The Pebble Smartwatch

I don't claim to be a gear head, or a techno blogger.   But sometimes something comes around that seems so simple and chic, yet oozing with technology, that I can't stop myself.   The Pebble smartwatch is one of those things.   You can read gobs about these things all over the internet by lots of smart and qualified people, but my thoughts are pretty clear; I think its nifty; and I like that.

In the above image, I have loaded some optional software called SmartCards; which I noticed adds lots of functionality and sacrifices alot of battery life as well [both watch and phone].  The "out of box" experience, is more like the image at the end of the post.  As a watch its extremely light weight.  I didn't realize I had it on.  The case and strap fit my large wrists quite well, although  I could see some smaller sized people [maybe the Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz!] say its too big.  Its a large, in step, fashionable watch size.  Its also 5 meter water resistant.  Also a perk I hadn't anticipated, but admired as a puppy owner.  We frequent the places we should not be, and knowing I won't ruin 150 dollars of technoporn in a splash is very reassuring; and found to be a challenge to the puppy!

As a watch without a bluetooth enabled smart phone, its pointless to own this thing.  Really.  Although, the text version of the watch is very cool and catches everyone's attention when I wear it; see the bottom image for what I mean.   Its very easy to read, in the light and dark!  Its a back lit e-ink design for very low power consumption and crisp viewing [it has more in common with an Amazon Kindle than a Casio calculator watch honestly!] But paired with a smart phone it takes me the next most logical step in the evolution of a watch.  Why wear a watch?  To know what time it is.  But WHY do you need to know that time it is?  This watch will tell you.  What time to I need to be there?  This watch tells me.  Who the hell is calling me at 4am? This watch shows me.  Its simple.  Its amazing.  Its really the logical step in wearable technology because it customizes to my personal need, and answers all those above listed questions without me really thinking.  Lets face it, we live in a "right now" world.  I don't always have the time [or patience!] to pull my phone out and see what time it is or who is texting me now.  Hell, at work, I can't even pull my phone out and I likely don't have the free hands to use it anyhow.  All I do now is check the time and I answer those questions.  Nifty.

So for what it does: A+  Its simple.  Its in-obtrusive.  It requires very minimal learning or manipulation.  It does have three buttons.   In all honesty, it could be done in one or two though...  In all functionality its 90% there.  So whats missing?  Well.  Some will say its one-way.  I like that.  I give that merit.  Other companies are making the Dick Tracey specials.... video chat, speaker phones, color screens, separate cell radios.  I wanted a simple watch.  I wanted black.  I wanted sleek and modern.   And I dont want to fuck with charging another battery twice a day.   Iphone kills me that way.   This watch touts 5 days between charges.  I'd say thats accurate using only the build in software.  If you add things, cut it by a third.   Still.  Not bad at all.   The fancy Galaxy Smartwatch does all that.  Its bright.  Its shiny.  Its twice the price.  Its a horrible watch.   This is a great watch; that doesn't require a backpack battery like my iphone to make it through the day.  But it is a one-way deal.  Thats a deal breaker for some of you I'm sure.  For someone like my dad, this is a deal MAKER.  For me, I'd prefer my technology to be under the hood, just out of the way.  It is missing a few things I thought it would have on board.  Some additional sensors, a basic gps [instead of eating at your phones data + assisted gps {which isn't real gps}], its own temperature / barometer, heart rate sensor.   Thats really it.  The gps part doesn't surprise me.  Thats expensive to miniaturize and hell to simplify.  But, if a freaking camera can have GPS built in, why shouldn't this? Even if it only pings every 10 minutes, it could probably do it more accurately than cell phone and use half the power the cell phone would need to triangulate it anyhow.   Sigh.  Temperature sensors are cheap.  There is plenty of space to do this on the watch case.  Sure, its not going to be 110% accurate since its sitting on my wrist; but again; it would be much more effective than pulling data through a cell phone, fetching a google search, pairing a gps position, then pushing the data pack to the watch.  Heart rate? That should be here.  Even the cheapo heart rate watches under 20 bucks would work fine.  Does it need to be as accurate as my cardiologist? NO. Just get me in the ball park within 5 bpm.  Its simplicity.  And what better place to take my pulse than where we teach med students to take it from, than the wrist?  

But what it does leave me with is two questions.  How long does this really stay relevant for me?  How long until this gadget is replaced with something more fully featured? Its a mouse trap.  Its just not one you've ever seen, because you use the same snap trap your grandparents used because it kills mice.  This one has a lot going on.  It kills mice two ways.  But that doesn't mean someone won't make a better mousetrap yet.  For me, does the utility outweigh the novelty?  I don't know yet.  After a day I'm still treating it like a piece of jewelry.  I take it off at night.  I take it off to do delicate or rough tasks.  But it goes back on.  Its a great watch.  Its clear to read.  Its sleek.  And I get the Red Sox scores and text messages with a tug of my shirt sleeve.   The Pebble smart watch is a winner.   For 150 bucks its a good deal.  When it drops under a 100, you better have one.... unless the next mouse trap hooks to your cell phone in a better way!

S

Both images are my own, as are my opinions!

Life With Wrangler

Life with Wrangler seems to be getting on track.   For the most part he listens to me.  That’s saying a lot for a puppy that’s 12 weeks old.  He still chews and bites at me.  Its not a vicious thing; its his version of playing.  That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, or I don’t bleed.  Were working on curbing that.  We’ve had two vet appointments and they say its normal for a puppy.   We’ll go with it. 

So far, crate training is going above average!  He will stay in it at night, and I can even sleep in my bed upstairs.  However, he tolerates it for a maximum of 8 hours.  After that, he barks and yips and howls to get out.   Still.  That’s along time for little guy to hold it, but sleeping helps.  We also us it to take naps in.  I’ve even caught him just wandering in there a few times.  All great signs!

Walks are the next biggest improvement.   Our first time out, we barely made it a block and couldn’t stay on course.  Everyday we are trying to get 2 walks in, and he can focus better and generally can go everywhere with minimal carry time.  When he does get carried is to cross the street [he tends to want to play in the middle of it], or when we won’t stop straining off the path.  A little bit of redirection, then he is ready to roll again.   Its usually a half hour of run around time up and down hills all around the park that’s across the street.  If he does well, we then go farther to a newer place he can sniff and he gets all the time he wants to sniff around.  But he has really improved with walks.  He will stay on the right side 75% of the time and moves at the right speed.  Otherwise he will dance all over the sidewalk and sniff at things or gallop along.  Still good for his age.

As far as play time: well, he shreds tennis balls in minutes!  My mother made the mistake of buying him a couple to chase…  He had peeled them like an orange and now I have neon green fluff everywhere.  Wrangler looked quite proud of that.  Kong toys are still the best, nuclear option.  I load it with a treat and give it a dab of peanut butter for crate time, and he’s good for 10 minutes.  Otherwise, we seem to enjoy toilet paper [it now can not be on the roll on the wall because he runs it off or chews it], shoe laces [I’ve replaced 2 pairs in past few weeks because of it], blue painters tape [which was left on a doorway] and any kind of zipper.  Yes. Zippers.   I don’t know why.  Metal, nylon, plastic, all of them get chewed up.  I have 2 coats I can’t wear now because the zippers are trashed.   But still, considering his teething stage, he’s doing well. 

Potty training is our big success.  He’s quite good about it.  He will go sit by the door if need be, but if we stick to the first out, 20 minutes after eating, and 20 minutes after play time, he’s not had any incidents.  And this little guy craps like a race horse!  So far so good.

Last but not least was bath time tonight!  Every morning when I shower he comes in, puts both paws up on the tub and cries as he tugs on the shower curtain; obviously he’s curious.  So we had our first bath tonight on my kitchen floor in a plastic tote.  I couldn’t get any pictures as I have to do this solo; but I will say it was funny watching his expressions!  He wanted out pretty bad. And he kept trying to drink the water or bite bubbles.  Pretty funny little guy!

A few people have asked me on twitter if I’d start a divergent Beagle bog… not interested… I neglect my Burrito blog [BuyMeABurrito.Blogspot.com] as it is; so I introduced the #Beagle tag to filter my blog with. 

http://qctimes.com/news/local/former-mayor-pleads-guilty-to-theft-charges/article_b5a86eba-d7f9-11e1-be68-001a4bcf887a.html

Its not every day, in every city, a former cop/ former mayor gets to plead guilty for theft.     Not only theft, but while working for a pawn shop in the downtown area....  Not only for a pawnshop, but falsifying records for fake pawns, then pocketing about 10k in cash.    Yeah.  Thats a Quad Cities kind of day.  Keep it classy out there folks.


Hello Quad Cities!!!!

the return of RONRON !!

Former alderman arrested on gun charge

available online Qctimes.com

by Kurt Allemeier

A former Davenport alderman who served a troubled tenure on the city council has been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Ronald Van Fossen, 67, of 4523 S. Concord St., was charged Thursday stemming from an incident earlier in the week. He is scheduled to appear in court next on Aug. 27.

Van Fossen served one term on the council, from 2006-2008, marred by arrests for domestic abuse, a stint in alcohol rehabilitation and a sexual harassment lawsuit by a city employee that resulted in a $92,000 settlement.

It was a 2007 conviction for domestic abuse that led to the firearm charge, a court affidavit states.

Davenport police investigating his vehicle being stolen recovered it Saturday in the 2200 block of East 12th Street and found a handgun inside, the affidavit says. The next day, officers asked Van Fossen whether he owned the handgun. Van Fossen said he did.

Van Fossen appeared in court Friday. He was not booked into the Scott County Jail.

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RonRon, I have missed you. You and your stupid antics are what this town needs again. Get your ride ganked. Leave your gat in the front seat, and let the police find it down around 12th street. Lets see if that makes news. Bitchin' RonRon is back baby!

Dad chained car bumper to teen son, police say

article by: Ann Mcglynn [available online via QCTimes.net] Oct. 5th 2009

A Davenport father who allegedly chained a detached bumper from a 1979 Camaro to his son's ankle is facing a criminal charge after police say he admitted to doing so in an attempt to keep the 14-year-old from running away.

Richard Allen Collins, 37, of 1516 W. 7th St., is accused of child endangerment with bodily injury. His brother, James Harry Collins, 43, of the same address, is accused of assault with injury.

Authorities became involved late Sunday afternoon when Richard Collins called the police reporting his 14-year-old son was out of control.

According to reports:

The teen ran away from his father's house on Wednesday because "his father routinely beats and hits him," the police report states. The teen had visible signs of injury to his face.

He found a ride to Wilton, Iowa, where he was picked up by the police for jaywalking. The police called Richard Collins to pick up his son Sunday, but the teen said he did not want to go home with his father because he was afraid of being beaten.

The teen did eventually leave the police department with his dad, who arrived with James Collins to pick him up.

In the car on the way back to Davenport, there was a physical altercation between Richard Collins and his son. It is disputed as to whether it was just Richard Collins hitting his son, or if both participated, police reports indicate.

Once at the house, the physical altercation continued. Richard Collins told his son to go to his room. Reports indicate the 14-year-old damaged items in his room and threatened to run away again.

Richard and James Collins then wrapped a log chain around the teen's ankle and padlocked it. The opposite end of the chain was attached to what was later described as a heavy car bumper retrieved from the garage.

The windows in the teen's bedroom are screwed shut, the police report noted, also to prevent the teen from running away.

The car bumper was left chained to the teen's ankle for up to 30 minutes. After it was unhooked, Richard Collins called the police.

The Iowa Department of Human Services is involved. The teen was released to his mother.

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I-80 bridge crumbles under DOT's watch

by QC Times Staff [editorial] [available online, via QCTimes.net Sept 21 2009]

The day before Thanksgiving 1995, construction crews hustled to finish the $10.3 million redecking of the Interstate 80 bridge over the Mississippi River. Our story in the Nov. 22, 1995, newspaper showed workers were eager to complete the five-month project before the holiday weekend.

"We'd rather get it done now, so we may work until dark," Illinois Department of Transportation representative Ross Monk told the Times.

In a Times news story published Saturday, the Illinois DOT revealed that workers had been rushed all along. Design errors discovered in 1995 are being blamed as the cause of cracks and deterioration that will require major repairs and many more months of lane closures.

"Unfortunately the miscommunication was found late in the plan," Ralph Anderson, engineer of bridges and structures for Illinois DOT, told Times reporter Dustin Lemmon last week. Anderson specifically blamed the mistake on a rush to get the bridge finished.

This long, long-delayed disclosure disheartens us and all of the 30,300 motorists who rely on this bridge each day. The mistake means that the $10.3 million project intended to last for at least

20 years barely lasted 12.

Flaws known since May

For three months, the Quad-City Times aggressively tried to obtain this specific information. In June, the Illinois DOT denied our request for bridge records, claiming disclosure would leave the bridge susceptible to terrorist attacks.

It turns out terrorists didn't need to lift a finger to jeopardize this bridge.

A full month before our official request for the records, DOT inspectors had privately concluded this bridge's superstructure was in "critical condition." The May 15 inspection concluded the bridge "may require closing." The inspectors' structural evaluation said the bridge condition is "intolerable. High priority for replacement."

The records made public last week are just a fraction of the information the public needs to understand what happened. The Illinois DOT should follow up with specific copies of inspection reports, worker orders and contracts - all paid for by taxpayers. Instead, this devastating assessment of our community's bridge was withheld until it could be included in a Web-accessible database of every bridge in Illinois.

Normally, we'd welcome this type of accessibility and transparency. But in this case, Illinois DOT seems to have used a spurious excuse about bridge security to purposefully withhold important information about a critical bridge in our community. And the secrecy seems part of a pattern.

Abysmal cover-up

Because of design flaws now attributed to the rush, this bridge was too unstable to support light poles, which were removed in 2002. Despite repeated questions by Times reporters then, Illinois DOT never divulged the design flaws it now seems certain were known since 1995.

This abysmal cover-up makes it unlikely taxpayers can be reimbursed for the errors. Instead, they will pay again for temporary repairs next year, which will restrict traffic for much of another summer season.

In interviews last week with the Illinois DOT, we renewed our request for all the pertinent records, and we repeat that request publicly now.

Our bottom line: Public records about publicly funded construction on a public bridge belong to the public.

Secrecy jeopardized the integrity of this bridge, and not so incidentally, the integrity of the Illinois DOT. The time to disclose is now.

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This is about the most scathing editorial I've seen the Times run in my recent memory. I'm not saying this paper should be running aroung racking up mud, but they did everything in print here but come out and say "YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!." Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand I agree with it. So much so, I just said it for them.

First of all, leave it to state workers to say, "uhm yeah... we might have to work until dark to finish this." Dark, as in November... when its freaking dark by 5pm. God forbid any state employee has to work later than 5pm! Especially on crucial pieces of infrastructure. Especially when they need to open the main artery across the nation, in time for the 2nd most traveled holiday of the calendar. Especially when they had already drug out the construction season till freaking November as it was. I guess I don't know much about concrete. I guess it sets better, and cures harder when exposed to temperatures below freezing for more than half a day.

So then it gets better. Not only is the bridge in such bad condition [what started all this was a "routine inspection" while re paving approach lanes, where they note structural members were cracked and broken], its been in that state since the last time they tried to service it. But. They waited until a bridge collapses, during rush hour, in Minnesota, before they decide to do much about it. And even then.... they pop off with the socially acceptable excuse of "the terrorists can't know about this!" The bridge is in such poor condition, they had to remove light poles. Light poles???? What about the 12 tons of 18-wheelers flying across that bastard at 85 miles an hour? Its a good thing the DOT of Illinois removed the light poles. This way the terrorists would never see there was a bridge there to blow up. Or something ridiculous like that.

WTG Smell-inois. I hate working in your state, and now, I really don't like using bridges you maintain to get there.

Man jumps from I-74 bridge, captured by police

by Tory Brecht, and Dustin Lemmon [available online via QCTimes.net September 14 2009]

A man who jumped off the Interstate 74 bridge tonight was captured by a Bettendorf police officer who commandeered a recreational boat as part of a Mississippi River search for the suspect.

Lt. Warren Beine of the Bettendorf Police Department identified the man who was arrested less than an hour after the incident began as Brian Moore, 27, of Moline. He is being held at the Scott County Jail and is expected to be charged with theft and interference with official acts. Other charges may be pending.

Beine said the arrest, stemming from an incident that began about 6:30 p.m. was a case of strong cooperation and coordination between Bettendorf and Moline police and firefighters.

Beine gave this account of the incident:

Bettendorf police received a call from a convenience store near the bridge that a suspect had attempted to steal liquor and took off on foot.

A witness told police the suspect got in a car headed toward the bridge and gave police the auto's license plate number.

A Bettendorf officer was already on the bridge, attending to a minor auto accident that had slowed traffic to a crawl on the Illinois-bound span when the call came in, so the officer approached the car in question.

The suspect got out of his car and the officer attempted to make an arrest only to have the man refuse to comply and walk away from him while they were in the middle of the bridge where there is an area that is used by official vehicles as a turnaround spot.

Although the officer did not feel he was in danger, he attempted to use a taser to prevent the man from escaping. However, only one of the device's two barbs went in the man's skin, so it failed to incapacitate him.

"Then the guy turned and jumped off the bridge," Beine said.

The officer looked over the railing and saw that the man was swimming, trying to escape. The water below the bridge at that location is only seven-feet deep. At that point, the Bettendorf police and Moline Fire Department launched rescue boats while a Bettendorf officer at nearby Leach Park commandeered a privately owned boat.

The suspect briefly avoided capture by intermittently hiding under water and then coming up for air, but he soon was captured and pulled aboard the fire department boat.

Paramedics checked the man and said he was not injured by the taser attempt, his jump or the time spent in the water.

------------------------------------------

Depends if you ever been over this bridge or not, but ... its not the tallest bridge in the area... but I'd guess its probably 30 feet from the deck to the water. Its not something I'd be jumping off. Welcome to Stupid.

‘Wolves’ reign supreme in fashion

Staff Article, Quad City Times, July 18, 2009 [available online at QCTimes.net]

We've often waxed poetic about the Oracle of All Knowledge. (Psst, we're talking the Internet here.) There is so much information that it would take several lifetimes to see it all. And, truth be told, there are plenty of things on the Internet that are a giant waste of time.

This is where "The Mountain Men's Three Wolf Moon Short Sleeve Tee" comes into play. You see, it all began as an innocent ad for an innocent item of clothing on Amazon.com. A $17 T-shirt. But, as so often happens, things take on a life of their own.

The first customer review for the product came from "B.Govern" from New Jersey. The rest is Internet history. Here's the review:

"This item has wolves on it which makes it intrinsically sweet and worth 5 stars by itself, but once I tried it on, that's when the magic happened. After checking to ensure that the shirt would properly cover my girth, I walked from my trailer to Wal-mart with the shirt on and was immediately approached by women. The women knew from the wolves on my shirt that I, like a wolf, am a mysterious loner who knows how to 'howl at the moon' from time to time (if you catch my drift!). The women that approached me wanted to know if I would be their boyfriend and/or give them money for something they called meth. I told them no, because they didn't have enough teeth, and frankly a man with a wolf-shirt shouldn't settle for the first thing that comes to him. I arrived at Wal-mart, mounted my courtesy-scooter (walking is such a drag!) sitting side saddle so that my wolves would show. While I was browsing tube socks, I could hear aroused asthmatic breathing behind me. I turned around to see a slightly sweaty dream in sweatpants and flip-flops standing there. She told me she liked the wolves on my shirt, I told her I wanted to howl at her moon. She offered me a swig from her mountain dew, and I drove my scooter, with her shuffling along side out the door and into the rest of our lives. Thank you wolf shirt.

"Pros: Fits my girthy frame, has wolves on it, attracts women

"Cons: Only 3 wolves (could probably use a few more on the 'guns'), cannot see wolves when sitting with arms crossed, wolves would have been better if they glowed in the dark."

This one review prompted 171 comments about the review itself. One simply said this: "This is why we have the Internet."

His one review spawned enough interest in the shirt to generate 1,253 more reviews - an Amazon record. Various sites reported that sales for the shirt "were greater than expected" because of that first review.

Quadrants has created its own "wolves" shirt. To see its power, direct your browser to qctimes.com.

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You just know when your parents hand you a newspaper article, and say, "we immediately thought of you," you wince. See the whole story, as far as my parents and finding this gem, originated at work. Where we get bored. And also where we deal with some of the trashiest people, any of us, have ever met. Walnuts made the subtle observation a few months ago, that trashy people love wearing shirts with animals on them. Wolves. Moose. Skunks. Nascar digits. Unicorns. Deer. Fish. Its all really the same. Its comfort food to their wardrobe I guess. Normal people have that one shirt they like.... or maybe that super stretched out pair of underwear, that you should have thrown out, streaks and all, long ago; that you just like to put on. Anyhow, we make fun of it. We have to. Because its almost a race against society to find the must absurd and undignified animal on a shirt, then wear it to a Menard's just to show people how you really are. Eagles were popular. "Stars and stripes buddy." Anyways. Aside from finding people in tshirts with dates on them, this is the most fun we tend to have on a busy, trashy, weekend. Tshirts with dates? Thats more like bingo. People wear things with dates on them, that should long ago be paint rags. "Worlds Best Grandpa, 1992." Forget that the newborn's hand prints on that shirt, are now casually fondling breasts in COLLEGE!!! Or the "Moonlight Chase 1988" tshirt I cackle at every-time a certain contractor wears it. First off, he could run 4 miles in a day at this rate, second, that tshirt is as old as my brother. I'm happy to say that. "Your tshirt is as old as my brother." Again, I digress... Animals on shirts make the trailer park people go round. So it came up over dinner one night a while back with my parents. We did make the slow realization that we have relatives that do this. Yes. They wear wolf tshirts... or nastard digits on underwear.... or dreamy tie dyed native american shirts with horses running around them, and dream catchers printed on the armpits.... So that kind of became a running gag for awhile around my parents. Then this gem hit. THIS sparkling, refreshing gem. I feel so vindicated. Really, all you need to do, is read the bolded, italicized type. Its worth it. Now I can say, wolf shirts arent just for the trashy anymore!!!! And it came from Davenport.!

How was YOUR weekend?

Davenport police report busy holiday weekend

by Ann McGlynn [QC Times, available Online]

Two stabbings, a robbery, a theft at a car dealership and a large fight at a bar kept Davenport police officers occupied beginning early Saturday and continuing through early today, officials said.

The youngest person arrested in the string of unrelated incidents was 12 years old, records show.

"It was a busy weekend," said Capt. David Struckman of the Davenport Police Department.

The first incident happened at 2:12 a.m. Saturday at 200 W. 16th St., when Shirley A. Smith stabbed her live-in boyfriend, Felipe Reyes, in the neck with a scissors, police said. He was treated and released from Genesis Medical Center, East Rusholme Street, Davenport. She was arrested and charged with domestic assault with a weapon.

Also sometime early Saturday, a break-in occurred at Dixon Auto Sales, 1720 W. 3rd St. Thieves stole several sets of car keys and at least two cars, police said. Arrested and charged with third-degree burglary were George Douglas James, 12; Frederick Bernard James, 13; and Timothy Williams Jr., 15.

The James brothers, police said, have "extensive" juvenile records.

On Sunday night, a mentally challenged man was robbed of more than $200 in the 3300 block of Covington Drive. The suspects threatened the man with physical harm. Two people are charged with second-degree robbery: Nicholas Ryan Troxel, 17, and Keith Wilson Kelley Jr., 17.

Twenty minutes later, at 8:55 p.m., Darrius Ross, 31, was stabbed in the arm during a fight at 1124 Gaines St. During the fight, a resident of the house started having chest pains and a toddler ingested a bottle of pills. All were treated at Genesis. The child was admitted overnight for observation.

And finally, about 1:40 a.m. Monday, five people were arrested after a large fight at Las Bananas, a bar with a history of trouble at 1512 E. Kimberly Road.

Charged were Jose Luis Torres Sr., 40, for failure to disperse; Jose Luis Torres Jr., 22, for disorderly conduct; Deliah Berryman, 24, for disorderly conduct and failure to disperse; Emmanuel J. Berryman, 23, for disorderly conduct and failure to disperse; and Brandon Berryman, 21, for disorderly conduct.

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Ok. So this isn't a Chicago or Detroit police blotter for the weekend. But for Davenport alone, this is pretty good. You've got a trio of car thieves, none of whom are old enough to be in drivers ed yet... You get some good old fashioned jail house neck shanking action. Top it off with the madhouse from hell, with a stabbing victim, someone else who wanders in with heart attack symptoms, followed by, a toddler needing attention dropping back a bottle of pills. Bring to a boil, then mix in a game of "mug the mentally ill." Lastly, let stand, and garnish with the Family Feud: Las Bananas Bar Fight Edition... where pops and junior v. chick + brother + other brother all go for the battle royale, where the

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurvey SAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

YOURE ALL LOSERs.

What, the state lottery didn't want any of this?????

Rock Island mayoral race a tie, judge says

by Dustin Lemmon [QC Times, available online]

After two months of legal challenges, a recount and debates over which votes should count, Circuit Judge Mark VandeWiele has ruled that the Rock Island mayoral race ended in a tie.

At 8:30 a.m. July 15 the candidates and their attorneys will meet before the judge. Their names will be placed on sheets of paper, placed in identical envelopes, randomly mixed and then Rock Island County Clerk Richard Leibovitz will draw the winner, the judge ordered.

VandeWiele ruled that the final count was a tie with each candidate receiving 3,047 votes. Dennis Pauley, who defeated David Levin in the April 7 election with a count of 3,066 to 3,053, was seated as mayor in early May.

After taking a week to review the evidence from a court ordered recount that was completed last month, VandeWiele ruled that the ballots that weren't initialed by an election judge did not count. The recount also found a ballot that was mistakenly counted three times for Pauley only counted once.

With the numbers adjusted the election came down to two over votes. Voters on both had filled in the circles for both Pauley and Levin.

VandeWiele ruled that one with an "X" through the vote for Pauley was a "clear indication" that the voter intended to choose Levin.

The second ballot, which had a plus-like mark outside the vote for Pauley, did not count, the judge ruled. VandeWiele said a preponderance of the evidence, based on markings elsewhere on the ballot, showed that the voter likely intended to vote for Levin, but the statute calls for a "clearly ascertainable vote" and he could not make that finding.

Judge Mark VandeWiele ruled today that the Rock Island mayoral race ended in a tie and the winner will now be decided by drawing lots at a hearing at 8:30 a.m. July 15.

VandeWiele ruled that the final count was a tie with each candidate receiving 3,047 votes.

David Levin is challenging newly sworn Mayor Dennis Pauley.

-----------------------------------

Democracy, here we come! No its not the newest scratch game offered by Little Lotto. It isn't a tribal vote at the end of Survivor: Rock Island Mayoral Edition. It is, in fact, the way we get to install a new mayor, by the mandate of the masses! It if wasn't Al Gore trying to remake history, it was Al Franken. Unfortunately this character is not named Al. He is instead, by the luck of the draw, [pun intended], a 50/50 shot at becoming elected,errrr judicially installed, errrrr coin flipped into office on July 15th. Hello Quad Cities!!!!! What, match the white balls then a power ball to name a city council seat or two? Why not just have a bingo death match, no postage stamps.

S.

Davenport student gives classmates rat poison

available online: QCOnline.com [link. June 5 2009]

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A student at a Davenport elementary school brought rat poison to school and gave it to seven classmates, but all of the second and third graders are OK, an official said Thursday.

The students at Monroe Elementary School ingested a small amount of pellets before school on Tuesday, said Laura Bozarth, a spokeswoman for the Davenport Community School District.

The student brought the rat poison from home, she said. One student told a school employee, who told administrators.

'They did an all-building announcement and then teachers spoke to the students to try and determine who may have eaten it. If you did, they were sent to the office immediately, where parents were called,' Bozarth said.

The Iowa Statewide Poison Control Center was called.

'Poison control told us that the children would have to ingest an entire box to experience any poisonous effects,' she said.

Typical rat poison thins the blood.

Bozarth said some parents took their children to see doctors.

'None of the children have experienced any kind of concerning symptoms. As of yesterday, five out of the seven students were back in school. I don't know why the other two families didn't send their kids,' she said.

Bozarth said it's unclear why the student brought the rat poison. She declined to give details about the student or comment on the student's status.

Davenport police were called, she said.

A telephone call to police spokesman Capt. Dave Struckman on Thursday was not immediately returned.

Bozarth said the brand of rat poison was Contrac, made by Bell Laboratories. It's small turquoise pellets.

'What it has in it is a chemical that has a long-lasting anticoagulant. Basically, it thins the blood. A mouse or a rat that would eat this, it would thin their blood so much that they could have bleeding problems,' said Tammy Noble, a registered nurse and education coordinator with the Iowa Statewide Poison Center.

Noble said it would take a much larger quantity to affect a child — more than a mouthful.

She said if a human ingests a small amount, the body should tolerate it.

She said if a large amount of rat poison is ingested, the person would be monitored at a hospital to make sure the blood is not too thin.

Symptoms include nosebleeds and bruises, and usually appear after 24 hours.

The treatment is vitamin K, which helps the blood start clotting better, Noble said.


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of course this made national news. the LA Times, KC Star, etc etc, all ran various versions on the same AP article. go Davenport!

Child pornographer will likely spend rest of life in prison

By Ann McGlynn: QcTimes.com [available Online: Nov 23 2008]

[wait for it people!!!!!]



With evidence a judge called the most disturbing thing he’s seen, Kerwin Summage will likely spend the rest of his life in federal prison.

U.S. District Court Judge John Jarvey sentenced Summage, 41, to 60 years in prison for making sexually explicit videos with the 10-month-old and 3-year-old children of his girlfriend.

A video played during Summage’s trial made one alternate juror sob, which then prompted a fellow alternate juror to console her, Jarvey said.

“It was so disheartening,” Jarvey said.

Summage remained defiant, claiming his innocence and railing on a system he says was unfair and biased against “this black man who dares to fight …”

Summage initially was arrested on Scott County charges of second-degree sexual abuse, prostitution, sexual exploitation of children, bestiality and child endangerment without injury after a search of an apartment at 1825 W. 40th St., Davenport, turned up graphic homemade movies in July 2004.

The investigation began after police heard Summage had paid a mentally handicapped man to have sex with a woman and videotaped it, according to search warrants filed in Scott County District Court.

Summage’s girlfriend, Melissa Mae Brown, is serving time on state charges in connection with the case and is expected to be released in July 2009.

Police said videotapes made from January 2001 to July 2004 include:

* Brown walking the streets of Davenport as a prostitute and picking up clients before returning to a car to describe the details of the sex acts and to hand money to Summage.

* Summage videotaping Brown during those acts of prostitution while children are in the back seat of the car at night during the winter.

* Summage performing sex acts involving a dog and videotaping Brown as she performs sex acts involving three different dogs.

The Scott County charges against Summage were dropped in lieu of federal prosecution on charges of producing and possessing child pornography. Those charges were filed in 2005.

After a motion to suppress evidence made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, Summage then filed a request that the case be dismissed because of a violation of the Speedy Trial Act. The 2005 charges were dismissed in May after a judge ruled a violation took place, but they were refiled a few hours later.

The complaint filed in support of the first round of charges says that police seized sexually explicit videos involving prostitution and bestiality, videos that Summage appears to be directing or taping. His voice can be heard on some, and in others, he appears in a mirror holding the camera, officials said.

Furthermore, Brown told authorities that it was Summage’s idea to videotape her performing a sex act on her son and that he was the person who videotaped the act, documents state.

He’s been in custody, on Scott County charges and then federal charges, since December 2004.

Summage also has a case of sex abuse pending against him in Georgia.


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If it wasn't bad enough to use a baby.... he thought he should push his directorial powers to make his own versions of; BangBus with the kids in the back seat; plus using the mentally ill as star power I'm sure will bring in the DVD sales... as for the dog? I guess he is just pushing the envelope of ART.... only in America... only in Davenport!

I'm sorry... I've been slacking lately... Several of you have been crawling up my ass because I haven't enriched the blogging world with the latest and greatest Tales of Davenport. For your pleasure, I present, the Saga of Ron Van Fossen; Davenport Alderman...

Quad City Times, via QCTIMES.net

Van Fossen jailed shortly before special meeting

By Kurt Allemeier | Wednesday, April 11, 2007

(63) Comments | Rate this article | Default | Large

Davenport Alderman Ron Van Fossen, 1st Ward, was booked into the Scott County Jail on Tuesday less than an hour before a special City Council meeting.

Van Fossen — scheduled for trial Friday on charges of domestic abuse assault — was sentenced to seven days in jail Tuesday on contempt violation of a no-contact or protective order for a February violation of the no-contact order involving his estranged wife.

He was booked into the jail at 4:18 p.m., shortly before the council began meeting on whether to reorganize the city’s legal staff.

Van Fossen, who recently returned from an alcohol rehabilitation center in Minnesota, has said he will not resign his council position. Along with the criminal charges, he is also involved in a complaint by a city employee alleging sexual harassment.

Van Fossen has been criticized by former Mayor Pat Gibbs, who has called for the alderman’s resignation. Gibbs, who was narrowly defeated by Van Fossen for the seat in 2005, asked Mayor Ed Winborn to appoint him and promised to petition for a special election if he was not appointed.

Van Fossen, 63, was arrested Feb. 13 at the Enchanted Inn, 4815 S. Concord St., for the violation of a no- contact order related to an incident from the previous night when he allegedly forced his way into his estranged wife’s home and shoved her, causing her to strike her head on a refrigerator.

Debra VanFossen she suffered a head injury that required treatment.

Kurt Allemeier can be contacted at (563) 383-2360 or kallemeier@qctimes.com.

RECENT TROUBLE

Davenport Alderman Ron Van Fossen’s recent incidents:

Feb. 12 — Arrested for allegedly forcing his way into his wife’s South Concord Street home and shoving her into a refrigerator. He denies the allegations.

Feb. 13 — Arrested again for allegedly violating a court order of protection by entering the Enchanted Inn on South Concord where his wife was.

Feb. 21 — Reports a burglary at his Enchanted Island home after discovering an attache case containing $5,000, a shotgun and a box of ammunition are missing.

Feb. 27 — Suffers a mild heart attack and is hospitalized.

March 2 — News becomes public of a civil rights complaint alleging sexual harassment filed by Cynthia Webb, an administrative assistant to the City Council.

March 3 — Enters an alcohol treatment program at Hazelden Foundation’s Center City, Minn., campus.

April 2 — Leaves alcohol treatment and attends the City Council’s Committee of the Whole meeting.

April 10 — Sentenced to seven days in the Scott County Jail for violation of a protective order.

Alderman pleads guilty to domestic abuse charge

By Kurt Allemeier | Saturday, April 14, 2007

(37) Comments | Rate this article | Default | Large

Davenport Alderman Ron Van Fossen pleaded guilty to simple domestic abuse assault and was sentenced to 20 days in jail Friday for attacking his estranged wife in an incident at her home in February.

All but two of the 20 days were suspended and will be served concurrently with the seven-day sentence he received and began serving earlier this week for violating a no-contact order. The no-contact order protecting Debra Van Fossen was extended.

Under the plea agreement, the 1st Ward Alderman also was sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation and ordered to complete the Domestic Violence Batterers Education Program. Scott County Sheriff’s Department officials say he isn’t segregated from the general jail population. He is taking medication for a heart stent, according to the jail booking sheet.

Van Fossen, 63, was to go on trial Friday morning for the domestic battery charge. About an hour after the trial was scheduled to begin, Scott County District Judge James E. Kelley entered the courtroom to announce the plea agreement. Van Fossen didn’t appear in court.

He has said he won’t resign from the Davenport City Council, but his legal woes aren’t over when he leaves the Scott County Jail. He is also involved in a sexual harassment complaint filed by a city hall employee.

Also Friday, Davenport resident Don Stevens Jr. delivered to City Hall a petition signed by about 20 1st Ward residents, urging the Davenport City Council to remove Van Fossen from office for “behavior unbecoming of an elected official” and his arrest and jailing.

Police say Van Fossen, 63, forced his way into his estranged wife’s home and shoved her Feb. 12, causing her to strike her head on a refrigerator. Debra Van Fossen obtained a no-contact order against her husband the next day when he was arrested for violating it.

In that incident on Feb. 13, he went to the Enchanted Inn, 4815 S. Concord St., where his wife was. She immediately left the establishment. He suffered a mild heart attack in late February.

The alderman appeared in court Wednesday for violating the no-contact order. Four witnesses testified and a judge ruled that the order was violated. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with all but seven days suspended.

Van Fossen went into alcohol-treatment program in Minnesota last month. He returned earlier this month, saying he was sober and even had cut down on his smoking.

Since his domestic abuse arrest, his home was burglarized, with $5,000 cash, a shotgun and ammunition reportedly taken.



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So for any of you that missed it; this is a wonderful alderman from Davenport who, like some of the other Court Jesters [ahem; Keith Myers], seems never to be satified with fucking up. Here he is, in his glory, fresh off beating his wife [allegedly], with a sex suit on his hands, with a past history of a DWI, he decides to go galavanting around... until he got popped... just minutes before a city council meeting. Nice. Real nice. Ron, you are one classy gent, you! Cheers to getting banged around in a jail cell on company time.... errr... tax payer dime!