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California county outsourcing model attributed to solid structure and governance.
Photo: W. Harold Tuck, CIO, San Diego County/Photo by Ken West
San Diego County officials know very well how tough it can be to outsource IT services. The county's 1999 outsourcing agreement with Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) almost fell apart in 2002, when nearly 50 disputes over service prompted the county to send CSC a letter of default.
Today though, San Diego County stands as a model for how to outsource a government's IT operations. A well tailored contract, a governance structure that fits the county's needs, and strong communication have all helped make the county's current IT outsourcing arrangement productive.
"The relationship has gone well," said W. Harold Tuck, CIO of San Diego County, of the seven-year, $667 million contract with Northrop Grumman that took effect in January 2006.
Video: How San Diego Makes Outsourcing Work
The past several years have not been kind to other large-scale IT outsourcing initiatives. In October 2009, Indiana terminated a $1.6 billion contract with IBM to provide and operate a welfare eligibility system. At about the same time, a legislative audit and review committee in Virginia severely criticized Northrop Grumman's progress in taking over and improving the state's computers, servers, e-mail systems and help-desk services.
San Diego's early struggles and ultimate success offer insight into what can go both wrong and right with IT outsourcing.
During San Diego County's first foray into outsourcing, one major source of trouble was the project's ambitious scope, said former county CIO Mike Moore, now leader of the state and local government practice at EquaTerra, an outsourcing consultancy.
Moore worked on the original CSC contract, first as the team leader for subcontractor SAIC and then, starting in 2002, as the county's CIO. He remained CIO until summer 2007, managing the second procurement and transition to the Northrop Grumman contract. San Diego County is not an EquaTerra client.
County officials made three sweeping changes when they contracted out their IT, Moore said. First, they outsourced the entire IT operation. "This in itself is fairly unique," he said. Often, governments will hire contractors to run their infrastructure but keep other IT activities in-house. "At the same time, they completely consolidated." They shut down the IT shops in county departments and agencies, making IT a completely centralized activity. Third, county officials decided to replace their entire IT infrastructure.
"That's a dramatic amount of change," Moore said.
He took the CIO post after the county and CSC settled their dispute out of court in 2002. While the two parties continued to work together, the county got ready to put a new contract out to bid. Lessons learned the first time around helped county officials define requirements that were clearer and more realistic than the ones in the CSC agreement.
For one thing, the new contract specified fewer service-level agreements. "We looked at what was important to us and what we needed to measure," Tuck said. The county divided potential IT failures into two categories, priority one and priority two. It specified faster response times for the higher-priority problems -- those that affected critical business operations.
The service-level agreements in an outsourcing contract need to be meaningful and measurable, Tuck said. "And they have to be keyed to advancing your business objectives. Don't measure things for measurement's sake."
The second contract also put greater emphasis on disaster recovery and business continuity, he said. "We have redundancy in two different data centers now, and they both are located outside of California."
Beyond attending to details of that kind, county officials worked hard to fashion an IT outsourcing relationship that matched the government's structure.
Like many governments, San Diego County operates on a federated organizational model. Each department or agency makes its own business decisions and manages its own budget. Imposing a centralized IT model -- whether outsourced or in-house -- on top of such a decentralized organization can create many problems, Moore said.
For example, it might lead to one-size-fits-all thinking. San Diego County's original IT contract defined a single price point for a product called the "desktop," which covered all hardware and software associated with an individual's workstation.
"Everybody in the organization, all 17,000 employees, got the same things when they bought a desktop," Moore said. That package included resources that some departments would never use, and it lacked resources that some departments considered essential.
When designing the second contract, the county paid better heed to its diverse end-user base. "We broke [the desktop package] apart and offered multiple resources, so you could tailor it to a specific department's needs," said Moore.
Besides a contract that doesn't fit the government's structure, another potential outsourcing hazard is a weak governance structure. "There's a decision-making process that doesn't involve the departments as much as it needs to," he said.
The county's first outsourcing experience taught its officials to include departments and agencies in IT decisions. "In order to do that, you've got to spend a lot of time writing down what the rules are by which you're going to make a decision," Moore said. "We spent about six months in San Diego County with all of the agencies' IT chiefs, writing down a set of rules."
Today the county's governance model for enterprisewide IT consists of:
"The county's IT governance model expedites decision-making and promotes buy-in on key IT decisions, including those that relate to the county's relationship with Northrop Grumman," said Tuck.
Along with those bodies and their subcommittees, other groups of county and vendor representatives hold regular meetings to keep the outsourcing relationship running smoothly. Tuck meets formally each week with Northrop Grumman's key account executive, who maintains an office in the county Technology Office. They also talk informally throughout the week and Tuck meets periodically with key executives from Northrop Grumman's subcontractors.
Tuck, members of his staff and the heads of the five business groups meet quarterly with the contracting team for program reviews. There are additional meetings that focus on the five "frameworks," or service areas, that make up the contract: network, data center, desktop, application and help desk. Members of Tuck's team and the group IT managers attend those meetings.
Beyond those groups, San Diego County operates an Innovation Council , bringing together county employees and IT industry representatives to discuss potential projects for the future. They focus on innovative uses of technology in areas, such as mobile computing, document management and social networking. "We're looking for development of applications and ideas for our internal use -- for our staff to provide services to constituents -- and externally for people who want to do business with us," Tuck said.
Northrop Grumman and two of its subcontractors, AT&T and Hewlett-Packard, participate in the Innovation Council Industry Group, along with CGI, Gartner, Microsoft and Oracle.
Besides the right business model and a strong governance structure, one final factor that will help an outsourcing agreement succeed, Moore said, is support from the highest levels of government. In San Diego County's case, the IT outsourcing champion is Robbins-Meyer, the assistant chief administrative officer.
Executive support is crucial because a government CIO -- especially in a federated government -- often lacks the authority to get everyone to line up behind IT initiatives, Moore said. "In a federated model, you really need a little more glue than just a CIO."
San Diego County's contract with Northrop Grumman runs until January 2013, with an option to renew the agreement for one to five years. Tuck wouldn't say whether the county plans to exercise that option or go out for bid again.
Another open question is whether the county will continue to contract with a single prime vendor. Instead it could bring in different contractors to manage different aspects of its IT operations -- maybe one for each of the five frameworks, or one for infrastructure and one for applications.
Multisourcing would allow the county to handpick contractors for specific functions, rather than rely on a prime vendor to choose subcontractors, Tuck said. But managing multiple vendors isn't easy. "You have to have the skill set, and you have to have the people to do it. We would have to look in the mirror and ask, 'Can we handle multisourcing?'"
No matter which model it decides to adopt, San Diego County will continue to outsource its IT activities. "We've been outsourced since 1999," said Tuck. "This is the way we do business."


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The most conscientious gardeners are now concerned about all the wet soils and lawns they have to contend with. This is the usual mix of seasonal predicaments they face every year.
Too dry and hot, then too wet and hot. Always in danger of too windy with the tantalizing baby tropical storms twirling around us in the gulf and ocean. Which way will Mother Nature test our patience and skills?
Gardeners living in Southwest Florida are resigned to these fluctuations and some even enjoy the challenges. Pick your favorite weather station and pay attention to what they advise. They are not always correct with their predictions but their educated guessing is sure better than the average gardeners.
It does not take long to figure out that those big, fat, black clouds rumbling overhead may be full of rain, but they are not really going to send down a deluge, today. It soon comes as no surprise that a sunny sky will quickly cloud over with out any stormy clouds and drop an inch of rain.
It is somewhat irritating to be caught in a driving rainstorm on the way home from your favorite garden center and discover that not a drop of rain has fallen on your needy garden, again.
One Christmas gift that is always appropriate here is an umbrella. No need to worry if the recipient already has one. Two umbrellas are the way to go, especially if you are good at keeping one in the car and one in the house.
The soggy yard can be as bad as the soggy garden. There are lots of diseases in a soggy lawn. The worst critter to destroy your lawn is called a grub. When you look out at lawn and it is full of a flock of long-legged, fat, white birds with a delicate curving beak, they have stopped by for a snack. These birds are ibis, they appear in a flock of 5 to 15. The mature birds are all white but they may have some youngsters along for the snack.
When they walk around a bit on your lawn and then quickly move next door, you know there are no grubs on your lawn, right then. Grubs do not move into the adjourning lawn because of the feeding birds, however you do need to watch for patches of loose grass that you can pick up from the lawn.
They show in other ways also. You can contact the Fort Myers Extension Office for information, or a reliable lawn service to rectify a grub problem.
Hopefully, everyone, including the lawn service people, are properly observing the current fertilizing ordinance for all Lee County lawns. A copy of that should be available at he Extension Office also.
This is a good time to feed palms with some Manganese sulfate to protect them from a recurring problem called frizzle top, which is a Manganese deficiency. The palms will appear stunted, crinkled and curled at the tips. If not treated they will die.
Use 2 or 3 pounds per palm - depending on their size. I have about 10 queens and I just do a feeding about now whether they need it or not. I learned prevention is the best way to keep them healthy. Read up on your palms, keep them healthy.
The big bunches of orange-colored berry-like things hanging around in some palms right now can be cut off and not harm the palm. They do make a mess if not cut off neatly. Beware they are much heavier than they look.
Flower wise, you might want to plant some hardy pentas, or marigolds. I have seen some beautiful coleus around this year, just really big and bushy. I think they do better when the little, single flowering stem is kept trimmed off. They will last for a couple of months, depending on the weather. You can just keep re-planting them also by clipping a stem and removing most of the leaves and drop them in some water and they will grow great roots -just re-plant them. Sometimes I have a pot full for the lania or even for inside the house for a special occasion. They come in so many colors it is sometimes hard to pick which one.
Impatiens are a nice pot plant also. They do like a lot of water and will become leggy if you don't watch them. I have some on my lania that are always happy all summer long in the shade of an Erica palm that is snuggled into a corner soil area.
Yes, I do cut and replant them off and on, but they are cheerful little plants and I cannot resist them. I have plenty of water for them because I always have a container by the sink to use gray water for several things on the lania.
Colorful caladiums are popping up well now. The green and white ones seem to look beautiful wherever you plant them. They like sun and partial shade and do need to be a little damp when first planted. Once they start growing, they do fine with the sprinkler or rainwater. They come in all sizes and colors.
Make sure you are spraying around outside doors and in garages for any of the creepy little critters that come in out of the rain. I have had several too many this year.
Keep cool and if you are not able to plant right now, plan for later.
Happy gardening until we meet again.
H.I. Jean Shields is a past president of the Garden Club of Cape Coral.

subset: commoncrawl


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Table of contents
Dragas shrugged
In a stunning coup that many believe threatens the fabric of Jefferson's historic university, the UVA Board of Visitors has overthrown popular president Teresa Sullivan. The Hook has comprehensive coverage from the billionaire donor who influenced the decision to the board's late-night installation of an interim president over the boisterous protest of students, faculty, and alums.
Starlight, star bright!
With the owner of the sprawling Frank Ix property stepping up to offer parking and pick-up space, Starlight Express manager Dan Goff says he can now act on plans to slash his rates in half and expand his routes to New York City. Big Apple, here we come!
Skeleton no more?
With exposed steel beams reaching toward the sky, the shell of what would have become the Landmark Hotel has been an eyesore for years. That's all about to change with the auction of the site to an Atlanta developer.
Focus on murder
Two of the biggest crime cases in this area are receiving new scrutiny as the FBI unveils a new billboard campaign in the Morgan Harrington case and Dateline airs a two-hour special on the murder of Justine Swartz Abshire.
President Teresa Sullivan walks toward the Rotunda as she prepares to meet with the Board of Visitors for what may have been the last time.
–photo by Tom Daly
(a 48-page paper)


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Today in church I mentioned that I think living according to the gospel makes life easy. Immediately someone kindly disagreed with me. Then I remembered that I used to think living a Christian life was hard, and I bet many other people feel it is hard also.
If living a Christian life is hard, then how can we explain the following scriptures that seem to be saying it is easy?
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.


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He's a manatee named Chester and he's not in great shape. Meet the star of Jill Heinerth's new children's book. Just published, Chester the Manatee and the Very, Very, Terribly Bad Itch is part of Jill's quest to educate children about the state of our water. Below she tells us about the new book, and why she feels manatees have much to teach us.
So what's the idea behind the book?
Chester the Manatee and the Very, Very, Terribly Bad Itch is a book that follows the life of a gentle manatee facing struggles from a very annoying itch. He reaches out to a young girl who helps him discover the cause of his problem. The little girl helps Chester by teaching people about keeping water clean. Chester the Manatee supports children who feel different, embrace their special characteristics. The book celebrates unique kids as remarkable people who help teach others about important issues.
You're quite a fan of manatees right?
The book is a part of my efforts to educate people about their water issues. Recently some misguided but well-meaning people started to lobby to end activities that allow people to swim with manatees. Anyone who has had the privilege to swim with manatees is transformed by the experience and there is no evidence to support that any of the wild manatees are harmed. They have special refuge areas to escape and yet they leave the refuges to interact with humanity. I truly believe the manatees are trying to teach us something.
None have been harmed by human interaction in the water and yet many die of cold stress each year. Their habitat has been destroyed by our use of herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers on the golf course style lawns we keep in Florida. The bottom vegetation is now gone and replaced by filamentous algae that does not have the nutritional value they require. They have to leave the warmth of the springs to swim out to the Gulf of Mexico to feed. Some don't make the return trip in time to beat cold weather and henceforth die of cold stress.
I realize that it is critical to help everyone understand that humans' swimming with manatees are the best chance we have to protect the water they are swimming in. People have to learn from the operators in the area about how to change their behaviors to protect water resources. I hope this book will help.
What's the story about?
Beyond the environmental message of protecting water, I want to empower kids. Sometimes we all feel like we are different or that nobody understands us. I am trying to encourage kids to be confident and understand that they can help change the world.
What else are you up to right now?
I have a busy summer ahead with work in Greece, the Azores, Newfoundland and England. I'll be doing some filming of caves, wildlife, wrecks, icebergs and a newly opened flooded mine. I'm also looking forward to going back to Cuba soon. I am working with National Geographic on a project that involves an international team of scientists and explorers. We're looking at early human remains and unique paleontology as well as getting a better understanding of global climate change.


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U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team Weekly Update for April 22
Bill Kauffman, USA Volleyball Senior Manager of Communications, Phone: 719-228-6800, Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
USAV Facebook - @USA_Volleyball
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 22, 2013) - The current U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team Weekly update released on April 22 includes briefs on U.S. players.
AKINRADEWO WITH AZERBAIJAN'S RABITA BAKU: Foluke Akinradewo (Plantation, Fla.), a silver medalist with the U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team at the 2012 Olympic Games, is competing for Rabita Baku in the Azerbaijan Super League. Rabita Baku rallied past Igtisadchi 22-25, 25-21, 25-21, 26-28, 15-10 on April 17 to claim its sixth consecutive Azerbaijan Super League title. Rabita continued its league dominance on April 20 with a 25-17, 25-10, 25-11 victory over Telekom to push to 60 points, 11 more than second-place Azerrail. Rabita Baku closes out the season on April 23 versus Lokomotiv Baladzhary and on April 26 versus Azerrail.
HODGE, WILSON WITH AZERBAIJAN'S AZERRAIL BAKU: Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.), a silver medalist on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team, is playing for Azerbaijan's Azerrail Baku in 2012-2013 along with fellow Penn State University alum Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.). Azerrail blanked Baki Azeryolservis 25-17, 25-18, 31-29 on April 20 to move into second place of the league standings with a three-point margin on over third-place Igtisadchi, which idle for the day. Azerrail has matches against Lokomotiv Baku on April 23 and league champion Rabita Baku on April 26 to close out the regular season.
MIYASHIRO, SPICER WITH AZERBAIJAN'S LOKOMOTIV BAKU: Tamari Miyashiro (Kaneohe, Hawaii), a silver medalist with the 2012 U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team, signed mid-season with Azerbaijan's Lokomotiv Baku. Lokomotiv stopped Baki Azeryolservis 18-25, 25-19, 25-19, 25-16 on April 17. Lokomotiv Baku concludes the season with match on April 23 versus Azerrail and on April 26 versus Igtisadchi.
METCALF, PAOLINI WITH AZERBAIJAN'S IGTISADCHI BAKU: Nancy Metcalf (Hull, Iowa), an opposite on the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team with experience at the 2004 Olympic Games, and U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team middle blocker Lauren Paolini (Ann Arbor, Mich.) are playing for Igtisadchi Baku of the Azerbaijan Super League in 2012-2013. Igtisadchi nearly upset league-leader Rabita Baku on April 17 before falling 22-25, 25-21, 25-21, 26-28, 15-10. Igtisadchi faces Baki Azeryolservis on April 23 before close the season on April 26 versus Lokomotiv Baku.
TAMAS WITH AZERBAIJAN'S BAKI AZERYOLSERVIS: Jennifer Tamas (Milpitas, Calif.), a 2008 silver medalist with the U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team, is playing for Baki Azeryolservis of the Azerbaijan Super League in 2012-2013. Baki Azeryolservis opened strong against Lokomotiv on April 17 before falling 18-25, 25-19, 25-19, 25-16. Baki Azeryolservis lost its second match of the week to Azerrail 25-17, 25-18, 31-29 on April 20. Baki Azeryolservis concludes the season on April 23 versus Igtisadchi.
DAVIS WITH GERMANY'S DRESDNER SC: Nicole Davis (Stockton, Calif.), a two-time Olympic Games silver medalist as a libero with the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team, joined Dresdner SC late in the 2012-13 season. Dresdner, as the third seed, lost a heart-breaking 20-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-21, 17-15 match to Rote Raben Vilsbiburg on April 20 in Dresden, Germany. Dresdner led 10-7 in the fifth set before Vilsbiburg rallied for the victory. Davis produced a 76 positive reception percent on 21 chances as the team connected for a 37 kill percent for the match. With both teams holding one victory in the best-of-three semifinal round series, the teams square off on April 24 to decide who advances to the championship round.
LARSON-BURBACH, BOWN WITH RUSSIA'S DINAMO KAZAN: Jordan Larson-Burbach (Hooper, Neb.) and Heather Bown (Yorba Linda, Calif.), who have each won an Olympic silver medal with the U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team, are competing for Dinamo Kazan in the Russia Super League. Kazan, which concluded the regular season in first place, was idle last week after having swept its quarterfinal best-of-three series with Tyumen. To open the best-of-five semifinal round series, Kazan defeated Omichka 22-25, 25-21, 25-19,2 5-22 on April 22. Larson netted 14 points in the victory, while Bown added five points. For a photo gallery of the match, click here. The two teams will meet again on April 23 and April 27. If necessary, the series will be extended on April 28 and May 1.
HOOKER WITH RUSSIA'S DINAMO KRASNODAR: Destinee Hooker (San Antonio, Texas), who earned the Best Spiker Award at the 2012 Olympic Games while helping the U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team to the silver medal, is competing for Dinamo Krasnodar in the Russia Super League this winter. With its best-of-three quarterfinal series tied at 1-1 with Omichka, Krasnodar's season came to an end on April 17 with Omichka claiming a 23-25, 26-24, 25-19, 25-22 victory. Hooker scored a team-high 21 points with 20 kills on 41 attacks and one block in the loss.
FAUCETTE WITH ITALY'S YAMAMAY BUSTO ARSIZIO: Juliann Faucette (San Diego), a U.S. outside hitter/opposite, is competing for Yamamay Busto Arsizio of the Italian Serie A1 for the 2012-13 season. Busto Arsizio (15-3, 46 points) finished the regular season in first place with an eight-point lead over second-place Rebecchi Nordmeccanica. Busto Arsizio won its best-of-three quarterfinal series with Banca Reale Yoyogurt Giaveno in two matches. Busto Arsizio swept the first match 25-20, 25-21, 25-18 on April 17 as Faucette was a sub in the third set, racking up two kills on five attacks. In the second match, Busto Arsizio won 25-13, 25-16, 25-19 on April 20. Faucette was a sub in the first two sets, scoring one kill on two attacks. Busto Arsizio now advances to the best-of-three semifinal round to face Imoco Volley Conegliano. The series takes place on April 26, April 29, and if needed May 1.
KLINEMAN WITH ITALY'S ASYSTEL McCARNAGHI VILLA CORTESE: Alix Klineman (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) returns to the Italian Serie A1 for a second season, but will compete for Asystel McCarnaghi Villa Cortese in 2012-2013. Villa Cortese, the fourth seed in the Italian Serie A1 playoffs, has split its first two matches of the best-of-three quarterfinal series with Imoco Volley Conegliano. On April 16, Villa Cortese chalked up a 25-20, 25-21, 23-25, 25-22 victory as Klineman scored 15 kills on 33 attacks, one ace and one block for 17 points. She added a 66 positive reception percent on a team-high 32 chances. Conegliano evened the series with a 23-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-16 victory on April 19. Klineman was held to eight points with seven kills and an ace. She provided a 61 positive reception percent on 18 chances. In the tiebreaking match on April 22, Conegliano came out on top with a 25-22, 15-25, 25-20, 25-23 victory to advance to the semifinal round. Klineman scored 12 points in the match.
GIBBEMEYER WITH ITALY'S VOLLEY PESARO: Lauren Gibbemeyer (St. Paul, Minn.), a middle blocker with the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team, is competing for KGS Robursport Volley Pesaro in the Italian Serie A1 league in 2012-2013. Pesaro (9-9, 24 points), seeded seventh in the Italian League playoffs, lost its best-of-three quarterfinal round series with second-seed Rebecchi Nordmeccanica Piacenza in two matches. Piacenza rallied to win the opening match 25-15, 24-26, 22-25, 25-18, 15-9 on April 16. Gibbemeyer turned in a match-high 17 points with 15 kills on 34 attacks and two blocks. Piacenza won the second match 25-19, 25-22, 25-15 without Gibbemeyer in the lineup, closing out Pesaro's season.
SCOTT-ARRUDA, ALISHA GLASS WITH PUERTO RICO'S MAYAGUEZ: Danielle Scott-Arruda (Baton Rouge, La.), a five-time U.S. Olympic Volleyball Team selection and two-time Olympic silver medalist, and Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.), a setter for the U.S. Women's National Volleyball team, are competing for Mayaguez in the Puerto Rico Super League. Mayaguez concluded the double round-robin quarterfinal round Group A with victories over Corozal on April 15 and Bayamon on April 17 to finish with a pool-best 5-1 record to advance to the semifinals. Mayaguez opened the semifinals with a 25-22, 25-21, 27-25 victory over Caguas on April 19. Glass set the squad with 21 assists and 10 digs, while Scott-Arruda added nine kills and two blocks for nine points. In addition, American Shonda Cole scored 17 in the victory. Caguas evened the best-of-seven series on April 21 with a 25-15, 20-25, 25-19, 17-25, 15-12 victory. Scott-Arruda contributed 15 points with 12 kills and three blocks, while Glass set 25 assists to go with 16 digs. The series continues on April 23, April 25, April 27 and April 28.


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U.S. sailors Jen French and JP Creignou win silver
WEYMOUTH, England –With the final day of competition at the London 2012 Paralympic Games sailing regatta cancelled due to lack of wind in Weymouth and Portland, racing results, to date, stood as final. The U.S. Paralympic Sailing Team's Jen French and JP Creignou collected a silver medal in the SKUD-18 event (two person keelboat). Final standings for Team USA include Mark LeBlanc sixth in the 2.4mR (one person keelboat) and Paul Callahan, Tom Brown and Bradley Johnson seventh in the sonar (three person keelboat).
SKUD-18: Jen French and JP Creignou
Jen French (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and JP Creignou (St. Petersburg, Fla.) won a silver medal in the SKUD-18 by collecting consistent finishes across the 10-races series. They won three races and never finished worse than the fifth, which they discarded. This was the first Paralympic Games for both.
"It's always fun to get more sailing in, but it's nice to know the race committee is cognizant of getting in good racing," said French of the decision to end racing without a final race.
Throughout the week, the pair competed at the top of the fleet, and was among the top five boats daily. "I think what made the regatta fun was that it was tight racing in the entire fleet. Hats off to Australia for their gold medal, and to the Canadians, who are our training partners. They did very well."
Speaking about the conditions over the past week, French explained that while it was different than the past few years of training, it was a challenge. "Everyone said that Portland would be a high-wind venue," said French. "At the end of the end of the day you had a lot of variable conditions and the top sailors who can sail in the variety of conditions are the ones that come out on top. Obviously the Aussies did the best."
Gold went to Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch of Australia and bronze to Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell of Great Britain in the 11-boat fleet.
"Our competitors are our friends," said Creignou. "All the people you meet and compete against. I'll remember all those great memories from the past four years."
2.4 Metre: Mark LeBlanc
In the One Person Keelboat event (2.4mR), Mark LeBlanc (New Orleans, La.) finished in 6th overall in the 16-boat fleet.
Over the past week, LeBlanc's scores across the 10-race series included five top-five results, but the turning point for his overall score may have come on Day 3 when he had a disappointing day capped off with an OCS penalty for starting early in race 6.
At the conclusion of Day 5, he explained that the competition has been challenging and at the same time bittersweet. "I've been fairly aggressive this whole week because I know I have to be to win," he said. "That means pushing the starting line, and maybe taking a bigger risk. Every person ahead of me is a world champion and/or a gold medalist. There are three previous Paralympic gold medalists ahead of me."
Gold, silver and bronze went to Helena Lucas of Great Britain, Heiko Kroger of Germany and Thierry Schmitter of the Netherlands, respectively.
Although this is his first Paralympic Games, LeBlanc pointed out that he has been campaigning since 2006. "After Hurricane Katrina, all of the boats in New Orleans were wiped out," he explained. "I was introduced to the 2.4mR and things progressed rapidly for me from there."
Sonar: Paul Callahan, Tom Brown and Bradley Johnson
Paul Callahan (Cape Coral, Fla./Newport R.I.), Tom Brown (Castine, Me.) and Bradley Johnson (Pompano Beach, Fla.) finished the regatta only seven points off the podium.
Although the Sonar fleet completed 10 races, it is safe to say the Team was looking forward to sailing one final race. Unfortunately, with the lack of wind it was not going to be, leaving them in seventh.


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from the mailbox, questions about shows that begin with the letter "F."
I saw TNT renewed Dallas and Rizzoli & Isles on Friday. Why haven't they renewed Falling Skies and Franklin & Bash yet?
Sue W
Atlanta, GA
I don't generally make predictions about cable shows, but if their current ratings hold I'll be plenty surprised if Falling Skies and Franklin & Bash are not renewed. As to why Rizzoli & Isles and Dallas have already been renewed but Falling Skies and Franklin & Bash haven't been yet, I can only guess. But among things fans usually don't think about is "who makes the show?" and "who owns the network where the shows aired?" and "does the big corporation who owns the network also happen to own the studios who make those shows?" My guess is negotiations are just a bit easier when the network and the studio are owned by the same parent company. That's the case with Rizzoli & Isles and Dallas. TNT is owned by Time Warner and so is the studio that makes those shows. So at the corporate level it's just a bookkeeping transaction.
On the other hand, the studios that produce Falling Skies (Dreamworks) and Franklin & Bash (Sony) aren't owned by Time Warner. Since those negotiations aren't "all in the family" it's not surprising if they take a little bit longer to work out those deals.
I love, love, love me some Fairly Legal! Will it be renewed for a third season?
Boise, Id.
Sadly, that's not something I can predict with any confidence. Its ratings weren't amazing, but on the other hand it was on Friday. I won't be very surprised if it gets canceled, but I'd probably be slightly more surprised by cancellation than renewal. It hasn't been in USA's DNA to cancel shows without giving fans time to grieve, so based on past history I'd lean towards guessing USA will announce a third and final season, perhaps with fewer episodes.
But USA is going with more and more originals with less places to put them and financially will probably have to get into the mode of cancelling their lower-rated shows just like the broadcast networks to make room for new shows that might rate better. One thing I'm sure of is that at least to some degree USA's "fan-friendly" DNA will have to change a little bit.
My guess is the Modern Family repeats that begin airing on USA in 2013-14 will best all USA originals and that the TV media establishment will notice. That's not a horrible problem for USA to have and it will help USA stay competitive with TBS who airs The Big Bang Theory reruns. But if it goes down like that it may speed up a mutating DNA at USA. If I'm a Fairly Legal fan I'm rooting for USA to decide its fate before the Modern Family reruns begin to air.
If you're really a tea leaf reader one thing that caught my was that USA has all these shows with great theme songs and/or opening sequences (Covert Affairs, Suits, Psych and Burn Notice among them) and after seeing the opening sequence for the second season of Fairly Legal I did wonder "how did that happen on USA?"


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