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The European Antitrust Review 2014 • Section 1: EU substantive areas
Non-Pricing Conduct by Dominant Firms in the EU: The Case of Exclusive Dealing
After years of focus on pricing conduct by dominant firms under EU law, non-pricing conduct is receiving the attention it deserves. The Google investigation, the many issues surrounding standard essential patents, and refusals to deal are now on the front burner. They promise to move the law forward in this important area.
It is hardly surprising that pricing conduct has received so much attention. Modern thinking co-existed uneasily with a long line of often incompatible judicial precedent. While enforcers began considering whether a dominant firm's pricing precluded equally efficient rivals from effectively competing, a sometimes complex but necessary economic assessment, judicial precedent placed at least as much value on legal certainty. Yet legal certainty, though unquestionably valuable in itself, is not without cost, particularly when it threatens to chill the discounting that competition laws are meant to encourage. Through recent enforcement actions, and especially its published Guidance on Article 102, the European Commission moved the analysis from the expensive comfort of virtually per se rules toward an economic assessment more consistent with the goals of competition law.
Fortunately, much of the thinking that developed around pricing conduct is applicable to non-pricing conduct, where the stakes can be just as high. While discouraging discounting is an obvious and immediate harm, the same is true for other pro-competitive conduct in this age of innovation rivalry. The cost of 'false positives' is high.
This article applies current thinking to exclusive dealing, a common, often beneficial and familiar practice from which fundamental principles can be extrapolated to non-pricing conduct generally. Our focus is on situations where buyers agree to buy all or almost all of their requirements from a single seller ('single branding', in EC parlance). Regardless of whether it is assessed as a vertical agreement under article 101 or an abuse of dominance under article 102, exclusive dealing requires the same distinction between anti-competitive foreclosure and competition on the merits that continues to propel development of EU competition law. Modern precedents are scarce, but the recent judgment from the EFTA Court in Norway Post provides useful insight and an opportunity for the law to develop in this key area.
Norway Post
Norway Post is the national postal operator in Norway and a leading provider of business-to-consumer (B-to-C) parcels. In 2000 and 2001, the company entered into agreements with major retail chains NorgesGruppen (grocery stores and kiosks), Shell (petrol stations), COOP (grocery stores) and ICA (grocery stores) for the exclusive right to establish a Post-in-Shop (PiS) network for a range of postal and financial services. The agreement with NorgesGruppen and Shell provided that they would be Norway Post's preferred partner in exchange for exclusive access to all its outlets, regardless of whether there was a PiS in the store or not. The agreements with COOP and ICA similarly granted Norway Post exclusivity but only in outlets where a PiS was established.
After a complaint in 2002 from recent entrant Swedish Privpak, the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) opened an investigation into these exclusive agreements. The Authority noted that Norway Post was the only supplier of B-to-C parcel services with a network covering the whole of Norway. Its purported share remained about 98 per cent in the market for over-the-counter B-to-C parcel delivery. The ESA concluded that Norway Post had abused its dominant position by preventing new entrants from access to leading grocery store, kiosk and petrol station chains and, as a consequence, prevented them from establishing a delivery network capable of competing effectively with Norway Post's network. Norway Post was fined €12.89 million.
On appeal, the EFTA Court confirmed the Authority's decision but reduced the fine to €11.11 million because ESA's administrative procedure had taken too long.
Norway Post argued that to establish anti-competitive fore-closure, it is not enough to show that one path of access to the market was closed off. ESA must demonstrate that effective access to the market was hindered or eliminated and that the conduct made it possible for the dominant undertaking to exercise market power. Moreover, ESA did not specify the degree of potential foreclosure or show that it was substantial. Since the exclusivity was imposed on distributors rather than end-users, competitors were still able to compete for the entire market. Norway Post contended that its conduct was intended to secure a fast and efficient roll-out of a new distribution model. The exclusive agreements aimed to ensure effective implementation of its public service obligations and protect a significant investment in a new delivery network.
The Court firmly rejected these arguments, saying that 'it was sufficient for ESA to show that the conduct in question was liable to distort competition by raising barriers to entry and, therefore, to the maintenance or growth of the competition still existing in the market.'1 It further noted that 'for the same reason, it is immaterial whether an 'as efficient competitor' could have competed effectively with Norway Post.'2Entry barriers precluded efficient competitors from competing at all.
On the market coverage, the Court found it apparent from the decision that ESA had established that the retail outlet foreclosure was 'substantial'.3 ESA had shown that access to the leading outlet chains was important for providers of B-to-C parcel services and Norway Post's conduct had significantly limited rivals' possibilities of establishing delivery services at these chains. Because of the weak competitive situation in the market for over-the-counter B-to-C parcel delivery, the Court agreed that 'even a limited degree' of foreclosure was liable to restrict competition in the market.4
Norway Post argued that its agreements were lawful because they only foreclosed 40 per cent of the market, and that a competitor could profitably set up a delivery network consisting of outlets other than those used by Norway Post. In dismissing these arguments the Court noted that the foreclosure rate was actually 50 per cent, if not more, which it deemed 'substantial'.5 More importantly, the Court concluded that foreclosure of a substantial part of the market cannot be justified by showing that the remaining part of the market is sufficient for a limited number of competitors; 'it is not for the dominant undertaking to decide how many viable competitors will be allowed to compete for the remaining contestable portion of demand.'6 Customers should benefit from whatever degree of competition is possible on the market and competitors should be able to compete for the entire market and not just for a part of it.
Norway Post also argued that although the alleged infringement continued for five-and-a-half years, there was no evidence of actual anti-competitive effects. They pointed to evidence that there was no price decrease after the exclusivity ended. Rejecting this argument, the Court reiterated established precedent that an analysis of actual anti-competitive effects is not required. It is enough that the 'practices tended to restrict competition or that their conduct was capable of having that effect'.7 Even though ESA went one step further and supplemented its analysis by considering the likelihood of actual anti-competitive effects, it was not required to do so. The Court nonetheless acknowledges that 'in some cases, the persistent lack of actual negative effects on competition may cast doubt on a finding by ESA that a certain conduct is liable to restrict competition'.8 But Norway Post's claims in this particular case are not convincing enough to cast such doubt. Where an undertaking is already capable, as a result of its dominant position, to set the price for its products and services independently of those of its competitors, the creation of such additional barriers does not necessarily lead to an increase in prices but merely can perpetuate its existing dominant position. Similarly, the removal of such additional barriers to entry does not necessarily lead to a decrease in prices.
Finally, Norway Post claimed its conduct was objectively justified and the ESA applied too strict a test when assessing objective justifications and efficiencies, especially considering that Norway Post provides a service of general economic interest. It claimed a legitimate interest in pursuing chain exclusivity, outlet exclusivity and its renegotiation strategy.
The Court quickly dismisses all these justifications, partly because Norway Post introduced new pleas that were inadmissible at this stage of the procedure. On the efficiencies, the Court concluded that the conduct was not objectively necessary and that Norway Post in any event failed to show that efficiency gains were passed on to consumers. The fact that the state, and thereby taxpayers, may have avoided some expenses was irrelevant.
Analysing exclusive dealing
The elements of an infringement for exclusive dealing are well-established and comparable to other abuse of dominance cases:
- market power by at least one party to the arrangement;
- conduct that forecloses rivals from the opportunity to compete; and
- the absence of an overriding legitimate business justification.
The market power requirement is, of course, hugely important. Not only is it a statutory requirement under article 102, but it is a prerequisite for a firm to have the ability to foreclose rivals. Yet whether a firm actually has market power is rarely knowable without the sort of extensive economic analysis undertaken during the course of in-depth investigations or litigation, not when merely contemplating entering into a contract. Defining markets is notoriously uncertain, as are the likelihood of entry or expansion, effective strategies by power buyers to protect themselves and the many other variables relevant to whether a large firm actually has market power. Except in the most obvious cases, a prudent analysis sometimes must assume that market power exists for the sake of argument and focus instead on whether the conduct is foreclosing.
Whether exclusive contacts are foreclosing often presents the more interesting issue. Courts and regulators typically look to some combination of the percentage of the available customer base to whom the contracts applied and their duration. Over a decade ago, the European Commission and the courts found unlawful the exclusive contracts in Langnese-Iglo9and Schöller Lebensmittel.10 Langnese and Schöller were incumbent ice cream suppliers who had exclusive contracts with retailers representing more than 30 per cent of the market. The duration of Langnese's agreements averaged two-and-a-half years, while Schöller's agreements were considered indefinite since they were subject to tacit renewal.
More recently, in Tomra,11 the EU Courts upheld the Commission's finding that Tomra's contracts were unlawful in markets for 'reverse-vending machines.' The contracts involved volume discounts, (which unfortunately were assumed without apparent analysis to be the same as exclusive contracts), but they covered about 40 per cent of the relevant markets.
Similarly, in the United States, the Microsoft court said that 'a monopolist's use of exclusive contracts, in certain circumstances, may give rise to a section 2 violation even though the contracts foreclose less than the roughly 40 per cent or 50 per cent share usually required in order to establish a section 1 violation.'12 By contrast, the appellate court in Gilbarca found lawful exclusive contracts where the defendant held a 55 per cent share of the market for retail gasoline dispensers and entered into exclusive arrangements covering 38 per cent of all outlets in the market.13 In reversing a finding of liability by the district court, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit observed that the arrangements were short-term and easily terminated.
Although these cases turned on market coverage and duration, it would be a mistake to conclude that they lay down hard and fast thresholds for these variables, where three-year contracts are fine but not 37 months, or contracts covering 40 per cent of the market are fine but not 41 per cent. Nor are the EC Guidelines on Vertical Restraints helpful in saying that single branding obligations exceeding five years are 'for most types of investments not considered necessary' to achieve the claimed efficiencies, given the broad range of circumstances.14Each case turns on its facts, but what facts are relevant? The answer begins with an examination of the basic principles of anti-competitive foreclosure under EU law, many of which are recently developed in pricing cases such as Intel,15 TeliaSonera,16 Tomra17 and Post Denmark.18
Foreclosure deprives rivals from the opportunity to compete
Rivals are not foreclosed merely because they lose the competition to win contracts. Foreclosure requires rivals to be denied an opportunity to compete, placed at a material disadvantage for reasons other than the quality of their product or the merits of their service. Foreclosure occurs when 'actual or potential competitors are completely or partially denied profitable access to a market.'19 Merely winning business from rivals is not foreclosure, but rather the sort of competition on the merits that the competition laws are meant to protect. At the same time, the fact that a contract can be tacitly renewed, as in Schöller, does not make its duration infinite for these purposes since rivals can compete for it and customers can switch without breaching the contract.
Foreclosed rivals must be equally efficient
If competitors can compete for the entire exclusive contract, merely losing is not foreclosure. As the EC's Vertical Guidelines explain: 'If competitors can compete on equal terms for each individual customer's entire demand, single branding obligations [exclusive contracts] of one specific supplier are generally unlikely to hamper effective competition unless the switching of supplier by customers is rendered difficult due to the duration and market coverage of the single branding obligations.'20 This can happen when one firm is a 'must have' for only part of the customers' demand, but insists on an 'all or nothing' contract to foreclose competition from the contestable portion of the customer's needs.
This issue has played out most recently in volume discount cases, since they can (sometimes) operate as exclusive contracts. The issue there is whether an equally efficient rival can compensate customers for forgoing across-the-board discounts, but on the basis of a smaller supply. By allocating the entire discount to the contestable portion of demand, we can determine whether the discount operates effectively as an exclusive contract. Switching part of the business during the course of the arrangement is precluded in both cases; one because of a contractual commitment and the other because equally efficient rivals cannot compete for the contestable portion. But once volume discounts are shown to be operate like exclusive contracts, it is still necessary to assess whether they are anti-competitive.
Dominant firms may not dictate the size of rivals
This is the comment made by both the Tomra and Norway Post courts in response to arguments that only a portion of the market is foreclosed. Some commentators have wrongly interpreted the comment to suggest that all exclusive contracts by dominant firms might be suspect since they necessarily limit, to some extent, the amount of the market for which rivals can compete at any given time. But the statement means no such thing and, as discussed below, is instead a useful principle when assessing whether rivals are foreclosed from the market.
With these principles in mind, it is possible to give context to the market coverage and duration holdings noted above. The issue in those cases and others is straightforward when assessing foreclosure: how much business comes up for competition each year? The amount of the market covered by exclusive contracts and their duration are thus not conclusive in themselves but relevant to this key fact. The fewer the number of contracts and the shorter their duration, the more business comes up each year. This is the variable determining whether equally efficient rivals have an opportunity to compete, regardless of whether they actually win. If so, they are not foreclosed.
The amount of business coming up each year is also the variable that gives content to the sensible point that dominant firms should not be allowed to dictate the size of their rivals. Of course, the mere existence of contracts in any market means that not all business is up for grabs at every moment. But this does not mean that rivals are 'foreclosed' from the market or that they are relegated to only a portion of it. Rivals may have competed for these same contracts, and they can certainly do so again when the contracts expire. This is the 'opportunity' to compete that precludes a finding of foreclosure. It is what places a competitive constraint on dominant firms and thus constitutes competition. And when competition takes the form of intermittent bidding events, this ability to compete for every contract as it expires means rivals are not confined to the portion of the market not currently covered by the contracts. They can compete in the entire market as each competitive event occurs.
It therefore is necessary to determine how much business coming up for bid is enough. The answer of course is highly fact-based, but several common questions are relevant.
The first is whether equally efficient rivals had an opportunity to compete for the same exclusive contracts. If the customer's entire demand is contestable, not just a portion, regulators should at least hesitate before condemning the firm that won it. On the other hand, concerns may arise even in these circumstances if exclusive contracts cause too little business to come up for bid each year to constitute a real 'opportunity' for rivals to compete. The same is true if the concern is that ongoing contracts are precluding potential new entrants from an opportunity to secure initial business.
The second is how much is enough business to come up for bid each year in light of the market realities. Foreclosure principles require that we look at whether the amount constitutes a real 'opportunity' to compete in the market. And the question is not whether the business is merely enough to create a small competitor, but whether to allow it to maintain its presence as a competitive constraint as contracts expire. One relevant factor will be the rivals' minimum viable scale, not because it is permissible to cap their growth at this level but because reaching it (or, more accurately, having the opportunity to reach it) allows rivals to remain a competitive force regardless of whether it wins.
Also relevant is the extent to which rivals can remain viable bidders and for how long, even if winning business might take some time. Rivals currently competing in neighbouring markets, for example, may have a greater ability and incentive to wait for exclusive contracts to expire than start-up firms who need a quick win to survive. So the key question is understanding the qualities of the potential competitive constraints to assess whether those rivals have an opportunity to compete for each customer as the events arise, regardless of whether they win. If so, the contracts do not foreclose rivals or cause the incumbent to have market power.
All these factors must be assessed in light of the efficiencies and customer benefits created by the exclusive arrangements. It is now well-established in the EU, as in the US, that even dominant firms are permitted to compete hard for business, even if doing so maintains their dominance, so long as they are competing on the merits rather than through foreclosure tactics. But competition on the merits is not necessarily limited to better service and lower prices. Exclusive contracts often create the sort of efficiencies that benefit customers and they should not be rejected without a real competitive assessment.
To be sure, a thorough risk assessment turns on more than the legal analysis set forth above; it includes the probability of complaints, the certainty of the facts, the magnitude of the benefits and a range of business factors. But recent cases like Post Norway, one of the few exclusive dealing judgments, are a useful addition to the analysis. While uncertainty is never eliminated entirely, the law on exclusive dealing has developed to allow companies to pursue legitimate business objectives with manageable risk.
- Case E-15/10 Posten Norge AS v EFTA Surveillance Authority, 18 April 2012, paragraph 131. ↑
- Paragraph 132. ↑
- Paragraph 136. ↑
- Id. ↑
- Paragraph 160. ↑
- Id. ↑
- Paragraph 187. ↑
- Paragraph 192. ↑
- Case T-7/93 Langnese-Iglo v Commission [1995] ECR II-01533. ↑
- Case T-9/93 Schöller Lebensmittel v Commission [1995] ECR II-01611. ↑
- Case C-549/10 P Tomra and Others v Commission, 19 April 2012, not yet reported. ↑
- United States v Microsoft Corp, 253 F.3d 34 (D.C. Cir. 2001) ↑
- Omega Envti, Inc v Gilbarca, Inc, 127 F.3d 1157, 1163 (9th Cir. 1997). ↑
- EC Vertical Guidelines (2010), paragraph 133. ↑
- Commission Decision of 13 May 2009, COMP/C-3/37.900 – Intel. ↑
- Case C-52/09 Konkurrensverket v TeliaSonera Sverige [2011] ECR I-00527. ↑
- Case C-549/10 P Tomra and Others v Commission, 19 April 2012, not yet reported. ↑
- Case C-209/10 Post Danmark A/S v Konkurrencerådet [2012] ECR I-0000. ↑
- DG Competition discussion paper on the application of Article 82 of the Treaty to exclusionary abuses (December 2005) ('EC Discussion paper'), paragraph 58. ↑
- Paragraph 133. ↑
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Next Chapter: State Aid


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The helped clean up a fuel spill on Route 109 early Monday morning.
About 40 to 50 gallons leaked from a tractor trailer at the parking of beer distributor Boening Brothers, at 1098 Route 109. The fire department said four or five storm drains were affected.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Town of Babylon Fire Marshal's offices were notified of the accident.

subset: commoncrawl


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Some recent tweets have Miley Cyrus fans wondering if she's thinking about breaking off her engagement to The Hunger Games hunk Liam Hemsworth. Is the former Hannah Montana star having a serious change of heart?
According to a report from Hollywood Life, even though Liam Hemsworth told Miley to get off Twitter a couple of weeks ago, the Party in the USA singer still pours out her heart and soul in 140-words-or-less messages to the Twitterverse.
"I've got som e serious thinking to do....#decisions," is one of Miley's more recent tweets, sent out on Wednesday.
Does that sound to you like she's rethinking her engagement? That tweet preceded this retweet.
"Honestly is the way to go."
The retweet might be written by someone who meant to say 'honesty' rather than honestly, and that, too, has to make you wonder what's going on with Miley.
Hopefully everything is okay between Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, but if it's not at least Miley is giving the situation some careful consideration. She's only 19. Maybe an engagement at this time in her life is simply more than she can handle.
If she does break her engagement with Liam Hemsworth, do you think he'll still date her or will that be it for the Hollywood couple?
Photo Source: Facebook


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- Northern New York Newspapers
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The Watertown Red and Black will be offer a fan bus to see the Empire Football League game against the Plattsburgh North Stars on Saturday at Plattsburgh High School.
Tickets are $20 and the bus will leave the Watertown Fairgrounds at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call Matt Melvin at 955-3021.
The Red and Black beat the North Stars, 28-13, on Aug. 17.
Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.
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ELIZABETHTOWN — U.S. Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Dain Venne was on combat patrol in Afghanistan on Saturday when he and two other soldiers were killed.
The U.S. Department of Defense released more details Monday about the Port Henry man's death, saying Dain, 29, and some of his comrades were clearing Improvised Explosive Devices from a convoy route when one exploded near their Humvee in Afghanistan's Paktia province.
The roadside bomb also killed Spc. Ryan P. Jayne, 22, of Campbell and Spc. Brett E. Gornewicz, 27, of Alden. A fourth soldier, Kale Clifton, 23, Smyrna, was injured in the blast and is being treated, the Pentagon said.
The soldiers were part of a combat engineering unit that had deployed to Afghanistan on June 1. They were assigned to the 178th Engineer Battalion, 412th Theater Engineer Command, Oswego.
He was a combat engineer with 10 years and nine months of service.
Venne, the son of Brian and Laura Venne of Port Henry, was a 2001 graduate of Moriah Central School and had attended St. Lawrence University in Canton.
He was employed as a construction worker for Kubricky Construction of Glens Falls.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo directed that flags on state government buildings be flown at half-staff Wednesday in honor of Dain and the other two soldiers who died.
"Along with all New Yorkers, I mourn the deaths of Specialist Gornewicz, Specialist Jayne and Staff Sgt. Venne," Cuomo said in a statement released Monday.
"These young men were all volunteers who lived and worked in our communities and gave their lives for our great country. We extend our condolences to their friends, their families and their fellow soldiers."
Essex County Board of Supervisors Chair Randy Douglas (D-Jay) has ordered flags on all county buildings to be at flown at half-staff and has requested that school districts and municipalities in the county do the same.


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Four Point Borough children just got picked as poster winners, the first place winner will see her design on a T-shirt, and that's just the warm-up to a day of fun and learning on Earth Day on April 21 at
Emma Melito, in Diane McHugh's fourth grade class at won the first place award, a $100 savings bond, in the annual Earth Day poster contest.
That means Special T Graphics, 3105 Bridge Ave., Point Borough, will re-create her unique design on a T-shirt.
It's all part of the Point Borough Environmental Commission's Earth Day poster contest, T-shirt creation and plans for Earth Day at Riverfront Park on River Road.
Commission members judged the posters on Wednesday night at the T-shirt shop.
The criteria included selecting a design that was not only looks good, but also conveys the message behind the theme and is also simple enough to show up well on a shirt.
Emma's design, titled "Just Say No to Letting Them Grow," warns against letting water stand, lest it breed mosquitoes, and has a drawing of a mosquito with a line through it, with a message written around that (see featured photo).
That's in keeping with this year's Earth Day theme, "Strive to Be Mosquito Free."
The second place winner is Daniel Canales, in Stephanie Dolan's fifth grade class at , receiving a $75 savings bond.
The third place winner is Ellie Hulit in Petrice Nicoles' fifth grade class at Nellie Bennett, receiving a $50 savings bond.
The fourth place winner, receiving Honorable Mention, is Nicole Buschio in Alicia Driber's fifth grade class at Nellie Bennett, receiving a $25 gift certificate for a store.
Winners have already been notified through the schools, but their names will be announced at Earth Day and then they will receive their prizes.
Burke is giving the commission a discount on the shirts. For many years, she was a commission member and had done them for free.
The judges were: Commission Chairman Chris Constantino; Kim Constantino, his wife; Michael Kern, commission vice chair; Doreen Romanowski, wife of commission member Mike Romanowski; Tony Lombardino and Noel Schulz. They had a difficult time picking winners from among the outstanding submissions from 267 students at both elementary schools.
But keeping the theme in mind guided them through the process.
"The theme for this year's 4th and 5th Grade T-shirt poster contest is 'Strive to be Mosquito Free,' concentrating on what to do at home to safely control mosquitoes," said Chris Constantino.
"The focal point for this year's Earth Day theme is to teach the uses of alternative methods for mosquito control and to stress that 'Mosquito Control Starts at Home,' " he said.
"Using biological products, along with natural predators and source reduction to reduce mosquito populations in your neighborhood, instead of the use of traditional pesticides, is more environmentally friendly and equally as effective when considering the harm those traditional pesticides can have on the plants and animals."
Constantino added that he and other Environmental Commission members used the anti-mosquito theme to develop a lesson plan for the fourth and fifth grade classes of Ocean Road and Nellie Bennett.
"The basis of their poster design contest was what the children learned in the lesson plans at school," he said.
As for the T-shirts, about 100 to 125 shirts, with Emma's winning design, will be created for fourth and fifth graders.
The class that wears their shirt the most on Earth Day will win a $150 lunch at Bubbakoo's Burritos on Bridge Avenue, Point Borough, Kern said. All students attending and wearing the shirt should register with commission members on Earth Day to let them know their class.
Winners were judged on Wednesday night at the T-shirt shop. Business Owner Sheryl Burke is giving the commission a discount on the 100 to 125 white shirts she will be producing with the winning design. For many years, she led the commission and had done the shirts for free.
Earth Day will be held from noon to 4 p.m. April 21 (raindate is April 22). This is the 9th Earth Day Celebration hosted by the Borough's Environmental Commission.
The event showcases vendors of green products/ideas, environmental organizations and local businesses. There will be games and rides for the kids as well as food and music.
The Commission is accepting applications for all exhibitors until April 6th and is always looking for volunteers, sponsors and donations. Exhibitor and sponsor applications are located on the commission web site.
All proceeds fund the annual scholarship awarded to a local high school senior, the savings bonds and prizes for the winners of the poster contest, and the operations and incidentals of the event.


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Good morning,
Small businesses are the engine of job creation in our economy. However, in their monthly survey of small businesses, the National Federation of Independent Businesses found that 74% of small business owners did not hire in April. Today, Bernie Marcus the co-founder of Home Depot writes, "Small businesses create two out of every three new jobs in America. When small businesses struggle, the entire economy suffers. Rather than encouraging economic growth, policies from Washington are making it difficult for small businesses to grow into bigger businesses. Massive government expansion into health care, banking and a wide variety of other areas has become a major hurdle to job creation — and small businesses are being hit the hardest." While President Obama and Democrats continue to push for more Washington spending they claim will get the economy going, House Republicans remain squarely focused on getting government out of the way and reducing red tape, so small businesses can begin to grow, hire and thrive again.
Today In History: In 1800, President John Adams ordered the federal government to pack up and leave Philadelphia and set up shop in the nation's new capital in Washington, D.C. After Congress adjourned its last meeting in Philadelphia, Adams told his cabinet to make sure Congress and all federal offices were up and running smoothly in their new headquarters by June 15. Philadelphia officially ceased to serve as the nation's capital as of June 11, 1800.
Birthdays: Lynn Sweet, Kathleen Sebelius, Madeleine Albright, Roger Ailes, Jamie Lynn Sigler, David Charvet, Emmitt Smith, Jasper Johns
Here are the Top 6 things you need to know today…
1. State of Play: Poll: More Optimism About The Economy, Still An Overwhelming 71 Percent Rate The Economy As 'Poor'. Though an overwhelming 71% rate economic conditions as poor, a 58% majority predict they will be good a year from now. While those surveyed are inclined to say they are worse off financially than a year ago, nearly two-thirds say they think they'll be better off this time next year. The assessment of personal finances already is on the upswing. More than a third report they are better off than they were a year ago - the highest number since before the economic meltdown in 2008. (They're still outnumbered by the four in 10 who say they're worse off, though.) USA Today/Gallup
2. The Economy: Rep. McMorris Rodgers: Economy & Jobs Are The Issues That Women & Families Care About, Republicans Are Focused On Getting People Back To Work. "Republicans are about getting people back to work, that's the best thing that we can do for women, it's the best thing we can do for families. Fifty percent of children right now that are graduating from college are unemployed and underemployed. We have had the longest streak of unemployment since the Great Depression, of high unemployment, over 8 percent. We have a record debt this President has accumulated, $5 trillion in debt. These are the issues that women and families are concerned about and women are the decision makers in the country." CNN's John King USA
3. Pro-Growth: Rep. Garrett: The Freedom Of The U.S. Capital Markets Is Under Attack. The reason economic growth is stuck in neutral is because the Obama administration is determined to regulate risk out of our capital markets. Put another way, President Obama believes that state-controlled capitalism is the best path to economic prosperity. As a free-market capitalist, I couldn't disagree more with President Obama's vision for America's economy. I believe that market-driven capitalism fueled by free ideas, free people and the freedom to take risk is what creates economic prosperity. Robust economic growth requires healthy and dynamic capital markets, the ability to access credit and some good old-fashioned competition. In the past, policies mindful of basic economics allowed our capital markets to become the deepest and most liquid in the world. In fact, our capital markets became the envy of the world specifically because government got out of the way so that they could flourish and grow. Investor's Business Daily
4. Small Biz: Entrepreneurs & Small Businesses Will Generate Growth Needed To Get The Economy Back On Track. A new survey from Manta small business solutions found nearly half (48%) of small business owners believe the GOP is the political party most friendly to their needs…Mitch Marrow, owner of the SPOT Experience in New York City said he is planning to vote for Mitt Romney in the 2012 elections. Marrow who opened his dog sitting company in 2010, said he has not been happy with the current political status quo. "I would hate to see us lose ground and slip back to where we were a year ago," Marrow said. "We have to take the unnecessary hurdles away from people, like myself, who are willing to be entrepreneurial. Large corporations are not what will pull us out of this current state. It will be the growth of small businesses." Fox Business
5. Regulatory Row: Small Business Owners Struggle To Survive Amid An Unprecedented Regulatory Onslaught. Since the financial crisis and throughout the sluggish economic recovery, working families and small-business owners have watched as the federal government has engaged in a grand experiment in government-led economic engineering. That experiment has failed...Small businesses create two out of every three new jobs in America. When small businesses struggle, the entire economy suffers. Rather than encouraging economic growth, policies from Washington are making it difficult for small businesses to grow into bigger businesses. Massive government expansion into health care, banking and a wide variety of other areas has become a major hurdle to job creation — and small businesses are being hit the hardest…The Home Depot is the fastest growing retailer in American history, but it wasn't always big. When we started in 1978, we began with two stores. Going from two to more than 2,000 was not easy. In today's environment, I'm not sure we could have started The Home Depot and survived, much less thrived. The time, energy and manpower it takes for small businesses to comply with new and often duplicative rules takes away from their efforts to serve their customers and grow their businesses. Over the past three years, Washington has issued more than 10,000 rules that impose an estimated $16 billion in new costs. Investor's Business Daily
6. Energy Focus: President Obama's War On Coal, More Failed Energy Policies. Recent news that President Obama's re-election web page on energy policy didn't include coal on the list of "all of the above" energy sources sparked outrage in coal-producing states like Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The website had listed oil, natural gas, bio-fuels, wind, solar power and nuclear power but omitted coal, a fossil fuel that left-wing environmental groups despise… Coal accounts for well over one-third of electricity production in most states, and coal mining is a major source of union jobs… The original decision to leave coal off of the list was exposed by Ed Whitfield, the Republican congressman from Kentucky, who called it a "glaring omission" and relentlessly attacked the Obama campaign for putting coal jobs at risk. Mr. Whitfield has made the case that Mr. Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency have been engaged in a "war on coal." He remains "skeptical" that Obama will "do anything to draw on this resource" and continues to fume at new EPA regulations that threaten to put many coal-burning fire plants out of business…Mr. Obama's energy policies are increasingly seen as a failure both in terms of increasing production and reducing prices, and the latest controversy over coal only adds to that perception. Wall Street Journal
Off The Beaten Path:
Reality TV, Religion Give Birth To Top Baby Names
What's Cooking With Lorraine Wallace: "Mr. Sunday's Saturday Night Chicken"
Britney Spears & Demi Lovato Join The X Factor As Judges
Robert Gibbs Wins First Night Of Jeopardy Power Players' Week


text:
By Richard Gaines
Staff Writer
Gulf of Maine cod, the lifeblood of the inshore fishing fleet centered around Gloucester, appears to have undergone a dramatic and inexplicable decline in recent years, according to an authoritative marine scientist on the NOAA Science Center team.
Steven Cadrin, a member of the regional fishery management council's Scientific and Statistical Committee team, told the Times Thursday that the assessment of Gulf of Maine cod, which is preliminary and subject to peer reviewing, points to a finding that even a complete ban on landings would not allow the iconic stock to rebuild fully by the April 2014 deadline in the management plan.
"The stock can't meet the rebuilding deadline with no fishing," said Cadrin, an associate professor of oceanography at University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth's School of Marine Science and Technology.
The time needed for completing the assessment, getting it peer reviewed, and then processing the results to reach a recommended adjustment in the rebuilding plan will push the issue into 2012 — an election year — and may set off a potentially fierce battle in an ongoing struggle between conservation and community preservation interests.
That pending struggle between hard-line conservation interests allied with NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco and fishing communities with their state and federal legislative backers was described by state Sen. Bruce Tarr as an "Armageddon" scenario just as the presidential and U.S. Senate election cycle gets underway.
End of the line?
For the inshore day boats from Maine to Cape Cod — already facing an uphill struggle to survive with the bigger boats and better capitalized businesses under Lubchenco's and NOAA's catch share management system — access to cod is considered an essential for survival.
Without cod, said Richard Burgess, who owns and operates four Gloucester day boats, "The business of the small boat fleet will come to an end as we know it."
Because of the intermingling of the different groundfish stocks, said marine attorney Stephen Ouellette, a ban on cod fishing "would effectively mean you can't catch anything else."
"The primary money fish in the Gulf of Maine is cod," he said.
Gulf of Maine cod landings last year sold for $16 million at the docks, and produced five to six times that amount in immediate economic benefit to the landing ports, based on a rule of thumb multiplier, according to research by NOAA.
A NOAA Science Center study of the social and economic changes in the groundfishery in 2010, its first year as a commodities market trading in catch shares, found that no shares of any stock were more valued and desired than Gulf of Maine Cod, and nearly 4 million pounds of the stock were traded at prices ranging from $1.14 per pound to $1.20 per pound.
Science-based disputes clashes have defined the Obama administration's fisheries policy nearly from the moment the new president put Lubchenco, an officer of Environmental Defense Fund and an advocate of reduced or prohibited fishing in marine protected areas, in charge of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in early 2009.
The agency and its regional fishery management arm are allowed by the Magnuson-Stevens Act to extend rebuilding deadlines when even a ban on fishing can't achieve the restoration of an over fished stock within the 10 years allowed by the law, according to Rip Cunningham, who chairs the regional council for NOAA.
But the dire news of the incomplete assessment passed as rumor throughout the region in the days after the Science Center's Stock Assessment Workshop in Falmouth, which ran from Oct. 17 through 21.
Even Cunningham, when contacted Thursday, said he had only heard "rumors" of the findings. No transcript of recording was made.
"There was a working group meeting last week where initial modeling runs were done," said NOAA Science Center spokeswoman Teri Frady in an email. "That's probably what you're hearing about. No final results yet, but very little good news for Gulf of Maine Cod at that meeting."
Already, the unofficial assessment has cast a cloud over the previous one, and added energy to the undercurrent of doubt about the capacity of NOAA to conduct science solid enough to serve as the foundation for industry — and community — altering findings.
Conflicting NOAA data
The new assessment, if confirmed by peer review, would fly in the face of a 2008 benchmark assessment, known as GARM III, of the entire complex of groundfish, and raise fateful questions about the quality of government science and policies.
The third Groundfish Assessment Review Meeting findings in August 2008 on which were based the current rebuilding plans for all 20 stocks in the complex, was lauded by NOAA as the gold standard of fishery science.
A bright exception to GARM III's generally discouraging findings about the health of the fishery was apparent progress made in rebuilding the Gulf of Maine cod stocks.
"Eleven of the stocks are now both overfished and experiencing overfishing, compared to seven in 2004 (the date of GARM II), the NOAA Science Center wrote in the benchmark study, "Pollock, witch flounder, Georges Bank winter flounder, Gulf of Maine winter flounder and northern windowpane have deteriorated ins status, while Gulf of Maine Cod has improved.
"This latter stock, while still experiencing overfishing, is no longer overfished," the assessment team reported.
Three years later, the ongoing new assessment has found that inshore cod is now overfished again, meaning the size and complexity of the stock has fallen below optimal scale.
'Horribly off'
"The problem here," said Ouellette, is "we're 7 1/2 years into a rebuilding plan that was going well and now we're horribly off, and we can't meet the deadline."
"The biggest question is: How can a stock on a rebuilding trajectory be now in collapse," said Tarr.
The news out of the assessment workshop arrived as the administration of Gov. Deval Patrick was rushing to complete and send to Lubchenco a set of studies that are intended to provide the proof required by top commerce and fisheries officials to declare that their policies have brought a economic disaster to the state.
Then-Commerce Secretary Gary Locke rejected the initial submission and pitch for a disaster declaration, but — under pressure from the Sens. John Kerry and Scott Brown, and Reps. John Tierney and Barney Frank — Lubchenco has agreed to fast track the next submission.
In the meantime, with calls for her dismissal from Democrats and Republicans alike, Lubchenco has been announcing a series of concessions to policy adjustments suggested by Kerry.
Richard Gaines can be reached at 978-283-7000, x3464, or at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
This contribution is filed under the heading "Your Story" and "Opinion" so please consider that if you decide to comment. Thanks!
Today, I decided to try a new approach to reporting contributions and was going to submit 100 reports on various topics with local photos that I have accumulated and story lines from events in the Philippines and around the world.
After two reports, I wonder if this is possible for today. Why?
The first report was not getting through to the system but I was able to save it as a draft (this option returned to me last month) and then after a few more attempts, I was able to publish it.
To my surprise, it appeared twice on my profile and then I was able to watch as the page views actually diminished.
The second report was also hard to publish within the Allvoices System but I was finally able to get it loaded and here it is:
Once again, I feel that the initial page views were lost from this contribution.
My point in mentioning this here as a Contributed "Your Story" News report is simply to highlight some of the obstacles that are affecting my ability to contribute news today. While I understand that technology often has a "life" of its own, isn't the ability to publish a contribution a basic requirement to being successful here in the Allvoices community - however we define success?
Seamless reporting of news is a fundamental requirement for success and for today, so far, I feel that the system is not fulfilling this basic level of service.
What if I had the photo of a dead man's brain to attach to a major news story today? Would it get reported? Does it need to be propagated today?
Thanks for reading this contribution!
Attitude is perhaps our most priceless possession and I hope to be able to remain positive going forward.
To Your Success!
Note: It is possible that some of the technical difficulties that I have experienced today are at my end or in the connective links to the Allvoices technological platform, but since I have been reporting since 2010, perhaps there could be a automated reply when a contributor is having difficulties?
For example, the system could identify each of the nearly half a million contributors by a unique identifier and generate a ticket when there is a problem. If there is a system-wide update or other ongoing situation, then a blasted message could go out to all contributors to make them aware of such anomalies so we can adjust our time-table to report news and make contributions.
Or add related content to this report
News Stories | Images | Videos | Comments


text:
British Are Highest Text Users In Europe
According to Guardian report mobile subscribers in UK send more text messages than any other nation in Europe.
An average of 100 text messages are sent by UK mobile users each month, according to a worldwide survey of 10,000 mobile phone owners by media agency Universal McCann.
That compares with an average of 65 for Germans, but both the UK and Germany far outstrip customers in the US, where the average mobile phone user sends only 32 texts each month.
The study also showed that the British are more inclined to use their mobile phones for texting than for talking. UK mobile owners dedicate less than half their mobile usage to direct conversation.


text:
Westport Democrats' Party at Ned Dimes Marina
Come join the Westport Democratic Town Committee for a party on the beach on Tonight Friday, July 25th, at Ned Dimes Marina starting at 7:30 pm.
Senator Blumenthal is scheduled to stop by tonight to join us!
Let's enjoy all Westport has to offer while getting to know your fellow Democrats in town. Looking forward to seeing you all at the beach!
This event is potluck, so please consider signing up for one of the items listed below or bring something else to make the night special!
For info please contact firstname.lastname@example.com
Help our Candidates Qualify for Public Financing
Donations from $5 to $100 are extremely helpful. Please encourage family and friends to help our remaining candidates qualify for public financing so they can focus on campaigning! Every Westport donation helps.
Philip Sharlach, 26th District State Senatorial Candidate (Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, Wilton)
Click HERE for more info and to make online donations: http://www.sharlachforsenate.com/
Keith Rodgerson,State Representative of the 143rd State House which includes a portion of Westport
Click HERE for more info and to make online donations: https://keith2014.nationbuilder.com/donate
Thanks to everyone for supporting Jim Himes last Sunday
Summer Social 2014
Thanks to everyone who made it to our summer social at The Saugatuck Rowing Club in June!
Ready for Hillary
Melissa Kane and John Hartwell welcome Patti Russo of the Women's Campaign School at the Ready for Hillary Event in Westport June 6th.
2014 Democratic State Convention
Congratulations to all the Candidates nominated at the recent 2014 Democratic State Convention in Hartford.
Governor Dan Malloy
Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill
State Treasurer Denise Nappier
State Comptroller Kevin Lembo
Attorney General George Jepsen
There is still so much to be done before Election Day November 4th!
Democratic Town Committee (DTC) for 2014-2016
Members of the 2014-2016 Westport Democratic Town Committee have been officially selected. Officers and District Leaders were selected at the March 13, 2014 Organizational Meeting.
Click HERE for list of 2014-2016 DTC Members
For further information please contact John Hartwell, Chairman of the Westport Democratic Town Committee at 203-216-1425 or email at email@example.com


text:
I've been away from the blogosphere for a while so here's a recap:
June 2012
- Go out with friends after blowing off a date
- Meet a guy who proves to be "the one"
January 2013
- We move in together (We have 5 kids between us, all girls)
- We go on an amazing 10-day vacation to South America
April 2013
- My oldest (early 20s) moves out of state
- I have a breast cancer scare (Get your boobies checked, ladies!)
May 2013
- We head to East Coast for work/vacation
- Three weeks after moving out, oldest wants to move back in
- I say no, tell her to put big girl panties on, she stops talking to me
- She moves back to town without telling me, lives with a friend
June 2013
- Oldest kid still not talking to me, but shows signs of responsibility (Yay!)
- Drama with boyfriend's ex ensues (Does it ever really go away?)
- Above drama causes his oldest (teen) to move in with us
- Oldest kid finally starts talking to me, relationship on the mend
That's just a brief snapshot of my life this past year. What I left out are all the meaningless battles with the exes that, in the end, don't really matter unless it directly affects the well-being of our kids.
What I also left out are all the private, intimate moments that my man and I have shared since we met a year ago. Moments I thought I'd never have again. Moments I really never had in my marriage, to be honest.
Get your heads out of the gutter, I don't necessarily mean "intimate" in that way. I'm talking about those moments when you're lying in bed and you both reach out for each other in the dark and your hands connect. Or the moment you get that text message and it says, "Just wanted to tell you how happy and thankful I am to have you in my life. I love you."
And then there are those moments when you simultaneously look at each other from across the room and you just... Well, you just know.
Anyway, it's been great catching up with you guys. Until next time...
Two Kids and a Fish
Sharing my journey with a touch of humor... Sometimes I over share. You've been warned.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
A lot can happen in a year...
Posted by Buy Me Dinner at 1:12 PM 3 comments
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
My boobies and me: A breast cancer scare
I recently found a lump on my breast and endured one of the most agonizing weeks of my life. On the day of the biopsy, I took to twitter to over share in hopes of bringing just a little more awareness to the importance of self exams and mammograms. The following is what I posted via @twokidsandafish on April 13, 2013:
8:13 AM - 11 Apr 13
Hello world, it's been a while. Don't have much time so will use a few tweets to catch up because my life may never be the same after today.
8:17 AM - 11 Apr 13
See, I found a lump on my breast last Friday night which sucks because it's not like you can go to the ER for this.
8:19 AM - 11 Apr 13
So over the weekend I had the unfortunate pleasure of waiting for 9am on Monday to "get here already!" so I could schedule a mammogram.
8:21 AM - 11 Apr 13
Well that didn't turn out so hot either because today is the biopsy. And like I said, my life may never be the same after today.
8:25 AM - 11 Apr 13
Why am I grossly over sharing such personal info?
8:26 AM - 11 Apr 13
While this may cause some to scream "TMI!" I'm hoping this sounds the alarm for those who don't do self exams or have annual mammograms.
8:28 AM - 11 Apr 13
I just had my yearly mammogram in January and here I am four months later... That's how fast things can change!
8:32 AM - 11 Apr 13
After sharing this with a few close friends and family members, I learned some hadn't had exams in over 5 years. Unacceptable!
8:34 AM - 11 Apr 13
So think of this as a not so friendly PSA and get your damn boobies checked!!! Monthly self exams! Annual mammograms!
8:36 AM - 11 Apr 13
The past 7 days have been hell but I've found comfort in the fact that I've had my annual check ups and have stuck to my monthly self exams!
8:38 AM - 11 Apr 13
So if this turns out to be "something," (God forbid), then I know I've caught it early.
8:38 AM - 11 Apr 13
If this turns out to be nothing, then I can look back at all the tears I've shed this week and laugh my ass off!!!
8:44 AM - 11 Apr 13
So long for now. I'm going to spend the morning with my man. He's amazing plus he makes the most decadent desserts. I think I'll keep him.
And finally, at 2:48 p.m.:
More information on breast cancer, mammograms and self exams:
8:13 AM - 11 Apr 13
Hello world, it's been a while. Don't have much time so will use a few tweets to catch up because my life may never be the same after today.
8:17 AM - 11 Apr 13
See, I found a lump on my breast last Friday night which sucks because it's not like you can go to the ER for this.
8:19 AM - 11 Apr 13
So over the weekend I had the unfortunate pleasure of waiting for 9am on Monday to "get here already!" so I could schedule a mammogram.
8:21 AM - 11 Apr 13
Well that didn't turn out so hot either because today is the biopsy. And like I said, my life may never be the same after today.
8:25 AM - 11 Apr 13
Why am I grossly over sharing such personal info?
8:26 AM - 11 Apr 13
While this may cause some to scream "TMI!" I'm hoping this sounds the alarm for those who don't do self exams or have annual mammograms.
8:28 AM - 11 Apr 13
I just had my yearly mammogram in January and here I am four months later... That's how fast things can change!
8:32 AM - 11 Apr 13
After sharing this with a few close friends and family members, I learned some hadn't had exams in over 5 years. Unacceptable!
8:34 AM - 11 Apr 13
So think of this as a not so friendly PSA and get your damn boobies checked!!! Monthly self exams! Annual mammograms!
8:36 AM - 11 Apr 13
The past 7 days have been hell but I've found comfort in the fact that I've had my annual check ups and have stuck to my monthly self exams!
8:38 AM - 11 Apr 13
So if this turns out to be "something," (God forbid), then I know I've caught it early.
8:38 AM - 11 Apr 13
If this turns out to be nothing, then I can look back at all the tears I've shed this week and laugh my ass off!!!
8:44 AM - 11 Apr 13
So long for now. I'm going to spend the morning with my man. He's amazing plus he makes the most decadent desserts. I think I'll keep him.
And finally, at 2:48 p.m.:
More information on breast cancer, mammograms and self exams:
Posted by Buy Me Dinner at 7:22 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Having fun being single until one Saturday night...
Hello again. It's been a while. I've been busy… really busy. If your mind is in the gutter after that last line, good! Now, let's catch up, shall we?
*Note: Photos used to show resemblance. You can thank my mom for the eye candy. She insisted I use photos. *sigh*
*Note: Photos used to show resemblance. You can thank my mom for the eye candy. She insisted I use photos. *sigh*
The Spaniard
|This is Iker Casillas, goalkeeper for Real
Madrid. Similar smoldering hotness as
"The Spaniard."
In summary: Remember "The Spaniard?" Of course you do. He was my first post-divorce, um, rodeo? It was hot, intense and short-lived. He was supposed to be in my city for six months, but he was re-assigned and sent back to Europe three months early. We promised to keep in touch, and we did, for a while.
The issue: Long distance relationships are hard and this wasn't really a relationship. It was never going to be. He was only supposed to be in my city temporarily so there was never a future. Between his work travel and mandatory immigration travel (he had to go back to Spain every 90 days) and my own travel schedule, it was hard to keep up. Throw in a batch of new guys that I was meeting locally, and it became harder and harder to keep in touch.
End result: To this day, I'm thankful that I met him and I'll never regret our time together. After all, he helped to kick-start my post-divorce dating life. But he was in another state, and at times in another country. What's that saying, absence makes the heart grow...no, wrong one. Out of sight, out of mind… Yup, that's the one.
The Cop
In summary: From the beginning, fireworks. Intense fireworks! The first time he touched me (his hand brushed my elbow), sparks flew and we both knew it. And he was hot! OMG, he was hot!
The issue: There were a few issues, but the biggest one was his need to be in control. Then one night at dinner, it hit me. He was just like my ex. It suddenly became hard to breathe. I found myself looking for the nearest exit. As hot as he was (and damn he was hot), I couldn't get away fast enough.
End result: We finally had it out. I called him out on his bullshit and constant contradictions. In so many words, he said it was his way or the highway. It was over. Did I mention he was hot?
The Stalker
|Yes, these Derek Jeter eyes! Doubt
Jeter is a stalker though.
In summary: Green eyes, Derek Jeter-esque eyes to be exact, good looking but short at least for my taste.
The issue: He was like "chicle" (Spanish for gum). As in "chicle" stuck to the bottom of your shoe. Text messages every day at 6:01 a.m. followed by a text pic of himself around 6:30 a.m. No, not those kind of pics. These were of his face… at work, driving, etc. Plus he wanted to take me home to meet his mom – in another state – and wanted our kids to meet. Um, no… Hell no!
End result: Blocked his number. He called from a new number. I blocked that one, too.
The Banker
In summary: Ugh, this one is tough because he was a really nice guy and good looking. But he was looking for "the one." I mean he was really looking for "the one." I think a lot of guys say that because they think that's what some women want to hear (the exception being yours truly), but this guy was really looking for the next Mrs. Banker and he wanted kids. I was honest with him from the beginning. I wasn't looking for a relationship and I definitely wasn't looking to get married (ever again!). And it would take a medical miracle to get another kid out of me. But we got along really well and had similar backgrounds.
The issue: He was looking for a relationship that would eventually lead to marriage that would eventually produce some kids. I wasn't.
End result: We wanted different things, but we stayed friends.
The Young Gun
|Different face, same abs.
And an excuse to use yet
another gratuitous
William Levy photo.
In summary: Just looking at him makes you say, "Oh… Hell… Yes!" Ladies, that's how gorgeous this guy was. But he was only 25. And my rule is: If I'm old enough to me your momma, I don't need the drama. I knew immediately that he was out of my age range when he first approached me. And I was very surprised when he did, plus I was in a mood, as in, "I only play with the big boys" kind of mood. So I patted him on the shoulder and said, "I only play with the big boys." I forget to filter myself sometimes. Anyway, this comment made him even more persistent. Tempting…
The issue: The age, of course, but it gets even better! Come to find out, this young, gorgeous specimen of a man worked at the same place as my ex. In fact, he was, on occasion, my ex's supervisor. Are you freaking kidding me! What are the odds?
End result: I said no to the eye candy because really, who needs that drama in their life. I had found a peaceful, serene balance in my life since the divorce and getting involved with this guy – even for recreational purposes – would possibly disrupt that balance. And remember Karma? Well, she's still a bitch.
The Quasi Co-Worker
|This isn't him, but it's pretty damn close.
The first pic he sent me showed more,
um, down below. Again... Rawr!
In summary: Another young gun, but not quite as young as the one above. Not young enough to be his momma, but I don't shit where I eat. Tempting, very tempting, but I declared him off limits to my head and to my libido. Although, I kept the text pics of his washboard abs that he sent me. Rawr!
The issue: While we didn't work for the same company, we ran in the same circles and he was close, too close, to a few of my employees. NFW!
End result: We're friends. He'll flirt with me privately via text when we run into each other, but I squash it every time. Then I walk away with an "Mmm hmm, I still got it" pimp walk and attitude.
The Soldier
In summary: Good looking, great sense of humor, but a little short. I like 'em tall, remember? But we always had a good time. We were the same age, had similar tastes in music and we both loved to dance.
The issue: There was no spark, no passion, no umph! And he never really stepped up. What I mean by that is he never demonstrated that he was really into me, and that's OK. As it turns out, I wasn't that into him either. If we went out, cool. If we didn't, I would go out with someone else or with friends. Example: We were supposed to go out one Saturday night but, eh, it just didn't happen. I ended up going out with a friend who introduced me to her friend and well, everything changed that night. You'll understand as you read on…
End result: When he finally decided to step up, it was too late.
The One?
In summary: I was dating, having fun and meeting new people (read = meeting a lot of guys!). And then one night, a friend drags me to a grand opening of her friend's business. And there he was: the owner, her friend. Truth be told, he wasn't my type, but he was tall (just like I like 'em!). While I knew he was checking me out and asking my friend about me, I didn't take him too seriously... Until 3 a.m. when we were still on the phone as he tried to convince me to have dinner with him. Why did I need convincing? Because I was dating at least four other guys at the time. In fact, I was supposed to be on a date with "The Soldier" that night. But there was something about him...
The issue: Well, none so far… Unless you consider being completely head-over-heels in love with each other an issue.
End result: Neither of us was looking for a relationship. We were both perfectly happy living the single life. But when you can't wait to see each other even after spending the weekend together, can't keep your hands off each other and start making long-term plans, then you know it's more than just a fling. Six months and counting. To be continued…
Posted by Buy Me Dinner at 3:00 PM 4 comments
Saturday, June 9, 2012
So my ex-husband cheated on me. Now what? We're already divorced.
When I left my marriage two years ago, I was not short on reasons to do so. The mistreatment of me and my kids, the lies that led to our financial ruin and the lies, lies and more lies.
Now it appears I can add one more to the list: Infidelity.
I recently found out that my ex-husband cheated on me during our 17-year marriage.
Whoa, wait, wait, wait… Let me back up a little bit… He cheated during our engagement. And then he cheated after we married.
It was common knowledge at his workplace. People in his office were practically taking bets that he'd never really make it to the altar.
Speaking of people in his office… You know where I'm going with this and you know who "the other women" were.
What a cliché this has turned into.
I won't go into details on how I found out, but the lead was legit and it led me to the truth.
So my ex-husband cheated on me. Now what? We're already divorced.
Do I confront him? Do I go take a Louisville slugger to his car and go all Carrie Underwood? (Sounds very therapeutic so I may roll with this one...)
Do I hunt down the women (yes, plural) and confront them? (And say what? "How dare you mess with an engaged/married man who was once mine but he turned out to be an asshole so I divorced him!")
I can't really explain how I feel. There's some numbness but then there's this faint yet annoying pain. Yet I feel this considerable hole. An emptiness perhaps? Or my gut telling me, "I told you so, stupid."
I wish I had the words to really describe this. I think it would help me to better comprehend what I'm feeling because I don't understand it myself.
I saw him today for the first time since knowing this. At first glance, I felt as if I had vomited in my mouth just a little bit.
When I realized my face was hurting from scowling so hard, I decided to take a different approach.
I straightened up my posture and pushed my perky boobs and tight ass to the heavens (I've been working out), took my daughter by the hand and said, "C'mon sweetie… Let's go home."
Related link:
*Note to readers: I originally wrote this in my journal a couple of months ago. I was uneasy and unsure about sharing this. But ya'll know about my spring fling with the Spaniard so what the hell, right?
Posted by Buy Me Dinner at 12:01 AM 314 comments
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Part Three: My Date with "The Spaniard"
"Babe, I have some bad news," he said, his eyes still amazing, but now somber.
The bad news was that his company was reassigning him to another project. He would be leaving for Europe in a week. Instead of three months, we had seven days.
The only silver lining to this news was that he was expecting to be reassigned to project two states away; however, it wasn't definitive. But with any luck, fate would bring him back to my time zone.
We talked about how we could still each see other once he came back to the states.
"Guapa (Beautiful), I'll fly out to see you first," he said. "This isn't goodbye."
He then continued to list all the ways we could stay connected – phone, text, email, Skype. Gotta love technology!
But I'm a realist and a bit cynical so when the loud, cranky voice in my head said, "Mmm hmm… We'll see… Ya… Whatever," I wasn't surprised.
What was this anyway? We've only known each other for a couple of months, he wasn't my boyfriend and this wasn't a relationship. Or was it? The woman with no game (that would be me) didn't know what to make of this.
Then for the first time in my new post-divorce life, a soft, sweet, little voice in my head said, "You know, it's possible. You could see him again. It could happen."
Meanwhile, the loud, cranky voice replied: "Aw, she thinks she's going to see him again. She's so naïve."
As we kissed goodbye that night, he held my face in hands and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
I was tempted to ask why he was thanking me and for what, but I'm learning how to shut my mouth, especially in moments like these. Instead I chose to enjoy the moment and his hazel eyes .
When my mind wanders, it takes me back to this moment. The look in his eyes (remember, they're amazing!) and his graciousness.
So we had seven days and the countdown was on!
A funny thing about fate… She can be a real bitch.
Three days later, I was bed-ridden with the flu. Every single muscle ached, I couldn't move, I couldn't talk. My throat was so swollen I couldn't even take a sip of water. When I finally crawled into my doctor's office, my fever had hit 102.
The diagnosis: Influenza, Strain B.
Recover time: 10-14 days.
Number of days until "The Spaniard" left: 4.
@#$% fate!
Our plans to see each other at least one more time before he left for Europe were crushed.
My window to see "The Spaniard" before he left the country was shortening. But I was determined to get better in time to see him before he left, even if we only got five minutes.
But it didn't happen…
The night before he left and since I still had no voice, we texted furiously, trying to say whatever we had left to say to each other before midnight. Yes, midnight, just like frickin Cinderella. Since he was leaving the country, his U.S. cell phone was set to be shut off at midnight.
By 11:58 p.m. my fever was spiking and I could barely keep my eyes open until I got this text…
"Babe, thank you for everything, so glad you came into my life. I'm going to miss you very much, guapa, and your sexy curves. We will see each other again, I am confident. Te mando un beso muy suave (Sending you a soft kiss)."
Then at 11:59 p.m., I got his final text…
"We will meet again, guapa, I'm sure of it. Un beso …"
I mustered just enough strength to write, "Me too, babe, me too. Besos (kisses)…" but I may have been too late. To this day, I don't know if he received my last message.
By the time I woke up the next morning, he was gone.
Posted by Buy Me Dinner at 5:45 PM 9 comments
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Part Two: My date with "The Spaniard"
So there we were making out like a couple of teenagers in front of his place. And it felt goooooood!
I had long forgotten what this felt like, to be completely aware of every sensation in your body is absolutely breathtaking, especially when you're making out with a hot Spaniard. Your heart is racing, your entire body is tingling and your knees feel like noodles.
"What are we doing?" I ask, as we momentarily untie our tongues.
"Well," he says, "Let's talk about it."
At this point, talking is the last thing on my mind. But hey, can you stop kissing my neck so I can concentrate? On second thought, as you were.
As he continued kissing my neck, I quickly process the situation.
Standing before me was a man who actually wanted to communicate and have a two-way conversation about what we were about to get into. And it was blowing my mind!
"We're both adults," he said, still embracing me. "You know how I feel, and here we are, in this moment."
Then he continued…
"But it's up to you, wherever you want to take this, it's your decision, and I'm OK either way."
Needless to say, we never made it to dinner.
Never, and I mean NEVER, has a man appreciated my body with all its curves – curves that I felt I had been cursed with – and all its imperfections like he did. Sensing that I was self-conscious about my tiger stripes (and I don't have a lot of them, but, hey, they're there), he ran his fingers over them and said: "Hermosa" (Beautiful).
After not having dinner, we talked. Not once, not even prior to this night, did he ever ask me about what caused my divorce. For whatever reason, this struck me as curious. When I asked him if he wanted to know what happened (I know, I know, I'm a mood killer), he said…
"Lo hecho esta hecho. Lo que paso, paso. Todo lo que me importa es donde estamos ahora, en este momento."
"What's done is done. What happened, happened. All that matters to me is where we are now, at this moment."
I found this so incredibly sexy that I wanted to kiss him. So I did. Which lead to…
You may be wondering what he was doing in the U.S. in the first place. I won't go into too many details, but he works for a company with several offices in Europe. A major U.S. company contracted his company to work on a project, which is how homeboy ended up in my hood.
So I went into this knowing that he wasn't here forever. This, whatever "this" was, wasn't forever. He would eventually be going back to Europe in the summer. And I was OK with that. This was my first dance, my first post-divorce rodeo. (How's that for a visual!) I'd been divorced less than a year and I wasn't looking for forever.
So if this wasn't forever, what was this? I think as women we tend to want to put labels on things. I know I do or at least "the old me" did. Looking back, I don't feel that this required a label. "It is what it is," I told myself.
But where do we go from here? What's the protocol? Where's the "Divorcee's Guide to Post-Divorce Sex with a Hot Spaniard Who's Only in Town for a Few Months?"
Not having the least bit of experience in this arena and since homeboy was so into communication, I asked him: So how do we handle this?
"Let's keep it simple and see where it takes us. Let's enjoy it while we can… enjoy each other, enjoy every moment."
Damn, I think my panties just fell off again…
I know for some women, knowing a guy will only be around for a few months could be a deal breaker. For me, it was perfect!
Let me explain…
After being married for 17 years, I was truly enjoying my new life and independence. I was not in the least bit interested in a committed relationship. Dating? Yes. Companionship? Why not!
I had a game plan. Keep it simple, drama free and just have fun!
As he caressed the small of my back, we calculated how much time we had left (three months) and talked about some of the things we wanted to do: Drive up north for the weekend, visit some local wine bars and check out an upcoming art festival.
This all sounded great. But reality hit when we talked about my schedule. I was only available every other weekend when my little one was with her dad. When she's with me, I don't go out. My time is her time. He said he understood, and that we still had plenty of time.
We continued to see each other, my schedule permitting. My daughter's visitation schedule with her dad was basically my "Viva España" schedule. So when she went to her father's every other weekend, guess where I was?
When we met for our date one Friday night, there was some sadness in his eyes. As he stood there embracing me, my face was nestled his chest and I could feel his heart racing. I knew something was wrong. He finally looked down into my eyes and said…
"Babe, I have some bad news."
To be continued…
Posted by Buy Me Dinner at 10:00 PM 8 comments
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Part One: My date with "The Spaniard"
I have no problem in admitting I was nervous. I had butterflies. My hands shook as I texted my mom and a couple of friends of my soon-to-be location. I was on my way to a coffee date, my very first date of any kind since I was 15.
There I was, driving, hands sweating on the steering wheel, as I thought about the age difference: a forty-mumble-mumble-year-old woman about to meet a guy 10 years her junior. Ridiculous, I thought. How could he be interested in me?
We had been talking for over a month with him routinely asking if he could take me to dinner. And me, the novice, making excuses to him and to myself as to why I wasn't available. Still questioning how he could be interested in a woman my age.
When I pointed out our age difference, he said, "It doesn't matter to me so why should it bother you?" Touché. He added that he had no idea how old I was until I told him and thought we were around the same age. (Note to self: Unless asked, shut your damn mouth.)
On paper, he had the goods, plus he was from Spain (bonus points). Smart, educated, employed and smoking hot. But I wasn't feeling it. No connection. No spark. No fireworks. When I think back to this date, I realize now that I was extremely nervous. So nervous that I don't think I could have made a connection with anyone, not even William Levy.
|Gratuitous William Levy photo
Mmm, William Levy… Ahem… Where were we?
As our coffee date came to an end, I remember noticing his eyes. I mean, I really noticed his eyes. I don't have the words to describe his eyes. I wish I did, but I guess some things aren't meant to be shared. That's my only explanation.
As he walked me to my car, I caught him looking at me. In other words, he was checking me out. And he was smiling. That's when the butterflies kicked it into high gear, which kick-started the stupidest conversation inside my head.
"What is he looking at? Did I sit on something? What am I doing? OK, we're walking and we're walking… Wait, where are we going? Oh yeah, my car, he's walking me to my car…"
At this point, I'm lost. I don't know what to do. I've never been in this position in my adult life. Help!
Out of nowhere, this street-smart chic's voice pops in my head: "You're a grown-ass woman. Just chill, girlfriend… Tranquilo (Calm)."
As we start to say good-bye, I remember that at the beginning of our date, he welcomed me with a hug and a small peck on each cheek (very European, right?) so I was expecting the same gesture.
"OK," I say to myself. "This is it. Hug, peck, peck, and you're on your way."
But instead of hug, peck, peck, he went for it. He went in for the kiss, but he was greeted by my cheek. I was caught completely off guard so when I turned my cheek, it looked like a deflected kiss, as in, "Thanks, but no thanks."
Trivia question: Who has two thumbs and doesn't know when a guy wants to kiss her?
How was I supposed to know homeboy was suddenly changing the game on me? What was I thinking? Glad you asked. Here it is…
"Damn, I think he's embarrassed."
"Damn, I haven't been kissed in a long time."
"Damn, I'm old."
"Damn, I haven't been kissed in a long time."
"Damn, I'm old."
As I drove home, I gave myself a virtual pat on the back for getting "the first one" out of the way and was pretty sure I'd never hear from him again… until I got his text message a few minutes later.
"Just to let you know, I had a very nice time, you have a beautiful smile, would be nice to see you again. Un beso (a kiss)."
Still, I was trying to make sense of it all. Did he "turn my crank" as my aunt so eloquently put it? I told myself and my inner circle that he did not. Thinking back, I was too nervous to allow myself to enjoy this. And I saw myself as too damaged to deserve it.
But I got over it…
We continued talking and texting over the next few weeks with him asking to see me again. Meanwhile, I was conflicted about whether or not I was ready for another date or if I wanted to see him again.
It turns out I did so I accepted his dinner invitation. We agreed that I'd pick him up and we'd drive to dinner. He'd made the reservations.
(Note to readers: Remember, he's from Spain, doesn't know his away around which is why I picked him up. Not that I have to explain myself!)
He greeted me. Oh yes, he greeted me. He walked up and without hesitation, pulled me to him and kissed me with such passion that my panties almost fell off by themselves. In my head, I could only hear one thing, "Oh shit."
To be continued…
Posted by Buy Me Dinner at 10:13 PM 13 comments
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Instant JRebel [Instant]
|Print & eBook also available on:
- Learn something new in an Instant! A short, fast, focused guide delivering immediate results.
- Use your favourite tools without spending much time on compilation and deployment
- Enable JRebel on Tomcat and Glassfish
- Utilize JRebel to greatly improve your Java SE and Java EE projects
- Accelerate your developments on major IDEs and servers
Book DetailsLanguage : English
eBook : 46 pages
Release Date : November 2013
Author(s) : Jonathan Lermitage
Topics and Technologies : All Books, Instant, Other
Table of ContentsPreface
Instant JRebel
- Instant JRebel
- Introducing JRebel (Must know)
- Registering a JRebel account (Must know)
- JRebel for a standalone Tomcat server (Should know)
- JRebel for a standalone GlassFish server (Should know)
- JRebel plugin for IDEs (Must know)
- Working with Java SE projects (Should know)
- Working with Java EE projects (Must know)
- Discovering LiveRebel (Become an expert)
Code Downloads
Download the code and support files for this book.
Submit Errata
Please let us know if you have found any errors not listed on this list by completing our errata submission form. Our editors will check them and add them to this list. Thank you.
Sorry, there are currently no downloads available for this title.
What you will learn from this book
- Register and activate your free JRebel license
- Get familiar with ClassLoader and Smart Build
- Understand common JRebel use cases
- Enable JRebel on Tomcat and Glassfish standalone servers
- Configure Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, and NetBeans to use JRebel
- Accelerate the development of your Java desktop application project based on Ant and Maven
- Expedite the development on your Java web application project connected to a local Glassfish server or remote Tomcat server
- Keep your production environment up-to-date using LiveRebel
In Detail
JRebel is a JVM plugin that lets Java developers update code instantly and see their changes reflected in their application under development without restarting the application server. JRebel is a plugin for anything that is in Java and is also IDE neutral. If you want to update your code instantly without compiling and deploying the code repeatedly, this book is for you.
This book will focus on the most important development steps and will also help you save time which is otherwise spent on compilation and deployment of code. You will learn how to use JRebel with the most popular IDEs and Java servers and how to accelerate the development of your current and future Java SE and Java EE projects.
This book shows you how to install JRebel, configure your favourite IDE and Java server for JRebel, and start using it on your projects.
With this book, you will learn how to get a free license for JRebel and how to integrate JRebel with most Java servers and development environments. To finish, you will see how to work with desktop and web projects and how to utilize JRebel to dramatically accelerate their development.
Filled with practical, step-by-step instructions and clear explanations for the most important and useful tasks. This book is an easy-to-follow guide full of hands-on examples of real-world Java development tasks. Each topic is explained and placed in context, and for the more inquisitive readers, there are more-in-depth details of the concepts used.
Who this book is for
If you have experience in Java desktop or web application development based on Servlets and you want to update your code instantly without recompiling and redeploying the code, this book is for you.


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Let Them Eat Steak!
March 14, 2008 5:33 PM
You wanna be on top? Of a bunch of cold, raw meat?
Even if they didn't want to, the ladies of The CW's "America's Next Top Model," now in its 10th cycle, had to look happy to be posing in a meat-themed photo shoot this week. The girls had to work their stuff among giant racks of beef and even wear some slabs on their body. It isn't high fashion unless an animal dies.
Here we have some of the girls who received positive feedback for their pictures. Anya molded her body like a true model and worked with her surroundings.
Meanwhile, Whitney wore meat panties.
And to think, it used to be that the most uncomfortable thing models would get stuck in their underwear was sand.
Then there's Amis, who a-missed the mark while shoving some meat around and was sent home.
While a picture may be worth 1,000 words, the only word Amis suggests is "vegetarian." And Tyra Banks was not having any of that—she likes her meat.
Coming up next week, PETA stages an "America's Next Top Model" boycott.
Is The Daily Blink the only one who finds it confusing that at the beginning of the last cycle of the show Tyra was all about having a "green" competition, forbidding the girls to smoke and shuttling them around Los Angeles in a smog-friendly bus? That trend didn't last very long. But then again, no trend in fashion ever does.


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ASMSA director selected for statewide honor by publication
Corey Alderdice, director of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, was named to the Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 Class of 2014. This is the 21st year the weekly business journal has honored business and political leaders under 40 years old. Honorees ... Read More
ASMSA celebrates 2,000th graduate during commencement ceremonies
The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts celebrated two milestones during commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2014 on May 24 — the 20th graduating class and the 2,000th graduate since the school opened in 1993. The Arkansas General Assembly ... Read More
ASMSA wins top honor in state science fair; three of top 5 individual awards
The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts won first place overall in the school category and three ASMSA students placed in the top four in the individual overall competition at the 2014 Southwestern Energy Arkansas Science and Engineering Fair. The fair ... Read More
ASMSA team wins programming contest
One team from the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts won first place and two other ASMSA teams placed in the top 10 at the annual University of Arkansas High School Programming Contest. Calling themselves the League of Dapper Gentlepersons, seniors ... Read More
Keep up to date on ASMSA happenings by subscribing to our "Tangents" magazine, published twice a year. Read More
Prospective Students:
Click Here if you would like to receive a packet of valuable information on ASMSA Admissions.
Upcoming Events
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August 1
Juniors Move In
August 3
Faculty Prof Development
August 4
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August 6
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Contributions are fully tax deductIble.
Click Here to begin


text:
CPAC FL Is Woodstock for Grandmas
Florida has many glorious events: nightly fireworks at Disney World, weekly shuffleboard at your grandparents' retirement community, and semiannual gin-soaked hurricane parties. And if you're down with masses of angry white people waving 4,000-year-old books in the air to justify their disdain for homosexuals and/or love of guns and/or aversion to immigrants, you'll love the most rockin' event of them all — CPAC FL!
We've assembled a handy list of the best workshops, films and lectures on offer at the Orange County Convention Center…
* "Social Media 101" (or "Your Teabagger Granddaddy Learns How to Copy and Paste an AOL Forward to Tumblr")
* "Using Humor for Effective Content" (or "Victoria Jackson Is Probably Here")
* A screening of the film Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny (original title: AIDS? What's That? Have Some Jellybeans!)
And yes, all the Republican presidential candidates will be there. Please make sure your grandma is wearing her American flag bra to the Santorum rally, so everyone can witness her patriotism when she flings it at him.
Thankfully, George W. Bush won't be speaking, so Granny won't have to throw elbows at Michele Bachmann to score some quality snuggle time.
Tags: Conservatives, CPAC, Florida, Primaries, Republicans, Rick Santorum, Ronald Reagan, Victoria Jackson
About Us
Comedy Central's Indecision is the network's digital hub for news, politics and other jokes: we're here, we're everywhere. We're not affiliated with any television show. We're affiliated with ourselves.


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See Photos of Theodore Roosevelt Island
Getting to Theodore Roosevelt IslandTheodore Roosevelt Island is accessible only from the northbound lanes of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The entrance to the parking lot is located just north of the Roosevelt Bridge. Parking spaces are limited and fill quickly on weekends. By metro, go to the Rosslyn station, walk 2 blocks to Rosslyn Circle and cross the pedestrian bridge to the island. See a Map
The island is located right along the Mount Vernon Trail and is easily accessible by bike. Bicycles are not permitted on the island but there are racks in the parking lot to lock them up.


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In a once unthinkable turnabout, Ford Motor Co. is bragging about how it now makes some of the smallest car engines in the industry. This is coming from a company that once made its money selling big, powerful trucks, SUVs and the Mustang muscle car.
Ford's race to smaller engines represents a trend in the industry as all automakers woo fuel-conscious consumers and work to meet increasingly stringent fuel-economy standards, said Jesse Toprak, an analyst at TrueCar, an auto price information company.


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Contest ended September 7th at 11:59pm Eastern Time
The winners are...
By entering this contest you agree to the official rules/terms of the contest. For more info on the movie including pictures, click here. Be sure to check out my past contests page. The prizes are:
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The following information was supplied by the Lynbrook Police Department. A criminal charge is only an accusation, and does not indicate guilt.
- Shaun N. Antoine, 28, of Hempstead, was arrested on Nov. 20 at 9:20 p.m. and charged with Patronizing a Prostitute at Lynbrook Capri Motor Inn located at 5 Freer St.
- Dinesha M. Campbell, 20, of Jamaica, was arrested on Nov. 20 at 10:05 a.m. and charged with Prostitution at Lynbrook Capri Motor Inn located at 5 Freer St.
- Dennis A. Vela, 23, of Elmont, was arrested on Nov. 22 at 3 a.m. and charged with Driving While Intoxicated, Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated, Disobey No Passing Zone, Improper Registration Plates, Unregistered Motor Vehicle and Uninsured Motor Vehicle on Lakeview Ave.
- Tara Simpson, 28, of Rosedale, was arrested on Nov. 26 at 12:42 a.m. and charged with Driving While Intoxicated and Operating Without Headlights on Sunrise Highway.
Case Reports
Grand Larceny
- At 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 17, a complainant reports that $8,550 in assorted cash and $26,000 in assorted jewelry was missing from their safe. The currency and jewelry were inside the safe, which was located in the basement of their home on Abrams Place. The total loss is valued at $34,550.
- At 8 p.m. on Nov. 19, a complainant reports that an unknown person(s) did enter their residence, located at 210 Atlantic Ave., and removed $6,425 in assorted jewelry from their bedroom.
Suspicious Incident
- At 4:20 p.m. on Nov. 20, an 11-year-old boy reports that while walking northbound on Union Avenue at Scranton Avenue at 2:45 p.m. a black male, who was sitting in a parked tan Toyota 4-Runner, asked him, "Do you know where the plumbing supply is?" and "Can you get in my car and show me?" These questions put the complainant in fear, at which time he did run from the scene to a family member's home. The suspect is described as a 30-40 years of age, short hair, brown eyes, with a Jamaican accent and was wearing a black long-sleeved T-shirt.
For questions about this crime report, email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Casey Wiegmann - #62 - C
|6' 2"/ 285 lbs.
|Parkersburg, IA
|Years played
2011 free-agent tracker, by position
Follow the movement of the 2011 free agents in this list, broken down by position.
Wiegmann will make his 175th straight start when the Chiefs face the Denver Broncos on Sunday, adding to an iron man streak of consecutive snaps that already stands at 11,102. Both are the longest active streaks by NFL offensive linemen.||||||| It might also be the end of the streak for the laconic Iowa farm boy. The 38-year-old Wiegmann contemplated retirement last season and he is clearly considering life after football. If Sunday's game is the end, a streak on par with Brett Favre's consecutive starts by an NFL quarterback or Cal Ripken Jr.'s consecutive starts in baseball will finally come to a close. If Wiegmann has anything to say about it, that will happen with very little fanfare.
Wiegmann is returning to Kansas City.||||||| The Chiefs announced Friday they signed Wiegmann, who was a free agent after two seasons with Denver. Wiegmann has 168 starts in 195 games in a 14-year NFL career that began in Indianapolis in 1996. He also played for the New York Jets and Chicago Bears before joining the Chiefs in 2001.


text:
The grounding bar is used by electricians to ground
house circuit wires. It comes in various lengths and
can be found in most local hardware stores or build-er/contractor supply centers. The empty slots ( 2, 3,
or more) come drilled all the way through — this is
where fasteners can be used to attach the bar to
something. But you may need to drill through if
your slots aren't in the perfect places.
To anchor the grounding bar, simply make 3 holes with a hand drill into the surface you've chosen to be
the body of the instrument. The screws shown in the bottom photo are hex head 10-32 machine screws
(smaller and different types of machine screws could be used) secured with T-nuts, speed nuts, or standard
nuts with lock washers and fender washers. If screwing into metal, you can use a tap to thread the holes.
If you're going to mount the bar on wood or thin metal such as a tin can, you may need only a hammer
and nail to make the 3 holes. With wood, just use wood screws or something similar. Nails alone might
possibly do the job with a bit of wood glue — start the holes with a nail, and add a bit of glue to the holes
before driving them firmly. Heavy-duty epoxy, riveting, welding, or even slotting a surface with a milling
machine or router are some other ways to anchor the bar.
Click to subscribe to this magazine


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Ted Thompson is not afraid to scan the Division II and III ranks in search of hidden talent he can add to the Packers. And, he's found some decent gems that made their names in a Division II or III … Continue reading
Tag Archives: offensive line
The protection in front of Aaron Rodgers has been a rollercoaster ride since the 2011 MVP took over as starter four years ago. Rodgers found the turf often in 2008 and was lucky to play a full season in 2009. … Continue reading