text:
Accessibility tools
Service tools
Language selector
Navigation path
Left navigation
Additional tools
Other available languages: none
European Commission
Joaquín Almunia
Vice President of the European Commission responsible for Competition Policy
Competition enforcement in the knowledge economy
Fordham University/ New York City
20 September 2012
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is the second time that I attend this conference and I want to thank Barry Hawk for his kind invitation.
I must tell you that the passage of time has not diminished the pleasure to share with this expert audience the views and latest news from the EU competition authority.
But this year it's a bit different, because I am using my trip across the Atlantic to give not one presentation but two.
Yesterday I spoke at another antitrust conference organised by Georgetown Law in Washington DC and quite a few of us – including Jon Leibowitz and Joseph Wayland – are meeting here for a second day in a row.
This means that I cannot repeat today any of the accounts I have given to them 24 hours ago. That would quickly send people to sleep – or to their tablets and smartphones
I need to say something new to keep them alert and entertained. So, here is what I'm going to do.
Yesterday I spoke about the part of our enforcement work that is somewhat specific to the EU; in particular, that which helps complete our Single Market.
Today, I will focus instead on the challenges that are common to competition authorities around the world.
More specifically, I will look at the new challenges brought by the information revolution: from the circulation and use of information in financial markets, through some competition issues related to the protection of intellectual property, to other topics typical of the digital economy.
Tomorrow, Alexander Italianer, the Director General of the Commission's competition department, will develop some of these topics, focussing on the link between competition and innovation.
Financial markets
I will start with the financial services.
Over the past 30 years or so, banks and other financial institutions have grown spectacularly in size and complexity and information technology has changed the industry beyond recognition.
For regulators and antitrust enforcers this means that to keep financial markets open and fair we must refine our tools and update our expertise.
It's an uphill struggle. We all know that for too long the financial-services sector has not had the same constraints and standards that were imposed on other industries to protect us from the harm it could do – nowhere near the standards for environmental protection, for instance.
We know that well, but today I will not talk about regulation and oversight – or the lack thereof.
Instead, I will talk about how the EU competition authority is trying to keep a level playing field in the industry and prepare the ground for the sounder, safer and more transparent financial sector of the future.
Our action covers a broad area.
In February, following an extensive investigation, we blocked the proposed merger between Deutsche Börse and NYSE Euronext, which would have created a quasi-monopoly in European financial derivatives traded globally on exchanges.
We are also investigating possible infringements in the market for Credit Default Swaps. Here we want to see whether a number of leading investment banks have adopted strategies to preserve their stronghold in this profitable market.
Finally, we have been investigating two leading market-information providers on concerns that the prices or restrictions they imposed on the use of proprietary data were excessive.
A case against Standard & Poor's was closed with commitments at the end of last year, whereas we are still working with Thomson Reuters.
The company offered a first set of commitments in 2011 but the market test was not successful.
We then received an improved proposal last June, and we are currently assessing the replies we have collected through a second market test.
Benchmark rates manipulation
And then, we are also active in investigating the manipulation of benchmark rates such as Libor, Euribor, and Tibor. These cases concern financial information of the highest order.
In the past few months the press has extensively reported the story and the actions taken against Barclays.
Our investigations focus on the markets for derivatives that are priced by reference to benchmark rates for various currencies. We are investigating whether cartel arrangements took place between a number of international banks.
I want to make clear that we cover the competition aspect of the story, whereas other authorities deal with fraud and other forms of criminal conduct and financial regulators are examining the matter from yet another perspective.
The European cartel proceedings – unlike in other jurisdictions such as the US – are multiparty proceedings. This means that we can solve the matter in one go, rather than one company at a time.
The banking sector needs a change of culture, and competition control – together with the enforcement of financial-service rules and new legislation – can help it happen.
It is simply unacceptable that leading figures in the business behave as if it were above the law and immune from social responsibility. We need to foster a new ethics in the business using the most appropriate means.
Banks need to return to their primary function, which is to provide credit to the real economy at competitive terms. They also need to be more open, transparent and accountable. And they must stop posing recurrent threats to stability.
These are the long-term objectives we have been pursuing since the end of 2008 when the European Commission was entrusted with the task of controlling the rescue and restructuring of banks in distress by EU governments.
We have been using a special State aid regime to make sure that the bailouts would occur under the same conditions throughout the Single Market.
The conditions we have imposed on the bailouts have helped maintain stability in financial markets and are paving the way for a more stable and safer financial sector for the post-crisis environment.
The EU is active on the regulation front too. We are debating new European laws on market abuse – including criminal sanctions – to protect investors and ensure market integrity.
In July, the European Commission amended its proposals so that they would cover the sort of manipulation that is emerging from the Libor scandal, making it a criminal offence.
Finally, earlier this month, the Commission launched a consultation on how benchmarks such as Libor and Euribor are compiled, produced and used.
We all agree that we must go after those who fall on the wrong side of the law and punish them, but that's not enough.
The system that is currently used to set these benchmarks does not offer enough guarantees – not for the most important number in the world.
We should do a whole lot better than that. We need a better system that guarantees that the benchmarks are accurate measures; are free from conflicts of interest; and are used appropriately.
These steps taken by the Commission reflect the main lesson that we can learn from this never-ending crisis. Financial services need stricter and better regulation and oversight, which doesn't necessarily mean burdensome rules.
Intellectual property
Ladies and Gentlemen:
My second theme today relates to the arrangements or practices used to protect intellectual property and their implications for competition control, a topic that Alexander Italianer will develop further in his presentation tomorrow.
Ideas have never been more valuable as in this knowledge era of ours. A good patent system that rewards invention and stimulates innovation is central to the smooth functioning of our economy and vital for growth and job creation.
At the same time, as with every system that grants exclusive rights, it should not be abused, or distorted through anticompetitive agreements. And this is where issues related to patents become of interest to competition enforcers.
To show you why we give particular attention to the potential misuse of patents, I will draw on our current experience in two areas: the pharmaceutical sector and the market for smartphones, where the patent wars do not seem to abate.
Enforcing competition law in the pharmaceutical industry inevitably raises the issue of intellectual-property rights.
Back in 2009, a sector inquiry conducted by the European Commission found a link between the use of patents and competition problems.
One common problem arises in the settlements of patent disputes, where a generic company agrees to drop its case against an originator company in return for money – lots of money – or some other advantage.
The EU Courts – which review the decisions taken by the EU competition authority and hear cases referred to by national courts in the Union – have provided some guidance in the relationship between patent law and competition control.
For instance, they have ruled that submitting misleading information to an administrative authority – such as a patent office – to obtain exclusive rights may constitute a competition-law infringement.
They have also established that a refusal to licence IPR-protected information about pharmaceutical products can, in some cases, constitute an abuse.
Our enforcement action now explores the dubious practice that we call "pay-for-delay agreements".
These are agreements in which the manufacturer of a branded drug pays another company to keep the generic – and much cheaper – drugs it produces out of the market.
Both companies have something to gain in such deals, but you will agree with me that they are not necessarily in the interest of the people and of health care.
Pay-for-delay transactions have been a recurrent theme in our control of the pharmaceutical industry over the past few years and it seems to me that they are an issue in the US too.
I have seen the news of the decision taken by federal appeals court in Philadelphia last July.
I understand the decision means that from now on pay-for-delay deals will not always be legitimate. I also understand that the ruling is a victory for the FTC – I congratulate Jon for this success, and I am very interested to hear his comments.
As to the latest from Brussels, we have recently issued formal objections in two cases which also involve patent settlements.
The main companies involved – Servier and Lundbeck – are both originator companies which concluded agreements with a number of generic competitors.
We suspect that those agreements involved substantial transfers – including direct payments – to prevent the market entry of competing generic versions.
Other investigations are ongoing in this sector.
In particular we have opened formal investigations against Cephalon and Teva in another case of patent settlement which was concluded in the US but was worldwide in scope and could therefore prevent the entry of generics in Europe.
We have also a case open against Johnson & Johnson and Novartis in the Fentanyl case with regard to contractual practices that could have had the same object.
I will now turn to smartphones and their never-ending patent wars.
The latest skirmishes include the $1 billion fine that Samsung was asked to pay because it infringed some of Apple's design patents and the ruling of the Korean court which – a little earlier – had found that Apple had infringed some of Samsung's standard-essential patents.
Let me clarify one important point. These are primarily patent cases, not competition cases, but we must remain vigilant because this state of belligerence may encourage a company to use its patents as weapons to harm legitimate competitors.
This is why the cases we opened earlier this year against Samsung and Motorola Mobility – now a subsidiary of Google – continue to be a top priority for us.
Standard-essential patents lie at the core of these cases.
I don't need to tell you how important these patents become for an entire sector when they are part of a standard and their holders commit to license them on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.
The worst-case scenario is when a company willing to take a licence for standard-essential patents on FRAND terms is hit by an injunction.
Legal battles like these may put the standardisation process at risk and hold up innovation in the entire industry.
Fortunately, there is a growing consensus on both sides of the Atlantic on the damage that the misuse of standard-essential patents can do to competition.
The fact that we have received many complaints related to standards-essential patents also shows that there is a great need for guidance. I want to tell you that I am willing to provide clarity to the market through our enforcement.
Having said that, I am also convinced that the industry needs to do its homework too. I expect the leading companies in the sector not to misuse their intellectual property rights.
It is high time they look for negotiated solutions – I am tempted to call them 'peace talks' – that would put an end to the patent wars.
Keeping digital markets level and open
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The third and final part of my presentation will be devoted to issues that are closer to the digital economy.
The principles of competition-law enforcement do not change when we leave the realm of brick-and-mortar but we have to adjust our methods to the specific features of these new sectors.
Above all, the digital world changes at breakneck speed and competition authorities must learn to be nimble and move at a much faster pace.
The first two examples of these challenges I will give you come from industries that have been taken by storm by the digital revolution: recorded music and publishing.
As you know, we are reviewing the plan of Universal – the world's leading record company – to buy the recorded music business of EMI. It is our duty to ensure that it respects EU rules on mergers.
Record companies have always developed in pace with the technology and the latest developments – such as digital recordings, audio files, and online platforms – are completely changing their business.
This is why our review of the transaction looks with great attention at the digital world. In particular, we want to make sure that the deal would not have negative effects for digital customers and for the development of new digital services.
Universal has submitted – in July and August - a set of remedies to address our concerns and at present we are finalising our assessment, also on the basis of the useful feedback of other participants in the industry.
The formal deadline for our decision would be the 27th of September, but we always try to beat the deadline by a few days if we can. So, I may announce our final decision very soon.
I am aware of the parallel investigation conducted by the FTC and I am looking forward to reading your conclusions.
A different part of the EMI group was involved in another merger review; the acquisition of its publishing business by Sony, which we cleared with remedies in April.
In the publishing industry, the impact of information technology is even greater.
Although the book is one of the human inventions which can hardly be improved upon, the written word can now circulate by many other means. One of these is the e-book, which is the focus of another important investigation.
The core of the case is the suspected collusion between a number of major publishers with the help of Apple to raise the retail price of e-books and prevent competition at retail level.
We are concerned that the agency agreements, which have replaced the wholesale model, were the result of such coordination.
This is the typical case involving various jurisdictions; as a matter of fact, three of the five publishers involved in our investigation settled here in the US with the DOJ and then, at the end of August, with the States.
In a nascent and fast-moving market, such as that for e-books, it is vital that we nip in the bud any competition restrictions. It is also vital that we find swift and effective solutions to ensure that the business environment remains open and dynamic.
With that purpose in mind, we have had extensive discussions with Apple and with four of the five publishers. Yesterday we published for public comments the commitments that they have agreed to propose.
We will review the comments we receive from interested parties and decide whether or not there is ground for further action.
As regards these investigations, I would like to note once more that they follow different systems and procedures on the two sides of the Atlantic, but there is a clear convergence in our respective approaches and objectives.
The last two stories I have for you today relate to the core of the digital economy with household names such as Google and Microsoft.
As to Google, it is well known that we have competition concerns that the company is using its dominance in online search to foreclose rival specialised search engines and search advertisers.
After several exchanges with me, Google has agreed to propose solutions in the four specific areas of concern that we have identified.
I have now instructed my staff to engage into technical discussions with Google in order to assess in-depth the solutions presented to us.
If effective solutions were found quickly and tested successfully, competition could be restored at an early stage by means of a commitment decision.
However, we are not there yet, and it must be clear that – in the absence of satisfactory proposals in the short term – I will be obliged to continue with our formal proceedings.
Let me add that this process is without prejudice to the separate investigation of other issues involving Google that have been raised with the Commission.
I will close with Microsoft.
Back in 2009, the company ended an antitrust investigation of the European Commission when it pledged to offer a 'choice screen' that would allow us to easily pick our preferred web browsers.
This remedy was very effective while it was implemented and the case is widely regarded as one of the most relevant antitrust cases of the last decade at EU level.
It has recently emerged that the company has not kept its commitments. Microsoft itself has confirmed that it failed to roll out the choice screen with the version of Windows released in February 2011.
This means that for around one and a half years millions of users in the EU have not seen the choice screen.
Generally speaking, I consider that the commitments offered by the companies themselves are a good way to solve competition problems, as an alternative to lengthy proceedings.
But the policy can work only if they translate their words into action. This is why I take compliance very seriously and I will make sure that we take the necessary decisions as a matter of priority.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
These reports on our current work in the financial sector and in the digital industries have one thing in common: they all involve global markets that move really fast.
I believe it is the responsibility of competition enforcers to recognise this fact and, whenever possible, to look for swift and effective solutions that can preserve a healthy competitive environment and restore it when we see that it is in danger.
The same applies to the other domains I have talked about today: patents and the dissemination and use of financial-market information.
These too are cases with global implications and are evidence of the growing need for coordination among competition authorities in different jurisdictions.
We need to bring our approaches closer together and define common objectives, building upon the already good relations that we have established over the years in our bilateral contacts and within multilateral bodies such as the International Competition Network.
As we do so, we must stay true to our principles and preserve our ability to stop and correct any attempt to rig the markets and harm consumers and the economy.
And to do so, we must always stay ahead of the curve so we are ready to respond to the challenges posed by the constant evolution of business.
Thank you.
Side Bar


text:
Delaware State Police are investigating an armed home invasion incident south of Dover.
A 26-year-old Dover man has been released from the hospital after treatment for non-life-threatening injuries he sustained while escaping during an armed home invasion case.
The incident took place at approximately 10:40 p.m. June 11 in the unit block of Becky Lane, off South State Street, said Delaware State Police spokesman Master Cpl. Gary Fournier.
Police went to the home after receiving a 911 call from a neighbor about gunshots coming from the home and after a man was spotted leaving the home.
The investigation showed two men had forced their way inside and confronted a 28-year-old woman and an 11-month-old child in a master bedroom. The two demanded cash and to know the whereabouts of a third person, who lives there but was not home, Fournier said.
As this went on, the victim, who was in a separate bedroom, was awakened by the noise and went into the hallway. He jumped back inside the room when one of the suspects fired a single shot at him using a handgun.
The victim went back into the bedroom and escaped through a window before making his way to the nearby Royal Farms convenience store and contacting the Kent County Emergency Operations Center.
The two suspects were spotted getting into a dark-colored four-door vehicle and driving away. They escaped without obtaining any items or money, Fournier said.
The only description given of the suspects was that the gunman was a white man.
The woman and her child were not injured, Fournier added.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call (302) 741-2817. Tips also may be left by using the DSP Mobile Crime Tip app, available for download at www.Delaware.gov/apps.
Information also may be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333, via the Internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by sending a text to 274637 (CRIMES), starting the message with the keyword "DSP."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Survey Drafting -- 3
Budżet $2-8 AUD / godzinę
Survey Drafting
31 freelancerów przeciętnie składa ofertę za $6/godz. do tego projektu
Hello! Interested in your offer, I can get to work immediately. Write me please and we can discuss all details. I will be glad to cooperate. Best regards
Dear Sir/Madam: I am an Engineer and expert in autocad, having more than 7 years experience in my field, so I can draw your layouts easily within budget and timeframe, I have done more than 160+ projects here Więcej
hi sir, I am senior draftsman expert in any autocad task i interest to help you to complete this project I could convert from hand sketches to AutoCAD drawing and available for Cad drafting work anytime please see Więcej
Young energetic and experienced mechanical design engineer. Expert in 3D Modelling & 2D drafting Using Autodesk CAD softwares. 100 % work satisfaction. Please consider. Thanks.
I have vast experience of working with AutoCAD. You can see some of my work in my portfolio and get some idea about my skills from the reviews that I got. Looking forward to hear from you soon.
I have experience in mechanical drawing. To need more information about this task for successful completed work. I will be glad to have new experience and meeting with new people.
Hi, I am Raj Gautam, Architect. My specialization in 3D Architectural . I have 11 years Experience, I offer you 2D Autocad drafting quality service. Please visit my 2D Autocad drafting service link. http://www.a Więcej
I have technical drawing experience in engineering and construction company. I can make 2D drawing and 3D modelling.
Dear Sir, I have 18 years of experience of architectural design. I have an expertise in survey , RCC and steel design. I would work for fixed amount project .I would charge 250 AUD. regards
I have over several year expertise as a Technical Administration, Marketing, and have expertise of a good form of Drafting technique. My Computer skills square measure excellent as it needs, a productive worker.
We are a Team/Group of Skilled CAD Draftsman/Technicians providing following services - Survey data conversion into Auto CAD from other softwares - Enhancement of Topographic survey data - Geo-referencing of image Więcej
hi i was very happy to do this work for you can you send me the data files for this work i an waiting for your answer thanks


text:
Next Episode of Gardeners' World is
Gardeners' World is a long running gardening series broadcast on BBC TWO in the United Kingdom. The series is currently presented by Monty Don.
Looks like something went completely wrong!
But don't worry - it can happen to the best of us,
- and it just happened to you.
Please try again later or contact us.


text:
9. 'Obama Beach'
Woe be unto a politician who commits a gaffe during a D-Day remembrance. In 2004, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin referred to the "invasion of Norway" when he meant Normandy. Last year at an event with President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown cited "Obama Beach" when he meant "Omaha Beach."
WPA Pool, Getty Images
Copyright © 2019, Chicago Tribune


text:
INDIO >> Sporting a white cowboy hat, Holly Williams comfortably performed on the Mane Stage on Saturday of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
The crowd enthusiastically danced and swayed to her covers and orginal hits.
Williams, the granddaughter of Hank Williams, Sr., sang popular songs like "'Til It Runs Dry," and ballad "Waiting on June." Williams also performed covers of "Angel From Montgomery" by Bonnie Raitt and closed her set with "I Saw the Light" by her grandfather.
Throughout her performance, Williams would pick up the guitar and play along and also explained the story behind some of her songs. She even shared personal information about her grandparents passing away earlier that year and how it affected her.


text:
World Championship Boundby ColoradoAvalanche.com - Official Site of the Colorado Avalanche / Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche will have nine players competing at the 2013 IIHF Men's World Championship, which begins Friday. The tournament runs from May 3-19 in Helsinki, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden.
Four of the nine players will be representing the United States, as defensemen Matt Hunwick and Erik Johnson, along with forwards Aaron Palushaj and Paul Stastny, will compete for Team USA. Forwards Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly will play for Team Canada, while defenseman Jan Hejda (Czech Republic), forward Gabriel Landeskog (Sweden) and goaltender Semyon Varlamov (Russia) will all represent their respective countries at the event.
Varlamov, 25, backstopped Russia to the gold medal last year at the 2012 IIHF World Championship in Helsinki and Stockholm. He went 8-0 with a 1.77 goals-against average and .939 save percentage in eight appearances during the tournament. Varlamov's eight victories and .939 save percentage led all goaltenders.
This marks Varlamov's third world championship overall, as he helped Russia to a silver medal at the 2010 tournament in Germany. He started five of Russia's nine games at that event, finishing second among all goaltenders in both goals-against average (1.41) and save percentage (.951) while posting a 4-1 record. He was selected to Russia's 2008 squad but suffered an injury just prior to the tournament. The Samara, Russia native was also named to the 2010 Russian Olympic team as the third goaltender but did not see action at the Winter Games.
Stastny, 27, will be making his second straight appearance at the world championship, as he finished as Team USA's second-leading scorer with nine points (3g/6a) in eight games at last year's event. He led the Americans in faceoff percentage (64.1%) and was third in plus/minus (+6). This will be Stastny's third trip to the worlds overall, as he also finished second on the Americans with eight points (4g/4a) in seven games at the 2007 event in Moscow. Stastny represented the United States at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, where he helped Team USA to a silver medal. Born in Quebec City, Quebec, Stastny was raised in St. Louis, Mo., and holds dual citizenship.
Duchene, 22, will also be playing in his third world championship, as he represented Team Canada at both the 2010 and 2011 tournaments. The Haliburton, Ontario native totaled seven points (4g/3a) in seven games at the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany, finishing second on the team in goals and points (tied).
O'Reilly, 22, will make his second straight trip to the world championship. He tallied four points (2g/2a) with a +3 rating in seven games for Canada at last year's event. The Clinton, Ontario native finished second on the Canadians in faceoff percentage at 62.1%.
Landeskog, 20, will also be representing his native Sweden for the second straight year. The Avalanche's captain served as an alternate captain for his nation at the 2012 IIHF World Championship in Helsinki and Stockholm, tallying five points (1g/4a) in eight games.
Hejda, 34, will be playing in his sixth IIHF World Championship, having already represented his nation five previous times: 2003-06 and 2008. The Prague native helped the Czech Republic win the gold medal at the 2005 IIHF World Championship in Austria and captured a silver medal at the 2006 IIHF World Championship in Latvia. Hejda also represented the Czech Republic at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
Johnson, 25, will be making his second appearance at the world championship and his first since 2007. He appeared in all seven games for the United States as a 19-year-old at the 2007 worlds in Moscow. The Bloomington, Minn., native helped Team USA capture the silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Hunwick and Palushaj are both competing in their first world championship. Hunwick, 27, did play for Team USA at two IIHF World Junior Championships, including USA's first-ever gold medal-winning junior national team in 2004. Palushaj, 23, also has international experience, playing for the United States at the 2009 world juniors. Palushaj is a native of Livonia, Mich., while Hunwick hails from Warren, Mich.
In addition, Avalanche prospects Jonas Holos (Norway), Markus Lauridsen (Denmark) and Thomas Pock (Austria) will also represent the organization at this year's world championship.


text:
NHL Game Night: 11-19-13 Lightning at Kings
Lightning hit a fork in the road.
Ben Bishop allowed 5 goals on 31 shots for the loss. Unlike Phoenix, there's not a lot I would fault Bishop for. Lots of deflection goals and one breakaway goal. Oh, and Killorn deciding to go Clint Dempsey into his own cage.
First Period
14:58 LA Kopitar (6), (Doughty, Williams)
16:49 LA Frattin (2), (Voynov, Stoll)(PP)
Second Period
2:38 LA Williams (8), (Doughty, Kopitar)
15:08 LA King (7), (Vey)(SH)
16:17 TB Filppula (9), (Hedman, St. Louis)(PP)
17:15 LA Brown (4), (Frattin)
Third Period
1:22 TB Hedman (4), (Johnson)
That was a pretty disgraceful effort to put out on the ice for your captain's 1,000th NHL game. And, no, I'm not talking about the Kings' first 3 goals, 1 of which was a perfect shot, 1 of which was a perfect (lucky) deflection, and 1 of which Killorn kicked into his own net. Those things happen. What had to leave Marty lingering on the bench muttering to himself after the game was how poorly the team responded after that adversity. 9 shots on goal through 40 minutes was piss poor, especially considering how shaky Scrivens looked at times. When you compound that by not putting forth the effort on the first half of a 4 minute power play, leading to a SH goal against, and a horrendous Connolly turnover leading to the Kings' 5th goal, that's how you allow a few bad breaks to snowball into a catastrophe. And I suspect I know what Marty is thinking: if you hustle and if you don't make soft, unforced errors at your blue line, you get out of that period down 3-1, possibly. Then Hedman's semi-soft goal on Scrivens early in the Third Period would've meant something and the Lightning's push in the final frame would've been to steal a point against a quality opponent rather than to try to avoid the inevitable wrath of a Head Coach that hates to lose even more than he likes to win. Now the Lightning have dropped their first consecutive games of the season with another tough game coming up, and they're at a fork in the road. The question is, are they going to cave in here or are they going to put the effort in to stay competitive? That's what I want to see right now. The result is obviously the big thing, but let's start with the building blocks of making sure that the team doesn't look comatose for 40 minutes of a game.
Radko Gudas had 4 hits and 1 blocked shot in 21:18.
Tyler Johnson had a helper and 3 shots in 17:56. He was also 39% on draws. He was a big part of the push the Lightning put on in the Third Period and he nearly snuck one past Scrivens in the First Period.
Alex Killorn was -3 with 2 penalty minutes, 1 shot, and 2 hits in 12:01. He and Brett Connolly were a waste receptacle conflagration tonight. I see stupid offensive zone penalties. I see sloppiness with the puck. I see very little being generated on the forecheck. I see why his ice time took a nose dive. That line needs to be broken up and Connolly may need to sit a game in the stands to think about what occurred tonight. And, Killorn may need a turn on a checking line to get reoriented on playing a simple game.
Ondrej Palat was +1 with 1 shot, 2 hits, and 1 blocked shot in 15:39. Another decent night on the PK and he was helpful with his fellow kid liners in the Third Period garbage time push.
J.T. Brown was -2 with 2 blocked shots in 13:04. His line did precious little at even strength, which isn't a direct reflection on his play, but you'd like him to really be the first man in on that line with Filppula and Purcell. I understand all the early penalties really hampered the ability of that unit to get into the flow, though.
Dmitry Korobov had 1 hit in 13:04 in his NHL debut. It was a mixed bag for Dmitry. I thought he had a pretty solid little First Period at both ends. He looked pretty good under duress in his own end moving the puck out of trouble and he threw a puck toward the net (uncredited by the scorers) that led to one of the few opportunities for the Lightning in the opening frame. He got less ice time in the Second Period because of all the special teams play and a little extended Third Period garbage time against a little more quality opponents. And, that was about what I would expect from Dmitry. He put a big pop on Dustin Brown along the boards and had a nice long pass to spring an offensive chance on the positive side of the coin. On the negative side, he made an odd unforced error (Korobov does it 1-2 times a game in my experience, a la a young Kubina) to move the puck to an open point in his own end where a Kings defenseman was waiting to pounce and there was one wide rush where his slow footwork was slightly exposed. I'd say it wasn't a big net positive or negative game for Dmitry's stock. But, that said, I felt he showed he's certainly better under duress in his own end than Barberio and that he has more two-way game than Aulie ever dreamed of having. So, there's something to work with there, warts and all.
Richard Panik was +1 with 3 shots and 1 hit in 14:53. Would've been nice for the kid line to get one during that Third Period push for their confidence.
Pierre-Cedric Labrie was -1 with 4 penalty minutes and 1 hit in 8:44. I have no idea why he exists right now. He had one or two good forechecking shifts, but that doesn't offset his skating liabilities defensively, and you'll have a hard time explaining to me why Malone is running around trying to start fights when a game is out of hand like that but Labrie isn't. His whole role is supposed to be to spark the team on a night when they're flat like they were tonight, and he just didn't do anything. Again. He seems like a genuinely nice person and he's a great story. But, if the Lightning are down 4 goals and flat as a pancake, he needs to be challenging the other team's entire bench to a fight. Period. Or, he's no use to anybody. And, if that's the way it's going to be, I'd just as soon see his spot filled by someone like Philippe Paradis who might actually do something to light a fire under the butts of his teammates. I'm not saying it to be mean. The trigger has no heart, and Labrie needs some tough love right now because it feels like he's got a bit of role/identity crisis right now.
Box score and extended statistics from NHL.com.
- 1611 reads
- Printer-friendly version


text:
|2008-09-29, 09:49
|Link #261
I want to @#$% with--
Now that the subs are out I can finally emerge.
I think that Patty called Cherry a "tuna" because she was lying so still. I heard that "maguro" (tuna) is a way to reference someone lying still, like a tuna. Correct me if I'm wrong. No offense meant to the tuna, but when they're dead they don't move around much. :P
I loved the OVA. My favorite sequence was probably Kagami's dream. She and Konata were their true awesome selves in it, despite it being not "real". Tsukasa's reaction to poor Kagami's exclamation at the end had me laughing the hardest out of anything.
The MMO was hilarious. You've all said pretty much everything I was thinking about it. Tsukasa was very funny. She was very funny through this whole thing, wasn't she?
The volleyball game was adorable, and the animation was a pleasure to watch. And hey, we actually got some insight into Tsukasa's inferiority complex... but watching her poor self get smacked around by the ball and the net was funnier.
I liked the hike, because I love the interactions between the four of them and that's all that it was.
The horror movie sequence was confusing. I've seen these kinds of sequences before, but for the life of me I can't remember where. It looked like one or two old (showa era?) movie clips I'd seen that freaked me the hell out... I'm usually pretty slow to catch onto references, was it referencing anything in particular (besides Keroro Gunso)?
Not gonna comment on Lucky*Channel because I gave up watching it after the sound threw off.
Thanks a ton to the person who subbed this! I highly appreciate your work! I really had a lot of fun watching this one, and it was a real delight just to see everyone again. I sure love these characters. Yeah, I still hope for more...someday. Now I'm gonna sit around and pretend that Kagami's words at the end of her dream were a result of repressed passion for her "fairy godmother".... ::cough::
PS - Good to see you finally make an appearance, Nuke. :3
|2008-09-29, 10:34
|Link #262
AQS representative
Join Date: Jul 2007
lazy is more like it...
kyoani doing Kagarin and Kagamiku is the ultimate fanservice
and what is "starling inferno" a reference to? Raging Heart?
anyway... this OVA prooves once and for all that kagami is ONE OF US!
|2008-09-29, 10:50
|Link #264
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: In the middle of nowhere
|2008-09-29, 12:01
|Link #267
Baka Inu~
Oh yeah, at the end of the 3rd scene, wasn't that like a Hidamari Sketch moment? Tsukasa was making a crazy face and everything. I know Kagami was tricked in her dream to say something like that, but still you can't help but think about it. And I think another reference in the 6th scene would be to Macross Frontier with how similar Miyuki and Sherry look. Another weird fact to me was, did anyone see that art of Minoru? It's kind of strange because he appeared all demented and bent in the scene.
On a few extra notes, I have to go along with Kaioshin Sama on that whole voice actor thing. KyoAni probably has tons of money, would it kill to get some more for extras? I mean, the woman who sounds like Freiza works for those old women you see around the show, but not for 3 different looking teenaged girls.
|2008-09-29, 15:41
|Link #270
Join Date: Jun 2008
|2008-09-29, 16:02
|Link #271
Wiggle Your Big Toe
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Milwaukee
Age: 27
|2008-09-29, 18:29
|Link #272
I want to @#$% with--
|2008-09-29, 18:33
|Link #273
Beautiful fighter.
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: England, UK
Age: 32
|2008-09-29, 20:21
|Link #274
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Shitty old London. They must've been on drugs when they built this place, WTF were they smoking!!!
Age: 35
|2008-09-29, 22:39
|Link #275
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
They *could* do any number of OVAs in those timeless "in between" moments.
In the manga, time is running much slower (i.e. "senior year" may last forever at the rate they're moving).
I speculate that the author will eventually move the girls to university in the manga. There are a number of campuses that actually have the full K-12 *and* university in one spot (e.g. Waseda University) so they wouldn't necessarily be separated that much - even from the lower aged classmates. A friend of ours is finishing her last year in high school after spending a year in the US. Her "old" classmates now in university on the same campus still see her almost daily.
Those of you who read Negima will note that the Mahora Academy is organized in the same way with K-12+university.
|2008-09-30, 00:25
|Link #276
Ah! Pretty Shining Love!
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Australia
Just watched it. For me, it didn't really feel like a normal LS episode. Usually there's some silly funny scenes, then some token KyoAni mush scenes. There weren't really any like that here, except maybe Tsukasa's feelings after the volleyball match.
They had very distinct and relatively long 'arcs' in this OVA. In the normal series there would be several skits, some of them very short. In the OVA, each arc seemed to pander to the fans of each individual girl: Dream - Kagami, Volleyball - Misao/Tsukasa, Hike - Miyuki, Dog - Minami.
I just didn't feel it with this OVA. Didn't laugh nearly as much as in a regular ep, despite it being almost twice as long. A big factor is probably the absence of Konata's dad and Cousin Yui, the harbingers of several laughs in the series.
The OVA can still redeem itself with a good Lucky Channel, which I haven't seen yet since it's not subbed.
|2008-09-30, 01:48
|Link #277
AQS representative
Join Date: Jul 2007
|2008-09-30, 11:56
|Link #278
Gone for Good
Join Date: Apr 2004
I just realized the "super (very long name) attack" that Konata used to serve her volley in the volleyball sketch is exactly the same serving attack Haruhi used in the table-tennis scene in "Lone Island Syndrome - Part 1" episode of Suzumiya Haruhi. Of course, no prize for guessing that they're both done by Hirano Aya.
|2008-09-30, 13:17
|Link #279
Feeling comfy
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 44
Good fun. Always nice to see the girls back in all their goofy glory.
Like many others, I loved the MMORPG segment. By the way, Nanako's still single because she obviously spends too much time behind the PC, not because she's not beautiful enough.
Kagamiku...cute overload.
Hmm, I didn't quite like the volleyball segment. But it's a nice mushy moment for Tsukasa, nonetheless.
As for the horror segment, not sure what the references are meant to be. But I trust that hard-core anime fans would soon discover what they are, if there are any.
Oh...Konata wasn't so much AFK as she was possibly being a vendor-bot in the Tenchou segment. That's fairly common in many MMORPGs.
Finally, I enjoyed the live-action Lucky Channel, although it's a shame that the cranky version of Akira didn't feature. Off-the-wall humour, as usual, and utterly hilarious, as expected.
|2008-09-30, 13:57
|Link #280
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: In the middle of nowhere
|comedy, kadokawa, kyoto animation, moe, otaku, ova, school life, seinen
|Thread Tools


text:
Albert Field was born in Norton on July 4, 1795, to Jude and Abigail Carpenter Field. His first wife was Abigail Hewins of Sharon whom he married on June 7, 1818. She was born on Oct. 1, 1797, and died in Taunton on June 11, 1850, of consumption. Albert and Abigail had several children. Albert married second in Taunton on Aug. 27, 1851, Lavinia Frances Woodward White. She was the daughter of Calvin Woodward and formerly the wife of George W. White of Providence, R.I. Lavinia was born on Nov. 29, 1813, and died in Boston on Jan. 18, 1890. Albert and Lavinia had a daughter, Fanny.
Albert Field was born in Norton on July 4, 1795, to Jude and Abigail Carpenter Field. His first wife was Abigail Hewins of Sharon whom he married on June 7, 1818. She was born on Oct. 1, 1797, and died in Taunton on June 11, 1850, of consumption. Albert and Abigail had several children. Albert married second in Taunton on Aug. 27, 1851, Lavinia Frances Woodward White. She was the daughter of Calvin Woodward and formerly the wife of George W. White of Providence, R.I. Lavinia was born on Nov. 29, 1813, and died in Boston on Jan. 18, 1890. Albert and Lavinia had a daughter, Fanny.
Albert Field was employed in Sharon in 1812 and then moved to New York City where he attempted to make tacks by horse power. A few months later he moved to Taunton. Field worked for Crocker and Richmond who were nail manufacturers. Field established his own business in Taunton in the 1820's as The Field Tack Co. He built a machine that was used to make Brads. In 1830, he purchased a tack machine and employed Elijah S. Caswell to operate that machine. Caswell became the head of the cutting department, and he was employed by the Field Company for 50 years. In 1831, Otis Allen was hired and was in charge of packing, a position he held for over forty years. When Albert's sons were older the business was renamed A. Field & Sons Nail and Tack Works. In 1860 the name of the company was changed to Albert Field & Son.
The location of the business was beside the Mill River at 19 Spring S., with the building that is still standing being constructed in 1868. In 1874, a two-story building was erected across from the first building to accommodate the growing business. The company produced about 1,000 varieties of carpet nails, lining tacks, saddle nails, wire nails, glazier points, shoe points and eyelets. These items were made from iron, zinc, copper, steel and other metals. There were over four hundred employees working at over three hundred nail cutting machines. They produced about 35 million tacks and nails a day. One machine could cut and head about 15,000 tacks or nails in an hour. Shoe nails could be cut at 1,500-3,000 per minute. The nail cutting machines were built by the company, mostly from their own designs. The company was famous for its chisel-pointed nails which were used in boat building. These nails were made nowhere else. The company also designed and first manufactured the gimp tack, which was used for fastening linings on carriages and furniture. Each day between nine and ten tons of products were packaged for distribution and shipped. The company had warehouses in New York, San Francisco and Philadelphia from which their products were shipped worldwide.
In addition to being owner and operator of the tack company, Albert Field was one of the members of the first board of directors of the Taunton Gas Light Company. He also served as a president of the company. He established the Taunton Foundry and Machine Company and Mount Hope Iron Co. at Somerset. He was not a member of any church, however, he contributed generously to the building of churches. One church in Taunton received from Field and his son more than $25,000 toward the building and furnishing of their church building, that being over 50 percent of the total cost. Albert Field died in Taunton on April 25, 1869, from a concussion sustained from a fall and gradual paralysis. He is buried with his wives and some of his descendants in lots 62, 63 and 64 in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
On June 9, 1869, by an act of the state of Massachusetts, the company was incorporated as The Albert Field Tack Company. Albert Field's sons, George Albert Field, James Borden Field, and Charles Henry Field, their associates and successors were named as those forming the corporation. Albert's oldest son, George A., was president of the company. James B. Field died on May 1, 1870.
In 1872, patents No. 3883 and 3884 were given to the Albert Field Tack Co. for Tack Head designs by George A. Field. On July 31, 1874, John D. Robinson was the assignor for The Albert Field Tack Co. for a patent for improvements to machines for making eyelets. A report on the company gave the value on Feb. 26, 1877, as Capital $250,000, Real Estate $131,831, Machinery $39,925 and Other Assets $9,096. George A. Field died on Aug. 29, 1883. In 1889, N. Bradford Dean, treasurer for the company, signed the Iron and Steel petition regarding tariff laws. Other employees of the factory at various times were Charles H. Field, who was on the board of directors and the president at the time of the selling of the company; Herbert E. Hall, who was a superintendent; and Leander Soule, who was a practical tack-maker, manager and superintendent.
Business began to decline in the 1880s. The Atlas Tack Corp. of Boston bought all of the net assets of the Albert Field Tack Co. in 1891 when Atlas merged several companies into theirs: Dunbar, Hobart & Co. of So. Abington Station, est. 1810; Albert Field Tack Co. of Taunton, est. 1827; Loring & Parks of Plymouth, est. 1842; Taunton Tack Co. of Taunton, est. 1854; American Tack Co. of Fairhaven, est. 1862; and the Old Colony Rivet Co. of Plymouth, est. 1806. At that time these companies produced more than half of all tacks in this country. When The Albert Field Tack Co. was sold it was the largest tack manufacturer in the world, the most prosperous and successful tack manufacturer there ever had been in the United States of America. The Albert Field Tack Co. was officially dissolved by the State of Massachusetts in 1904. Charles H. Field died on Aug. 16, 1909.
On July 5, 1984, the Albert Field Tack Co. building, an example of Italianate architecture, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a non-profit
volunteer women's service organization dedicated to preserving American history, securing America's future through better education and promoting patriotism.
Interested in joining us? Details can be found at www.massdar.org/lydiacobb.html or like us on Facebook at DAR — Lydia Cobb Quequechan Chapter — Massachusetts.
Who's There?
Albert Field
Born July 4, 1795
Died April 25, 1869
Lavinia Frances
Wife Of Albert Field
Born Nov. 29, 1813
Died Jan. 18, 1890
Fanny C.
Daughter Of
Albert & Lavinia F. Field
Born April 21, 1853
Died Nov. 18, 1874
Children Of
Albert & Abigail Field
Henry Ellis
Born March 8, 1825
Died Feb 12, 1827
Charles Edson
Born Jan. 3, 1823
Died Nov. 27, 1828
Adeline Baylies
Born Feb. 23, 1839
Died Sept. 22, 1840
Abigail Hewins
Wife Of Albert Field
Born Oct. 1, 1797
Died June 11, 1850
Charlotte J. Field
Dec. 18, 1837
June 16, 1912
But Thanks Be To God Which
Giveth The Victory Through
Our Lord Jesus Christ
George A. Field
March 26, 1819
Aug. 29, 1883
Whosoever Liveth And Believeth
In Me Shall Never Die
Harriet F. Ryerson
Blessed Are The Pure In Heart
As They Shall See God.
Albert M. Field
June 29, 1859
June 22, 1929
His Beloved Wife
Claribel Mellen
Nov. 24, 1859
May 26, 1923
Life Is Eternal
Annie Louise Field
Beloved Wife Of
Frank Allen Hubbard, M.D.
Dec. 6, 1854
Aug. 29, 1892
I Know My Redeemer Liveth.
Annual Report of the Statistics of Labor, by Massachusetts Department of Labor and Industries
Boston and Bostonians
Boston Evening Transcript June 30, 1891
Bristol County Directory
Commission of Patents Annual Report 1872
Every Day But Sunday, by Jennie F. Copeland
History of American Manufacturers from1608 to 1860, Vol. 3
History of Taunton, by Samuel Hopkins Emery
Miscellaneous Documents of the House of Representatives 1889-'90
Old Colony Historical Society File VM863P(1), VC270C
Public Documents of Massachusetts, Vol. 3
Taunton Vital Records to 1850
The Great Industries of the United States by Leon Case, Horace Greeley
The New England states: their constitutional, judicial ..., Volume 1
edited by William Thomas Davis


text:
The blaze that killed two Boston firefighters last week was started by sparks from a welder's torch and the welders allegedly fled without alerting anyone, Boston officials said today.
One Boston politician wants to change the state law to allow the welding company to be charged with criminally negligent homicide.
"The slag, or sparks, got into under the clapboards," Fire Commissioner John Hassan said at a press conference today, a day after his department buried firefighter Mike Kennedy, a combat Marine veteran. On Wednesday Lt. Ed Walsh was laid to rest. Hassan was joined at the news conference by the Boston Police homicide squad.
High winds, Hassan said, fed the flames. But it remains unknown how long the fire had been smoldering in the walls of the Back Bay brownstone because the welders left the scene without calling 911, officials said. Investigators focused on the welding company, several law enforcement sources told ABC News, after welding tools were found in the rubble by arson investigators sifting through the soot and debris for Walsh's wedding ring.
Hassan and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans declined to publicly name the company.
Sources said that the investigators believe the welders were aware of the fire and did not call 911 or alert anyone occupying the building about the blaze.
"It is an absolute outrage," said Massachusetts state Sen. Ken Donnelly, a former Lexington firefighter. "There needs to be criminal charges in this matter."
The welding company, Evans told reporters, did not obtain permits to weld a back fence as required under city of Boston statute. Nor did they have a fire detail, which is required for any welding inside a structure. A fire detail for outside welding is determined by a fire chief when a permit is requested.
The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office will make the final determination about any criminal charges the company could face, but chief homicide prosecutor Ed Zabin said that Massachusetts does not have a criminally negligent homicide statute, which could make it difficult for prosecutors to hold the welding company culpable in the deaths of Walsh and Kennedy.
Donnelly told ABC News he made a vow to the Boston Fire Department to file a bill in honor of Walsh and Kennedy to make contractors culpable for construction code lapses that result in firefighters death.
"These guys were good firefighters. For things to go that bad that fast, that fire had to be going for a while," Donnelly said. "It is unacceptable that criminally negligent homicide charges are not an option in this case."
Donnelly said that he will study New York's criminally negligent homicide statute that was used in 2009 when a Bronx landlord was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the deaths of two firefighters forced to jump to their deaths because the landlord had created a labyrinth of illegal, windowless rooms for rent that gave the firefighters no way to escape.
Construction companies connected to the erection of the Deutsch Bank building near Ground Zero in lower Manhattan were also charged with criminally negligent homicide when two firefighters died and 100 others were injured battling a blaze in 2007 in what prosecutors called "a death trap" created by shoddy, cost-cutting work. The company reached a deal with prosecutors which resulted in a fine, but not prosecution.
Ed Kelly president of the Professional Association of Firefighters, told ABC News that the unions representing firefighters in Massachusetts, and Boston firefighters in Local 118, said that they support legislation that would hold any company that creates a danger for its members criminally responsible.


text:
LIQUID LOCK environmentally conscious cleaning technology can reduce power and chemistry consumption by up to 75%. The curtain containment system "locks" atomized spray in the wash chamber, eliminating the number one cause of chemical solution loss (atomized spray mist exhaust). In addition to locking in the vapor, LIQUID LOCK also locks-in the heat.
Learn More
Based on our long-standing reputation of quality and innovation, we continue to focus on designing cleaning equipment that reaches beyond what our customers expect from Stoelting. Our development groups continue to move foward with innovations such as Liquid LockTM and other cutting edge options to bring our customers the latest in cleaning technologies. Our expertise in immersion and spray configurations, along with our advanced knowledge of chemistry combinations make our name highly respected in many industries. All of our technology and engineering advances focus on one thing...a highly engineered cleaning solution that's based around our customer's needs.
Stoelting Cleaning Equipment
502 Hwy. 67
Kiel, WI 53042 USA
Phone: 920-894-2293
or 800-558-5807
Fax: 920-894-7029
Outperform every day.™


text: The All-Star Circuit of Champions will be making a stop at the Knoxville Raceway the week before the 51st Annual Knoxville Nationals on August 6th. The All-Stars race mainly in the eastern part of the United States and in Ohio. However for the past several seasons they have had their Thunder Through the Plains around the same time as the Nationals. Knoxville Raceway Director of Marketing Brian Stickel says the All-Stars will give the Knoxville drivers a challenge and thinks the Knoxville drivers will do the same. Stickel added that it will be hard to tell just how many of the All-Star regulars will show up that night. Drivers like Dale Blaney, Stevie Smith, Daryn Pittman, Greg Wilson, and reigning Knoxville Nationals Champion Tim Shaffer are scheduled to be in Knoxville that week for the night of racing which also is championship night of the 360 Nationals. The All-Stars will then move their show to the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa for the Front Row Challenge on August eighth.


text:
The Castle Rock Country Inn overlooks the magnificent vista of Middle Head Peninsula, the Atlantic Ocean and the mountain range of the Cape Breton Highlands. The property has seventeen comfortable guest rooms all with four-piece private bath, queen size bed, writing table, and armoire with Satellite TV, most with additional deluxe sofa bed. Enhance your stay with us with a stroll along the pathways on our property where you will experience the sights and sounds of the mountains and ocean.
|Dates of Operation
|Year Round
|Peak Season: $129.00 - $173.00 Shoulder Season: $129.00 - $156.00
|Methods of Payment
Cash and Debit
Castle Rock Country Inn
39339 Cabot Trail , Ingonish Ferry, NS,
NS, Canada B0C1L0
Phone: (902) 285-2700
Toll-Free: 1-888-884-7625
Email: email@example.com
Website: http://www.ingonish.com/castlerock
Facebook: Go to Facebook Page


text: I loved the 2010 Kahoona 11.5m also, except for the high bar pressure. Moved on to the 2011 which had much less bar pressure. 2011 had less low end by a knot or two, but really improved high end (fun in 5 more knots than the 2010). I didn't think they were very good for loops though. If you liked the 2010, I think you will really like the 2011. Just keep in mind the change in the low end, the 2010 11.5 had the windrange of most 13-14m kites.darippah wrote:Good point edt my first kite was a 11.5 kahoona 2010- loved it . Great range , great lift but the bar pressure had me done after an hour or 2 .I know the current kahoonas have much less bar pressire But at the point i sold it about 18 months ago i was at a much lower level so im not sure id still like it and i hear the current kahoona has changed alot.


text:
Jennifer Aniston & John Mayer: A Cabo New Year
Jennifer Aniston and boyfriend John Mayer celebrate New Year's together at a beachside villa in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on Thursday (January 1).
Aniston had rented the place with pals Sheryl Crow, Courteney Cox (and husband David Arquette) and Laura Dern (with husband Ben Harper).
Mayer and his two brothers had rented a nearby villa.
"I had the best holiday season since I was a little boy," Mayer recently wrote on his official blog. Wonder why!!!
10+ pictures inside of Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer having a Cabo New Year…


text:
Board approves 2009 budget
County borrows over $200,000 to balance budget
ARENAC COUNTY — At the Arenac County Board of Commissioners' meeting on Dec. 22, the Board approved the county's operating budget for 2009 at $5,067,843, an amount that required a transfer of $229,645 and change from the county's tax administration fund to balance with projected revenues.
According to Arenac County Treasurer Dennis Stawowy, the tax administration fund is made up of monies the county uses to pay for delinquent property taxes, and is then replenished when those delinquent taxes are repaid, plus interest and late penalties. If the delinquencies are not repaid with interest and penalties, the properties go up for auction in an attempt to generate revenue and restock the fund.
However, both Stawowy and the Board recognize the precarious situation that is developing from the tax administration fund, since the fund also allots payments to Standish-Sterling Community Schools, townships throughout the county who are owed taxes and the Bay-Arenac Intermediate School District.
"I'm not happy with it," said Board Chairman Raymond Daniels. "The first of the year we're going to have to figure out what we have to do in order to cut expenses. … We're (Commissioners) gonna go to the departments first and see what costs they can cut."
Stawowy adds the amount taken from tax administration is even greater, since monies had to be used for debt retirement.
"Another $120,000 is going towards bond payments," he said.
After the more than $350,000 is withdrawn from tax admin, Stawowy says the fund will sit at $1.75 million.
This remainder is lower than expected, as the Board had to borrow more than expected in 2008.
"We thought we'd only have to use $125,000 from tax admin last year, and that figure is going to be close to $300,000 by the time we're done," Daniels said.
And according to Stawowy, the $1.75 million remaining may throw a hitch in the county's regular practices when it comes to property tax foreclosures.
"I needed a million nine ($1.9 million) to buy the delinquencies in May," he said. "I'm assuming it's going to be as much or higher.
"This May I may not have enough."
Unfortunately, Stawowy says, if the tax admin numbers are too low and properties are not bought up at auction (this year nine parcels out of 25 went unsold), debt could grow even higher.
"Then we go to the bank and get a loan to pay the school and the local units off," Stawowy said, adding that interest would accumulate if the county had to take this route.
Also, this year during the auctions held to boost the county's funds and make up for delinquent taxes, the county was unsuccessful in even breaking even.
"We did not make enough to cover the amount owed in taxes for the 25 parcels up for auction," Stawowy said. "We had to use money that was left over from the 2007 auction."
There is a couple ways to save money in the tax administration fund, Stawowy says, but neither choice may be appealing to county residents.
"The residents of the county have to decide and tell the board what services they can do without or come to the determination they want all the services we provide and pay for them," Stawowy said. "There's a handful of services in the county the we *have to do. There's programs that we *don't have to have."
He added that several county programs dealing with children, needy families and elderly people are among ones not mandated by the state.
Daniels says the board is already considering the option of cutting services.
"We're going to have to go through and figure out which services are mandated and not mandated by the state. We're probably going to have to cut some of the non-mandated programs. Those are feel-good services we offer through the county that we just won't be able to have anymore," the Board Chairman said. "So some services that are here today, won't be here in 2012."
He references 2012 because that's when Daniels and Stawowy both said they felt tax administration money would run out.
Coincidentally, or perhaps not, 2012 is one year after the state of Michigan plans to resume revenue sharing with Arenac County. But Daniels says the sharing, which was eliminated temporarily in 2004 and replaced with an additional property tax collection, may not be enough to help struggling counties.
He added state revenue sharing was resumed in Tuscola County this year.
"They (Tuscola County) didn't get nearly as much as they thought they were going to get," Daniels said.
Keywordsarenac county budget operating fund expeses revenue daniels stawowy tax administration fund
Please review our community guidelines before posting
Please keep comments on topic and appropriate for all ages. Remember that people of all ages read our website. Those that are not appropriate will be removed. Please read our full community guidelines before posting.


text:
Zend Technologies has announced availability of its Zend Server Cluster Manager, which provides an enterprise-ready PHP stack that delivers performance optimization, application monitoring, problem diagnostics, job queuing and more. With Zend Server Cluster Manager, Web operations teams can centrally monitor and manage multiple Zend Server instances. Zend Server Cluster Manager supports PHP applications running on-premise or in the Cloud.
"With Zend Server Cluster Manager, we're responding to the needs of many of our customers who run large-scale PHP applications developed in-house or based on PHP projects such as Drupal, Magento, Joomla!, and SugarCRM," said Zend's Eldad Maniv. "Now they can manage multiple servers effectively with a failover solution that's easy to scale, and meet performance and availability SLAs to get the most from their PHP deployments."
Zend Server Cluster Manager fully supports Cloud deployments, allowing IT managers to add or take down PHP servers, monitor multiple PHP servers running in the Cloud, isolate performance bottlenecks or errors with built-in code tracing capability, and ensure consistent PHP configuration across a large number of clustered servers. It's features include
- Session Clustering for high availability
- Centralized Configuration Management for ensuring successful deployments, and streamlining application scale-up
- Centralized Monitoring for detecting application errors, slowdowns or configuration drift in a multi-server environment
- Simple setup and administration with an easy-to-use Web console
The application management capabilities provided by Zend Server Cluster Manager allow IT organizations to safely move additional Web workload to PHP and realize the many benefits of using PHP, including cost efficiency, agility and staff productivity.


text:
There wasn't much that made sense about St. Augustine defensive back Cody McCullough's request late on Friday night. But, then again, coach Joey Wiles has given up trying to figure out these Bartram Trail games.
"He came up to me and said 'let me switch, coach. I'm going to go block it.' When a kid is that confident you have to trust him," Wiles said.
McCullough knifed his way through Bartram's line and blocked a 43-yard field goal by Thomas Gallitz with 1:19 remaining, helping the Yellow Jackets seal a 27-26 win in another classic between the county rivals.
The District 4-6A victory puts St. Augustine (7-0, 4-0) a win against Atlantic Coast away from grabbing its ninth straight district crown. Bartram (6-2, 4-1) just has to beat Wolfson on Nov. 2 to lock up a runner-up spot and trip to the postseason.
The narrow victory also helped St. Augustine extend a district win streak that now dates back to Oct. 30, 2003 (44-20 to Palatka) and wrote yet another heartbreaker into Bartram's history.
"I told coach Wiles that I could do it," McCullough said. "I just had this feeling that if I was given a chance I would block that kick. It feels amazing. I did my team justice after messing up earlier in the game."
McCullough usually plays on the field-goal unit, but is left to defend against a possible fake. This time, he swapped with Nick Shade, a defensive lineman who blocked a kick earlier in the season, and joined the rest of his teammates along the line.
McCullough came flying through, easily sending back Gallitz' kick and stunning a Bears crowd that was literally moments away from making history.
Bartram is now a cold 0-14 against St. Augustine, and this night will have a place alongside any of the previous games that haunt the Bears.
St. Augustine, ranked No. 3 in Class 6A, entered the night as the easy favorites against a Bartram team that had to replace nearly its entire offense from a season ago.
Yet it was the Bears, not the Yellow Jackets, who snatched the game's momentum in the early stages.
Bartram scored on the third play of the game when Nick Uruburu broke a short pass to the outside and sped his way to a 68-yard touchdown.
The following St. Augustine drive ended in a safety. McCullough, fittingly enough, was the culprit, snapping the ball over Morgan Sefcik's head and through the back of the end zone.
Bartram didn't slow down there. After a 33-yard kickoff return by Uruburu, quarterback P.J. Blazejowski needed only two plays to run in for a 8-yard touchdown and secure a 16-0 lead.
The Yellow Jackets turned the ball over on downs on their next drive, and Bartram capitalized, going 10 plays and ending with a 20-yard field goal by Gallitz and an 19-0 first-quarter advantage.
"I think when you get two great teams playing you get these types of nights," Bartram coach Darrell Sutherland said. "We put so much on P.J. and he played great. He did everything we could have hoped for."
St. Augustine, just like it did in 2008 when it fell down 19-0 at halftime, stormed back to take the lead.
The Yellow Jackets marched down on their next possession, going 80 yards in 13 plays and scoring on a 14-yard pass from quarterback Sandon Mims to tight end Robbie Gober.
The game shifted on the next series when Bartram failed to gain a first down on fourth-and-1 from its own 44. The Bears called timeout to think about the play, and still decided to come back out and let Blazejowski try to sneak up the middle. The play was stuffed.
St. Augustine scored four plays later on a 1-yard run by Levent Sands.
Following a Bartram three-and-out, St. Augustine pieced together another long scoring drive and took the lead at 21-19 on a 2-yard touchdown by Sands.
"We never (panic)," Wiles said. "We have too many coaches who have been in this game a long time and have seen a little bit of everything. And our kids are confident in their abilities and what they have to do to win."
In the second half, Bartram did a good job of responding. St. Augustine punted on its first series and Bartram scored on its first play - a 61-yard run by Uruburu.
The teams exchanged punts the rest of the quarter. On the first play of the fourth, however, Mims dropped back and hit Bobby Mitchell down the right sideline for a 79-yard touchdown to retake the lead at 27-26.
Mitchell was unstoppable all game, reeling in nine catches for 199 yards and the score.
"This was one of the biggest games I've played in," Mitchell said. "When we got down we just knew we would come back. We've done it before. It's really a confidence thing. We just had to believe we could do it and pull it out in the end."
Added cornerback D.A. Williams: "This one feels great. I was shocked to be honest with you when he blocked that kick. I didn't think we'd get it, but Cody executed and we came away with the win. This means a lot to us."
Bartram nearly brought home a legendary drive to win the game at the end. Following Mitchell's touchdown, both teams punted and Bartram was set up at its own 42 with time winding down and a chance to erase more than a decade of history on the line. The Bears, behind the running of Blazejowski, moved to St. Augustine's 47. After a penalty, Bartram was faced with fourth-and-15. Sutherland chose to go for it and Blazejowski hit Marcus Taylor on a beautiful 19-yard pass down the sideline. Bartram tried to run the clock down with a couple of runs after that and let its star kicker win the game.
"We know that those swings are going to come during a game," Bartram defensive coordinator Ed Snyder said. "There will be ebbs and flows in a game and our guys did a great job not getting sucked down in one or the other. Someone's going to win and someone's going to lose, but we showed them something different tonight. There's a lot we can take from this game and get better from."
Mims, who finished the night 19 of 30 passing for 338 yards and two touchdowns, took a couple of knees and the game was over.
Sands didn't find much room and ended with 61 yards on 19 carries and the two scores.
For Bartram, Blazejowski was 12 of 22 passing for 187 yards, ran for 100 yards on 15 carries and scored two touchdowns. He now joins his former teammate Nathan Peterman, Bartram standout Kyle Parker and Tim Tebow as talented signal callers who couldn't break the trend against St. Augustine. The group is a combined 0-13 against the Yellow Jackets.
"Our guys competed and played as hard as they could out there," Sutherland said. "It was an exciting game to be a part of."
St. Augustine 27, Bartram Trail 26
First quarter
B - Nick Uruburu 68 pass from P.J. Blazejowski (Thomas Gallitz kick)
B - Safety
B - Blazejowski 8 run (Gallitz kick)
B - Gallitz 20 field goal
Second quarter
S - Robbie Gober 14 pass from Sandon Mims (Morgan Sefcik kick)
S - Levent Sands 1 run (Sefcik kick)
S - Sands 2 run (Sefcik kick)
Third quarter
B - Uruburu 61 run (Gallitz kick)
Fourth quarter
S - Bobby Mitchell 79 pass from Mims (kick failed)
RUSHING: Bartram Trail, Blazejowski 15-100; Dillon Ragusa 5-18; Uruburu 7-101; Gabe Davis 2-17; Total: 29-236; St. Augustine, Sands 19-61; Mims 6-(minus 2); Patrick Stewart 3-12; Total: 28-71
PASSING: Bartram, Blazejowski 12-22-1, 187; Mims 19-30-0, 338
RECEIVING: Bartram, Uruburu 4-86; Davis 3-33; Brennan Asplen 1-2; Marcus Taylor 3-66; St. Augustine, Keegan Nelms 5-78; Mitchell 9-199; D.A. Williams 2-38; Robbie Gober 2-18; Sands 1-5


text:
Zebulon man wins lottery for 2nd time
Jackpots totaled $1.5 million
Zebulon man wins lottery for 2nd time
Jackpots totaled $1.5 million
A Wake County tobacco farmer has won more than $1 million in the Carolina Cash 5 lottery game.
It's Homer Buffaloe's second win in the game since 2010.
Buffaloe won $1.1 million in Sunday's game, the largest amount ever for a single ticket.
The Zebulon man also received half of a $408,000 jackpot in the same game in November 2010.
Lottery officials say the only larger jackpot in the Carolina Case 5 game was more than $1.3 million in 2011. But three winners split that award.
Buffaloe received more than $778,000 on Monday after state and federal taxes were withheld.


text:
10:00 pm
Caprial and John's Kitchen: Cooking for Family and Friends "Organic Root Vegetables" The Pences prepare braised pork shoulder with caramelized carrots and potatoes and seared flat-iron steak with oven-roasted carrot salad.G
10:30 pm
Rick Steves' Europe "Switzerland's Jungfrau Region: Best of the Alps" Rick is in the sky-high corner of the Swiss Alps, with cows on breathtaking ridges. He settles into a traditional village where locals scythe hay by hand. He hikes, bikes and parasails, then blasts an alphorn.G
11:00 pm
Theater Talk Joining us are actors Judy Kaye and Michael McGrath now appearing on Broadway in the popular show Nice Work If You Can Get It. They both won Tony Awards for their roles in this popular show, which features the music of George Gershwin. Also, veteran dancer-actors David Bean, Harvey Evans, Bert Michaels and Eddie Verso celebrate the 1957 musical classic West Side Story and the 1961 Academy Award-winning film adaptation in which they all appeared as Sharks or Jets. D
11:30 pm
Closer to Truth "What Would Multiple Universes Mean?" Is there more than one universe? According to current cosmology, our entire gigantic universe is only one of innumerable universes, each universe like one tiny bubble in a limitless ocean of universes. What could all this mean?. D


text:
chrisfx needed a new button or icon design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 41 designs submitted by 21 freelance designers.
Mister Fong is a new blog in the internet marketing niche, looking to establish its own unique identity
Internet marketers looking to make money online
I am looking for a unique avatar that I will be able to use on my blog, and all my other social media accounts like Twitter, Facebook, etc.
1) I would like it to be a cartoon, person style avatar
2) The character should be "chinese" looking with perhaps some sort of asian/chinese theme
Styles I like:
I would like to see a wide range of designs and color schemes and I will provide feedback to narrow down what I prefer.
Please feel free to ask questions, and I will answer within 24 hours. Thanks!


text:
Leonardo DiCaprio Steps Out After 'Great Gatsby' DVD Release!
Leonardo DiCaprio sports a Popeye shirt while leaving La Squina restaurant after having dinner on Wednesday (August 28) in New York City.
The 38-year-old actor's latest film The Great Gatsby was released on Blu-ray and DVD the day before. If you missed the film in theaters, or you just loved it a lot, make sure to go pick up a copy!
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Leonardo DiCaprio
Douglas Booth is playing the role of Romeo in the upcoming film version of Romeo & Juliet, a role that Leo played in the Baz Luhrmann film from 1996. Find out what Douglas had to say about stepping into the actor's footsteps.
FYI: Leo is wearing Carrera sunglasses.


text:
The Center for Sport and the Law at the University of Baltimore School of Law was established in 2009 with the support of the Baltimore Orioles professional baseball franchise and the Baltimore Ravens professional football franchise. The Center's goals are to foster academic leadership, community engagement, and student excellence in the theoretical and practical aspects of amateur and professional sports law.
To that end, the Center sponsors academic symposia, generates scholarship and engages in community partnerships that serve to provide students, the legal community and amateur and professional sports stakeholders with an enhanced understanding of the legal structures and institutions which shape various athletic contexts, including recreational, interscholastic, intercollegiate, professional, and the Olympic movement.
The Center's director is Professor Dionne Koller, whose scholarly interests include sport and the law and health law. Koller currently serves on the executive board for the Sports Law Section of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and on the United States Anti-Doping Agency's Anti-Doping Review Board.


text:
Contact us 24/7: 5808 1362
View product details
Zoom In
Need a second opinion? Ask your personal shopper:
Need a second opinion? Ask your personal shopper:
GET EXPERT ADVICE Need a second opinion? Ask your personal shopper:
- Instructions for use:
- - Gently wipe the brush against the tube opening to remove excess pigment before application
- - Sweep the wand upwards from root to tip for subtly defined, natural-looking lashes
- - Follow with a second and third coat for a more dramatic effect
- - Don't forget inner and outer most lashes for maximum impact
- - 8.2ml/0.28 fl.oz.
- Ingredients: Aqua, Synthetic Beeswax, Paraffin, Stearic Acid, Acacia Senegal, Triethanolamine, Butylene Glycol, Cera Carnauba, Glyceryl Stearate, Polybutene, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethycellulose, Methyparaben, Propylparaben, Mica.
- May Contain [+/-] Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Ci 77491/77492/77499 (Iron Oxides), Ci 75470 (Carmine), Ci 77007 (Ultramarine Blue), Ci 77510 (Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide), Ci 77288 (Chromium Oxide Greens), Ci 77289 (Chromium Hydroxine Green)
Fuller, longer, more voluminous lashes are just a stroke away with Ellis Faas' versatile mascara. The slim, pointed brush lifts and separates, while the creamy pitch-black formula glides on smoothly and evenly. One sweep creates a natural, wide-eyed look while two or more coats offer a glamorous finish worthy of any red carpet - or important date.
- Elongated wand for easy, precise application - Formulated with natural Carnauba Wax
As seen in THE EDIT magazine
Product Code: 403450
For alternative suggestions, contact our Fashion Consultants
Help & Advice
Product Code: 403450


text:
One of the growing pains accompanying the new 2010 Census numbers is a federal requirement that the New Bern area establish a Metropolitan Planning Organization.
One of the growing pains accompanying the new 2010 Census numbers is a federal requirement that the New Bern area establish a Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Along with transportation planning mandate for a 50,503 urban area population identified by the U.S. Department of Commerce comes $165,000 in planning money. But that requires 20 percent in matching funds.
Jeff Ruggieri, City of New Bern development services director, drafted a memorandum of understanding for the areas that could help with the planning but would have to cough up their share of the cash.
New Bern, with 28,017 people in the urban planning area, will lead the group, which Trent Woods with its 4,115 people has indicated it will be part of, River Bend with 3,002 people has said is leaning in that direction but has not officially resolved to do so.
With 422 people, Bridgeton is the smallest area potentially involved and has decided not to participate, and Craven County with 14,947 people in unincorporated areas the region encompasses wants to hear from the federal experts before signing on the dotted line.
Craven County�s contribution for a seat at the table is initially $9,768, but several commissioners hearing Ruggieri�s presentation, seem to think the advantages in helping to shape long range road growth is probably worth it. A map of the identified metropolitan area show it going east past a possible U.S. 70 Bypass.
The area identified covers an area expected to become urban within 20 years but can be periodically reassessed and revised based on new developments.
Some initial confusion about whether or not the county could be in both the Rural Planning Organization and the Metropolitan Planning Organization was clarified. It can because the county has a vested interest in participating in both.
Commissioners asked Ruggieri and N.C. Department of Transportation representatives who attended recent meeting to arrange a meeting with the Atlanta-based leader who can explain its advantages and limitations.
The MPO has until July 2013 to put together its initial plan but a memorandum of understanding defining the group is due sooner.
Nonvoting members of the MPO�s transportation advisory committee also include representatives from the Federal Highway Administration and N.C. DOT.
Sue Book can be reached at 252-635-5665 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Topic: New Digital Prints
Hey everyone! I'm starting a new series of digital prints that I thought you might like. Below is my latest that isn't for sale just yet but will be shortly.
Here is another one that I just finished a few days ago that is available on Etsy.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/84075489/re … rm-trooper
Your feedback is definitely appreciated! Enjoy!


text:
For 12 days of Christmas, Parenting.com is highlighting some of our more festive holiday content. On the fifth day of Blogmas, Parenting.com gives to you:
Four festive holiday snacks for kids,
Two awesome Christmas morning freakouts,
and one seriously festive home!
Stay tuned for more holiday fun in the days to come.