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A full-scale construction project is underway at Mitt Romney’s $12million lavish beach house - and it's ticking off his new neighbours.
The likely Republican nominee’s vacation home in the La Jolla neighbourhood of San Diego, California, will eventually feature a car elevator and its own lobbyist to add to its incredible ocean view.
But until then, it's a cacophony of hammers and drilling, and those who live nearby have had enough.
Tear it down: Mitt Romney's 75-year-old beach house just isn't big enough. He plans to level it and replace it with a mansion two and a half times the size, featuring a car elevator
An elderly woman who lives next door to the home at 311 Dunemere Drive told The New York Times that her car has repeatedly been boxed in due to the construction.
Neighbours told the paper that as many as six gay couples reportedly live within a three-block radius, which may cause some tension at the next block party.
One couple, Michael Duddy and his partner James Geiger jovially suggested to neighbours that they hang a gay pride flag from the pine tree on their property 'so that Romney’s motorcade has to drive under it.'
Irritated: Michael Duddy and his partner James Geiger disagree with Romney's stance on same-sex unions
Mark Quint, who lives several houses away, told the Times that he's tired of seeing the modest beach houses levelled to make room for sprawling properties.
He told the paper that he fears the 'nightmare of construction.'
The house came under scrutiny back in March, when Romney's political foes made public the plans for the construction project and began wielding them as another claim that the super-rich former Massachusetts governor is out-of-touch with Americans.
Ironically, in 2004 when Romney was governor of Massachusetts, he took a shot at Sen John Kerry, the Democratic presidential contender, over the size of his house.
He told a conference of governors: 'There's a senator of my state who wants to be elected president and I don't know why he'd want to do that, because he'd have to move into a small house,' Romney joked.
Romney, whose wealth is estimated at $250million, is in the process of tearing down the 76-year-old home and replace it with a building more than two and a half times the size.
The plans call for a 3,600-square-foot basement that is - by itself - bigger than the existing home.
Included in blueprints, obtained by Politico.com, are a split-level four-car garage with an elevator for the vehicles.
Romney defended the garage as a way to fit more vehicles into a compact space.
Opposition: Romney's house came under scrutiny in March, when political foes made public the plans for the construction and used them as another claim that he is out-of-touch with Americans
The Romneys will keep the home's outdoor lap pool and add a shower and a 'water feature' (it's unclear what, exactly, this is.)
And to make sure the construction permits and paperwork are shepherded through the San Diego bureaucracy, the project comes with a lobbyist.
Romney has paid $21,500 to San Diego lawyer Matthew A. Peterson to be his liaison to city government and answer questions that city officials might have.
The La Jolla beach house is one of three homes that Romney currently owns.
Headache: Critics have seized on the plans for a 'car elevator' as yet another sign that Romney is too wealthy to identify with most Americans
He has a six-bedroom, three story summer home that sits on Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, which he bought for $3million in 1997.
With a guest house and a 5,400-square-foot main home, the estate is worth an estimated $10million today, according to the real estate blog Zillow.
In 2010, he picked up a two-bedroom townhouse in the Boston suburb of Belmont.
At a mere $895,000 for 2,100 square feet, the Romneys reportedly keep it to maintain their residency in Massachusetts.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Sandusky jurors' neighbors in Centre County don't appear to support him and want justice served - YAHOO!
BELLEFONTE, Pa. – Taped to the window of an antique shop in downtown Bellefonte is large yellow posterboard that reads, "Signed Joe Paterno Items."
When owner Mitch Bradley, a 1987 Penn State graduate, walks around his shop – located in a Victorian house one block from the courthouse where Jerry Sandusky will be tried – he is sure to point out two pet goldfish in a tank by the cash register.
One is named JoePa. The other is Terno.
Bradley will be following Sandusky's trial on child-molestation charges closely. A jury of his Centre County neighbors was selected in two days this week and testimony begins Monday. Sandusky, a Penn State assistant football coach for 30 years, is accused with 52 counts of molesting 10 boys over a 15-year period.
[Related: Sandusky juror profiles: Most have ties to Penn State]
The allegations rattled the entire county and university community and led to the firing of Paterno last November (he died of cancer three months later).
But Mitchell, a longtime Nittany Lions fan, is glad he's watching from outside the courtroom.
"Because of my Penn State connections, I have so many preconceived notions about the case and I know Sandusky is guilty," Bradley said. "There's no way I could be on that jury."
Most of the nearly two dozen Centre County residents interviewed for this story expressed similar sentiments. The 12 jurors and four alternates are their neighbors and friends. And of the 16 county residents selected to serve, 10 have Penn State ties. One is a Penn State student, another is a professor of 24 years.
If the mood of the townsfolk is any indication of how the jury will lean, Sandusky will be found guilty.
"All the evidence says he's guilty and I think everyone around here knows it," said 90-year-old Midge Biggins of nearby Clarence.
Biggins and two friends ate lunch at Dairy Queen, where they could see the courthouse from their window booth. They buzzed about jury selection and expressed one common fear.
"I think we're all scared Sandusky is going to get off somehow," Irene McClosky, 88, said. "Everyone's scared there's going to be some technicality."
For Cool Beans, the local coffee house where oatmeal squares are baked on premises daily and regulars have personal mugs stored behind the counter, it was business as usual.
Owner Wendy Fultz was worried the jury selection up the street would deter regular customers from stopping by.
"But even with all the commotion, everyone came," Fultz said. "At the same time, you can definitely hear a buzz of everyone talking about the case and about Sandusky."
Fultz doesn't disclose her opinions on the 68-year-old alleged pedophile, because as she explains, "that's not good business."
"But I hear what other people are saying," she said. "And it seems the overwhelming majority of people think he's guilty and hope this all gets sorted out quickly."
This is the biggest case in the history of the county, which has 154,000 residents.
Travis Quick, a 25-year-old who has an apartment up the road from the courthouse, snapped pictures on his smartphone of the media contingent camped out on his block.
"I wanted to show my mom this circus," Quick said. "She's been watching my tiny little street on the news every day."
Said McClosky: "It's usually State College in the news. It's never Bellefonte."
The road from State College to Bellefonte winds 15 miles through central Pennsylvania mountains and cow pastures. Historic downtown Bellefonte features Victorian-style houses and countless trinket shops.
"We're a small town and now we have a big case right here," said Bill Dress, who lives across the street from the courthouse and sat in a white folding chair on his porch during the two days of jury selection. "We're all interested in it but I think we all mostly want to see justice served."
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California Highway Patrol officers' union agrees to monthly furlough - Sacramento Bee
For the first time, California's Highway Patrol officers are going to be furloughed.
The union reached an agreement at with Gov. Jerry Brown that furloughs Patrol officers 8 hours per month for one year starting July 1. Officers can bank the hours to take later, but their paychecks will reflect the 5 percent pay reduction regardless.
Department of Personnel Administration spokeswoman Lynelle Jolley confirmed the agreement. Jon Hamm, CEO of the California Association of Highway Patrolmen, said that the language of the deal encourages officers to take their banked furlough time before taking paid vacation.
The Brown administration had said that it wanted to avoid a policy that allowed banking furlough hours because that leads to employees taking less paid leave, creating a deferred cost for the state when the leave credits with monetary value are cashed out at the end of an employees' career.
Brown proposed putting most state workers on 9.5-hour shifts four days per week and closing departments on either Fridays or Mondays. Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Marty Morgenstern has said that the administration wants the workweek furlough or equivalent cuts of 5 percent negotiated in time for scoring in the budget, which lawmakers must pass by next Friday.
Until now, CAHP members had never been furloughed. Hamm said union members understand that they need to make a sacrifice, given the state's $15.7 billion budget crisis.
"Our members' reaction has been pretty positive (to the furlough)," Hamm said this afternoon. "I think this is sinking in. They're saying, 'I'm lucky to have a job.'"
The agreement will go to members for a ratification vote starting next week, Hamm said.
Thursday's CAHP agreement signals that other unions representing workers in 24/7 jobs -- prison officers, psychiatric technicians, firefighters and others -- are under pressure to take similar deals if they haven't already.
It may also complicate talks scheduled with other unions, including Saturday's scheduled negotiations with SEIU Local 1000, that center around Brown's plan instead of the arrangement worked out with CAHP.
Source: blogs.sacbee.com
Antique farm equipment draws people across America to Wellington - Dodge City Daily Globe
People from across North America have converged on Wellington, Kansas, USA this week, all to check out rare, antique tractors and farm equipment.
Massey Days is the name of the event, a reunion for the farm equipment collectors who are involved with the Massey Collectors Association (MCA). Massey Days moves to different towns each year, this year it's being hosted by Floyd Moore, of Wellington; owner of Floyd's Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning, and one of the charter members of the MCA.
"It's a strict Massey show, it's kind of a get-to-gether for us fools that never get enough of these things," Moore said. The event started on Thursday, and lasts through tomorrow evening at 1402 N. H Street. Moore is expecting 200 people for the Massey Days banquet, to be held at The Rock this weekend. Those people will become coming from all over the place.
"I got people from Maryland, Colorado, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and of course Kansas," Moore said he is also expecting people from Manitoba, Canada.
Of the several pieces of farm equipment and tractors on display in Wellington this weekend, 30 are owned by Moore. His favorite one? A bright yellow, tractor that he has restored, an I-244 Navy.
"I've got one of two that we know of to exist," Moore said. "It was sold to the U.S. Navy, built for the U.S. Navy, and it's a 1955 model, the other one is a 1956, they only built them for two years, '55 and '56." Some of the antiques aren't just nice to look at, either.
"We have been cutting some wheat...we've been out there playing this morning," Moore said on Thursday. Next year Massey Days will be in El Paso, Illinois, Moore said getting ready for the event has been a lot of work. But Massey Days brings with it a positive impact for the community and surrounding area.
"There's no rooms in [Wellington] this weekend," Moore laughed. "We've got people staying in Winfield and Wichita, because we've done got the motels filled up." Moore added that if anyone is interested in learning how to become a part of the MCA, to contact him at 620-326-1433, or visit the group online. In the mean time, the public is invited to see what Massey Days are all about.
"If anyone wants to come out and look, there's no charge," Moore said. "Just come out and have a good time, and look at some Massy tractors."
Source: www.dodgeglobe.com
Pen-and-Ink Drawing Software is optimized for retina display. - ThomasNet Industrial News Room
Pen-and-Ink App Offers Vibrant, Resolution-Independent Interface for New Retina Display
SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) launched Autodesk SketchBook Ink for iPad paint and drawing app, the latest release from the company's popular SketchBook family, which has more than 10 million downloads to date. Powered by a brand new engine, Autodesk SketchBook Ink introduces unique technology for artists to create stunning, high-resolution ink-style artwork. The SketchBook Ink addition to the SketchBook family increases the number of choices available to artists to express their creative visions in a digital environment.
"With more than 10 million downloads to date, we're proud that the SketchBook family is changing how, where, and with what tools people unlock their creativity. People who never considered using a digital app for their artwork before, are now turning to SketchBook to produce incredible illustrations"
Unlike traditional vector drawing apps, SketchBook Ink enables users to produce very fine detail in their artwork, independent of resolution, building on the intuitive freehand-drawing Autodesk SketchBook Pro platform. This new technology also supports the ability to export and print large, high-quality images right from the iPad. Final artwork can be exported at optimal sizes to the photo library on iPad, email, Dropbox, or iTunes file sharing. Images exported to Dropbox or iTunes file sharing can exceed 100 megapixels.
"We are fortunate to collaborate with many talented artists, so we know how important it is for them to have a variety of tools for not only different tasks in their creative process, but also to express their personal styles. SketchBook Ink provides more choices for artists. And with its ability to produce high-resolution output, it makes a huge leap for content creation on the iPad," said Chris Cheung, product line manager, Autodesk.
Complementing Autodesk's popular app for the iPad, SketchBook Pro, which offers a variety of sketching and painting tools, SketchBook Ink is dedicated to pen-and-ink drawing. The inking behavior gives it a distinct feel but builds on the intuitive and familiar interface valued by SketchBook users worldwide. SketchBook Ink launches with seven preset ink styles and two types of erasers. The app supports importing images from the photo library on iPad that can be used as references or backgrounds.
"With more than 10 million downloads to date, we're proud that the SketchBook family is changing how, where, and with what tools people unlock their creativity. People who never considered using a digital app for their artwork before, are now turning to SketchBook to produce incredible illustrations," said Samir Hanna, vice president, Consumer Products, Autodesk.
The Autodesk SketchBook Ink App is available for $4.99 exclusively from the App Store on iPad or at www.iTunes.com/AppStore. For a limited time at launch, SketchBook Ink will be available for a special introductory price of $1.99.
About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software. Customers across the manufacturing, architecture, building, construction, and media and entertainment industries -- including the last 17 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software to design, visualize and simulate their ideas. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software for global markets. For additional information about Autodesk, visit http://usa.autodesk.com/.
Autodesk, AutoCAD and SketchBook are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.
2012 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.
Contacts
Autodesk, Inc.
Jill Webber, 415-547-2469
jill.webber@autodesk.com
Source: news.thomasnet.com
California's budget crisis sparks controversial 'BYOD' plan to save money - Network World Fusion
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The state of California's staggering budget problems -- now an estimated $16 billion shortfall -- have put Chris Cruz, deputy director and chief information officer at the state's Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), in a tough situation. Because of the state's ongoing fiscal crisis, he, like other agency managers, last year was told to cut use of state-issued cellphones by 50% as a cost-saving measure. Cruz decided one way to hold down costs at DHCS, which was using BlackBerries, was to have agency employees use their own smartphones instead -- without any subsidy.
This bring-your-own-device (BYOD) strategy has been controversial, pitting him against the state employee unions which are fighting it since it effectively shifts device and service costs to employees who are not being given any stipend. Cruz acknowledges he also fights over BYOD with his information-security officer, who thought it too risky. But if tough times call for tough measures, Cruz is not backing down, and says his strategy to manage and secure the employee-owned smartphones is working.
MORE: Gartner: Cloud-based mobile-device management (MDM) getting hot
"As a Gen X guy," said Cruz, who spoke about his BYOD strategy during this week's Gartner IT Infrastructure & Management Summit here, I was "looking at IT" not so much as a risk as an "opportunity." And that opportunity was a form of BYOD.
"We had 1,500 BlackBerries," said Cruz, and he had to meet the mandate set by the state last year to cut cellphone use by 50%. Each was costing $110 per month, he said, and "I wanted to get rid of them."
Instead, DHCS, the large California healthcare agency which supports Medicaid and Medicare services, wouldn't buy new smartphones, but ask employees to use their own smartphone for work purposes. The employee using their personally owned device for work data would have to agree to have the mobile device management (MDM) software that was selected, called Good Enterprise, installed on their mobile device so that DHCS would have the enforce policies and the ability to wipe it if it were lost or stolen. The Good Technology software creates an "unbreakable partition" between personal and business data, Cruz pointed out.
"DHCS mandated to have all mobile devices encrypted," Cruz said, adding encryption is something that's required and audited by the agency that's part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, called the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The information-security officer last year who initially objected to the BYOD idea, thinking it too risky, had his job changed so that he now reports directly to Cruz, who says he think the job of security staff is not to stop IT but to help mitigate risk.
But Cruz hasn't been able to fend off the objections of California's state-employee unions so easily -- they don't want DHCS employees to have to bring their own phones. It may be "we can't force rank-and-file employees to buy phones," Cruz acknowledges. Negotiations are ongoing, and it's not clear right now whether there will be a compromise or what it will be exactly.
Source: www.networkworld.com
Unique 2012 Triple Crown T-Shirts, Artwork: Fan's View - YAHOO!
No one plans for a Triple Crown, and, once they happen -- they happen quickly. Since the 2012 Preakness ended in late May, all eyes have been on I'll Have Another to be the first Triple Crown winner in over three and a half decades. With that, there has been an explosion of unique Triple Crown commemorative and collectors items.
If you want one of these rare 2012 Triple Crown treasures, there are several reputable online dealers outside of the official 2012 Belmont Stakes gift shop merchandise.
Does anyone own a Triple Crown store?
Like the term "Super Bowl Sunday," the Triple Crown is not a trademarked phrase. If there are any discrepencies, this does not apply to the word combination of Triple Crown 2012. For this reason, anyone can use these words for logos, art, and other collectors items without infringing on any legal documentation.
This means that websites that allow artists to make and sell t-shirts are currently hopping with 2012 Triple Crown logos on just about anything. Stocked with a variety of items, individual shops can be found RedBubble, TShirtTrailer, Zazzle, and CafePress. However, some of these creators go beyond your typical hat and t-shirt routine.
Unique 2012 Triple Crown collectors items
While many have an I'll Have Another angle, there are independent items that might get overlooked. For example, Amazon has all three of the collectors glasses for each of the three legs of the 2012 Triple Crown races. There are also t-shirts, books, and calendars that stand out as unusual in the sea of 2012 Triple Crown merchandise by touching on the actual pre-2012 winners of the past.
In the long list of 2012 Triple Crown items found on CafePress, a few oddballs stand out such as earrings, iPhone cases, jockey pins keepsake boxes, and the I'll Have Another thong. In addition to the baby bibs and bags, a particularly well-crafted 2012 Triple Crown logo by OneStopPonyShop is an uncommon t-shirt that will suit many fashionable horse racing fans.
One of a kind 2012 Triple Crown merchandise
Purchasing a t-shirt means that, one day, you will run into someone wearing the same thing. On the other hand, Etsy and Ebay are featuring handmade items from artists that will knock your socks off. If I'll Have Another wins the Triple Crown, there will definitely be more items at Etsy in this category. For now, Etsy's main attraction is a one of a kind painting by M Theresa Brown.
Over at Ebay, the catch is collectors items like old tickets, programs, and photos from the 2012 Kentucky Derby, Preakness, or Belmont Stakes. Despite the popularity of these items, there were a few that were were refreshing to see. Mainly, a shot glass collection with all three of the racetracks for the Triple Crown and a set of Triple Crown collectors glasses with a fourth glass for (any) Triple Crown.
Free 2012 Triple Crown t-shirts, gear
For those of you looking for a less-advertised 2012 Belmont Stakes t-shirt, there was an opportunity to get one for free by giving back. On June 3, I'll Have Another's Team O'Neill participated in a prostate cancer awareness run that offered the t-shirts as a prize. Another place to watch for contests giving away free commemorative 2012 Triple Crown gear is the NYRA Facebook page.
In the future, if I'll Have Another wins the 2012 Triple Crown, places like the Kentucky Derby Museum will take charge and have several items appearing at their online store concluding the race.
More from this Contributor:
Italian Sports Apparel; Unique Fashion Trend: Fan's View
Women's Kentucky Derby Hats: Weird and Creative
Weird Men's Kentucky Derby and Horse Racing Hats: Fan's View
An Authentic Kentucky Derby Party Has Weird Items: Fan's View
French Sports Equipment, Apparel; Unique Fashion Trend: Fan's View
Source: news.yahoo.com
California exports falter a bit in April - Sacramento Bee
California trade, which has been riding a wave of record numbers, faltered a bit in April.
California businesses shipped merchandise valued at $13.03 billion in April, up 1.1 percent from $12.88 billion in April 2011, according to an analysis of todays U.S. Commerce Department trade figures by Beacon Economics, a consulting firm with offices in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.
Technically, April marked the 30th straight month of year-over-year growth, coming off a 2011 that was an all-time record year for California exports.
But April was down from $14.62 billion in March, and on an inflation-adjusted basis, Beacon said state exports in April were actually down 1 percent from April 2011.
On the import side, California took in $30.97 billion in goods in April, up nearly 15 percent over $26.98 billion in April 2011. Some goods entering California go to other states, so exports are considered a more accurate measure of the states trade health.
Nationally, the U.S. trade deficit narrowed slightly $50.1 billion in April.
U.S. exports, which had hit a record the previous month, fell 0.8 percent to $182.9 billion in April.
April imports, which also set a record in March, dropped 1.7 percent to $233 billion.
See more details in Saturdays edition of The Sacramento Bee.
© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.
Call The Bees Mark Glover, (916) 321-1184.
Read more articles by Mark Glover
Source: www.sacbee.com
California or bust? Police arrest travelers for pills - Herald-Citizen
Douglas David Andrews, 29, of Woonsoket, Rhode Island, and Mark Daniel McNeil, 37, of Blackstone, Massachusetts, were headed west on I-40 just east of Cookeville around 7 p.m. June 4 when their trip got detoured.
That's when Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Michael Robertson stopped their GMC truck for speeding and for seatbelt violations.
The trooper said he found "several empty plastic bags and a set of electronic scales with white powder residue" in the back of the truck.
After further investigation, the trooper charged the two with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He alleges in warrants that the two men had pooled their resources "and purchased Percocets and had then re-sold them to try and make enough extra money to make it to California."
McNeil was also charged with criminal impersonation for allegedly giving the trooper a false name at first, apparently because there are outstanding warrants on him in Massachusetts, one warrant says.
The two men were taken to the Putnam jail, and U.S. Marshal's Task Force Agent Patrick Storie served the trooper's warrants on them, jail records say.
They have a July 13 court date.
Source: www.herald-citizen.com
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