March 8, 2013 (Blossom Valley)--This one-year-old, female 10 lb tiny Schnoodle (Schnauzer/ Poodle) loves to follow us around our large acreage. She bonds very closely and strives to stay with her family, and loves to play when she is not being cuddled. She shows us that she is friendly with all dogs, and people of all ages.  She is trustworthy if left outside alone, and will stay with our small pack of dogs.

If you are interested in this little princess please email me the life you can give to her including the amount of hours she will be alone while you are at work, and the family members she will have.

March 7, 2013--(San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL/REGIONAL

• San Diego-based air traffic control errors soar (U-T San Diego) 
• Rising permitting fees driving up housing prices in East County (EC Californian) 
• Manzanita health study (The Alpine Sun) 
• SD’s Share of Federal Homelessness Funding Doesn’t Add Up (Voice of San Diego) 
• San Diego City Council To Consider $600K Settlement Over 2011 Blackout ( KPBS) 
• Mayor recommends funding of homeless shelter, public restrooms (SD CityBeat) 
• Lakeside residents use Facebook for neighborhood watch (Fox)
• Ramona utility demands big money from ratepayers (10 News) 
• Blackbird foot malady poses mystery (U—T San Diego) 
• Cassandra Steppat Crowned Miss La Mesa, City’s First Title-Holder of Color (La Mesa Patch) 
• Call to action: Master plan threatens historic spring house at Collier Park: (La Mesa Today)

STATE

• Former parks employee fined by ethics commission (Sacramento Bee) 
• New bill would separate reform CPUC hierarchy (Sacramento Bee) 
• Republican leaders emphasize Latino candidates (Sacramento Bee)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

December 19, 2012 -- (San Diego’s East County) – ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

Mass shooting at Connecticut elementary school:

• Fear of being committed may have caused Connecticut gunman to snap (Fox)
• After a 1996 mass shooting, Australia enacted strict gun laws. It hasn’t had a similar massacre since. (Slate)
• Feinstein says bills to ban assault weapons will be a priority (La Mesa Patch)
• Newtown tragedy could put mental health in spotlight (USA Today)
• 'I Am Adam Lanza's Mother'  (Huffington Post)
• How many more Mondays? Changing a culture of glorified violence (San Diego Free Press)
• Sandy Hook: Police say shooter forced his way into school (Christian Science Monitor)
• School adviser: Gunman a loner who felt no pain (U-T San Diego)

Other national news:

• Kerry favorite to become Secretary of State (CBS)
• Deficit deal offers chance for salvation for 112th Congress (The Hill)
• Boehmer offers debt ceiling increase in cliff compromise (Washington Post)
• Obama’s new offer on fiscal cliff could lead to deal (New York Times)
• Flight of hypocrisy: Feds fine oil companies, give pass to wind farms killing birds (Fox)
• Cyberattacks on US banks resume, aiming to block their websites-tied to Hamas (Christian Science Monitor)
• Good Tidings Of Great Joy: Google Maps App Released For iPhone (NPR)
• Turn that down: FCC orders TV ads to lower volume (RawStory)
• Government PR surges amid media cuts (UT-San Diego)
• Illegal immigration drops after decade-long rise (U-T San Diego)
• 'We've Got Bigger Fish To Fry' Than Going After Pot Smokers, Obama Says (NPR)
• Mormon Women Dare To Wear Pants To Church (NPR)

WORLD

• Death toll from Typhoon tops 1,000 in Philippines (CNN)
• 'Syrian jets bomb Palestinian camp in Damascus' (Jerusalem Post)
• Codex committee: you can’t tell people that nutrients prevent disease! (Alliance for Natural Health)
• U.S. Officials: Syria Has Prepared Several Dozen Chemical Bombs (NPR)
• Police in Facebook global arrests (BBC)
• Egyptian women claim judge barred them from voting (U-T San Diego)
• Why Africa's lions are rapidly disappearing (Christian Science Monitor)
• Lack of food stunts Chad children, damages minds (U-T San Diego)
• New Palestinian group declares 3rd Intifada (Jerusalem Post)
• Russia raids activists in 'revolution' probe (Jewish World Review)
• Egypt court gives Christian 3 years for blasphemy (U-T San Diego)
• The Israeli Periphery (Jewish World Review)
• Israeli expansion threatens West Bank Bedouin (Al Jazeera)
• E.U. Votes To Have A Single Regulator For Its Banks (NPR)
• Japan’s ABE sees difficult road ahead (Al Jazeera)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

Regulators liken penny auction site to Ponzi scheme

By Rebecca J. Williamson

November 16, 2012 (San Diego's East County) -- What has 3,493 “likes” on one participant’s Facebook page that may turn into “hates” and lawsuits?

The answer?   ZEEK REWARDS --- an online penny auction house that is under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for financial fraud.  See http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt041.shtm  and  http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2012/2012-160.htm.

November 13, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--County Supervisor Dianne Jacob has added a new tool to stay in touch with her constituents – social media.

Jacob, who represents District 2, is now active on Facebook and Twitter, in addition to putting out a print newsletter, The Jacob Journal, and maintaining a website – www.dianne.jacob.com. “I’ve always valued my close contact with folks in my East County district,” said Jacob. “These online tools provide more ways to expand those ties, and to let my constituents know about the pressing issues facing our region and the rest of San Diego County.”

U.S.
 
GENERAL NEWS
 
Supreme Court says Montana cannot ignore Citizens United ruling (NPR)
 

• Supreme Court says Montana cannot ignore Citizens United ruling (NPR)
• Supreme Court rules juvenile life without parole is cruel and unusual punishment (Chicago Tribune)
• GM Grass linked to Texas cattle deaths; fields found toxic with cyanide produced by crop (CBS)
• E-mail change angers Facebook users (CNN)
• Thousands evacuated as wildfire nears Colorado towns (USA Today)
• With no vote, taxpayers stuck with tab on bonds (New York Times)

• Issa: No evidence White House covered up `Fast and Furious’ fallout (Los Angeles Times)
• Obama invokes executive privilege over ‘Fast and Furious’ documents (Los Angeles Times)
• Rubio sticks to GOP doctrine over immigration (The Hill)
• Cash rules at Romney retreat while Condoleeza Rice steals the show (Yahoo news)

• Analysis: Mexican ruling party faces defeat but may back reforms (Reuters)
• Muslim Brotherhood’s Morsi named Egyptian president (CBS)
• Morsi quits Muslim brother hood, vows to unite country (NBC)

• Iberdrola to explore sale of U.S. wind plants and projects (Recharge News)
• Quatar takes state in Iberdrola (The National)
• Texas wind energy fails again (National Review)
• Presidential projects on wind power flawed according to new book (KXXV)
• The trouble with turbines: an ill wind (Nature) 

• Radioactive bluefin tuna caught off coast of California (10 News)
• A special Memorial Day delivery for La Mesa (La Mesa Today)
• Soccer unites refugee and immigrant kids (UT San Diego)
• Fletcher campaign receives over $56,000 from donors outside of state (Reader)
• Portion of Interstate 8 dedicated to fallen agent  Robert W. Rosas (Backcountry Messenger)
• New library, updated school for Lemon Grove (UT San Diego)

• CA Senate passes bill prohibiting schools and employers from asking for Facebook passwords (Sacramento Bee)
• California Democrats bid for 2/3 control of state Senate (Sacramento Bee)
• Mentally ill inmates on the rise (Sacramento Bee) 

• Obama spending binge never happened (Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch)
• GOP Senators push for Medicare cuts (The Hill)
• Wall Street rebounds, but investors dump Facebook (Reuters)
• As NATO summit wraps, Romney and Obama trade attacks (USA Today)
• This terrifying amendment legalizes use of propaganda on the U.S. public (Business Insider)
• Republican-led House votes to allow military action against Iran (RawStory)
• CEOs who delivered the most and least bang for the buck (Wall Street Journal)
• Facebook users file class action over online tracking (RawStory)
• Romney, Obama in dead heat, new poll finds (Washington Post)
• Troops face same risk of brain-wasting disease as football players (KPBS)

• U.S. Senate approves bill to toughen Iran sanctions (BBC)
• Italy earthquake: Monti prepares for state of emergency (BBC)
• Suicide bomber kills 90 in Yemen (Reuters)
• Despite end to Afghan war in 2014, U.S. to shoulder burden of funding (Fox News)
• A look at ‘wind turbines of the deep’ (BBC)

• Obama announces new housing refinance plan (Washington Post)
• Facebook and Zuckerberg embark on mega-IPO(Reuters)
• Obama offers plan to help small businesses, start-ups (Washington Post)
• Proposed jobs bill would target outsourcing by U.S. firms (Washington Post)
• USDA to require healthier meals in schools with updated nutrition standards (NPR)
• Common chemical could make kids vaccines less effective (NPR)  

• Romney wins big in Florida, routing Gingrich (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Jailed Rep. Cunningham endorses Gingrich (Daily Beast)

• Villagers scramble for fuel in Europe's big chill (Reuters)
  
• U.S. plans to end Afghan combat role early; Kabul surprised (BBC)
• Child slavery and chocolate: all too easy to find (CNN)
• Fair trade chocolate creations (CNN)
• Al Qaeda in northern Africa an “afterthought” no more (CNN)

 
Update February 4, 2012 -- The Department of Defense still has not listed the death of Jay Polk, nor has any notice of his death been published in New Iberia, Louisiana, where he claimed to live.  A source informs ECM further that his name has not been provided for addition to a memorial for special forces soldiers. Thus it now appears he was not killed in service to his country and likely fabricated the "report" of his death and possibly his military service as well. Now a blog site claims to have obtained military records showing a Jamond Polk was thrown out of the military at Fort Jackson. We do not know if this is the same Jay Polk referenced below, but include this information for anyone who may be able to confirm or disprove the connection: 

http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=28611. If anyone has evidence of his whereabouts or can confirm/disprove his claims of military service, please contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org. 

We are leaving this story posted, with this disclaimer, because the research on special forces operations includes numerous well documented links on that issue  even if Polk's tale is a hoax.  

By Nadin B. Abbott

January 17, 2012 (San Diego)— On January 2, a soldier in San Diego claiming links to Special Forces posted on his Facebook page that he was deploying to Syria. This tantalizing piece of information startled readers, leading many to ask: does our country have troops in Syria and if so, why?

 
January 16, 2012 (Alpine) -- The Council for Youth Empowerment, a 501 c 3 non-profit organization announces their 2012 Father-Daughter Dance on Friday, February 3, 2012 at the Alpine Community Center.  Attendance is limited to the first 100 couples who apply and this event completely sells out each year.

 By Mayan Avitable