotisserie League draft, and I
l. We keep three players in our league. Mine: Dustin Pedroia, Jay Bruce, Ian Desmond. Had Ellsbury, but didn't protect him as one of my three keepers. Because, well, you know.
The Adieu Haiku
Indy in winter.
Autograph guys chase Manziel.
But they don't catch him.
Ryan Leaf Part Two
That's what PK called Manziel
Say it to his face


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NEW PORT RICHEY — John Ditullio didn't have the money to hire a lawyer to help him fight his murder charge, so the court appointed Bjorn Brunvand.
He was in for a daunting uphill climb.
Ditullio was a self-professed neo-Nazi covered in menacing tattoos, including a swastika and profanity. He was accused of stabbing two people in a hate-fueled rampage, killing one. The state had DNA evidence tying him to the 2006 crime, an eyewitness account from the surviving victim and several damning letters written by Ditullio himself. And they were going up against a veteran prosecutor who never loses, Mike Halkitis.
But after a weeklong trial, Brunvand nearly got Ditullio off.
The jury deliberated for 10 hours Friday and deadlocked. Ten of the 12 voted for acquittal.
On Monday, Brunvand prepared to do it all over again as Circuit Judge Michael Andrews set a new trial date: March 22. The state will try again for the death penalty.
Brunvand, 45, ended up with the case by pure chance. He's in a small pool of lawyers in the area who take on cases like Ditullio's, earning far less than his normal hourly rate. His name just came up.
At that point, Ditullio wanted to represent himself, and Brunvand went into their first meeting hoping to talk him out of that.
"I walked up to him, and he said, 'I already know what you're going to say. I'm friends with Adam, and Adam says you're cool, so I'm going to let you represent me,' " he recalled Ditullio, a white supremacist, saying.
Adam, Brunvand said, was another jail inmate. An African-American.
Brunvand is a transplant from Norway. He came to Florida as an exchange student knowing nothing more about the state than Cape Canaveral, oranges and alligators. He attended Largo High School, the University of South Florida and Stetson law school. He's divorced with three daughters and engaged to a woman with three more children.
He started out as a public defender, then opened his own practice in 1992.
Big cases don't daunt him.
In 2004, he represented a Russian freighter captain whose ship had taken on more than 3 tons of cocaine in Colombia.
"He was found not guilty, even though he ordered the crew to take on the cocaine," Brunvand said. "The argument was basically that he was a victim of the big drug cartels and the American war on drugs. He felt like he basically didn't have a choice."
Brunvand had roles in the Pasco County murder trials of Gary Cannon, accused of raping and stabbing to death 9-year-old Sharra Ferger, and Phillup Partin, who kidnapped and murdered a teenage runaway. Both were convicted.
He has never won a murder case. Ditullio would be a first.
A key tactical move he made before the trial even began was to persuade the judge to allow a cosmetologist to cover up Ditullio's neck and face tattoos. He feared jurors would decide his client was guilty, regardless of the evidence, if they had to see the markings.
"It takes away the distraction of very offensive tattoos, which make you scary-looking and not likable. We weren't looking for anyone to like John; we were just looking for a fair trial," he said.
When Ditullio, 23, returned to court Monday morning, he was shackled and wearing a red jail jumpsuit. His facial tattoos were visible once again.
Patricia Wells, now 48, said she's not looking forward to going through another trial. She was seriously injured in the attack by stab wounds to her face and hands. Kristofer King, who was 17, died. Ditullio was a recruit for a group of American Nazis who lived next door to her house in the Griffin Park subdivision of west Pasco. They harassed her for having a gay son and black friends. King, also gay, was friends with her son.
Wells says she's no less convinced that the authorities have the right man.
"Absolutely positive," she said Monday. "(John Ditullio) is the only one that fits the description. As soon as I saw (his picture) in the paper, I knew that was the person that came into my house."
Wells was upset that prosecutor Halkitis did not give a closing argument, laying out the evidence for jurors and taking one final shot at convincing them of Ditullio's guilt.
"I just think it hurt the case," Wells said. "You would expect that they would have had closing arguments in a case this big."
Brunvand also waived his closing.
"The closing argument is the one time when the lawyers are allowed to directly try to persuade the jurors," said Robert Batey, a criminal law professor at Stetson University. That's an opportunity, he said, that most lawyers would not pass up.
"I'm sure there's some reason (they chose to)," Batey said. "How good that reason will look in hindsight is another matter."
From the defense perspective, he said, it could have meant winning over the final two jurors.
But it's also a hard lesson for the state.
"I think the prosecutors have got to take it to heart," Batey said, "that they came very close to losing the trial."
Brunvand, for his part, didn't think it mattered so much for either side.
He had a closing ready to go. But he worried it would get lost behind Halkitis, a sharp, effective prosecutor who would get to speak last.
"I was concerned that he could turn the jury back around by bringing up those letters again," he said, referring to Ditullio's writings. In a Christmas card he sent to King's family, Ditullio called King a "dead f--" and wished them a "Merry f------ Christmas." In another, he wrote to his father that he wanted to take responsibility for his actions.
Brunvand thinks discrepancies between the attacker's clothing and what Ditullio was seen wearing that night, coupled with tainted DNA evidence from the crime, made a bigger difference.
And he thought Ditullio did well on the stand. The jurors were allowed to question him themselves, and Ditullio answered more than 40 of their questions, maintaining his innocence.
"It seemed like a big shift," Brunvand said.
Molly Moorhead can be reached at email@example.com or (727) 869-6245.


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SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger typically attaches a message to bills he signs or vetoes telling lawmakers why he took the action.
A Democratic assemblyman who heckled the governor during a recent event in San Francisco received two messages: the veto letter itself and a not-so-subtle rebuke creatively hidden within it.
Like a find-the-word puzzle, the second message was visible by stringing together the first letter of each line down the left-hand margin. It consisted of a common four-letter vulgarity followed by the letters "y-o-u."
"My goodness. What a coincidence," said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear. "I suppose when you do so many vetoes, something like this is bound to happen."
Schwarzenegger's veto messages are sent to the lawmakers who wrote the bills, and posted on the governor's Web site. McLear noted the left-hand margin of past veto messages has spelled out words such as "poet" and "soap."
The target was San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, who had sponsored AB 1176. The bill, which passed unanimously in the Assembly and Senate, would have granted the Port of San Francisco expanded financing power to redevelop a former shipyard into a new neighborhood known as Pier 70. "Kudos to the governor for his creative use of coincidence," said Ammiano's spokesman, Quintin Mecke. "You certainly have to have a sense of humor in politics. Unfortunately, this humor came at the cost of the Port of San Francisco."
Whether coincidence or smackdown, the phrase contained in Schwarzenegger's Oct. 12 veto message could be seen as retaliation for Ammiano's behavior during a local Democratic Party fundraiser earlier this month in San Francisco.
Schwarzenegger, a Republican, had been invited to the event by former San Francisco mayor and Assembly speaker Willie Brown, a Democrat.
His appearance at the Fairmont Hotel caught many of the attendees by surprise and came after a summer of contentious budget negotiations that forced lawmakers to cut billions of dollars from core state services, including education and health care programs.
On a video clip of the governor's appearance, Ammiano can be heard shouting "you lie" and other derogatory phrases as other attendees booed and heckled Schwarzenegger's brief speech.
Of the eight Ammiano bills sent to the governor's desk this year, Schwarzenegger vetoed six — five of them after the Oct. 7 heckling incident.


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text:
Most Popular Photo Last Year: November 18, 20112012-11-18 1 3 Share Tweet
Split it here, split it there, make sure to split your Lomographs (amazingly) everywhere!
And this what our "Splitzer King" hodachrome has done with this fiery orange Lomograph from last year!
Photo shot with a Lomo LC-A+ using handmade Redscale film in ISO 400.
written by mayeemayee on 2012-11-18 #news #community #recap #most-popular-photo