Brit Sub in Gibraltar; Spain Complains; Other Items

Here we have a story on more Spanish whining about a British submarine, HMS Sceptre, visiting Gibraltar for repairs. Sceptre apparently has a diesel engine problem; not nearly the same as the reactor plant issues HMS Tireless had in 2000. Granted, I think the whining is more about Spanish sovereignty issues than being strictly anti-nuclear, but I think that plays a part too. Let's face it; the Spaniards really haven't been very good allies lately. (I worked with Spanish officers at the Coalition Coordination Center at US CENTCOM, and they really were pains in the ass before they pulled out of Iraq. I wasn't impressed.)

I met this evening with Vincent Martino, one of the authors of the excellent book "The Marine Corps Way". Fortune said this about the book: "The best of this new breed of leadership tome is The Marine Corps Way…the book makes a convincing case that battlefield techniques do work in the business world." I highly recommend this informative collection to anyone looking to get ahead in the business world.

Lastly, a personal issue one of you might have experience with. I was doing my taxes tonight, and ran into a problem that the irs.gov website was spectaculary unsuccessful in helping me resolve. I've itemized my deductions up until this year, but because we rented while we were in San Diego last year, and just bought our new house in September, I'm not itemizing this year. However, I got a state tax refund from last year, but there's no place to record in on the 1040A form. How do I record that income, if at all?

Going deep...

Edited 1226 04 Feb to remove outdated link and accompanying discussion, and change entry title.

Update 1917 04 Feb: Spain and the local Gibraltar government have united in protesting the arrival of HMS Spectre in Gibraltar.