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What a greasy, slimy business.

Working on an oil rig?

Well, that too,but I was thinking of college athletics.

To quote from an old Broadway tune, "What kind of fool am I?"

Eleven days ago I thought New Mexico Coach Steve Alford was the perfect candidate for the UCLA coaching vacancy.

It was theWednesday I sat in Salt Lake City typing those words for a story in advance of the subregional that featured several coaching candidates I thought UCLA and USC should consider.

The bracket featured Alford (New Mexico), Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh), Mark Few (Gonzaga), Gregg Marshall (Wichita State) and Tommy Amaker (Harvard).

Eleven days ago atEnergySolutions Arena, I typed into my keyboard for Thursday's publication that Alford should get the first call from UCLA.

It was only minutes later when news broke that Alford had signed a 10-year extension to stay at New Mexico.

I might have been dubious had Alford not sold me on his professed love for New Mexico. At his news conference in Salt Lake City, Alford said he wasnt signing just to dispel rumors he might leave.

Excerpt from:
Here's hoping Steve Alford's word to UCLA lasts more than 10 days

THEREs an intriguing theory that gets hauled out every time Jacob Zumas son/confidante/lawyer/butcher/baker/candlestick-maker is unmasked as the beneficiary of some business deal or other.

And that is, Zuma himself doesnt know this is happening. He isnt ordering the deployment of his cronies into positions of influence, the theory goes, as part of a calculated empire-building strategy of the masterminds behind Zuma Inc.

Rather, it is the companies themselves who are trying to ingratiate themselves with him of their own volition, perhaps in expectation that some day theyll be able to call in a favour.

The Guptas, for example, might claim that Zuma has ordered their inclusion in a specific deal, but thats just them name-dropping: its not as if the man from Nkandla is actually giving these sorts of orders.

Its an interesting theory, especially given the number of Zuma-linked people who just happened to end up on the shareholder list of Invictus, Gold Fields BEE shareholder.

Gold Fields, you might remember, gave the BEE shareholding to Invictus in a deal put together by former convict Gayton McKenzie in 2010. In its circular for that deal, Gold Fields said it wanted to reward those who had helped bring democracy to the country and who had not been the beneficiaries of BEE to date.

The full list of 72 shareholders of Invictus was only released this week. For no apparent reason, Gold Fields suddenly decided to reveal these names. (The identity of these beneficiaries was briefly released to shareholders in 2010 then removed, bizarrely).

All it took was a mountain of criticism in recent days over the poor governance of keeping such a list secret, a disagreement with its former chair over how the deal was put together, complaints from BEE shareholders that the money wasnt coming through and, voil, Gold Fields does the right thing and publishes the list.

It would be churlish to castigate Gold Fields now, despite its snippy press release entitled Invictus names again released in which it points out, rather huffily, that it did release the names to shareholders at the time of the (deal) in 2010.

Anyway, looking down the list, you see Jerome Brauns SC, who represented Jacob Zuma during his rape trial - one of the names disclosed from the start.

Go here to read the rest:
LAST WORD : Invictus list shows Zuma connections

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) While Oklahoma legislators have spent much of the session so far publicly debating school safety and whether to allow armed teachers in schools, the discussion that educators and administrators are really interested in is taking place behind closed doors how much money common education will receive in next year's budget.

Funding for public schools in Oklahoma is one of many contentious education-related issues being hammered out by legislative leaders this year, but an agreement on how much money will go to public schools this year hasn't been reached.

Rep. Scott Martin, the chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, said last week that officials with the House, Senate and governor's office are nearing consensus on a supplemental budget proposal for select agencies to finish out the fiscal year that ends June 30, but no final decision has been made.

"We're very close, but we're not ready to announce anything just yet," Martin said Friday.

Martin said a supplemental funding agreement will have to take into account the overall budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

State Superintendent Janet Barresi has asked lawmakers for nearly $40 million to finish out the current fiscal year, mostly to pay for recently enacted legislative mandates like the new Achieving Classroom Excellence, or ACE, end-of-instruction tests and new reading proficiency requirements. Also included in her request is $8.5 million for increased costs of teacher health benefits and nearly $6 million to help districts cover the estimated increase of nearly 10,000 new students since the end of the last school year.

Fallin's executive budget, however, only included a request for $8.5 million in supplemental funding to help pay for the costs of the flexible benefit allowance for public school teachers and staff. The actual costs of those benefits have exceeded the projections that were available during the 2012 session.

The governor and Republican leaders in both the House and Senate have said increasing funding for common education will be a priority in next year's budget.

"We are extremely dedicated to making sure common education receives a significant increase in the upcoming year," Martin said. "The exact amount is what we're discussing right now."

A trio of Republican senators earlier this year, including the chairman of the Senate Education Committee, Sen. John Ford, asked to increase common education funding by at least $75 million for the next fiscal year.

Here is the original post:
Okla. education leaders wait for word on funding

Italy was in suspense on Saturday ahead of President Giorgio Napolitano's expected proposal for who should lead the eurozone's third-largest economy after elections that left no clear winner.

The latest round of talks aimed at breaking the deadlock ended on Friday with no solution in sight after the three main political forces proposed different visions for a future government.

Pier Luigi Bersani's centre-left coalition, which secured the most votes in the February elections but failed to win a majority, ruled out an alliance with Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right grouping which came a very close second.

Berlusconi has said a cross-party deal is the only viable solution.

The other option outlined by analysts would be a government composed of non-political figures like the outgoing one of Prime Minister Mario Monti, a former European commissioner drafted in after Berlusconi's 2011 ouster.

The anti-establishment Five Star Movement party has said it will not support a government with party politicians but has left open the possibility of backing a technocratic government and backing laws on a case-by-case basis.

Italians fed up with austerity and politicians' perks voted in their millions for the Five Star Movement led by former comedian Beppe Grillo, which won a quarter of the vote and became Italy's single biggest party.

Developments in Italy are being closely watched by European capitals under similar pressures over budget cuts, as well as investors concerned that Italy could plunge back into the turmoil of the eurozone debt crisis.

The budget discipline and economic reforms that Monti has managed to implement have however kept the financial market wolves at bay so far and stocks and bonds have been relatively muted despite the political crisis.

Monti will remain in charge until a new government is formed, although he has been governing with interim powers since December when lawmakers from Berlusconi's People of Freedom party withdrew their parliamentary support.

The rest is here:
Italy awaits president's word to end political impasse

The city of La Caada Flintridge is small, but its compact dimensions still don't necessarily mean that information about meetings and ordinance changes always reach every resident.

In an effort to connect with the city's population about 20,000 people more effectively, the city plans to hire a communications consultant who will draft newsletters and press releases, and provide a marketing strategy that may include social media.

"We could probably be doing a better job in reaching out to the community and informing the public about things that we're doing," City Manager Mark Alexander said at a recent City Council meeting. "I hear things coming from the community that are often misunderstood or misinformed, or just in error."

Alexander said the city lacks an outlet where the public can learn the reasoning behind certain policy decisions or seek clarity on a complicated issue.

The City Council approved $14,100 toward improving the city's communications and outreach at a mid-year budget meeting in February, which covers the last three months of this fiscal year. The consultant would work part-time, spending a significant amount of time at City Hall upon hire to learn about the city and its employees.

The city has contacted a number of firms that provide communications for government agencies. The City Council will review possible candidates sometime next month.

The city recently renovated its website, which is updated throughout every week with agendas, news bulletins and city documents. A TV channel that broadcasts meetings live is also available to residents.

But elected officials and city staff want to do more.

"I think we've got a good start," said Mayor Laura Olhasso. "If we can build on that, all the better for everybody."

Local government agencies are increasingly using social media, newsletters and other forms of outreach to connect with a niche audience.

Read more:
La Cañada works to get word out to residents