Blogging, tweeting, posting on Facebook all have their value for those who use social networking. You can connect with friends, exchange information, even have fun.
Yet one Web site, PleaseRobMe.com, warns that being too open with your whereabouts is akin to shining a spotlight for burglars upon your empty home.
A blogger for the New York Times weighs in on what has happened to the once-booming housing market in southern San Joaquin County.
Here’s his take
Allen Cleveland played defensive end for University of the Pacific in the 1970s. He has since settled in Sacramento. His son, Asante, who played tight end for Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento Wednesday signed to attend the University of Miami on a football scholarship.
Among other things, the Dallas Mavericks owner and media mogul calls Google “vampires” in this address to publishers.
The announcement of embezzlement and forgery charges faced by a Linden man has caused problems for his family members who share part of his name.
Let’s not confuse Larry Michael Carr, 68 or his adopted son Michael Anthony Carr, 32 or his other son Michael Wayne Carr, 44.
Michael Wayne Carr is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 8 on 12 felony charges: five counts of grand theft, three counts of forgery, two counts of obtaining money by false pretenses and one count each of embezzlement and falsifying corporate books.
According to the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, Carr took more than $1 million from several people to buy steer in Mexico and sell them in the United States.
This story was published in The Record and Recordnet.com on Tuesday and quickly grew legs because Kiefer Sutherland, best known as Jack Bauer on the TV series “24” has been named as one of the victims. Sutherland reportedly lost $869,000.
However, locally the response has been directed at Larry Michael Carr, who is known as Mike, and Michael Anthony Carr whose wife is a teacher in Linden Unified School District and whose children attend school in the district.
People just see the name Michael Anthony Carr and assume it’s either Larry Michael Carr who are both live on a ranch on Fine Road in Linden, Larry Michael Carr said.
“It’s been hell,” he said, adding that Michael Wayne is estranged from the family and they do not know his whereabouts.
Minor league sports teams do a lot of promotions to get fans to attend games. Below is a just received press release detailing what one ECHL team is attempting to do.
| West Valley City, Utah – The Utah Grizzlies have invited actor Gary Coleman to drop the puck prior to Monday’s game against Las Vegas at 7:05 p.m.
Coleman, best known for his work in the television show Diff’rent Strokes, has been going through some tough times lately after being arrested again in Utah County over the weekend and recently settling a civil suit following an incident and arrest in September, 2008 at a Payson, Utah bowling alley. The organization has reached out to his agent and attorney in an attempt to bring him to the E-Center and is hopeful to have him in attendance Monday for a ceremonial first puck drop. “Gary has struggled a bit since his move to Utah, but we’d like to take this opportunity to introduce him to Grizzlies hockey,” said Grizzlies Vice President of Communications and Broadcasting Adrian Denny. “He had a fan bail him out of jail Monday and as fans of him and Diff’rent Strokes, we’d like to show him a great night of hockey entertainment and take that opportunity to wish him all the best. His most recent set of circumstances was also the most viewed story at www.sltrib.com for over 24 hours, so we know he would be a nice addition to the pre-game festivities for our fans.” |
Well, well, well.
Let’s do the math for two stories on today’s front page:
1. The city of Stockton settles its dispute with former Deputy City Manager Johnny Ford for $250,000. Yes, a quarter mil.
2. Paragary’s tax-payer supported restaurant, which is up for sale, has its asking price dropped to $299,000
Therefore … Johnny Ford only needs $49,000 to buy the restaurant and go into business in downtown Stockton.
Less than two weeks to the Super Bowl and the pitches for Super Bowl-related stories have already begun rolling in. We’ll cover the game in The Record’s sports pages and online and we may do something in the Lens section on Super Bowl parties. There is always less demand for coverage of Super Bowls when no local teams are involved. I wasn’t in Stockton when the 49ers and Raiders made their Super Bowl runs but I lived in Denver when the Denver Broncos won back to back titles. The city was a madhouse, literally. I’ll pass this Super Bowl information along to other editors and we’ll run in print and online what makes sense for our readers.
Arthur Murrillo a candidate for Stockton City Council called me today to complain that reporter David Siders was harassing him.
Murrillo first wanted to go off the record. I declined, explaining that any conversation would be on the record, meaning it would be available for publication.
Murrillo explained that Siders kept calling him to ask for comment on an issue that Murrillo did not want to discuss.
That issue was Ramiro A. Reyes, a south Stockton activist who was arrested earlier this month at Stockton City Hall, for allegedly attempting to extort political favors from Stockton Planning Commissioner Sam Fant. In a jailhouse interview with Siders, Reyes said he lives with Murrillo and is involved in Murrillo’s campaign in north Stockton’s Council District 3.
When contacted by Siders, Murrillo referred calls to Reyes’ attorneys. Apparently Murrillo thought that was enough for Siders to stop calling him for comment on this story.
Siders’ work is far from harassment. He did not call Murrillo repeatedly during the day or at odd hours, nor did he go to Murrillo’s place of employment and wait him out. In short, he was doing what any reporter would do – go to someone connected to a story to allow him an opportunity to comment. Siders was doing reporting.
Candidates for public office should be aware that a reporter’s job is to ask for comment on a number of topics, including topics the candidate may not want to discuss. A quick example that comes to mind is former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards who became snippy when asked about his $500 haircut.
Murrillo asked me to deliver a message to Siders, which I also declined to do. I made him aware that Siders’ telephone number and e-mail are available in The Record’s print edition and at Recordnet.com.
The best way for Murrillo to deal with Siders on this issue is to answer his questions and then move on.
When the wrong story gets out
Talk about a story with legs. CNN reported last week that the city of Tracy would charge residents for calls to 911. That is incorrect. The city will charge those who call for and receive medical attention from Tracy Fire Department paramedics. However, the national media including The New York Times have picked up and are using the wrong version of this story.