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---why we chose the Blackberry---
Both my son and my husband own this tablet and they were both purchased in 2012. My soon chose his for taking to Uni lectures for note taking and general research. After seeing and playing with my son's Playbook, my husand began to like it, so my kids clubbed together to buy it for him for christmas. The lack of apps was a worry, but as , at the time, my techno-phobe husband didn't even know what an app was, it wasn't a problem.
---techy details---
The Playbooks we own are both the 32GB version, wih a 1GHZ dual core processor with 1GB of RAM. They have fantastic 1080p screens which give crisp a super clear images for watching filsm or catch up TV.
The forward facing camera is 3mp and the backward one is 5mp. both take very clear images, even indoors with no flash.
The operating system uses QNX which means the amount of apps is pretty limited.
Although it is supposed to be android compatible, many android apps don't work properly or even, indeed download, and you cant access the google app store for the full range of apps available.
The advertised 8 hours battery life is not exaggerated, indeed the Playbook will play videos or surf for hours on end.
The range of apps available for this machine is severely limited. Although you can get some android apps, you can't access the google app store. Skype, lovefilm or anything google based will not work.
We have found that, when away from home, my tiny samsung 3.5inch tablet will pick up a wifi signal way before my husbands Playbook. We have been in many a hotel room, where I have full wifi access, but he has to go down to reception in order to log on and access his emails.
The playbook has a functional, unexciting design, due to its matt black cover and almost squared off corners. It is around double the thickness of an Ipad or samsung, which makes it look a bit clunky, but actually is comfortable to hold, and has a well built robust feel. Both of our Playbooks have been dropped at times and no damage so far.
When we purchased our Playbooks they were 130 pounds at PCWorld which I think is fantastic value for a 32GB tablet
For our purposes, the Playbooks were a good choice. My son wanted to study, take notes and research on line. My husband wanted to generally browse online, check emails and watch videos and catch up TV. So for these reasons the battery life and memory capacity of the Playbook was perfect. If you like your apps then the limited apps available on this machine would not be for you.
Around October 2012 my dad told me someone from work bought a Blackberry Playbook, I assumed they would have been around £300 - £500 from the features it had but he told me they had been reduced to £130 (for the 64GB model), I then decided I would ask for one for Christmas.
I received the Blackberry Playbook on Christmas morning and within minutes of using the tablet everything else went out of the window (not literally of course), my brother also received the same tablet as he had seen me watching videos on YouTube demonstrating what the Playbook could do, my sister also received a Blackberry Playbook the following day as her android tablet turned out to be faulty.
---- Features ---
The playbook has a 3 mega pixel HD front facing camera and a 5 mega pixel HD rear facing camera, I have found the picture quality is excellent especially when the photos are transferred across to a computer and viewed on a large screen, the photos I've taken look like they've been taken on a proper digital camera when viewed on the tablet or a computer screen.
It also has a high quality video camera built in, I have been able to record videos in a 1080p resolution which I believe is HD, I haven't used a the front facing camera for more than just taking photos so I'm not able to comment on the quality of the front facing camera for video recording.
It also has a Micro HDMI port built it which allows you to connect it to a TV with a HDMI port with the correct cable (not included with the playbook unfortunately), having the Playbook connected to the TV allows you to view the tablet screen on your TV in Mirror Mode as it's known on the tablet.
This also allows you to view the camera feed through your TV screen; I haven't had the chance to test this out properly beyond messing about.
If you do a lot of presentations these can also be displayed through a TV screen to allow for better reading (I believe it has a "Presentation" mode), plus your fingers won't get in the way when moving to the next slide.
It also has a built in Micro USB port built in which is handy for transferring files from a PC or Laptop, the only annoyance about transferring files via USB is that it doesn't show up as a USB Storage device, only as a network drive so is usually slower than USB (at least in my experience anyway).
It can also be set up to transfer files via wi-fi which can be handy at times when you can't find the USB cable, transferring files by wi-fi is usually slower than USB but is more convenient than trying to find that USB cable, it can also randomly disconnect from the wi-fi, this hasn't happened to me as I've only tested this feature by transferring a small file onto the Playbook, it can also be a little bit of a pain to set up as you have to assign an IP address for it and then access it on the PC using that IP address, I also found that it doesn't work properly if I set a password up for wi-fi file sharing (I got an access denied message)
The playbook also has a large amount of internal storage of either 32GB or 64GB (mine is 64GB) so I can fit a lot of videos and music on the playbook, the videos also don't have to be converted either as I believe it is compatible with most video formats such as 3GP, AVI, ASF, F4V, MOV, MP4 and WMV which means I can play most video files on them without having to convert them to a compatible format, I believe most pictures can be viewed on the playbook too but I don't transfer many photos to it.
The video player as mentioned above will play most video formats without having to convert them to a compatible format, this is also another handy feature for having the playbook connected to a TV as you can play the video through the TV (and carries the sound too I believe from personal experience).
The Playbook also has flash built in so you can go straight on websites such as YouTube without having to use an app unlike other tablets.
I also find the battery life very good as I've had it last for days before having to charge it up again and only takes about 2 hours to charge if you have the rapid charger
There are also two or three different chargers available at different prices, the most basic one is the standard USB charger you get with the Playbook and usually charges in a few hours (I can't remember the exact time it takes).
There is also a charging stand which I believe uses the USB port just like the standard charger, this charger will block access to the ports at the bottom of the Playbook from what I've read online.
There is also a rapid charger (costs around £20 well worth this price), this one is connected via the magnetic port to the right of the USB port (the port with 3 round pins), this charges a lot quicker than the standard USB charger and the charging stand and is recommended rather than using the USB to charge it as the USB port is very fragile (which I will mention shortly).
--- Disadvantages---
And finally onto the disadvantages, as it uses the blackberry app store there is a distinct lack of apps available, although you can download the apk file for free android apps and convert them to blackberry format (this only works for the free apps though not the paid ones).
It also has a very frail USB port, the pin is very weak and can be damaged when plugging the charger into it, this is why I usually use the rapid charger so I don't have to keep plugging USB cables in all the time, and when browsing the internet you can't access drop down menus on websites for some reason (the menu doesn't stay up when you tap on it).
The Playbook, one of the least anticipated mainstream tablets of all time, has its reasons to be the least anticipated mainstream tablet of all time. I bought it because it was cheap, and when it arrived, I wasn't instantly disappointed, but that feeling came very quickly through my experiences with it.
The first thing I noticed when it arrived, was its bulkiness, it is very thick, and the bezel is enormous. I switched on the device, to be nicely greeted with a five minute boot up, to the set up. This device is not intuitive, it took me a while to actually work out how to go the next setting. Once all that trauma was over, I began exploring the device. The UI, once used to it, is very nice, beautiful even, and very simple, with a home screen which displays a live array of thumbnails, displaying open apps. It is very good at multitasking, I must admit.
The camera is simple, but very high quality for a tablet of its type. But, after regular use I found three massive problems, among others.
One is that it can be very laggy and unstable, it forces closes apps, the frame rate drops massively at random times, and sometimes it may stop working all together.
Two is the limited app support, out of the little apps it has, the majority are very low quality, incomparable to the likes of Android and iOS.
The final one is the battery life, and the UNBEARABLE boot up sequence.
I would not recommend this to anyone, if you are looking for a cheap tablet, opt for the Nexus 7, or the upcoming HP Slate 7.
The Blackberry Playbook is an excellent tablet PC which although the app store does not currently have as much games and other apps. Because you can use android apps on the playbook if you convert them first which allows you to use some of the apps from android although not all of them are guaranteed to work.
The touchscreen i easy to use and because the bezel is touch interactive this means that this can be used for touch events such as bringing down the tab bar in the internet browser and minimizing active apps. you can also swipe from one side of the screen to another to switch to the next open app. you also have the ability to connect the playbook to a computer via wifi. This allows you to transfer files to your playbook without going through the hassle of constantly connecting a usb cable into the device.
One of the problems that i can see currently with the playbook is the fact that the micro usb port can be damaged easily because of the size of the connectors. i would recommend that you use a screen protector with the playbook so that you can protect the screen from damage. The colours on the playbook are clear and vibrant and the ability of the camera to record HD video is very useful.
I bought my Playbook back in May or June. My laptop was really playing up and as I run my own very small online business I felt it important to have decent internet access at all times. I did look at new laptops but money is tight and I was yearning for a tablet so I opted for this in the end. I paid £179 for a 16GB Blackberry Playbook from Very. However, since then I have seen that prices have reduced with one with a much larger memory available for just £129 from Currys over Christmas.
==Setting it up==
To set it up you simply press the on button on the top of the tablet and it then boots up. You are asked a few simple questions such as language and your registration details but for me this did turn out to be a small issue as I couldn't get the keypad to appear on screen therefore could not enter my details. Being the impatient person that I am I decided to start to whole thing again by either rebooting the whole thing or taking the battery out but neither of these were possible! In the end I googled on my mums computer and learned how to get the keypad up on screen when it wasn't appearing on its own.
After this, the Playbook was set up swiftly. As soon as I had put in my details I was taken to the homepage where I could immediately get online (after setting up the wi-fi), type documents etc. I was pleased at how quickly I managed to set this up after the keypad saga and there really wasn't any fuss. I often have a bit of a nightmare setting up the wi-fi on anything, I don't know why. However, as I was at my mums I set it up with their wi-fi which worked perfectly but then when I got home I set it up with my own wi-fi and this worked perfectly too.
The tablet is 7 inches long and 5 inches tall. The actual 'screen' of the Playbook is about 7 inches when measured diagonally. The depth of the tablet is less than a cm. It is black in colour and currently black is the only colour available. The front of the tablet has a glossy finish and there is a 'border' around the screen which is a more solid black. The back and edges of the tablet are also black but they are a softer finish to make it easier to grip so they are more of a matt black. There is a silver Blackberry logo at the bottom of the screen and a larger 'B' on the back of the tablet. There are a few buttons at the top - the power on button and volume. The bottom is home to various connection points including the charger and any headphones you may wish to use.
==The App's==
The Playbook can be used without downloading any additional content and there are various apps already preloaded onto the tablet. The apps already on the tablet included Messages (though you will need to set up your email accounts to work with this), Contacts, Browser, Calendar, App World, Pictures, Music, Camera, Videos, Music Store, Video Chat, You Tube, Kobo Books, NFB, Print to Go, Adobe Reader, Docs to Go, File Manager, Calculator, Bing Maps, Facebook, Help, Need for Speed Undercover, Tetris, News, Press Reader, Clock, Weather, Voice Notes, Accessories Store and Setup.
If you want more apps then there are numerous free ones available from the Blackberry App World and others that charge a minimal fee (usually £1 or £2). Free ones I downloaded include Twitter, Daily Express, Wikipedia, New Magazine, Star Magazine, BBC news, Sudoku and Ocado. I paid £2 for a game but was pleased with the selection of free apps available to me. Free games aren't quite as readily available and often they are trials for the full version but there are still a good amount available for nothing.
You will need an App World login to download anything. This does not cost you anything and just needs an email address and your name etc. This is fast and easy to set up and can be done on the app world itself or if you already have a Blackberry phone its likely you will have already set one up.
Of course, one of the main reasons why I bought the Playbook was so that I had a reliable way to connect to the internet at all times. The browser is opened easily and rather than having a homepage you are taken to a bookmarks page which you will need to fill yourself. You simply type the address in the top bar and away you go. It is easy to add pages to favourites or the homepage and it is easy to find pages you have visited previously too.
Pages load quickly and easily and I have never had a webpage that doesn't work. If a website has a special mobile page then you are usually taken to this page but if you would prefer to go to the normal page then there is usually an option at the bottom of the page to do this.
I don't have any issues with the size of the font on the page but if you do need to see anything up a bit closer you simply drag your thumb and index finger away in opposite directions from where you wish to zoom and it will begin to zoom. In order to zoom out you simply pull your thumb and index finger back together to zoom back out. Sometimes I do end up clicking on the wrong link because the type is so small but this can usually be rectified by quickly clicking on what you actually wanted to click on.
I do find browsing the internet easy with the playbook but if I want to do lots of things I do tend to use the laptop just to put less strain on my eyes.
I have encountered one problem with the Playbooks browser - ebay. Whilst it is fine to buy, browse, relist and use the messaging system I cannot upload any new items which is a nuiscance because that means if I want to do this I need to use the laptop.
The camera is definitely not brilliant. If you had a Curve 8520 the camera is about the same quality as this one was so its really not too special but it is ok, there is no flash and it is quite a blurry picture but for taking a quick snap of something it is fine. There isn't a snazzy photo editor on the Playbook so if I want to edit photos online I have to do it on a photo edition website. There is also a front camera for video calls but I have never used this so cannot comment on the quality but I imagine it is similar to the back camera.
The Playbook does have the facility to type documents and save them. It is a basic typing programme and you cant insert pictures or anything but I occasionally write a review on there and it is ok. However, I find that it takes much longer to type anything than it does with a regular keypad. Because the keypad is touchscreen and the letters are quite close together I sometimes find I'm pressing the wrong buttons but more often than not mistakes happen when the Playbook 'corrects' what I've written. On the laptop I tend to touchtype but on the Playbook I find I have to check every word so it does take longer. The standard font on the programme is Times New Roman and it is presented in a good size.
I have occasionally used the Playbook for music and I was surprised at how good the sound was for such a little thing. I also watch tv programmes occasionally but in all honesty I find that sometimes videos will be a bit of a nightmare with buffering or freezing etc.
==Kobo Reader==
The Kobo app is ok. It is very difficult to find any free books so I tend to use the browser to go onto the actual website and then download them that way. However, I still find it very difficult to find any free books to my taste and I must say that the Kindle Store is much much better. However, when it comes to reading the books this is simple, pages are turned easily and the font is clear to see.
==Facebook and Twitter==
The apps for Facebook and Twitter are very good actually and I find them easy to use and it is simple to browse and either tweet or update your status.
You can set up as many email addresses as you like on the Playbook and can choose to view just one inbox or all of them together. You can also find your junk emails, sent emails etc. Sending an email is simple and it is easy to upload attachments too. When you receive a new message the Playbook will flash red just like the phones do.
==Blackberry Bridge==
Blackberry Bridge allows you to link the Playbook with your Blackberry phone. I have a Blackberry phone so I did do this and then it allowed me to use BBM, access my emails, contacts etc. However, I rarely use this function as my phone tends to be nearby anyway so I really have no need.
==Using the Playbook==
Initially I did find it a little difficult to use the Playbook but this really didn't last long and now I find that I can use it quickly and with ease (as long as there isn't too much typing involved!) I find it brilliant for browsing the internet and it is much easier to boot up than my laptop. You can put the Playbook either on standby or turn it off completely. I tend to put it on standby and when I do this it is really simple to get it started up again you simply swipe the screen.
I find the touchscreen easy to use and the orientation lock is brilliant as even if I lie down using this I don't end up with the screen flipping everywhere.
The battery life is brilliant and it probably lasts for at least 8 hours of browsing, a little less if listening to music or watching video. You can adjust the brightness of the screen, I always keep mine on the lowest setting because bright screens give me headaches and make me get very tired eyes but this is fine for me and I can always see everything perfectly.
The Playbook has never frozen on me which is brilliant because it has been on nearly every day since I got it, often for 10 hours a day. The internet does occasionally stop working but by turning off the wi-fi capability and then turning it back on (this usually takes around 10 seconds) it starts working perfectly again but in all honesty this is a bit of a nuiscance.
I love how portable the Playbook is and I regularly take it in my handbag to my parents and as I have it set up with their internet it is really simple to use at their house. I also find that its brilliant for just having a quick look - because it can load up really quickly its brilliant for just checking the lottery numbers or seeing if someone has emailed back.
==Overall Opinion==
I like the Playbook and I do think it is a good budget option however it isn't any cheaper than similar models offered from Google, Samsung and now even Amazon. I think the Playbook is very good for browsing the internet and I do use mine pretty much daily and often for hours and hours at a time. The only preference I would have really would be the way my ebay wont let me upload new items for sale because my other minor problems such as the difficulty to type long documents would also be relevant on other tablets but of course now you can get the tablets with the click on keyboards so these would conquer all issues but of course make them larger. I imagine you can get a keyboard for the Playbook but this wouldn't make it portable but it would be brilliant for review writing or my Open University course.
I think that for the price paid the Playbook is very good. For the recent price of £129 for a larger memory model it is really giving excellent value for money. It isn't the best tablet out there but the price reflects this and I was surprised at how good the Playbook was. You cannot find a laptop for under £300 really and phones are also much more expensive so I do think it provides lots of features for the money paid. Its certainly not for people who need a computer for work but as I said I do use mine for work but I also need to supplement this with my laptop.
Overall I am impressed with the Playbook and would recommend it and probably would buy another if mine were to break. It is best for internet browsing and is easy to use. Apps make it easy to keep up with the world whether it be news, weather, twitter or facebook and it is fun to use.
This Christmas there has been one item on the top of everyone's list: a tablet. My mother feels left out withone, my hairdresser is buying one for his daughter and my 10 year old cousin has requested one from Santa - but are they really worth it?
Tablets are not new technology. They've been around for years, but it's only recently that they have been priced reasonably enough to afford (unless you're the type that has iThis and iThat, in which case, you have an iPad). Indeed, this item is going around the shops at around £130, which is only a little more than a Kobo or a Kindle.
Tablets have obvious advantages over a desktop (and even a laptop); they are portable and dynamic and they make you feel kind of cool likes James Bond. However, so does the average smartphone, and there is little a Blackberry Playbook can do that your Blackberry can't (or iPhone, or Android phone, or Galaxy Nexus phone...) - from taking photographs to playing games to reading books.
Considering that there are some disadvanges to add along to this delicious recipe, like the extra knob of butter you don't want to think about, or why there must be so much salt when you make brownies, it may cause you to reconsider.
The main disadvantage is power. A Playbook simply cannot multitask operations as a laptop would - meaning you can't listen to music on Youtube while you write up a quick review for Dooyoo, lounging in a jacuzzi full of cherry cola while manservants feed you samosas, as indeed every Dooyoo reviewer does (and I am doing right now). Going about checking emails or Facebook, my Playbook generates a lot of heat, and is in effect, a bloody expensive handwarmer. However, battery life is surprisingly good. I leave my Playbook on standby so that I can instantly access everything as soon as I need it, as opposed to waiting for my old faithful laptop to load, and even factoring in that aspect, I only need to leave my Playbook on charge for a few hours a week. The screen is also HD, great for zooming in on facial abnormalities of friends in Facebook photos. The 'pinch' technology is great for this, and I would go so far to say that the touchscreen technology is kid-friendly.
So...to buy or not to buy? Considering the new Kindle Fire has everything a Playbook has and cheaper, I would say opt for that instead. But ask yourself, if you have a smartphone and a laptop, do you really need this expensive new gadget? Is the novelty of playing Tetris on the toilet really worth that much?
I bought my Playbook over 12 months ago, back when it was over £300. And even now, with it being priced at around £150, I still don't regret paying so much for it. Before, it was reasonably priced, now it's a ridiculous bargain! I'll review the individual features, to make things easier:
Screen and tablet itself:
The screen is very clear, especially for a tablet released 18 months ago. It can run full HD videos/games without a problem. Also, the touch screen is very sensitive and accurate. Using the on-screen keyboard feels very natural, especially in portrait mode (using thumbs). The tablet's gestures are brilliant too - swiping down from the top of the tablet brings down any menu your current app has, swiping from the bottom up brings up the home screen/multi-tasking window, and swiping from the side of the screen swaps between apps.
The 1GHz processor and 1GB of ram provide the Playbook with a lot of power and speed. It's incredibly rare to come across any lag. With the 4G Playbook that has just been released, the tablet is even more powerful - with a 1.5GHz processor.
Multi-tasking on this device is amazing. Unlike tablets like the iPad, or Android/Windows tablets, apps don't simply run in the background, they all run in real time! For example, if you're browser is open on a youtube page listening to music, you can then switch to, say, Kobo (an e-reader) and the youtube video will continue to run - allowing you to listen to a music video while reading!
The app store isn't as large as Apple's App Store, or Google Play, but it does have a good variety of apps, and a lot of the top iOS/Android apps are actually there. On top of this, you can side-load almost any Android app, so you essentially have both the Blackberry store and the Android store.
Media player:
The music player is Windows Media Player, and it's fair to say, it doesn't have many features. You have your playlists, artists, songs and album folers, and the usual shuffle/repeat etc etc. But there's no equalizer, and there's not much customisation. However, the music playback is very clear, and the sound quality from the Playbook itself is on par with low budget stereos - which for a tablet, is impressive. The video player allows for full HD videos, which makes for a very nice experience on the 7" screen!
The browser is relatively fast - speed tests put it as slightly faster than the iPad 2 (doesn't beat the third generation iPad though, of course. It is 12 months older). It also supports Flash, which means you can view almost any website, unlike other tablets. The flash player is pretty quick considering it's on a tablet, too. Although a bit slow, I was able to play a few Tower Defense games online without much hassle. The browser also supports HTML5, which will be handy in the future.
There is a 5MP camera on the back of the device for casual use, and a front-facing, 1.3MP camera for video calls. Both of these work brilliantly. Until I bought my Samsung Galaxy SIII, I preferred my Playbook camera over most others on mobile devices. Naturally, the video camera can record full HD.
Battery life:
The battery can give about 6 hours of video playback - longer with wifi turned off, which isn't amazing, but it's not bad at all. General browsing/listening to music gives anywhere from 8-12 hours. The device takes roughly 2-3 hours to charge from flat with a mains charger. Much faster if you invest in a charging pod.
The native email app allows for several accounts, and you have the option of looking at these email accounts separately, or you can have them all in a combined inbox. The layout is nice and simple too. My only gripe with the email app is that it is a little slow - hopefully this will be fixed with an update soon.
Overall, this tablet is WELL worth the price tag. It can do everything the higher-end tablets can do, and more. Its downsides however, are the relatively small app store, which lacks essentials like Skype and Kindle (though these can be side-loaded) and the moderate battery life. But in my opinion, the pros easily outweight the cons, and for £300 cheaper than the likes of an iPad? I won't complain!
I have had a playbook for the past 3 months now and had concerns as i am use to using apple products, however i was pleasantly surprised with many of its features. Don't get me wrong it also has its faults but what doesn't.
With legally side loading possible on the playbook there are many many cheap good and working apps now available for this tablet, not as many as for the ipad but still enough with more and more android apps coming every day!
I love the way the playbook looks it has a nice design and in my opinion is a better size when comparing it to the rival ipad. Its sleep stylish and has a professional look about it. I have yet to receive a scratch on it and cant fault its stylish looks.
Screen and sound
The screen is amazing when viewing hd films in 1080p the pictures are crisp and perfect and remain that way when connecting it to your hd tv with the hdmi mini lead. There is a good level of sound coming from the devise and a speaker is not needed if your not interested in loud booming music. The way the touch screen works is smooth and stylish too once you have got use to how t works as the frame of the screen is also touch sensitive to enable you to view settings ect. This works well for me and i find myself wanting the iphone to do the same after being on it.
The browser is relatively fast and you can view everything unlike the ipad. The pinch screen zoom works well and again is relatively fast. It allows multiple pages being ran through tabs and is easy to navigate round weather your a regular blackberry user or not.
Multi Media
Media on this devise is nicely set out its all clear to view and understand and with the 1080p screen the video and image viewing is a pleasant experience. It is also an advantage that you can then view it all on your tv screen in hd with just a small cheap purchase on the hdmi mini lead. This for me is amazing and i use it all the time as you can also play games this way along with browsing.
The back camera records in 1080p for amazing video recording and relatively good image taking and the front camera is also of a good standard and does not disappoint. I do believe that both cameras could be better quality when taking still images and it doesn't quite have the edge of a smartphone or a digital camera which could maybe come in a later model.
I would definitely recommend this tablet as you are definitely getting your moneys worth especially with android adding more and more apps daily. Yes other devises have more apps available but you pay for that. This has the best video playback i have seen on any other tablet and good sound quality. It loos stylish and sleek and gives off a professional look i would recommend this as i have loved every minuet of it and cant fault the price !!
Thank you


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Electric Imp Sees Life Beyond WiFi
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SAN FRANCISCO -- A local Internet of Things startup founded by Apple, Google, and Facebook engineers is preparing for a leap beyond its current base in WiFi and consumer products. Electric Imp launched three years ago with a memory card-sized plug-and-play WiFi device, but it is planning a product that uses an undisclosed network technology.
The startup partnered with the Japanese manufacturer Murata to mass produce its third-generation platform, a soldered-on SoC one-tenth the size of the first imp module at 10x7.9 mm. Imp 003 has a 32-bit Cortex-M4 processor, 23 selectable I/Os, and 50% more memory than the imp 002, but it does not have a built-in antenna. Highlighting the need to have connectivity built in for small-scale manufacturing, Electric Imp has put more emphasis on customer preference in its latest generation.
The chip has WiFi capability, but the manufacturer must physically connect it to an antenna.
The new platform "is still turnkey in that you put a module on the board. It has a processor, WiFi," and can be attached to an antenna, "but it's permanently installed so the user can't break the product," CEO Hugo Fiennes told us. "Most manufacturers wanted to build the antenna in directly" in a surface mount module.
Fiennes said the 003 would be used in a variety of devices (which he would not name). The previous generation is used in a range of products, including toys, a connected irrigation system, and a smart air conditioner with geosensing.
Electric Imp has products in development or shipping in 25 vertical markets, he said. "I think we're the leader in terms of building WiFi connected devices. We shipped almost half a million for the IoT platform, and that's in the early days. We believe that's more than pretty much all of us put together in this field."
This year, the company will release another platform -- one that is not based on WiFi -- to "target a different set of applications." Fiennes said WiFi works best with devices meant for consumers or small businesses.
Though he would not offer details on the company's roadmap (beyond "getting everything connected"), he said new products will be key in expanding the world of connected devices.
Entrepreneurs can "build really great connected products without having to reinvent the wheel" when they work from a platform with built-in connectivity and cloud services, Fiennes said. "Hardware manufacturers look at connectivity as a hardware thing, but it's more of a software problem. We need a way to set up easily in the field, to get through firewalls, to send and receive data from multiple services. These things are now completely out of [some people's] comfort zones."
— Jessica Lipsky, Associate Editor, EE Times
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Questions on the Economy to Be Answered in 2014
Economic forecasters are counting on 2014 to be a breakout year. But whether the economy finally moves past its sluggish growth will rest on several forces playing out differently than they have since the recovery began. Some of the key questions:
A devastating financial crisis led business owners and corporate executives to be especially wary about adding staff or investing in new equipment. Some worry about risks from Washington or overseas. Others are seeing consumers maintain their slow-but-steady spending, providing little incentive to deploy their cash stockpiles.
As a result, business investment in key areas such as equipment has been historically weak for a U.S. recovery. A slowly improving jobs picture and rising household wealth could spark a virtuous cycle of stronger consumer spending, increased business confidence and rising investment. If it doesn't, the year could be another letdown.
The December budget deal was hardly the kind of confidence-boosting agreement Washington has been debating for years. But at least it hit the pause button on the serial brinkmanship that threatened to derail the recovery in the past three years.
A combination of tax increases and spending cuts in 2013 shaved about 1.5 percentage points off annual economic growth, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Many forecasters expect the fiscal drag in 2014 to be one-third that amount, or less. "You'll have more political certainty this year," said Gregory Daco, a U.S. economist at Oxford Economics.
However, some lawmakers already are discussing a standoff again in late February over raising the federal borrowing limit. "You can never count on policy makers to not shoot themselves in the foot," Mr. Daco said.
The Federal Reserve last month laid out a timetable to slow the pace of its bond purchases throughout the year. The central bank, which had been soaking up $85 billion a month in Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities since late 2012, plans to reduce the pace of purchases by $10 billion at each meeting until it is no longer buying bonds at year-end.
Few of the Fed's forecasts have proceeded according to plan during the course of the sharp economic downturn and choppy recovery, a fact that Fed officials now openly acknowledge. "We have been disappointed in the pace of growth, and we don't fully understand why," Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said at his final news conference last month.
The central bank last year spent more than six months signaling its intent to wean the economy off a third round of bond buying, and the prospect upset markets at just about every turn. Now it's only in the first stage of that process. Even if the tapering is smooth, the Fed could spend much of the year grappling with the prospect of raising its interest-rate target as early as 2015.
The housing sector started last year on a high note. It ended the year facing mounting worries about higher interest rates, supply constraints, tight credit and a host of other problems.
Sales of previously owned homes have slipped every month since July, according to the National Association of Realtors. That coincides with the surge in borrowing costs across the economy amid the Fed's signals about its bond buying program.
Lawrence Yun, the trade group's chief economist, expects the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage to hit 5.5% at year-end, up from 4.5% late last year and 3.5% in the first half of 2013. That is a sharp run-up in a short period of time, one that could harm affordability and spook even more buyers.
Once the U.S. economic recovery started in 2009, other parts of the world began to struggle in their own ways.
Europe fell into a debt crisis. Japan faced a natural disaster. Emerging markets, once the bright spots on the global landscape, lost their glow. Political crises from Italy to Egypt to Thailand raised the prospect of more global unrest.
The world got by in 2013 with fewer confidence-shaking moments than in prior years, but the vulnerabilities haven't disappeared. "It's not a great story anywhere, though it's more hopeful than it has been," said Jerry Webman, chief economist at OppenheimerFunds.
The relatively stable global outlook must continue if 2014 is to be the kind of economic year Americans have been hoping for throughout the recovery.


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With winter storms threatening as early as late October, one thing's for sure - you're going to want to be warm and toasty come Thanksgiving, and your guests will too. Don't cut corners or wait 'til next year to cozy up your guest room. Now's the perfect time to get to the drawing board and start designing the ideal space, one that your friends and family will look forward to returning to time and time again.
But don't risk allergies and bad air quality by just cranking up the forced hot air! Instead, try a few creative and eco-friendly options that'll keep your guests heated and happy throughout even the coldest of nights. Consider these awesome options.
Radiant heat
One of the most popular of green heating options available, radiant floor heating is an energy-efficient way to stay warm through the winter. These systems use all natural convection currents to spread heat throughout your floor and up into the room, effectively heating the space from the ground up. Working well with a variety of floor styles, radiant heat systems are a great way to stay warm without putting a drain on the environment or exacerbating your utilities bill.
What's cozier than a fireplace? Instead of sticking to radiant heat, why not amp up the comfort with a gas or wood-burning fireplace. Who wouldn't want to stretch out before a set of flickering flames with a good book or mid-afternoon nap? Another awesome rustic option might be to install a wood burning stove. Either is sure to make an aesthetic and heated mark on the room's ambiance.
Cozy quilts
What's a guest bedroom without a set of quilts. While a comforter and flanel sheets are great additions and sure to keep your guests toasty throughout the night, a handmade or stylish quilt adds a lot of character to a room. Place one on the bed, but also drape quilts over furniture, like chairs or loveseats, where your guests may spend time.
Towel warmer
There's no reason to limit your heating options to the bedroom. Equip your guest bath with plenty of warmth as well. Radiant floor heating makes the perfect pairing with heat conducting tile, but why not install set of towel warmers as well? These bars are sure to keep towels primed for when your guests get out of the steamy shower!


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What it doesn't include is a focus on his political future. After a career that includes 20 years in the state Senate, four years as attorney general and two terms as governor, Beebe insists he's nearing the end of his public life.
"Where am I going to go? Washington?" Beebe told The Associated Press in an interview in his office. "I want good people to go up there. Just don't make me do it. I don't want to be a hypocrite about it, but I'd argue that 32 years of public office, I've served my time. I've given back. I've done what I was supposed to do."
Unlike his predecessor and former Gov. Mike Huckabee, who wrapped up his final year in office preparing for a White House bid, Beebe says 2014 will mark the end of his life in politics and elected office. The Democratic governor, who turned 67 last week, said he doesn't know yet what the next chapter will be when he leaves the governor's mansion in January 2015.
"I may teach a college course. I may serve on a board or two, but I have nothing specific in mind," Beebe said. "I don't have anything lined up. I haven't made any specific decisions, and I probably won't for several months. I'll take some time, and enjoy a little bit of retirement."
Before that retirement, Beebe has one last legislative session. On Jan. 14, his administration is expected to release his proposed budget for the coming fiscal year as lawmakers prepare for the 2014 fiscal session. It'll be the third fiscal session — focused primarily on the state's budget — under a constitutional amendment that Beebe opposed but voters approved in 2008.
Beebe declined to offer many details on his budget, but said it'll include $12 million to $13 million in additional funding to open new state prison beds and to reimburse counties as a result of the state overhauling its parole and probation policies. The policy changes, enacted in response to a parolee who managed to avoid being locked up before he allegedly killed a man in Little Rock this year, have led to a crowding of county jails holding state inmates.
"We've got a huge need for a lot of additional money, both for opening new beds in prisons as well for paying counties for what has amounted to a huge backlog that has accumulated in the past six months," Beebe said. "There's going to need to be significant increases in state revenue for both paying counties and for increasing prison bed availability."
Beebe said his budget will also include additional help for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, as well as for some of the state's two-year and four-year colleges and universities, though he declined to detail the specific funding amounts he's seeking.
But what likely will take the bulk of his time during the session that begins in February is the renewed fight over the state's "private option" plan to use federal Medicaid money to purchase private insurance for thousands of low-income residents.
The plan was approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature as a compromise to expanding Medicaid under the federal health care law, and the state enrolled thousands to begin coverage Wednesday at the start of the year. In order for the program to continue, lawmakers must approve its funding bill — a move that will require 27 votes in the 35-member Senate and 75 votes in the 100-member House.
Republicans who opposed the plan have vowed to push for its defunding during the fiscal session, with some GOP lawmakers who supported the private option facing primary challenges. In the lead up to the session, Beebe has been using his public appearances and speeches to call on lawmakers to continue funding the private option. He's also warned that the tax cut package lawmakers approved was based partly on the savings the state expected to see by hospitals' uncompensated care costs being reduced because of the expanded coverage.
Beebe said the comments don't reflect an increased worry about the private option failing, but reflects how difficult of a vote threshold the plan faces.
"Any time you've got a three-fourths vote, you're always concerned," Beebe said. "But I really don't anticipate people going the other way, but you know me, I'm always conservative and I'm always cautious."
For Beebe, 2014 could also mark the first step toward delivering on his campaign promise to phase out nearly all of the state's sales tax on groceries. Beebe signed into law legislation that would cut all but the constitutionally mandated 1/8 cent conservation tax from groceries if the state's bond obligations or desegregation payments to Little Rock area schools decrease by $35 million over a six-month period. Beebe has successfully pushed for cutting the grocery tax from 6 percent when he took office in 2007 to 1.5 percent.
A federal judge in January will decide whether to approve an agreement between the state and the three districts to phase out the funding after the 2017-18 school year. Beebe said he's fairly confident the plan will win that approval.
Beebe said he proposed the triggered tax cut approach because he believed a judge would eventually end the desegregation payments, not necessarily because he thought an agreement would be reached.
"Either one, it's worked, and we need to keep doing it. Or two, it hasn't worked, so we don't need to keep doing it. Take your pick," Beebe said. "It coming to an end, I think, that's money now that will go back into the pockets of Arkansans by doing the rest of the grocery tax."


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Does anyone know the Wh/Mile for Ideal miles?
Does anyone know the Wh/Mile for Ideal miles?
It should be around 270 for a 85 kWh car. Rod and Barbara did a computation, but I don't have time to look for it now. Try www.volkerize.com.
@ chicagoniner - My estimate for the Wh/M for an Ideal Mile in the 85 kWh vehicle is between 265 Wh/M and 271 Wh/M. There are a number of ways to calculate this value and all of them contain a fair amount of data scatter. Therefore, it takes a lot of data points to hone in on the correct value. I normally use Rated Miles so I don't have a lot of data on Ideal Miles. One of the keys to the puzzle is determining the Max Range charge Ideal Miles for a nominal battery. To my knowledge, Tesla has not officially published a precise value for this. FYI, my calculation for the Wh/M for Rated Miles in the 85 kWh vehicle is between 306 Wh/M and 308 Wh/M.
85,000 Wh / 300 "max ideal miles" = 283.3 Wh/mile ideal range
85,000 Wh / 265 "max EPA test miles" = 320.75 Wh/mile rated range
But, you don't get to use all those Wh; the car will read 0 miles left after you've used up 81,620 Wh.
81,620 Wh / 300 = 272 Wh/mile ideal
81,620 Wh / 265 = 308 Wh/mile rated
To add even more confusion, the official Dept. of Energy "mileage" sticker for the Tesla Model S displays "38 kW-hrs/100 miles", which is 380 Wh/mile (!). I think this must represents total energy consumed out of the wall socket to charge the car full, including energy lost as heat when charging. So, ignore that for now.
As mentioned, the Energy app. currently plots about 308 Wh/mile as a solid line indicating rated range. But from my calculations, the "rated range" displayed on the other display, in the Instrument panel, uses 300 Wh/mile, which is inconsistent, optimistic, and confusing.
Example anyone can verify: Energy app. may report that you've averaged 340 wH/mile (my usual), and estimates based on state of charge and that you can go another 170 miles "projected range" (be sure to tap the "Average" button, not the useless "Instant" button).
340 wH / mile * 170 miles = 57,800 wH (57.8 kWh) = your current state of charge remaining
57,800 wH / 300 = ~193 miles rated range (and this will be almost exactly the number displayed on the instrument panel, which just seems wrong). It should be 57,800/308 = ~188 miles.
Then again, you know that the Model S will keep going at least until that instrument panel number reaches 0, and maybe 5-15 miles (?) beyond that point, depending on conditions.
Projected range of course will always just be an approximation. Got head winds? Climbing a mountain? Is it raining or snowing? Do you have lots of people in the car, and heavy luggage? Is it really cold or really hot? All of these impact the real range far beyond a simple calculation based on state of charge and some estimated or measured average.
Thanks for the info, I had always done the calcs using 85000, where did you find that the car will read 0 miles after using 81.62KWH?
@Bob W - I had never thought of calculating the remaining charge in the battery by using Projected range from the energy app, and then using that to check Rated range on the speedometer. It's pretty interesting that they differ.
I usually use the Trip Meter data ("Since Last Charge"). The problem there is that the Trip Meter does not measure energy use when the car is stationary, so any vampire load is not taken into account, whereas the Rated range on the speedometer does reflect vampire load. I suspect, but have not verified, that the trip meter also does not account for accessory load (vampire load) even when the car is moving.
BTW, a watt-hour is abbreviated Wh, not wH. The "W" is capitalized because it represents someone's name. So kWh, not Kwh. "A" is also capitalized for Ampere.
I'm with you, chicagoniner. When I take it easy, I get somewhere in the 280's. I can drive to work, have the car sit overnight for 8 hours keeping the battery happy. In the morning I warm the interior up remotely, then dive home and still get 'rated' mileage. Basically, my miles click off at the same rate as rated at the end of the trip, but my extra efficiency has compensated for all the other losses. My average over the last 2000 miles has been 294Wh/mi.
@cfriedberg - The 308 Wh/mi number seems to be the general consensus of what the EPA rated range is, based on this TMC thread and this EV range calculator.
Others have discovered that the car has a bit of a mileage reserve below 0 miles displayed, and it will shut down completely well before the battery gets to a zero state of charge (since that would permanently harm or possibly even "brick" the battery).
@DouglasR - correct. I had it right at the top ("Wh/mi"), then messed up at the bottom. :-) Oh how I wish this web site supported "Preview Post", and "Edit" features.
Also, Ampere, Volt, and Farad. And even Ohm. All names.
@ Bob W – The data you present using the Energy app to calculate the Wh/M for a rated mile is very interesting. I have used a similar method for some time in an effort to calculate the Wh/M of a rated mile. When the trip meter turns over to 30.0 miles, I note the Wh/M in the trip meter, the projected miles for the last 30 miles based on the average Wh/M, and the rated miles. I never thought to check to be sure the Wh/M at that point in time is the same on the trip meter and the Energy app – certainly it should be. These data points have quite a bit of scatter, with the rated mile efficiency ranging from 301 Wh/M to 317 Wh/M. I just went out to my car and got the current data from the Energy app – 369 Wh/M over the last 30 miles, with a projected miles based on the average Wh/M of 163 miles, and rated miles remaining of 193 miles. This results in a 312 Wh/M for a rated mile (369 x 163 / 193). So I am wondering why you are seeing different results. Do you have a 60 kWh vehicle? The Wh/M for a rated mile is different for the two vehicles – about 307 Wh/M for the 85 kWh vehicle and about 301 Wh/M for the 60 kWh vehicle according to my calculations.
Interesting that you see different results. Do you have a P85?
I have a standard 85 (not Performance, so 19" tires). I'm running 4.5 (1.33.48). 21" performance tires have higher rolling resistance, so therefore slightly less projected range?
163 projected miles * 369 Wh/mi = 60147 wH (curr. usable state of charge)
60147 wH / 300 wH/mi = 200 mi rated range
60147 wH / 308 wH/mi = 195 mi rated range
So I am surprised that you see 193 displayed instead of either of these two numbers.
I love you guys!
Why anyone would want to drive this car for ideal miles is beyond me!! Drive this baby the way it deserves to be driven. Save all your calculations for when you drive your Leaf or Active E or Focus or whatever else.
This car is a performance car... as in speed. Not performance as in "ideal miles Wh/mi" stuff. Help market the car for what it is. This is starting to sound like a tree hugger's EV site!
Let her rip guys... I am with exPGAhacker, I drive my P85 like I stole it. Love to see fast cars behind me trying to catch up to see what car it was that just passed them.
I've been feeling kinda an outcast since my average Wh/mi usage has been in the 600's. Granted I've only driven the car for 200 miles...
Hopefully my usage will come down gradually.
Who knew driving a MS can cure mid life crisis...
@exPGAhacker - I don't drive fast on road trips because that would take me longer to get where I'm going.
Actually the W/mi is a important number to know exPGAhacker.
When you fly a plane you know what speed to glide at to cover the longest distance if you lose your engine. You don't expect to use this but if the situation comes up you have that info.
Most of the time the drivers won't need that information in a Model S. But the situation can come up where you don't want to stop and find an outlet or maybe there isn't one in the area where you are or the headwinds are reducing your range etc...
Tesla should publish the best W/mi number.
@ exPGAhacker
Around town, it's whatever bolting and speeds I feel are safe, and won't get me a ticket.
@ DouglasR
Yep. Cruise control on, keep an eye on miles left, rated, projected - adjust as necessary.
I always get a kick out of needing to explain myself because I didn't do a decent job the first time. It usually happens when I think I'm being somewhat whimsical and funny.
I totally get why it's important to maximize the Wh/mi in certain circumstances. But most of us drive the car locally with a long trip or two on occasion. In a single day around town I have yet to even worry about range. The most miles I've driven in a single day of "normal" use is about 170. I rode her hard, too!!
When I do a longer trip, I drive with A/C and around the speed limit, plus or minus 10 (15!) MPH. The important thing is the pre-planning. I don't test the limits. I drive for fun and pleasure and make it work by planning and not testing the limits.
I didn't buy this beast to worry about ideal watt hour per mile calculations and GLIDING to the nth quadrant degree of percentile expectation of the rated range on the EPA rated amperage thingy on the data scatter of a normal rated battery blah blah blah.
Head winds? F**k the head winds! Just drive the car as it's begging to be driven and the only important measurement will be how wide that smile is on your face!
Anyone with a P85 (Performance 85) or a 60, please try this:
Open the energy app., and tap Average
Using only numbers displayed by the app., multiply the Avg. Wh/mi (on the left) by the projected range (on the right). This gives you your current state of charge (in Wh), not counting the ~4% reserve. You should get about the same number no matter what distance you select (5, 15, or 30 miles).
Divide the calculated state of charge by the EPA rated range displayed on the instrument panel to get the fixed Wh/mile number used by your car. Please post your car type, and the final number.
For my standard 85, it seems to use 300 Wh/mile. I speculate that for a P85, you'll see about 312 Wh/mile. I have no idea what a 60 (or 40) will display, but I'm very curious to know.
As for the other comments, the beauty of the Model S is that you can drive it for range and comfort, or you can drive it for "sport" (speed).
You can tell a lot about a person's driving habits just by looking at their average Wh/mi in the trip meter. If the auto insurance companies were smart, they would use that number as a factor when calculating your premium. :-)
Oh, and please include your software version too, unless it is 4.5 (1.33.48) which is what most of us have at this point I think.
@ Bob W – Thanks for the info on your car configuration. The data difference between our cars is all the more perplexing since we have the same configuration – standard 85, 19" wheels, software v4.5.
On June 27 you wrote:
"60147 wH / 300 wH/mi = 200 mi rated range
60147 wH / 308 wH/mi = 195 mi rated range
So I am surprised that you see 193 displayed instead of either of these two numbers."
The reason the data don't result in an exact match is that I find a lot of scatter in the data collected as I described. After collecting 60 data points on many different days and in many different situations I found the calculated Wh/M for a rated mile varied from 301 to 317. To make the situation more confusing, an alternate method for calculating the Wh/M from charging data varied from 299 to 310.
The best way to handle such significant data scatter is to take lots of data points and assume the data errors will form a normal distribution. Then you can calculate the mean, select a confidence level and calculate the confidence interval for the data. For example, my data show that with a 99% confidence level the actual value of the Wh/M for a rated mile is 307.3 plus or minus 1.0 (i.e. between 306.3 and 308.3).
The data that you get from your June 28 request may also show significant scatter. I'll collect a few data points using your technique over the next week and post the results.
On a side note, since the title of this thread is about Ideal Miles, I wonder if you might get more responses to your request for data if you posted in the Calculation of Rated Range thread.


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Lavorato needed to convince his team that it did have a chance against heavily favored El Cerrito in the CIF Division III Northern California regional championship game. It was a matchup billed as David going up against Goliath in football.
Before the contest, the scuttlebutt heard around the stadium was that the Gauchos would be too skilled, too athletic, and too physically intimidating for the Gators to handle. In some ways the pregame hype was correct, as the game turned out to be a blowout. It just happened that the roles of David and Goliath were reversed.
Sacred Heart physically imposed its will on El Cerrito, dominating both offensively and defensively, on its way to a stunning 42-7 rout of the Gauchos on Saturday night at De Anza High in Richmond.
With the victory, Sacred Heart Prep (13-1) advances to its first-ever state championship game, where the Gators will face Corona del Mar (15-0) on Saturday (noon) at the StubHub Center on the campus of Cal-State Dominguez Hills. Corona de Mar eliminated Nordhoff, 24-8, in the SoCal title game.
Lavorato has faced a different task this week as his team prepared for its biggest game in program history.
"This week, I've told the boys 'pride comes before the fall. You have to be humble.' "
Lavorato explained how the media spotlight suddenly is shining on his players and how it's a new experience for them. The important thing is not letting them caught up in all the attention.
"When you stay humble," Lavorato said, "nothing bad can happen . . . this is a dream come true. I've had the opportunity to keep working with these kids."
Everything is a bonus for the Gators at this point. Corona del Mar is riding a 25-game win streak and is hoping to become the first football team in state history to win 16 games. Everything is pointing toward that happening, unless you truly know what kind of team Sacred Heart Prep has.
"I think we're both very well-matched," Lavorato said. "We have similar schools, but definitely different systems. It should be interesting."
Corona del Mar comes in averaging 34.7 points while allowing 9.3. SHP is averaging 35.4 while giving up 8.7. The Sea Kings are averaging 178.5 passing yards and 216 rushing yards per game while the Gators will run first and pass when they have to.
While Sacred Heart Prep may be considered the underdog, it's a role the Gators used as a motivator for last week's win over El Cerrito.
"A lot of people all week doubted us," SHP junior defensive back Will Johnston said after the shocking win. "Going into the game there was absolutely no doubt in our minds that we would be able to win."
"This is ridiculous," SHP senior running back Andrew Segre said. "No one ever thought Sacred Heart Prep would win the NorCal Division III regionals like this. This is amazing."
Junior Ben Burr-Kirven starred on both sides of the ball for Sacred Heart, rushing for 160 yards and four touchdowns from his running back position, while also racking up 17 tackles (11 solo) and forcing a fumble from his linebacker spot.
"He's the best high school football player I've coached or seen," Lavorato said of Burr-Kirven. "He's a great player and a great kid, too."
Segre received a lighter load then his 28-carry effort (for 351 yards and six TDs) against Pacific Grove the previous week in the CCS Division IV finals. But, the senior was still effective against El Cerrito, rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
El Cerrito came in as the overwhelming favorites for a reason. On the season, the Gauchos had won by an average score of 43-16, and were led by future Division I football talent, including UCLA-bound Adarius Pickett and Arizona State bound Derik Calhoun and Jalen Harvey.
However, the Gauchos could not match the physicality that the Gators played with on Saturday.
"I don't think they were prepared for us. I don't think they were expecting us to come out and hit like we did," Burr-Kirven said. "They thought we were going to be scared of them, but we came in with the mentality that there isn't anyone better than us, so we're going to go out and win this game."
On defense, the Sacred Heart Prep players did a good job of staying disciplined against the high-octane El Cerrito running attack. The Gauchos had only 13 yards of offense as SHP built a 14-0 lead.
"The D-line played great. We stayed in our rush lanes," Lavorato said. "We didn't panic when they made a few plays. We played great pursuit angles. I don't know how much total offense they had, but it didn't seem like much."
Offensively, Sacred Heart imposed its will on the ground from the very start, as the Gators scored on three of their four total possessions in the first half.
On their first drive, Sacred Heart Prep drove 61-yards down the field on seven rushing plays. The drive was capped off by a nine-yard touchdown run from Burr-Kirven.
The Gauchos attempted to respond on their next possession, but quarterback Keilan Benjamin was stripped by Johnston, who also recorded a sack with five tackles on the night, and Gators' junior defensive back Riley Tinsley recovered the ball at the Sacred Heart Prep 46-yard line.
Seven plays later, Segre bulldozed his way for a one-yard touchdown run to make the score 14-0 just nine minutes into the game.
"Our offensive line was amazing again," Segre said. "It's all about heart for them, and they brought it every play."
Just before halftime El Cerrito suffered a major blow, as Benjamin suffered an injury running outside the pocket, and was forced to leave the game. He was replaced by Pickett in the Wildcat formation and then by Harvey. Benjamin eventually returned when Harvey tweaked his ankle, but Benjamin was forced to leave once more later in the game.
The Gators added one more score before the half, as Burr-Kirven rumbled 45 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown to give Sacred Heart Prep a 21-0 advantage.
"We didn't talk in the locker room (at halftime) how good we were doing," Burr-Kirven said. "We said (El Cerrito) is not going to stop. So we knew we had to come out, keep our foot on the gas and keep pounding them."
After the break, the Gators continued to run the ball down the Gauchos' throat, with Burr-Kirven adding two more touchdown runs in the third quarter from one and seven yards away.
The cherry on top for Sacred Heart came in the fourth quarter, as junior wide receiver Mitch Martella hauled in a 47-yard touchdown catch on a ball tipped by Pickett at the 15-yard line. The touchdown pass, was the third and final throwing attempt on the night for sophomore quarterback Mason Randall.
For Sacred Heart, a school that has only played football for the past 15 years, competing in a state championship game is an enormous accomplishment.
"It's like a dream come true. It's a testament to all our coaches and all our kids," Lavorato said. "What a week of practice we had; it was fantastic. Those kids were so focused."
Despite facing a week of finals and preparation for the state finals, Lavorato made sure that his team took the time to savor its dominating performance against El Cerrito.
"You shocked the world tonight!" Lavorato proclaimed to his team after the game. "This is really awesome right now, enjoy it."
However, Lavorato had one more question for his team, to make sure they were not satisfied by simply making it to the state championship game.
"Are we done?" Lavorato asked his players.
A resounding "No!" was their answer.
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Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company
Second Revised Volume No. 1
Contents / Previous / Next / Main Tariff Index
Effective Date: 11/01/1997, Docket: CP96-128-004, Status: Effective
Original Sheet No. 328 Original Sheet No. 328 : Effective
Firm Storage Service
(For Use Under Seller's Rate Schedule LSS)
Payment and Rights of Termination
3.2 In the event Buyer fails to pay for the service provided
under this Agreement or otherwise fails to meet Seller's standards
for creditworthiness, Seller shall have the right to terminate this
Agreement pursuant to the conditions set forth in Section 11,
Section 18 and Section 19 of the General Terms and Conditions of
Seller's FERC Gas Tariff.
Rights to Amend Rates and Terms and Conditions of Service
4.1 This Agreement in all respects shall be and remain
subject to the provisions of said Rate Schedule LSS and the
provisions of the General Terms and Conditions of Seller's FERC Gas
Tariff (as the same may hereafter be legally amended or
superseded), all of which are made a part hereof by this reference.
4.2 Seller shall have the unilateral right to file with the
appropriate regulatory authority and seek to make changes in: (a)
the rates and charges applicable to its Rate Schedule LSS, (b) Rate
Schedule LSS including the Form of Service Agreement and the
existing Service Agreement pursuant to which this service is
rendered; and/or (c) any provisions of the General Terms and
Conditions of Seller's FERC Gas Tariff applicable to Rate Schedule
LSS; provided, however, Seller shall not have the right, without
the consent of Buyer, unless required to do so pursuant to
applicable laws or regulations, to make any filing pursuant to
Section 4 of the Natural Gas Act to reduce the firm nature of the
service provided under said Rate Schedule or the provisions of
Exhibits "A" and "B". Seller agrees that Buyer may protest or
contest the aforementioned filings, or seek authorization from duly
constituted regulatory authorities for such adjustment of Seller's
existing FERC Gas Tariff as may be found necessary in order to
assure that the provisions in (a), (b) or (c) above are just and


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front page
List of Americans Abroad
Bocanegra moves across France to Saint Etienne.
Johnson strains hamstring with Aris in Greek playoffs.
Beasley bids farewell to Glasgow Rangers after late benching.
For Fulham, Dempsey set to become first U.S. player in European final.
Davies' desire to make World Cup team is dealt a blow.
Cherundolo, Hannover register big win 4-2 over Schalke.
Hahnemann posts another shutout for Wolves in 0-0 draw with Stoke.
Dempsey absent with thigh injury, Fulham makes Europa Cup semifinals.
Back in good graces, Adu makes rare start for victorious Aris.
Friedel, Aston Villa suffer 7-1 rout at hands of Chelsea.
Friedel, Aston Villa fade in English Premier League despite unbeaten streak.
After long layoff, Dempsey scores decisive goal, Fulham edges Juventus in Europa Cup.
Donovan's highly successful Everton tenure ends on quiet note.
Both succeeding in Greece, Johnson gets critical U.S. call, Adu does not.
'Player of Month' Donovan, Howard help Everton stun Chelsea, Man. United.
Friedel streak ends, but Villa draws with Manchester United 1-1.
Altidore goal helps Hull defeat Manchester City 2-1.
Beasley's car is destroyed in Scotland racial incident.
Cherundolo agravates ailing shoulder, will miss at least month for Hannover.
Donovan scores first, sparks Everton past Sunderland in Premier League.
Howard, Donovan go down with Everton, eliminated from FA Cup.
Dempsey avoids surgery, his World Cup hopes remain intact.
Donovan is impressive, helping Everton draw with Arsenal in his debut.
Busy Dempsey continues to make his mark with Fulham.
Adu joins Johnson as loan acquisitions by Aris of Greece.
Americans Abroad
(Thursday, August 5, 2010) -- With the start of a new European season less than a month away, a number of Americans are still searching for new clubs.
Chief among them is midfielder Freddy Adu He is under contract on contract to Benfica of Portugal and technically currently on loan to Aris Thessaloniki of Greece. However, Aris has said he does not fit into their plans for the coming season and Benfica has told him they will release him from his contract making him a free transfer if he can find a club that wants him.
The latest team to say no is Sion of Switzerland. After a week's trial at the second-division club, which is stockpiling players ahead of a transfer ban by European governing body UEFA, Sion said it will pass on Adu.
Given his history of failure in Europe, Adu's only hope might be to return to Major League Soccer in the hope he can re-launch his career.
Another player whose immediate future is up in the air is striker Jozy Altidore. After failing with Hull City in the English Premier League last season Altidore is set to return to Spain's Villarreal which owns his contract and lent him to Hull last season.
Altidore says he wants to remain with the Spanish team and new coach Juan Carlos Garrido says he would like to work with Altidore, but admits Villarreal's somewhat precarious financial situation could make it mandatory that it dump Altidore's salary through another loan arrangement if there are any takers.
United States defender Jay DeMerit was one of a number of players off-loaded by Watford for financial reasons after a season. He has said he wants to stay in England, but with only a couple of weeks to the new season, he has not landed on a team yet.
A player who could run afoul of the Premier League's new 25-player limit on the active roster is Fulham striker Eddie Johnson. Loaned last year to Aris Thessaloniki, he is back with Fulham but not likely to make its roster. That makes another loan likely.
American midfielder DaMarcus Beasley also might be in peril.. He is not in Scottish club Rangers plans though Heracles of the Netherlands and Nice of France have shown interest.
U.S. forward Charlie Davies is back in full-time training with his French club Sochaux after an almost miraculous recovery from a horrific car accident that nearly ended both his career and his life last October. Not only is Davies again practicing, but his coach Francis Gillot has given him playing time in each of Sochaux's seven preseason friendlies before the Ligue 1 season opener Saturday against AC Arles-Avignon. Davies also served as captain for the reserve team in a match in which he scored his only preseason goal.
Gillot says he is amazed at Davies recovery, but at the same time issued a word of caution. "It will be difficult to count on him as he still has some physical limitations and has had to relearn everything," Gillot said. "For him, it is also hard but it's clear he is not at the level he was when he joined us."
After five seasons at second-tier Sheffield Wednesday, American defender Frank Simek has a new home after signing with English League One (third-tier) club Carlisle United.
In Europe, German-American midfielder Jermaine Jones scored his first goal in over a year, the winner in Schalke 04's 2-1 preseason victory over Hamburg SV in the Liga total! Cup semifinal. Jones took an ambitious shot from around 35 yards out with goalkeeper Frank Rost misreading it and allowing to bounce over his glove into the net.
In Belgium, U.S. midfielder Sacha Kljestan came off the bench and played the final 53 minutes in Anderlecht's 4-1 win over Eupen.
In Denmark;s Superliga, American defender Michael Parkhurst played 90 minutes in FC Nordsjaelland's 2-0 triumph over Randers FC.
American attackers Marcus Tracy and Chris Rolfe dressed, but did not play for Aalborg BK in a 1-1 draw with host København Saturday. Rolfe is recovering from a hamstring injury.
In Sweden, American midfielder Alejandro Bedoya had to leave Örebro SK's 2-0 victory over host match Monday with Åtvidaberg FF with a sore heel. The injury is not considered serious. .
In Norway, both of IK Start's American defenders -- Hunter Freeman and Clarence Goodson -- were suspended for Monday's 8-1 loss to Vålerenga because of yellow-card accumulation.
American midfielder Mikkel Diskerud played 90 minutes in Stabæk's 3-0 loss Sunday to Tromsø.
In the oddest match of the week, American-born forward Jon-Paul Pittman scored a hat trick for Wycombe Wanderers in a friendly against what amounted to a Chelsea reserve\youth team.
Pittman entered the match in the 74th minute and by the 78th had collected three goals.
Do you have a comment on this story or something to say about soccer in general? Send us a letter.


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The New Year offers a fresh start for local high school basketball teams. And the New Year begins today.
Teams from Bayfield and Ignacio will return to their respective courts to reopen the 2012-13 season tonight.
The Wolverines will host Montezuma-Cortez today at Bayfield in nonconference games for the BHS varsity girls and boys.
The Ignacio Bobcats will hit the road for San Juan Basin League openers at Dolores tonight. Girls and boys varsity teams are scheduled to play, beginning with the girls game at 5:30 p.m.
The Bayfield girls (5-4) got the jump on the 2013 schedule when they picked up three games in the Aztec Invitational last weekend.
The Wolverines won two of three and lost only in the tournament championship to New Mexico big school Artesia.
The Wolverines beat Wingate, N.M., and Cuba., N.M., in the earlier games at Aztec.
The Bayfield girls will take on a winless Cortez girls team (0-7), coming off two losses at the Palisade Holiday Tournament right before the break.
Conversely, the Bayfield boys will be looking for their first victory of the season when they host Cortez at 7 p.m. today at the BHS gym.
The Wolverines (0-4) lost at Piedra Vista to conclude the 2012 portion of the schedule.
They will face a 2-6 Cortez boys team that also is coming off a pair of losses in the Palisade Holiday Tournament.
Meanwhile, the No. 6-ranked Ignacio boys team (Class 2A) will put its state ranking on the line tonight at Dolores.
The Bobcats (4-1) nearly beat the No. 6 team in Class 3A (Pagosa Springs) in a nonconference game right before the holiday break.
The Ignacio boys lost 53-50 in what coach Chris Valdez called his teams most complete game thus far.
The Dolores boys are 3-4 going into tonights game against the ranked Bobcats.
The Dolores girls will take a 5-2 record into tonights matchup against the Ignacio girls (3-2) and first-year head coach Just Whitt.
The Ignacio girls also are coming off a tough loss to Pagosa Springs (45-42) right before the break.


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The Wonder Boys A team finished a 311 (+23) for the second round while finishing with a 616 (+40) for the tournament, 22 strokes behind the winning team of Midwestern State. Tech's B team finished just eight strokes behind Tech's A team with a 624 for the tournament.
For Tech's A team, Jason Purdy tied for 20th while shooting an 82 (+10) and a 155 (+11) for the tournament, Conner Smith carded an 81 (+9) on day two and finished with a 157 (+13) to tie for 31st, Rowdy Garrett shot a second-day 77 (+5) to finish at 159 (+15) and tie for 37th, and Brian Belz shot a final round 76 (+4) but was disqualified in a previous round.
The B team was backed by Parker Hale who shot a second-day 76 (+4) and a final of 155 (+11), Jordan Holloway shot a final round 79 (+7) to finish at 155 and a tie for 20th, Dillon Young carded a 78 (+6) on the second day and a 160 (+16) to tie for 41st, and Jordan Hawkes shot a final round 79 (+7) to finish at 161 (+17) and in a tie for 45th.
The Wonder Boys will return to action March 17th, at the Midwestern State University Invitational in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Wonder Boys top Harding
SEARCY — Junior Colt Burns and junior Mason Reynolds combined to strike out nine batters, junior Cole Fergus hit one home run, and seniors Thomas Biocic and Scott Sammons went 2-for-4 as the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys (19-7) defeated the Harding University Bisons (13-5) in a nonconference matchup Tuesday afternoon at Jerry Moore Field.
Arkansas Tech came out firing in the first inning. With one out left, Fergus slammed a home run over left center giving Tech a 1-0 lead.
Harding would get their only run of the game in the fourth inning after an RBI double from Paul Anzalone to tie the game 1-1.
In the top of the seventh, Sammons doubled to center field. Sophomore Kenny Spencer hit an RBI single up the middle, which allowed Sammons to score. Arkansas Tech held the lead for the rest of the game to give them to 2-1 win.
Burns took the win after pitching 4.2 innings, not allowing a single hit or run and throwing six strikeouts.
The Wonder Boys will travel to Monticello on Saturday, March 16 for a three-game series against Arkansas-Monticello. First pitch on Saturday is at noon.
Golden Suns 11th in Texas tournament
POTTSBORO, Texas — Rebecka Surtevall turned in a final-round score of 81 to finish +17 for the tournament, tying for 11th in the 110-golfer field as the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns golf team finished 11th of 20 teams at the Texoma Chevy Dealers Lion Intercollegiate.
The Golden Suns shot identical rounds of 343 to finish the tournament at 686, 45 strokes behind tournament champion Lubbock Christian. Surtevall's two-day score of 161 placed her eight strokes behind individual medalist Kendall Earp of Henderson State.
Taylor Kline followed her first-round 87 with an 86 to finish at 173 (+29), tying for 49th, while Niki Possage shot a second-day 91 to finish at 175 (+31) for the tournament, tying for 53rd. Megan Jeffery shaved seven strokes off her first-day total, shooting a two-day 181 (+37) to finish tied for 72nd with teammate Megan Kelley, whose second-round 89 was three strokes better than her first-round score.
Competing as an individual, Shelby Jones shot a two-round score of 177 (+33), tying for 60th.
Arkansas Tech will return to action on March 24-25, traveling to St. Joseph, Mo. for the Candlewood Suites Classic hosted by Missouri Western.


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The Bibles were donated to help preserve town history.
Now, the curators of Dighton's collection of local curiosities wants to return the favor, by giving family histories back to the families chronicled within.
The Bibles were donated to help preserve town history.
Now, the curators of Dighton's collection of local curiosities want to return the favor, by giving family histories back to the families chronicled within.
Between several pages of five thick family Bibles, Myrna Santos and Chris Pacheco found leafy, possibly century-old plants, flattened and dried.
In one volume they discovered a tiny bouquet, pressed and drained of life — perhaps a wedding corsage or boutonnière.
"People donated them because they knew these books were history," said Pacheco, president of the Historical Society. "But, what they didn't realize was that it was their family's history they were donating."
Within these dusty, aged volumes, members of the Dighton Historical Society found family histories immortalized on ledger pages next to scripture.
Births, deaths and marriages have been recorded in handwritten notes, some clearly legible, others barely discernible.
The books belonged to either four or five local families.
Over the past five decades, at various points in time since the Historical Society's 1962 incorporation, the Bibles (dating from the 1840s to the 1880s) were donated, archived and stored.
Pacheco and Santos are searching for surviving members of the Gay, Lane, Murray and Presbrey families. They've got one Bible per family, and two Gay family Bibles.
"These really belong with the family," Santos said. "These are family heirlooms."
The Lane family Bible notes the 1853 nuptials between Benjamin F. Lane, of Cohasset, to Eunice Rebecca Sauage (born July 1, 1833), of Norton.
The couple recorded four births. Pacheco and Santos found the names of children James, George, Mary and Lizzie inscribed on one page.
"You can just see their lives here," Pacheco said, cracking open a fragile volume.
One of the two Gay family Bibles notes the 1841 marriage of Charles Gay (1822-1897), to Mary Ann (last name unknown, born 1821). The couple had at least five children: James, Charles, Truman, Alford and Harry.
"The two Bibles are connected," Santos said, referring to the Gay family Bibles. "It's all one family, I'm fairly sure of that."
The Murray family Bible notes the 1881 marriage of John Murray, of North Dighton, to Kate Maker. Notes in the Bible reveal they had at least three children: Mary, Edward and Margaret.
The Presbrey family Bible records the 1811 marriage of Barney Presbrey, probably of Taunton, to Abigail Godfrey. The book lists four children: Seth, Samuel, George and Henry.
There's little doubt all those named within the Bibles have long-since died. Several generations have come and gone, but Santos and Pacheco recognize many of the surnames.
They hope word will reach the descendants and these books can be returned.
Contact Pacheco if you believe you may be related to the books' original owners. If you're right, and your family link can be established, Santos and Pacheco have pledged to let you take your family Bible home.
"However, if, after a period of time, we have not found their families, we will offer the Bibles for general sale as historic treasures," Santos said.
If you believe you may be a descendant of any of these five Bibles' owners, contact Dighton Historical Society President Chris Pacheco at 508-669-6888.
Email Rory Schuler at email@example.com.


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Moore was the only school I applied to. It was the only school I wanted to go to. I did the Summer Art and Design Institute when I was in high school and fell in love with everything about the school. Moore really helped mold me into the woman I am today, helped me focus in on what I wanted out of life and how to get it.
I had the amazing opportunity to be a color design Intern at the home office of Anthropologie for two months in the summer. I learned so much in my time there. This internship combined with my background in fashion design at Moore really prepared me for starting my own company, Celebrated Lady LLC.
At Celebrated Lady, I spend my time designing, then hand crafting jewelry and accessories for the everyday lady to enjoy. I have always loved creating things and have always wanted to share what I create. At Celebrated Lady, I have the opportunity to do just that and more because, through fashion, I can inspire every lady to know that she deserves not only to celebrate herself but also to be celebrated.
Jennifer's Website and Blog:


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TORONTO – LA Galaxy Insider Adam Serrano gives his Three Points to the LA Galaxy's 2-2 draw with Toronto FC.
Less than a week after returning to the LA Galaxy, Landon Donovan made his 2013 debut going 29 minutes for LA.
Immediately upon entering Donovan was handed the captain's armband by longtime teammate Todd Dunivant, effectively ending any question of whether or not his teammates supported him throughout his absence. Seconds later—six to be exact—Donovan had his first scoring opportunity as Mike Magee found him in space, but his shot was fired right at TFC 'keeper Joe Bendik for one of his three saves on the day. As for his competitive spark, Donovan showed plenty of fight a few minutes later when he was involved in a shoving match with TFC captain Darren O'Dea after a foul in the attacking end.
With the CONCACAF Champions League Semifinal series against Monterrey looming, expect Donovan to see plenty of time in CCL play as he looks to regain his sharpness and game fitness.
READ: Donovan on return to team during CCL: "I could potentially see myself playing some role"
Donovan wasn't the only person who Bruce Arena turned to provide a spark as second half substitute Jose Villarreal would prove to be the Galaxy's saving grace.
With the score still tied 1-1, Bruce Arena made another attacking change with his second substitution, sending on Jose Villarreal for Michael Stephens in the 70th minute. Despite missing time earlier this week while battling an illness, the confident young forward was immediately active, unnerving the Toronto defense. Whereas earlier the Galaxy had struggled to break down Toronto, Villarreal's quickness and movement off the ball sparked several LA chances. After testing Toronto several times with a few dangerous runs, in stoppage time, Villarreal bailed out the Galaxy as he scored a spectacular scissor kick that flew past Bendik and earned LA a well-deserved point.
At the other end of the field, Toronto FC were able to take a 2-1 lead in the 78th minute when Luis Silva, who had entered the game just six minutes earlier, helped to set ip fellow second half substitute Jonathan Osorio for what looked to be the game-winner.
It wasn't always pretty, but the LA Galaxy defense was able to hold to give LA their first four game unbeaten start to a season since 2010.
The Galaxy flew out of the gates, taking a 1-0 lead through Mike Magee, but in the 29th minute a defensive miscommunication between Leonardo and goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini allowed Robert Earnshaw to level the score. After the miscommunication, TFC continued the pressure as they sought to force turnovers and create mismatches in the final third. After Toronto's second goal, however, the Galaxy held, allowing Jose Villarreal's goal to level the score late.
The miscommunication is a cause for concern, but LA's ability to battle back and earn a point after facing their first deficit of the year and continue their unbeaten start to 2013 will boost the team's collective confidence ahead of Wednesday's Champions League first leg against Monterrey.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at email@example.com


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Andi's post on "Dispelling myths about Quilts of Valor" inspired me. She's right- when a topic reaches multiple pages many people don't read through everything before posting (totally understandable!) and therefore may miss valuable information.
Fabric prices are on the rise and I think all of us understand why, at least the basics. Drought, failed cotton crops, etc. all contribute to the skyrocketing price of fabric. The demand is there but the supply is not, and when that happens prices go up. Believe me, it is not in any manufacturer or retailer's plans to raise prices so high that no one will buy! They are literally forced into this position at this time.
I found a few good links explaining the rise in prices:
So what? you say. That doesn't mean my LQS should raise prices on existing stock. It didn't cost that much when they bought it! They're just price gouging!
They're not.
Small retailers don't have the purchasing power of bigger retailers and are often on much stricter payment plans. Many now have to pay up-front for their inventory instead of 30 or 60 days. Add in rising fuel, energy costs, labor costs, import duties, and taxes. If they sell those old bolts at their original prices, they won't be able to afford new inventory as well as their overhead costs and will go out of business.
As with the manufacturers, it is not a quilt shop owner's desire to raise prices so high that customers won't buy! They don't want to go out of business, but they are literally forced into this position.
As polyman mentioned in the other thread: "Notice in these comments that all the stores that gave the good prices are no longer in business."
Hopefully this helps with understanding why a shop will raise prices on existing inventory as well as new.


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PACT benefits:
The PACT (Preparing for a Career in Teaching) Program provides academic counseling and other resources to assist students in choosing appropriate courses and majors to help them prepare for a career in teaching. These resources include workshops, university representative appointments, teacher examination information, campus tours, and the Student California Teacher Association (SCTA) Future Teachers Club. For further information please call 949-582-4328 or visit related links on this webpage, such as the Teacher Preparation Pipeline (TPP) page.
Events: SCTA Meetings - Fridays 1-2pm SSC 211
View the list of FAQ (Frequently asked questions) that might answer your transfer question now.


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Read the full story here Web Link posted Monday, October 22, 2007, 9:50 AM
Town Square
2 weekend accidents leave one dead, three critically injured
Original post made on Oct 23, 2007
Read the full story here Web Link posted Monday, October 22, 2007, 9:50 AM
Comments (5)
a resident of Highland Oaks
on Oct 23, 2007 at 4:14 pm
"Police are investigating the possibility of alcohol being a factor in the accident"
Early champagne brunch?
a resident of Deer Oaks/Twelve Oaks
on Oct 24, 2007 at 9:39 am
There have been no updates on this story for days now, and I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering how those critically injured in these accidents are doing... and praying for them. Could there be some update, please?
a resident of another community
on Oct 31, 2007 at 2:36 pm
There has been no updates because of the pending investigation. There is speculation that alcohol was the cause. The indivual that was driving was drinking the night before. its a horrible loss either way.
a resident of Canyon Creek
on Mar 5, 2008 at 1:03 am
Alcohol was the cause of the accident! Katie was three times over the limit and shes only 19! Laurel on the other hand I don't know what her toxicology was? They had been in San Francisco partying with some friends all night and were drinking. A friend dropped them off at the bart station in Pleasanton where Katies car was parked. A few minutes later the accident happened and you all know how that happened. I know all this info because I am a friend of the girl who was killed and the girl who was driving. I graduated with both of them and I was shocked when I heard the news of this accident. Laurel's death has been really hard for me to deal with, Katie on the otherhand I could care less about. She has been in jail for 4 months now, and thats where she belongs. I will make sure Laurel will get justice and Katie will pay for what she did. She was an alcoholic who had a previous arrest 5 months prior to this accident. She was drunk in public and when the cops came they tried to take her home but instead she punched him. So now she has a felony or misdeameaner for assaulting a cop plus all this stuff. I really have no sympathy for Katie. She killed my friend whom I loved very much and its hard to forgive someone who did this. But she needs to get help and realize what a devestating thing she has done to not only me, my friends, their families and friends and this whole town! Maybe something good can come from this mistake?
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Feb 18, 2009 at 2:36 pm
What about an update on this other loser Robert Brian Monaghan. Is he in jail? How is the 9 year old girl doing now?
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