Why am I taking this break? The reasons are many, but they all result in the same singular outcome; many things to do, very little time which is spent working like a deranged lemur with a free-flowing coca-cola habit (must have caffeine) because just about everyone considered coworkers have been let go for months after my bosses discovered that they could save money while not sacrificing in productivity by reducing the total number of employees to …me…with a raise of modest size – a decision that effectively declared me the only person that does what I do and with the particular job title that I’ve got. What does this mean for everyone out there reading?  Well, it means that right now is especially busy at the workplace for me, but considering the fact that I’ve got a decent job with plenty of job security – I’m not going to complain nor am I planning on slacking off in my efforts to do the job and do it to the highest standards that I expect from myself each and every day. Even when I’ve had to drag work home with me to meet early deadlines and urgent matters that involve stacks and stacks of files separated into one or more 3-ring binders (each) which is a lot better than the system that USED to be around until yours truly showed up and pointed out that things could be done in a neater and more helpful to people going through these things, I just didn’t expect them to go along with it so easily and quickly!

So in other words, I’m taking a break so I can not take breaks at work And lunch usually ends up something that can be delivered because with everything that I have to accomplish it’s a bit much to prepare something edible at home before I leave for work.

A TV producer whose wife was killed on a vacation in Mexico was arrested as a fugitive in Southern California on Tuesday, six months after the Mexican government issued a warrant for his arrest. Bruce Beresford-Redman was taken into custody at the request of the Mexican government by U.S. Marshals and FBI agents at the home he shares with his parents and kids in Rancho Palos Verdes, according to a written statement from U.S. Attorney’s spokesman Thom Mrozek.

A U.S. magistrate judge signed a warrant for Beresford-Redman on Friday in conjunction with a complaint that outlines Mexico’s case against the producer, Mrozek said.

The complaint said Beresford-Redman, 38, is charged with aggravated homicide in the death of his wife Monica Beresford-Redman, whose body was found in a sewer in Cancun in April while the two were on vacation. The complaint, which was automatically unsealed on Beresford-Redman’s arrest, alleges that on April 5, Beresford-Redman killed his wife by asphyxiating her at the Hotel Palace Nizuc in Cancun.

Mexican officials had issued a warrant for the former “Survivor” producer’s arrest in May, but he had already returned to California.

Jeane Ferreira Burgos said in a sworn statement that her sister Monica Beresford-Redman told her about six weeks before she was killed that her husband was having an affair with another woman, according to the complaint. She confronted her husband and he apologized, but when she learned that he still had contact with the mistress, she asked for a divorce, according to the complaint. Burgos said her sister had the locks changed on the couple’s home before the vacation, and told their children’s schools that her husband should not be allowed to pick them up. Beresford-Redman’s parents were granted permanent guardianship of the couple’s 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son last week, after a settlement with two of the children’s aunts.

Bruce Beresford-Redman was being taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, and was scheduled to make an initial court appearance Wednesday, Mrozek said.

Tuesday evening, Beresford-Redman’s attorney issued a statement insisting his client was innocent and all would be proven. “Based upon our investigation, he is an innocent man beingwrongfully accused by a foreign government,” attorney Richard G. Hirsch wrote. “We hope that after full consideration of both sides, a federal court will decide not to extradite him.”

Meanwhile, Monica’s family issued their own statement after the arrest: “After seven months of tremendous agony, the Burgos family is relieved to learn tonight that Bruce Beresford-Redman has been taken into federal custody. However, they know that this is not the end in their quest for justice for their sister Monica and are prepared to pursue this horrific tragedy to the end. The family wishes to thank everyone for their continued support.”

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2010/11/16/police-arrest-bruce-beresford-redman-for-allegedly-murdering-his-wife/

Deputy District Attorney Larry Yellin contends that Guzman and Gabriela Mariana Morales, the boys’ mother, are equally responsible for killing Brandon, the youngest of three children. Guzman is standing trial on murder and child abuse charges first. Morales will be tried separately later on similar charges. They both face potential terms of 25 years to life in prison if convicted. Deputy Alternate Defender Laura Jose places the blame for the fatal injuries on Morales, who confessed to Santa Ana police detectives to hitting Brandon on the head on the day he died. Guzman was at work when the fatal injuries were inflicted, Jose told the jury in her opening statements.

Jurors in Judge Michael Hayes courtroom looked teary-eyed Tuesday as they watched Gabriel Morales, who was 9 when his brother died, struggle through with his testimony. In a barely audible voice, Gabriel Morales said that twice a week he would see Guzman take Brandon into the bathroom for discipline behind a closed door, and he would hear “my little brother crying.” He said he also saw “Dad” forcing Brandon to stand for long periods of time with his hands behind his neck.

Gabriel also testified about how he got in trouble for sneaking his younger brother food when his parents wouldn’t feed him and about how he would sometimes get out of bed to sleep with Brandon, who was required to sleep on the floor. It is somewhat unusual to have children testify in criminal case, but it does happen, according to prosecutors, especially if a child was an eyewitness to events that no one else saw. Police and paramedics rushed to the Guzman/Morales apartment on north Ross Street in Santa Ana about 4 p.m. May 30, 2008, after Morales called 911 and said her youngest son was not breathing. They found the boy in full cardiac arrest, with bruises on his body and trauma to his head.

Brandon was declared dead at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange. An autopsy determined that he died of brain hemorrhage caused by multiple blunt-force traumas to the head. Morales brought her three children from Mexico to live with her and Guzman in Santa Ana about seven months before Brandon’s death. Before that, the children were staying with relatives in Mexico.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/morales-276281-brandon-guzman.html

“They were scattered apart, like someone had thrown dice. It spread their clothes, cell phones, socks. The…damn car knocked the socks off my children,” he said of the accident that occurred about 5 p.m. Friday. “They all flipped in the air and flipped around a couple times and hit the ground with their heads.”

Weidmann spoke from the intensive care unit at Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley, where the three most critically injured children were taken. He and his family and friends were taking turns sitting by their bedsides. It was dusk when the group left the park. They headed east and crossed between corners on South Kirby Street, just south of Cypress Street. The nearest crosswalk is a quarter-mile away, at West Johnston Avenue, and would have taken them out of their way. The car in the lane closest to the curb stopped, but a silver Ford Focus in the next lane did not. The 89-year-old female driver was going about 35 mph, 5 mph under the posted speed limit, Hemet police Officer Danny Caballero said.

“It was the lighting and the traffic. With it getting dark so early, kids are still out there,” he said.

The driver was not cited or arrested. The investigation is continuing. Caballero said the woman, whose name was not released, was alert and coherent and takes that route home every day. The vehicle suffered damage to the front passenger-side bumper, mirror and windshield, but the woman was able to drive it home.

“There was some trajectory” of the children, Caballero said. “They were thrown onto the hood and roof of the car. It was kind of dramatic to see those kids on the roadway the way they were.”

The worst injured was 12-year-old Karlie Haley, the daughter of Weidmann’s cousin. She hit the hood, fracturing her cheek, eye socket and skull, and was in a medically induced coma, he said.

“Karlie took most of the impact from the vehicle,” said Weidmann, 42, who owns a roofing company.

Also injured was Todd Addison, 6, Weidmann’s nephew that he adopted as his son two years ago. Todd suffered a concussion and lost consciousness; he was also in a medically induced coma. Seven-year-old Sean Weidmann II remained hospitalized with a lacerated kidney, his father said. He was alert but had a blood transfusion Friday night because of internal bleeding, which may require surgery in the next couple days, he said. Weidmann’s other two children were released from Inland Valley Regional Medical Center in Wildomar on Friday night. Alexa, 14, suffered a broken ankle, concussion and cuts and bruises. She was in front of the group Friday as they walked across the street, minutes after her dad called them on the cell phone to come home.

“I told her, ‘Make sure to look both ways and watch for cars,’ ” Weidmann said. “She told me, ‘Don’t worry dad, I know what to do.’ Not even 30 seconds later my kids got hit,” he said.

Alexa was carrying her 5-year-old brother, Reeve, on her shoulders, which rescuers said may have saved his life because it got him up off the ground. Reeve had scrapes, bruises and a minor concussion. They have both seen a counselor to talk through the trauma, Weidmann said. The accident prompted Weidmann and residents around the park to call for changes on Kirby Street. He said he plans to go to the City Council to request a reduced speed limit, flashing stop sign, a crosswalk and better lighting.

“It is not fair to my family that this had to happen,” he said.

http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_ecrash14.31616b4.html

www.pe.com/video/index.html?bcid=674529310001

In Connecticut, former wrestling entertainment executive Linda McMahon is expected to have spent at least $50 million in a losing U.S. Senate bid. And in New York, millionaire developer Carl Paladino was expected to spend about $10 million in a losing governor’s race against Democrat Andrew Cuomo.

California’s newly elected governor, Jerry Brown, said his campaign showed that it takes more than money to succeed in politics.

“It takes brains and it takes a little bit of luck, and it takes a lot of people pulling together,” he said.

Based on unofficial returns, he spent about $7.50 per vote by using about $30 million in campaign donations from others. Whitman spent the equivalent of $46 per vote from her personal fortune, based on her total spending in the primary and general election. That also does not count the more than $20 million she received from contributors.

Whitman dominated the state’s airwaves for most of 2010. The strategy paid off in the primary, but the Brown campaign believes the ads became so repetitive that they lost their effectiveness.

“Throwing a lot of ads on the TV in the middle of the summer might not make a lot of sense,” Brown said in an interview with The Associated Press. “There are only so many times you can tell somebody something. Name recognition is good, but repetition of ads can be very debilitating.”

Perhaps the most important lesson from Election Day was that money simply can’t overcome demographics. Republicans who spent big tended to run in states where the Democratic Party dominates.

“The money can certainly buy a candidate recognition, but it can’t necessarily buy them love,” said Douglas Schwartz, polling director at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

At a certain point, it doesn’t matter how much a candidate spends. In McMahon’s case, polls indicated that voters had grown tired of her advertising, Schwartz said. Based on unofficial results, she paid about $103 per vote from her personal account. Federal financial reports have shown that McMahon and her husband have assets and investments worth more than $458 million.

The experiences of wealthy, self-funded candidates were mixed around the country. Just one of eight of the federal candidates spending more than $3.5 million of their own money won Tuesday, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign spending. The exception was Republican Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who defeated Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold. Johnson spent about $7 million of his own money on the race. The center found that just four of the 32 federal candidates who spent more than $1 million of their own money through mid-October won Tuesday, including McMahon’s opponent, Richard Blumenthal. Even though Blumenthal loaned his campaign more than $2.2 million, he was able to characterize himself as the financial underdog in the race, given McMahon’s largesse.

McMahon has been unapologetic about her spending, even though Blumenthal had accused her of attempting to buy the Senate seat.

“I absolutely decided from the beginning that I was going to invest my money, money that I’ve earned, to fund this campaign, because I felt it was important not to take special interest or PAC money and not owe any favors to anyone when I got to Washington,” she told a business group recently.

Whitman made a similar argument to California voters. She surpassed the previous record for personal spending in a campaign — the $109 million New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent in his quest for a third term. Another wealthy California businesswoman, former Hewlett-Packard Co. chief executive Carly Fiorina, also tapped her personal fortune as she mounted an unsuccessful attempt to unseat Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer. She spent about $6.5 million of her own money, the vast majority of it in the GOP primary. In that race, it proved to be a deciding factor against two lightly funded opponents. In the general election, Fiorina spent just $1 million from a fortune estimated between $25.6 million and $115.9 million, according to candidate disclosure forms.

Deep-pocketed candidates for state office fared somewhat better.

Florida’s Rick Scott spent about $73 million of his own money to win the governor’s race, by far the most ever invested in a Florida election. He narrowly defeated Democrat Alex Sink, the state’s chief financial officer. In Michigan, Rick Snyder, an Ann Arbor venture capitalist, easily defeated Democrat Virg Bernero. The former president of computer maker Gateway Inc. had kicked off his campaign with a Super Bowl ad in which he declared himself “one tough nerd.” He spent about $6 million in the primary.

Other state candidates ended up like Whitman, on the losing end despite tapping large bank accounts.

Cuomo made passing references to Paladino’s spending in the New York governor’s race, saying he wasn’t a millionaire like Paladino, couldn’t afford to fund his own campaign and had to rely on contributions. He ended up easily winning.

Well-known Ohio car dealer Tom Ganley, a Republican, lost to incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton despite pouring $7 million of his own money into the campaign. And in Connecticut, Greenwich businessman Tom Foley appears to have lost his race for governor despite spending nearly $11 million of his own money. While Foley has not conceded, the secretary of state’s office announced Wednesday that unofficial election results show Democrat Dan Malloy won by a little more than 3,000 votes.

Malloy used the state’s public campaign financing system and was expected to spend nearly all of the $8.5 million he received for the primary and general election.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2010/11/04/whitmans-campaign-cost-her-46-per-vote/

“The data tell us that our galaxy, with its roughly 200 billion stars, has at least 46 billion Earth-size planets, and that’s not counting Earth-size planets that orbit farther away from their stars in the habitable zone,” said study co-author Geoff Marcy.

The astronomers for five years used the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii to search 166 sun-like stars near our solar system for planets ranging from three to 1,000 times the mass of Earth. The results showed more small planets than large ones.

“We studied planets of many masses — like counting boulders, rocks and pebbles in a canyon — and found more rocks than boulders, and more pebbles than rocks,” said UC Berkeley’s Andrew Howard, lead author of the study that will be published in Friday’s issue of the journal Science.

“Our ground-based technology can’t see the grains of sand, the Earth-size planets, but we can estimate their numbers,” he said.

“Earth-size planets in our galaxy are like grains of sand sprinkled on a beach — they are everywhere,” he added.

The study suggests that potentially habitable planets like Earth could also be common in the Milky Way. These smaller planes would orbit farther away from their stars, where temperatures could be favorable for life. A similar survey of our galaxy is being conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Kepler spacecraft, which is expected to find the first true Earth-like planets in the next few years. In the UC Berkeley survey, about 6.5 percent of stars held intermediate-mass planets, with 10 to 30 times the mass of Earth, similar to Neptune and Uranus. Another 11.8 percent had the so-called “super-Earths,” weighing in at only three to 10 times the mass of Earth.

The astronomers extrapolated from these survey data to estimate that 23 percent of sun-like stars in our galaxy host even smaller planets, the Earth-sized ones.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101029/sc_afp/usastronomy;_ylt=Apz8jC30FblV4wYektUsgqOzvtEF;_ylu=X3oDMTE1Zmh1cnBhBHBvcwM1BHNlYwN5bi1jaGFubmVsBHNsawNlYXJ0aC1zaXplcGw-

The panel said Thursday that of four tests done in February and April by Halliburton, only one — the last — showed the mix would hold. But the results of that single successful test were not shared with BP, and may not have reached Halliburton, before the cement was pumped, according to a letter sent to commissioners Thursday by chief investigative counsel Fred H. Bartlit Jr.

Halliburton said Thursday that that successful test was performed on a mixture different than the one eventually used. While some tests were conducted on the new formulation requested by BP, those tests did not include a foam stability test, the company said. According to the panel, BP at the time of the blowout had in hand results from only one of the tests — a February analysis sent to BP by Halliburton in a March 8 e-mail that indicated the cement could fail. The slurry tested in that case was a slightly different blend, and assumed a slightly different well design, but there is no indication that Halliburton flagged the problem for BP, or that BP had concerns, the letter said.

“Halliburton (and perhaps BP) should have considered redesigning the foam slurry before pumping it at the Macondo well,” Bartlit wrote.

Independent tests conducted for the commission by Chevron on a nearly identical mixture were also released Thursday. The results concluded that the cement mix was unstable, raising questions about the validity of Halliburton’s test showing that the near-final mixture was stable. The company said the “significant differences” between its internal tests and the commission’s were caused by the use of different materials.

BP, as part of its internal investigation, also conducted independent tests that showed the cement mix was flawed, but its analysis too was criticized by Halliburton, which said it was not the correct formula. BP’s report also mentioned a cement test Halliburton performed in mid-April, but it appears BP obtained the results after the accident and considered its methods flawed. By contrast, the commission obtained proprietary additives from Halliburton as well as a recipe to re-create the slurry that was used on the well. One and a half gallons of the actual mix used on the rig remain, but it is being held as evidence in criminal and civil investigations. Halliburton rejected the commission’s claims that the February tests were conducted on a cement that was similar to the one used.

“Contrary to the letter…the slurry tested in February was not ‘a very similar foam slurry design to the one actually pumped,’” the statement reads. The company also says there were significant differences in how the cement was tested.

Halliburton shares dropped from near $34 to below $30 in New York trading in the half hour after the commission released its finding. The shares recovered a bit, and closed at $31.68, down $2.74, or 8 percent. BP shares rose from $40.38 to $41.28, then quickly reversed course and fell to $40.28. The shares finished trading with a gain of 49 cents at $40.59. The independent investigators do not address other decisions that could have contributed to the cement’s failure and the eventual blowout, such as BP’s decision to use fewer centralizers than recommended by Halliburton. Centralizers make sure the well’s piping is centered inside the well so the cement bonds correctly. BP has also been criticized for not performing a cement bond long, a test that checks after the cement is pumped down whether it is secure. There are also questions about whether BP pumped down enough cement to seal off the bottom of the well, which was located more than three miles below sea level.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101029/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill_cement;_ylt=Argf8_vOoAy32aJqNDB7epis0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFodGxhM3Y3BHBvcwMyMwRzZWMDYWNjb3JkaW9uX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNjcml0aWNhbHRlc3Q-

“The sponge is a happy home for bacteria. It’s wet, it’s moist and it’s sucking up food all of the time,” he said, adding that you can squeeze as much as 10 million E. coli out of it without any issues.

Gerba explained that there is a smaller amount of fecal bacteria inside a home’s toilet bowl after a person flushes than there is in a kitchen sink.

“That’s why dogs drink out of the toilet. They’re a lot smarter than you think,” he joked.

He said that a lot of the reasoning behind this is that most Americans drench their bathroom in cleaning products because they are terrified of “butt-borne” diseases. Disinfectants need to be used more in the kitchen, he explained, and said that Americans are doing a great job with the bathrooms, but kitchens could use some more work.

“We also spend less time cleaning than the previous generations,” said Gerba.

The need for a better cleaning also extends to the laundry room. He explained that most people only wash their laundry for a short amount of time on a cold water cycle, allowing for the possibility of germs surviving through the wash.

“Your grandfather had cleaner underwear than you,” he said.

People also spend more time in public places than any other generation, he said, giving the example of places like stadiums, large shopping malls and cruise ships that Americans frequent. The way to protect yourself is by practicing good hygiene and that means consistent hand washing and sanitary practices. Good hygiene alone has saved more lives than all the antibiotics, medicine and vaccines that exist today, he speculated. Eighty percent of all infections are lurking in your everyday environment and are spread through fomites, inanimate objects that are involved in disease transmission, such as a desk or a chair, he said.

“The other 20 percent are from sex and insect bites,” Gerba explained. “So if you give up sex and use a lot of insect repellent, you’re only going to avoid 20 percent of diseases you can get in your life, so it’s hardly worth it, in my opinion.”

Children, Gerba said, most commonly transmit diseases through their nose, mouth and eyes.

“You can actually transmit the common cold by rubbing it into your eye,” he said.

Gerba added that small children bring their fingers up to their face at least 81 times per hour.

“The best friend a germ ever had is a child because they are picking up germs all the time and they’re giving them to their caretakers,” he said.

When looking at ways that viruses were spread in homes, researchers have found that vacuum cleaners were a major contributor.

“We found that they’re basically meals on wheels for bacteria,” he said and explained that some hotel carpets have been linked to the cause of infections.

He also added that about 90 percent of the population will most likely be working in an office in the near future if they aren’t already, which leads to dealing with multiple surfaces covered in germs. Those in office environments are constantly touching similar surfaces, and desktops are some of the dirtiest places in an office along with the keyboard and mouse because it is rarely cleaned by janitorial staff.

“And people don’t clean it until they start sticking to it…” he said. At a university, library tables and desktops are riddled with diseases.

In the office setting, they also looked at coffee cups on various desks and discovered that there were large amounts of fecal bacteria found in them because of the sponges and dishrags that are used to clean them. When looking at the germiest jobs, though, he found that among the germiest jobs are teachers and least germiest are lawyers, he said. They looked at elementary classrooms in grades fourth through sixth and found that one of the germiest places in the room was the pencil sharpener and the second highest was the top of the students’ desks. Gerba said that after they found this out, they decided to see if they could prevent germs by disinfecting the kids’ desks after the elementary students were gone for the day. After only cleaning the desks, they found that there was 50 percent less germs in the room compared with the classrooms that they did not clean.

The bottom line is, he said, wash your hands properly, use alcohol gel sanitizer and disinfect fomite surfaces because germ exposure is continually on the rise.

Facts about Germs:

• One of the germiest places in a patient’s room at a hospital is the television remote.

• Most people didn’t start accepting that germs even existed until 1890 and at this time, infectious disease was the first cause of death and diarrhea was No. 2.

• About 80 to 90 percent of our time today, in the United States, is spent indoors, which is a big contrast from 100 years ago where the reverse was true.

• Restaurants were discovered to have dirtier countertops after they were wiped down than before because workers are supposed to put the rags in disinfectant solution, but most of the time they don’t do it properly.

• Technology has had a dramatic effect on the increase of germs in our lives like the self-checkout stands at grocery stores; 100 percent of the self-checkout stands tested had bacteria on them.

• 50 percent of reusable shopping bags at grocery stores that were tested had fecal matter inside of them.

http://www.latimes.com/health/os-speaker-germs-20101019,0,2767478,full.story

The institute’s president, Michael Josephson, said the study shows more bullying goes on at later ages than previously thought, and remains extremely prevalent through high school.

“Previous to this, the evidence was bullying really peaks in middle school,” Josephson told The Associated Press.

He said the Internet has intensified the effect of taunting and intimidation because of its reach and its permanence.

“It’s the difference between punching someone and stabbing him. The wounds are so much deeper,” Josephson said.

Josephson added the survey’s results don’t surprise him because his group has conducted similar studies without publishing the results. But he said he still finds the numbers “alarming.”

In the survey, 10 percent of teens admitted bringing a weapon to school at least once, and 16 percent admitted being drunk at school. Josephson said that means victims of bullying are in danger of striking back violently.

“You have a combination that is a toxic cocktail,” Josephson said.

The study reported responses from 43,321 high school students from around the country, and the margin of error was less than 1 percent. Rick Hesse, a professor of decision sciences at Pepperdine University, said the survey involved voluntary self-reporting and was therefore not a random, stratified sample of the U.S. population. But he said the large number of people surveyed and the lack of corrupting factors mean certain valid conclusions can be drawn from the results.

The study’s release comes in a year of several high-profile suicides related to bullying, including that of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince of Massachusetts, who prosecutors say was relentlessly bullied by the six girls charged in her death.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Education sent letters to schools, colleges and universities around the country warning them that failing to adequately address ethnic, sexual or gender-based harassment could put them in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101027/ap_on_re_us/us_bullying_study

“No problem,” Brown said.

No deal, said Whitman, who trailed by 13 points in the latest Los Angeles Times-University of Southern California poll. The sharp and often amusing exchange occurred at the annual Women’s Conference, sponsored by Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver.

In explaining her position, Whitman said “people need to understand” Brown’s record as governor from 1975 to 1983 and as mayor of Oakland.

Whitman, the former eBay CEO, then proceeded to attack that record, saying that Brown “left this state in worse shape.”

The remark drew boos from the mostly female audience of several thousand.

Many of the billionaire’s ads attacking Brown on those fronts have been criticized by news organizations and the nonpartisan website FactCheck.org as either false or highly misleading. Brown’s ads have generally been more positive, but he has had the advantage of labor groups backing his candidacy that have spent millions to attack Whitman’s business record and character.

Whitman and Brown were placed on the hot seat by the forum’s moderator, “Today” show host Matt Lauer, who asked them to give Californians “a break” and take a no-attack pledge in the remaining week before Tuesday’s election.

Brown first said that, sometimes, negativity is “in the eye of the beholder.” However, he eventually said: “I will take down any advertising remotely construed” as a negative attack.

Whitman agreed that there was no place in the campaign for personal attacks, but she seemed to say that what political consultants now euphemistically call “comparison ads” or “issue ads” are just fine.

At one point during the exchange, Lauer suggested Schwarzenegger play the role of “the referee.” But the governor didn’t seem thrilled with the idea. Instead, he used the opportunity to praise both Whitman and Brown, noting that Whitman “will make history” if she becomes California’s first female governor.

And Brown and his father, Pat Brown, were both good governors, said Schwarzenegger, who has endorsed neither candidate.

Asked by Lauer to rate his own governorship a letter grade of “A” through “F,” Schwarzenegger said, to laughs: “I give myself a straight 10.”

The forum was the first time Schwarzenegger, Whitman and Brown had appeared on the same stage. From its inception, the meeting was expected to be more than a little awkward.

Whitman has tried to distance herself from Schwarzenegger, saying she respects his ideas but feels he failed to execute them properly. Brown has generally had a cordial relationship with the governor, but last week he unleashed a TV ad that showed Whitman and Schwarzenegger, pictured side by side, spouting the same platitudes. The conclusion of that ad: Having a political neophyte run the state didn’t work the first time.

Removing the negative ads at this point in the campaign would probably hurt Whitman more than Brown, since she has a lot of catching up to do — and negative ads do work, despite voters’ distaste for them.

Brown reaffirmed the pledge shortly after the appearance, saying: “I pledge to pull my negative ads off the air immediately and only run positive ads through Election Day if Meg Whitman agrees to do the same.”

Sarah Pompei, a spokeswoman for the Whitman campaign, said the campaign will continue “running fair and truthful ads that highlight Jerry Brown’s long record on the issues.”

For more than six months, Pompei added, “the Brown campaign and its allies in the public employee unions have been running a negative campaign against Meg Whitman.”

Whitman in recent days has been coy about how much more money she intends to spend on her campaign. She has already donated $141.5 million out of her own pocket — breaking New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s self-funding record of $109.2 million.

Pressed repeatedly by ABC’s Diane Sawyer on Monday if she intends to spend more of her own money, Whitman said: “We’ll see how it goes.”

http://www.mercurynews.com/elections/ci_16443598?source=rss&nclick_check=1