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Miva, Inc. (MIVA) Q1 2009 Earnings Call May 20, 2009 5:00 PM ET
Alex Vlasto – VP Marketing & Communications
Peter Carrao – President, Chief Executive Officer
Michael Cutler – Chief Financial Officer
Rob Roe – General Manager and Senior VP
Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum
[Collin Gillis – Brigantine Advisors]
Welcome to the Miva Inc.'s first quarter 2009 financial results conference call. Today's conference is being recorded. At this time I would like to turn the conference over to Alex Vlasto, Vice President of Marketing and Communications.
Alex Vlasto
Thank you and good afternoon. Welcome to Miva's first quarter 2009 financial results conference call. Joining me on the call today are President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Carrao, Chief Financial Officer Mike Cutler and General Manager and Senior Vice President Will Brown.
I'd like to remind everyone that today's comments include forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and events to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties will be outlined at the end of this conference call and also detailed in Miva's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
To begin, let's review how we measure our financial performance. In addition to the standard GAAP measurements, we utilize certain profitability based metrics to evaluate our period to period and year over year performance. They are; adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income/loss and adjusted net income/loss per share.
We believe that adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income/loss and adjusted net income/loss per share provide meaningful measures and comparison of the company's current and projected operating performance with its historical results due to the significant changes in non cash amortization that began ion 2004 primarily due to certain intangible assets resulting from mergers and acquisitions that have since been written off.
Miva defines adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA, earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization plus non cash compensation expense and plus or minus certain identified revenues or expenses that are not expected to occur or be representative of future ongoing operation of the business.
Miva uses adjusted EBITDA as an internal measure of its business and believes it utilizes an important measure of performance by the investment community. Miva sets goals and awards bonuses in part based on performance relative to adjusted EBITDA.
Miva defines adjusted net income/loss as net income/loss plus amortization and non cash compensation expense plus or minus certain identified revenues or expenses that are not expected to recur or be representative of future ongoing operation of the business, in each case including the tax effect if any of the adjustment.
Miva defines adjusted net income/loss per share as the adjusted net income/loss as previously described divided by the average basic or fully diluted number of outstanding shares of Miva common stock over the reported period.
For a detailed review of our first quarter 2009 results, including the corresponding GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation of our non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP financial measures, please refer to the press release we issued today and to our Form 10-Q for Q1 2009 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
To comply with the SEC's guidance on fair and open disclosure, we've made this conference call publicly available by audio webcast through the investor relations section of our website and a replay of the conference call will be available for 90 days after the call.
I'd now like to turn the call over to our President and CEO, Peter Carrao.
Peter Carrao
Good afternoon everyone and welcome to today's call. In Q1 '09, there were significant changes to our business following the asset sale of our Miva Media U.S. and E.U. operations to the advertising network Adknowledge. The transaction marked an important final stage of our strategy of transitioning out of our third party ad network business and into our consumer oriented Miva direct business.
Following the transaction we were reduced head count to approximately 50 people down from 129 on December 31, '08. This reduction included the transfer of approximately 65 of our Miva media staff and 10 of our corporate staff to Adknowledge. Our remaining team today works almost exclusively out of our New York City office with a small number remaining in Fort Myers, Florida.
Importantly the sale of Miva Media increased our available capital and enables us to now focus our resources on Miva Direct business and specifically to develop our ALOT product portfolio which we'll talk about in detail on today's call.
Let me turn now to our financial performance for our continuing operations, Miva Direct for the first quarter of '09. Q1 '09 revenue was $6.2 million compared to $8.5 million in Q4. The reduction in revenue from Q4 '08 to Q1 '09 was primarily a result of the both the decline in users of our toolbar home page and desktop products and a decline in our average revenue per user.
I'm going to spend some time talking about these two areas in detail. Firstly, the decline in the number of users of our toolbars, home pages and desktop products; as a reminder our primary channel for acquiring new users is direct response and display advertising. As we focused on managing our balance sheet in the lead up of the Miva Media sale, we reduced our advertising spend and this impacted our base, and in turn our revenues that we generated.
Advertising spend in Q1 2009 was $4.3 million, down from $5.2 million in Q4 of '08. This reduction in spend resulted in a decrease of live users of our toolbar products from $4.6 million on December 31 '08 to a low of $3.8 million on March 11, 2009. We actually ended Q1 '09 with $4.4 million live users.
Our drop in ad spend over the last 12 months have been significant and we have focused on managing our balance sheet. To put this into context, in Q1 '09 spend of $4.3 million was 43% less than the $7.6 million we spent in the same quarter in '08.
We believe that while necessary for the business, these drops in spend have had a significant impact on the number of users of our toolbar homepage and desktop products and in turn, the revenue we've been able to generate from them.
With our newly streamlined business and our strengthen capital position however, we believe we have now reached a bottom in the number of active users of our toolbar, homepage and desktop products.
We put in place a strategy for '09 that we expect will deliver growth in the user base through Q2 and Q3 followed by a slight decline in users in Q4 due to the usual effects of seasonality. Overall we expect to end 2009 with approximately five million toolbar users. We expect the increase in our user base is the way, and this way will result in an increased search and queries and this will in turn increase the revenue we generate.
Before I talk to you more about this strategy, I want to move on to discuss the second area we believe impacted revenue in Q1 which was an unexpected decline in RPMLU or revenue per thousand live users across our toolbar, homepage and desktop products.
Since we started ramping our advertising spend again following the sale of Miva Media, we've experienced a decline in RPMLU across both the ALOT and our legacy brands. RPMLU decreased by almost 10% from January 2009 to March 31, 2009 and while unexpected, we believe this decline is due to a number of factors.
Those factors that we know of now are specifically a reduction in revenue sharing rates in available service in certain of our advertising partners, reduction in the number of revenue generated events across our products, reduction in search volumes triggering lower revenue sharing rates for our advertising partners and tiered rate structures and general adverse economic conditions broadly affecting the value of search advertising.
While the broader economic conditions are largely outside of our control, our engineers and marketers are working diligently in testing a broad range of enhancements to design the increase the usage of our products and ensure the revenue delivered by our users. We believe that small changes to our products can have a positive affect on RPMLU and I'll update you on the progress of these initiatives over coming quarters.
In order to maintain margins in light of the recent unexpected decline in RPMLU, we've consequently lowered our CPA or the cost of acquiring targets for the remainder of 2009. So put simply, for generating less revenue from our users then we need to pay less to acquire those users to maintain our margin.
The impact however of reducing our CPA targets is that we need to be even more targeted with our ad buying and this limits the speed with which we're able to expand our base. As a result of this issue, our expectations for growth and active users of our toolbar, homepage and desktop product are more conservative today than they were in our prior expectations.
We are now anticipating ending '09 with around five million active toolbar users. Our projection is based on our new lower CPA targets. However, if RPMLU improved, then the CPA targets can be increased and we believe this could further speed our growth and head us back towards where we predicted last quarter.
Despite our more conservative expectations for growth, we believe that our advertising strategy for '09 should still enable us to deliver year over year growth in our toolbar, homepage and desktop user base. We anticipate that this growth coupled with our reduced cost base following the sales of Miva Media will see us adding cash to our balance sheet and reaching EBITDA profitability in Q4 2009 and into all of 2010.
Importantly, this growth strategy has been developed with a close focus on managing cash. We believe that even with the unexpected softness in RPMLU we have recently started experiencing, our advertising plan for '09 is achievable with our existing capital and we do not envision any need for further financing.
While we believe in our growth strategy, we do expect in the short term to continue feeling the effects of the cuts in advertising spend that we made in the lead up to the sale of the Miva Media. When advertising spend is ramped quickly as we did after the unprecedented cuts made prior to the sale of Miva Media, there is of course a lag between the spend is increased and when the revenue is realized from the new users who have been acquired by the increased spend. We expect this revenue lag will negatively impact margins in the second quarter of '09.
The short term impact on margin in Q2 '09 is expected and as we mentioned previously, with the drop in advertising spend made over the course of 2008 and early 2009 were unavoidable, as we managed our balance sheet in the lead up to the sale of the Media company.
Let me move on now to talk about some of the developments that we're working on across our ALOT product portfolio. First, enhancements to our search results, the majority of our revenue from ALOT comes from search traffic. In Q1 2009, our users conducted over 150 million searches across our toolbar, homepage and desktop products. We monetize this search traffic through third party agreements.
Earlier this year, we began a new two year agreement with Google which continues to provide algorrhythmic and page search listings to our users in response to typed in search queries. As I mentioned briefly on our last quarterly call, we now have supplemented this search agreement with a new agreement with another leading search engine.
This partner is now providing a new speed and image search results as well as associated pay per click ads. Additionally we have agreements in place with some of the largest e-commerce providers on the internet who are providing shopping related search results as well.
So now, when our users conduct searches though any of our ALOT products, they can access not only traditional web search listings but also latest news, image and shopping results for their specific items they're interested in. We believe that expanding our search results in this way not only provides our users with a richer experience, but should also help maximize the revenue we generate from the high volume of searched that our users conduct.
We believe that making these changes are particularly important given the softness in the advertising market that I mentioned earlier on the call.
Another initiative that we're optimistic about is the international expansion of our ALOT product portfolio. As I mentioned pre this call, our model today is primarily focused on the vertical expansion of our products where we make versions of our product that are tailored specifically for people that are interested for example in cooking or finance or sports or music.
This vertical expansion is continuing and we're also now actively exploring horizontal expansion of our products across multiple international markets. This international expansion is made possible in part by our in house engineering team who have developed proprietary tools that enable our products to be scaled with considerable ease.
Using these new tools, our marketing teams can now build and roll out a new toolbar and homepage product in a matter of minutes. We believe these new tools coupled with our knowledge of direct marketing will help pave the way for international expansion. Importantly, we believe that the international expansion can be spearheaded from our New York office with no need for local offices and little need for additional personnel.
Before handing the call over to Mike to discuss our financial performance, I want to take a moment to discuss two initiatives that I mentioned on previous calls. First is our rebranding. Following the sale of Miva Media, our intention is to rebrand our Miva Direct division to ALOT and to introduce a new corporate name for Miva, Inc.
This rules a Nasdaq ticker symbol change and our corporate name changing. We anticipate this change will occur in the next two months and I'll update you further on details when they are available.
The other thing I want to briefly mention is corporate costs. Over the course of 2008 we made substantial cuts in our corporate head count. Additionally, as part of the sale of Miva Media we transferred 10 of our corporate staff to Adknowledge. Following the transaction, we moved from a business with thousands of client relationships to a business with a small number of high value vendors.
We expect this will result in a savings on the legal front, accounting, auditing, and we remain focused on maximizing our cost efficiencies.
So in summary, we're pleased the sale of Miva Media is behind us and we can now focus our resources on the development of our ALOT product portfolio. While we anticipate margins being impacted in Q2 '09 as a result of our recent cuts in ad spend, we believe in our growth strategy we've developed for the ALOT brand.
I look forward to updating you of our progress in the coming months. With that said, let me turn the call over to Mike who will cover our financial results.
Michael Cutler
As Peter mentioned, we are pleased to announce the completion of the sale of our Miva Media U.S. and E.U. operations to Adknowledge Inc. and it was done on March 12, 2009. I wanted to start this afternoon by presenting more detail on the sale.
The asset purchase agreement between Miva and Adknowledge involved the sale of certain assets relating to our Miva Media division including the Miva name. The transaction was for cash consideration of approximately $11.6 million plus an assumption of certain balance sheet liabilities and subject to certain retained assets and liabilities including assets and liabilities of the Miva Media division in France and post closing adjustments estimated at approximately $0.7 million.
This resulted in a gain on sale of approximately $6.9 million during the quarter ended March 31, 2009. We incurred approximately $1.2 million of legal and financial advisory fees in connection with the Miva Media sale which are included in the net gain on sale.
In connection with the Miva Media sale, we agreed to provide to and receive from Adknowledge certain transition services. As of March 31, 2009 approximately $0.9 million is due to Adknowledge as a result of net cash collected on their behalf and expenses incurred by the company for transition services provided by Adknowledge since the date of sales, and the estimated post closing adjustments of $0.7 million offset by certain expenses paid on behalf of Adknowledge by the company.
This is included in accrued expenses in our condensed consolidated balance sheet filed today with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result of the Miva Media sale, and our decision during the quarter ended March 31, 2009 to cease operations of the Miva Media division in France, all operations of the Miva Media division including those in France are presented as discontinued operations.
As such, operating results are segregated and reported as discontinued operations in our condensed consolidated statements of operations for all period detailed in today's filings.
Now turning to our financial results for continuing operations in Q1 2009, Q1 2009 performance from continuing operations was below our expectations due primarily to the unexpected decline in RPMLU across our toolbar, homepage and desktop users that Peter detailed earlier.
Revenue for continuing operations in Q1 2009 was $6.2 million and that compares to $8.5 million in Q4 2008. EBITDA was a loss of $2.7 million in Q1 2009 compared to an EBITDA loss of $9.2 million in Q4 2008.
Q1 2009 EBITDA included $0.5 million non cash compensation expense whereas Q4 2008 EBITDA included $7.9 million non cash tangible and intangible asset impairment charges as well as $0.5 non cash compensation expense.
Adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $2.3 million in Q1 2009 compared to adjusted EBITDA loss of $0.9 million in Q4 2008. Q1 2009 adjusted EBITDA loss excluded $0.5 million non cash compensation expense while Q4 2008 adjusted EBITDA loss excluded $7.9 million non cash tangible and intangible asset impairment charges and $0.5 million non cash compensation expense.
Cash and cash equivalents increased from $6.7 million at the end of Q4 2008 to $11.6 million on March 31, 2009. The Q4 2008 figure includes a $4 million draw down from our credit line with Bridge Bank North America. This amount was paid back following the completion of the Miva Media sale on March 12, 2009.
Gross margins were 93% in Q1 2009 compared to Q4 2008 gross margins of 96%. Gross margins exclude advertising spend of $4.3 million in Q1 2009 and $5.2 million Q4 2008 which is included in consolidated operation expenses within the marketing sales and service line.
Total operating expenses were $8.5 million in Q1 2009 compared to $17.3 million Q4 2008. The operating expenses in Q1 2009 included $5.9 million of non cash compensation expense. The operating expenses in Q4 2008 included $7.9 million non cash tangible and intangible asset impairment charges and $0.5 million of non cash compensation expense.
As of March 31, 2009 the company had an active base of approximately 50 employees, down from 129 full time employees on December 31, 2008. The decrease in head count from December 2008 is due primarily to the sale of Miva Media. As part of the sale, we transferred approximately 65 of our Miva Media staff and 10 of our corporate staff to Adknowledge.
As Peter presented earlier, we expect our recent cuts in advertising spend to negatively impact margins across our continuing operations in Q2 2009. Despite these challenges, we expect our growth strategy for 2009 to result in us increasing live users of our toolbar products to approximately five million by the end of the year.
Additionally, we expect our growth plan will result in us adding cash to our balance sheet and reaching EBITDA profitability in the fourth quarter of 2009.
So now, I'll turn the call back to Peter for some concluding remarks.
Peter Carrao
In summary, our focus in the coming quarter and beyond is to continue to optimize our advertising spend and to focus on increasing the revenue we generate from our toolbar, homepage and desktop products. We're hopeful that as a result of these growth strategies we have in place, we'll be able to add to our cash balance sheet and deliver profitable EBITDA in Q4 '09 and into 2010.
With that, let me turn it over to Alex for Q&A. I believe you want to start with email questions.
Question-and-Answer Session
Alex Vlasto
Before we hand it over to the operator, we've had a couple of questions that have come in through email so we'll address these first.
First is Mike, can you give us your expectations for expense structure excluding ad spend going forward?
Michael Cutler
Our corporate expense structure right now is a little north of $1 million and as we become a smaller, simpler company, we are actively pursuing several initiatives to reduce our expenses. And by the fact that we're a smaller and simpler company, we expect that our audit fees, our legal fees will be reduced significantly.
We're also actively working to sublet one of the floors we have down in Fort Myers and we're making some good progress with that. Additionally we're working with our New York landlord to see if we can relocate to a smaller office and get the cost down for that.
As we work with our D&O insurance providers and other risk managers, by the fact that we're a smaller company, we expect to reduce those costs and Peter is working actively with our Board to retain them but at a much lower cost.
So this combined with any other opportunity that we have will be actively reducing our corporate cost structure as we move forward.
Peter Carrao
The only thing I'd add to that is as you said when you started, our corporate cost was $1 million a month, and in fact all of our costs not including ad spend are a little bit north of $1 million a month including OpEx, Corporate and everything else we've got.
Michael Cutler
Yes, that's all part of this structure. You're right.
Alex Vlasto
The next question is, what's the lowest point you expect cash to reach this year?
Michael Cutler
Per our original plan that we expressed before when we were expecting to get to eight million live users by year end, the low point that we were expecting to get to was about $4 million. As we've revamped the plan and as we manage towards the five million live users as the end of the year, by the fact that we're scaling down the amount of ad spend that we're going to expend, we also will hit the same point of about $4 million will be our low point.
And of course by the end of the year, with our recovery, with our improvement in revenue we expect that we'll start getting positive cash flow in the fourth quarter and starting to build up that cash balance again.
Alex Vlasto
The next question that came in, Peter, do you intend to buy back shares?
Peter Carrao
The truth is we've had discussions with our Board and with the recent changes over the last six weeks in revenue per user, and there are a lot of different metrics that we can talk about in Q&A on what's happened in the last six weeks, but I think that we now have to more than ever, so that's a surprise to us. And we haven't exactly figured out why we're getting less usage per toolbar, homepage and desktop apps.
So it's reasonably wise for us now to hang on to our cash and not look at share buyback unless and until we can get our RPMLU back where it was on a consistent basis and even then I'd like to know what it was that made it drop so severely in the last six weeks before we did that. So for now, I think we will not be entertaining a share repurchase until we get back to the point where we're generating cash again which as Mike said, will be late Q3 and early Q4 of this year.
Alex Vlasto
There are two questions that relate to our web property. The first part of it is what did Miva receive in exchange for stole.com and the second is, does Miva still own screensavers.com and are they considering websites?
Peter Carrao
I'll answer the first piece and let Rob Roe answer the second piece. What we got for Stole was $400,000. $200,000 of it was a cash payment upfront. $100,000 of it is in a note paid monthly for 12 months and another $100,000 is in the form of an earn out paid monthly for 12 months.
Rob Roe
We continue to operate screensavers.com and other web properties that we developed over the years. However, screensavers is not central to the ALOT strategy so it's become more of a lower priority for us as we move forward.
Peter Carrao
But we do still own it. Frankly, we would entertain selling it but have not sold it. We haven't had an offer to sell it.
Alex Vlasto
The next question is, will Media France be closed or sold within the current quarter?
Peter Carrao
Miva Media France for all intents and purposes is not operating today but is still open in that we have two employees that we're still negotiating with to their severances. Our office only has those two people in it. We've stopped servicing accounts in France through Adknowledge. We stopped servicing partner accounts in France through Adknowledge and as soon as we can officially have France shut down, we will. But more importantly when exactly that happens will depend on our negotiations with the two remaining employees in France that are ongoing and negotiations happening even today with them.
Alex Vlasto
The next question, how many toolbars and/or homepages can our current infrastructure support without significant additional CapEx required.
Rob Roe
We currently spend about $50,000 a month total on two co-location facilities to support all of the current user base. I'm happy to say that the capacity we have could definitely support about double our current user base. As you may recall, at one point we did have somewhat higher user numbers than we have today.
Alex Vlasto
The next question, can you provide some insights into ALOT's non pay per click revenue?
Rob Roe
The primary source of revenue for pay per click is the advertising that's generated from search but we do also have opportunities in display advertising, also in monetizing the widgets or buttons we have in our properties. So an example of that would be CPM advertising that we display on our homepage. We have a CPM banner and other kinds of placements.
We also have shop and search features that are integrated with the toolbar and home that generates commissions to several different shopping relationships. In terms of the buttons, and buttons can be displayed from the toolbar, also on the homepage and also on the desktop, we have buttons of various types. One example would be a partnership we have with Star Pulse for gossip and entertainment where we get compensated for sending any traffic to them.
We also have CPA deals where we get paid for commissions generated through Amazon.com or EBay and then we also have some display buttons. And lastly, we also do sell data regarding the use of our products to third parties.
Alex Vlasto
The final question is how many active end users do we currently have?
Peter Carrao
We should remind everyone that we talk very much about our user base or our active user base, and those numbers are really about the toolbar, the install client software. The homepage is a website so we have different metrics and our standard website metrics for those. For our homepage, our daily unique count is approximately 300,000 visitors per day and our monthly unique is over two million.
Alex Vlasto
That concludes the questions that have come in via email, so operator I'm going to pass it back to you to take questions that are coming into the phone.
(Operator Instructions) Your first question comes from Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum.
Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum
The balance sheet as of April 30, what's the cash look like?
Michael Cutler
It's close to $8 million.
Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum
So in those 30 days from March 31 to April 30, the $3.6 million that you spent, what did that go for?
Michael Cutler
We had some residual expenses related to the carryover organization. Of course we had to pay off Google and normal operating expenses.
Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum
How much of that was tied to advertising spend to drive new toolbar, homepage and desktop downloads?
Michael Cutler
$2 million.
Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum
What do you characterize as your monthly expense? If I just turn that into a quarterly number, is it safe to say that your quarterly expense run rate outside of the ad spend is $3 million?
Michael Cutler
Yes. A little bit north of that. Take into consideration this first quarter that we incurred some extraordinary expense as it related to Perrault, as it related to the wind down of the operation, legal fees, high audit fees and things like that so there's going to be some distortion that you'll see in the first quarter and then also in the second quarter as well.
Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum
How much distortion are we talking about in Q2, those anticipated expenses? The stuff I assume makes up the accrued expense line on your balance sheet.
Michael Cutler
Pretty much. When I look at that, I'm thinking it's going to be in the area of maybe $500,000 to $600,000 additional each month.
Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum
And when does that end?
Michael Cutler
I expect that to end at the end of those quarters.
Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum
So we'd be looking at somewhere between $1.5 million and $1.8 million of that further balance sheet erosion just on the obligations you have. So really the $8 million minus the $1.5 million to $1.8 million that explains how you got this $6 million. What I'm trying to back into here is, if I've got $3.2 million roughly of expenses and I just finished a quarter with $6 million of revs, I've still got roughly $2.8 million normalized that I could spend for toolbar downloads, efficient toolbar advertising and still be roughly breakeven. What is it, is my revenue assumption too high? Is $6 million not the trough for your business?
Michael Cutler
That's the trough. We believe that is it.
Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum
So really what you're saying is you're going to be spending, if $6 million is the trough and $3.2 million is the ongoing expense side, X'ing out the one timers in Q2, we're going to be spending in the neighborhood of $4 million to $5 million a quarter on acquiring new users.
Michael Cutler
I think that's about right.
Peter Carrao
The only thing that would change that, since RPMLU in the last six weeks dropped unexpectedly, almost 20%, if it came back and there's a lot of metrics on why it dropped, if it were to come back, then we would be able to afford a higher CPA and if we could afford a higher CPA we would actually put more money in the ad spend and be back on our ramp towards 7.5 million to 8 million toolbars by the end of the year instead of 5 million.
Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum
It's a little bit disconcerting for me. Now that you're sort of a one trick pony in that end user search oriented whether its toolbar, desktop or homepage, to hear you, it is basically a play on monetizing those users and to not have a good sense for why it's off. Is there, you've always talked about a good relationship with Google. What is it about that relationship that doesn't allow you insight into the fall off?
Rob Roe
I think what I'll do is list the things that we know and then we can have a sense of what we don't know. There are certain things that we do know. For instance, as we moved into the new year, some of the revenue sharing rates that we got were reduced.
Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum
When you say rev share rates were reduced, what they pass through to your for your toolbar traffic or your end user traffic, that was changed? I thought that was contractually obligated.
Rob Roe
Remember we entered into a new agreement at the beginning of the year.
Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum
So the new agreement was less beneficial.
Peter Carrao
So that's pretty minor though. He's telling you now what things we know about.
Rob Roe
I'm just listing the things that we know. We did have compensation rates go down starting at the beginning of the year and that's an issue we had, and this is fairly obvious is we had a significant reduction in advertising spend. So quarter over quarter, from Q4 of 2008 to Q1 of 2009, we had a spend reduction of about 13% or so. And just to be clear here, I'm using the numbers now of what we actually spent.
What is reported, includes some adjustments so this is the actually effective spend that occurred during the period is down 13% quarter over quarter and then if you go year over year, from Q1 of 2008 to Q1 2009, the spend reduction is much more dramatic. It's about 45%.
Now that reduces the overall volume, but it also does change the dynamics of the activity rates of the users and revenue per user rates because it changes the dynamics of the mix of the user base. So that's the second thing that we know, is that we had an unprecedented long period of very low advertising spend.
Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum
I'm struggling with that because I assume you're really servicing two advertisers. It's Google and its Yahoo and I guess they're the intermediaries, but in the end it's about the action of those two entities that is driving this 45% reduction. Is that correct?
Rob Roe
What I'm talking about is the advertising we spent, the advertising spend to acquire users was reduced by 45% on a year over year basis Q1 to Q1.
But that has a significant, overall it greatly reduces the volume and again, this is a very long period, a much longer period of shut down that we usually would have gone through before. So a very, very low level, so it was unprecedented. So that's the second thing that we know.
The third thing that we know is because volume went down, we have in some of our agreements tiered rate structures that are dependent on volume and we fell below thresholds which also changed our rates during the period. So that's the third thing that we know.
And then the other thing that we do know, and this kind of relates back to your question is that there is overall softness in the advertising market and we are definitely seeing the results of that and there are probably other sources you could go to to learn about what some of our partners have been experiencing over the quarter, and we've definitely seen those kinds of changes as well.
So we can't really point to any one thing and say, oh it was all on this. In terms of the relationship we have with Google, it does continue to be a very strong relationship. We consistently hear from them that we deliver them the highest quality traffic and we believe both sides are very pleased with the relationship. I think the issue right now is how do we increase our volume.
One thing we don't fully understand is why did user activity rates go down over the period. They have gone down. That's one of the main drivers of this that we don't fully understand. It could be related to things that we have done and we are doing everything we can to understand that better, but it could also be external to us.
Peter Carrao
When he talks about per user, what he's saying is for each toolbar that we've got, versus only six or seven weeks ago, the user is only about 80% or 81% as active as they were six and seven weeks ago.
Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum
That's not a foreseeable trend to juxtapose this with from a year ago?
Rob Roe
I wouldn't want to pin it on that. There's not doubt that the months after February are softer for us every year so we've always seen some decline in that period. But the scope of this is certainly greater than we anticipated and it's greater than we could explain by any one variable.
Eric Martinuzzi – Craig-Hallum
So the variables that you've laid out here though, if I could put them in my own words, you've got four points you've given me. You've got a new contract. You've got fewer toolbars out there. You've got a lower payout rates and then the fourth thing is the softness in the overall economy. Are those four accurate?
Peter Carrao
They are. The only one you missed which may be the biggest one which is our usage per toolbar which is about 20% less. So if they were clicking once a day, they're now clicking .8 times per day. That is the biggest thing we've got out there which wouldn't be related to our web share if you will with Yahoo and isn't related to it. It's simply less clicks going through.
While we're on that, because it is our issue right now. Can you help dimensionalize of those issues that we know and those issues that we don't understand, why don't you help diminsionalize how much as a percentage of our falloff of 20 which one of those various items. I don't want Eric to think the new contract with Google is a big issue because it just isn't.
Rob Roe
I would say there are two pieces in the structure. In terms of 20% fall off I would say that a significant chunk of that is the user activity rates. That's certainly the most significant factor. I would say the overall softness is the advertising market is relatively, it's there, but it's significantly less. I can't put a number of that.
The other thing is the rate structure, one is a permanent change related to contractual change. The other is one which is related to volume, and the volume piece is actually pretty significant, and if we increase volume across our threshold again, we will enjoy a reversal of that. That is calculated on a monthly basis, so basically we have an opportunity every month to bring ourselves back above.
Peter Carrao
With our new lower ad spend while revenue is off, with our newer lower ad spend, I think we still click into the higher volume threshold in late June of July.
Rob Roe
That's our expectation.
Your next question comes from [Collin Gillis – Brigantine Advisors]
[Collin Gillis – Brigantine Advisors]
Getting back onto the usage, is this literally less clicks or is it less search volume? I guess what I'm trying to drill at is there a trend towards less commercial searches happening?
Rob Roe
It's really about search activity. So it's the average amount of activity generated by the user base and that can be measured both as average activity per user but also the number of users who are conducting search activity. So there's always a percentage of users who don't actually use the search function.
[Collin Gillis – Brigantine Advisors]
Is there a pick up in the de-install or churn of the toolbars at all?
Rob Roe
It has gotten better and I think that's something that we've also been looking at. I'm happy to say that we've been making some changes in the product side that have had positive impact in that regard. But I also believe as we change our acquisition strategy and be more focused and more targeted that we will see benefits from that as well.
[Collin Gillis – Brigantine Advisors]
There's been a lot of query volume data has been decent but obviously the revenue is reflecting the drop. Can you just give us some color how the months played out in the quarter in terms of the monetization and when you started to see increases?
Rob Roe
January we started off slightly lower than December, but it really began to increase in February, and we saw a significant drop in the month of March. And I think the issue for us is just to try to show why there's a lack of clarity is that it was concurrent with when we cut off our advertising spend.
Peter Carrao
To be real specific, forget December because December is always pretty high for us. If you look back to October/November, February looked at standard. January was off 10% and March and current is off 20%.
[Collin Gillis – Brigantine Advisors]
I think that the data points I've been picking up is that April continued to see monetization continue to weaken. You're not seeing a bottom yet are you?
Peter Carrao
I think we are seeing a bottom to be honest with you. We've already seen it. It depends of which measurement. One of the measurements that we have been seeing a bottom on, we haven't seen further deterioration but I don't think we'll call it a bottom is this number of clicks per user has dropped precipitously and fast, like in days. That happened slightly in January and tremendously mid February through mid March.
Rob Roe
And really concurrent with when we cut our advertising spend. That's why I consider that part of the mix because certainly change ad spend in any dramatic way up or down, it does have an affect on all of these metrics.
Peter Carrao
The biggest effect is we don't leave them hanging on what an effect is. The biggest effect on a usage basis is that a new homepage toolbar or desktop ad user is slightly more active than a long term virulent homepage desktop or active user. So if you've just gotten your toolbar, you tend to type in more key work searches than you do if you've had it for awhile.
But that's not enough because of the turnover in new users. It's frankly not enough to explain this whole 20% drop which is why we're still looking for what the explanations are including by the way, we don't believe this is the case and we've tested everything known to man, but including we're questioning if the technology, there could be a bug someplace.
We've got so many releases that it's almost impossible because of how many releases we have over the years and how many of those releases are held inside of our current base. We don't have any release that's more than 20% of our base, so it's not likely that we're going to find, we haven't found a bug of some sort. It's not likely we're going to because it would have to be something that was prevalent across the entire base, and we just don't have that. There isn't anything like that out there.
[Collin Gillis – Brigantine Advisors]
What are the verticals telling you when you look out at the data across the different verticals?
Rob Roe
There are some variances, but it's broadly speaking. This is again one of the issues. It's not affecting our top three verticals only which comprise a larger share of the traffic and therefore we know what the issue is. We see it in almost all of the distribution and in varying degrees.
[Collin Gillis – Brigantine Advisors]
When you dropped the bounty on the CPA side to acquire customers how did that impact the effectiveness? Is it a smooth formula, as the lifetime value changes you can adjust on the amount you'll pay for a new customer?
Peter Carrao
It's almost perfectly smooth in that we've always used as an example only, a CPA of $1.00. We've never said specifically because we don't want to let go our secrets of what it is but it's a good example and very close to the actual, but $1.00 has always been our target. With the reduction of 20% of our RPMLU yield, we've now jiggered down CPA as an example to $0.80 and are getting almost exactly 20% less.
Now if you simply take that and flow it through, it's why we're calling for a little bit more than five million toolbars at the end of the year now versus where we were two and a half months ago with eight million toolbars because we could flow through that extra 20%, that's where you end up.
[Collin Gillis – Brigantine Advisors]
That's got to be comforting that the model and the equation works at least from that angle.
Peter Carrao
That part works. But the issue for us is, here we are this new tighter company and even with all of our reduced costs, we still have OpEx. So at some point, and we think that point is Q3 and Q4 which we've talked about, you've got to be sizable enough that the numbers of toolbars, homepage and desktops that we have can cover that OpEx and still make a profit, and so just pure scale frankly would have been better the eight million way.
But you're right. It is comforting that we can get to profitability and cash flow profitability even on lesser toolbars but amongst all of us, I'd rather be getting there with the eight million than the five million.
There are no further questions. I'd like to turn it back over to management for any additional or closing remarks.
Alex Vlasto
This conference call contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27-A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21-E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Words or expressions such as plan, will, intend, anticipate, believe or expect or variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's current expectations and subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may vary materially from the expectations contained in the forward-looking statements. Key risks are described in reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission including Form 10-K in Q1 2009.
In addition, past performance cannot be relied upon as a guide to performance. That concludes our call today. Thank you for listening.
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Upfront... a full 10 on 10. Awesome graphics, gameplay and ofcourse sxxy cars and one thing which really gets me going are the music tracks which are simply gr8..thumping and really gives you a simulation that you are fully into the game being a dirty racer or a smart cop.
My verdict:NFS:Hot pursuit- A must buy for every game lover..especially a collection for every racing addict..\m/
On the upfront am not that of a SRK fan...bought this DVD though for my sis...but was well amazed to found to my surprise that it turn out to be a gr8 action thriller in bollywood POV. All in all was not a bad deal....n yeah got some extra additions including the DON theme song feat. Priyanka C which was goooood!
A must collection for all the action sci-fi flick lovers. Transformers : 3 movie dvd set is a gr8 collection and its always a treat to watch the Giant Autobots fighting the ugly deadly Megatron's punk that too in your home theater in a big screen with awesome sound effects...!!!
A gr8 move game...a gameplay for everyone in the house. Its more interesting when you are dueling with your frnd or brother or sister or ne1 in series of games like TT, Archery, Beach Volleyball, Bocce,Disc golf.
There are different difficulty levels marked with a bronze, silver and gold cups and even more if you complete the Gold cup there's another challenge in addition which will keep you going for the hunt to be a SPORTS CHAMPION!!
Final Verdict: A must have "MOVE" game..\m/
NFS delivers again n delivers a gr8 racing simulatory gameplay. It may seem pretty difficult for some because of lil' hard car handling and curvy tracks but all in all its awesome graphics, new camera angle and gr8 car racing experience make it a perfect racing game for most of speed n' car lovers.
Final Verdict: Buy it if you are more than a casual lover of car racing.
NFS RUN -yet another cool n' gr8 addition in the NFS franchise. I loved it n still loving it...coz of its awesome graphics, sound and the story which almost gives one a feeling that its out of some Hollywood flick..nevertheless the game is awesome!!
The only drawback which was quite irritating (at least to me)was -you are forced to start to the last checkpoint when your car is crashed or has gone off-road/track. Otherwise, the gameplay lets you stick to your couch making you a true NFS freak...my advise: RUN for it>>>> \m/
Oh....n thanks flipkart for your prompt delivery!!

subset: commoncrawl


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One killed in I-69 crash in Grant County
One person was killed in a crash on Interstate 69 in Grant County Friday.
Police say a box truck struck the rear of a Buick as it slowed near a work zone at the 58 mile marker, killing the driver of the passenger vehicle. Investigators say the Buick was pushed into the rear of a semi-tractor, which was pulling a trailer, as both of those vehicles slowed for an approaching work zone. The Buick and the box truck, driven by 40-year-old Brad Anderson of Danville, were both engulfed in flames after the crash.
Firefighters found a deceased person in the Buick after they extinguished the fire. Anderson was taken to Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis with burns on his arms and legs. He was helped from his truck by passersby, who cut off his seat belt and removed him from the flames.
The driver of the semi was not injured.
Police have not yet identified the victim found in the Buick. The crash remains under investigation.
The southbound lanes of I-69 were closed for several hours as police investigated and cleaned up the accident.


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Key Club Advisor Shaves 'Stache for Movember
November became Movember this year for Daniel Falkman, a social studies teacher and Key Club advisor at East Islip High School, who raised awareness and over $365 in funding to support men's health issues, solely through the birth and death of a mustache.
During the month-long period of Movember, participants like Falkman agreed to grow mustaches and forgo shaving them. The ensuing attention and joking in turn sparked much-needed conversations about male cancer risks. As he began his tonsorial adventure, Falkman declared, "I have joined the Movember movement and will be donating my upper lip to the cause for 30 days, all in the name of raising vital awareness and funds for cancers affecting men. Funds that will help make a tangible difference to the lives of others. Through the Movember Foundation and their men's health partners, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG, this event funds world-class awareness, research, and educational and support programs which would otherwise not be possible."
Falkman's students were given the opportunity to donate a dollar and color in a picture of a historical figure with truly memorable facial hair. He noted that science-oriented students chose Einstein and English students picked Mark Twain, while the young historians went for Civil War general Ambrose Burnside, whose definitive "sideburns" coined the term. "Our Key Club is always looking for ways to help in our community as well as looking at problems that face our world. As advisor to the Key Club, I wanted to lead by example," he said. "To put it simply, if I can donate my mustache, then they should be able to donate a dollar."
On December 1, a bemused and occasionally raucous group of students and faculty gathered in East Islip's auditorium after school to watch Falkman shave off his 'stache. After a brief but effective speech explaining the goals of Movember and the need for additional donations, he lathered up and attacked the bushy growth with both scissors and razor before the mustache was finally defeated.
"For many, the thrill is what the mustache will look like when it grows in," Falkman explained before the event. "For me, the anticipation is in wondering what I will look like when it's gone." He had last shaved his face almost a year before, as a 2010 Christmas present for his mustache-hating wife. Falkman's daughter, however, was kind enough to kiss it goodnight – and goodbye – the evening before the shaving.
Fundraising to help fight deadly diseases is nothing new for the determined educator. "When I was in kindergarten, I participated in a multiple sclerosis read-a-thon, raising money from friends and family, and I can still feel that sense of pride that I felt doing something for others. When I was in my twenties, my father was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and sadly passed away from the disease a few years later," Falkman said.
While the spectacle of one man shaving his whiskers might not appear newsworthy on the face of it, Falkman knows his hairy Movember journey meant something. "Even though my mustache might seem insignificant," he said with a wink, "it is not the size of the mustache that counts, it's what you do with it."


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Roads and buildings damaged by landslide in southern Italy
Heavy rains and floods have caused a powerful landslide in Italy.
Roads were ripped apart and some buildings collapsed in the town of Montescaglioso in the south of the country.
Claire Brennan reports.
04 Dec 2013
- From the section Europe


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SOUND VOLUME ADVANCED SETTINGS Sound Sync (Smart) Smart è Setting è Volume è Screen/Sound sync control When synchronizing of picture and sound on TV screen is not matched, the viewer can directly adjust the sound sync. User can adjust video's sync and sound output (TV speaker or SPDIF...
Step 1: Choose All devices that will connect to your TV Edit Please select at least one device. Cable / Satellite Box Smartphone / Tablet Gaming Console USB Drive Soundbar / Home Theater Computer DVD / Blu-ray Player Mouse / Keyboard Headphones AN-WF500 Dongle Streaming Devices Next S...
Smart Share Downloads Learn about Smart Share, and how it works! Click Here to Find/Download the Smart Share App That is Best for You (download determined by the operating system of the device that you are currently viewing this page on) Choose Your Own Smart Share Download LG's Offic...
ROGERS ANYPLACE TV – SERVICE TERMINATED Please be aware that Rogers has decided to withdraw their Rogers Anyplace TV App from Smart TV platforms. Termination of this service will occur at the end of June 2017. We are terribly sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and respect our ...
NETFLIX – WON'T STAY SIGNED IN Issue Suddenly, every time Netflix Content Service is accessed on LG Smart TV, at the exception of webOS models, account credentials (signing in) are required. User ID and Password are somehow no longer memorized. Troubleshooting Either deactivate then r...
This video tutorial goes through all the steps to properly install the LG Signature OLED model OLED65W7.
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Blinded by Maoist rebels, Nepali soldier battles his way to London
By Phanindra Dahal ,AFP Wednesday, September 5, 2012, 12:09 am TWN
LONDON -- Nepal athlete Bikram Bahadur Rana on Monday set a new personal best at the Paralympics, capping an extraordinary journey to the British capital from the Himalayan nation where he was blinded by Maoist rebels.
Aided by a guide runner, the former warrant officer came fourth out of four in his T11 200-meter heat for blind and visually impaired athletes, clocking a time of 26.95 seconds, more than 4 seconds behind the quickest qualifier.
He was ultimately slowest of 18 runners overall but the former soldier, one of only a two-strong national team at the games, is lucky to be in London at all, after nearly losing his life in the forests of central Nepal.
Nine years ago he and his foot patrol triggered two roadside bombs left by Maoist rebels hiding in the forest.
The explosion forced Rana to the ground, blinded and with blood pouring from an open wound in his neck as he scrambled for his rifle while bullets whizzed past and shrapnel burnt into his face.
Now 31, Rana told AFP before traveling to London that he has vivid memories of his last day of active service as a government soldier battling the 10-year Maoist insurgency that finally ended in 2006.
"It was the morning of Sept. 12, 2003. A few rain drops were falling from the sky and we had reached a road area in dense forests," he said.
"I was with two other soldiers when a bomb exploded. Both of my friends died on the spot and I was severely injured. My eyes were hurt, my face was covered with blood and there were wounds across my body."
Rana searched desperately for his gun, coughing acrid black smoke and blinded in one eye, as a group of Maoist rebels sprang from the roadside trees and opened fire.
His life was saved when his comrades drove the insurgents back into trees. His last memory before losing consciousness was the silence that descended.
"I also heard music which sounded like water flowing in a small river but I found out it was the noise of the flow of blood from my neck and abdomen," he said.
The Chan sisters are both into the quarterfinals at Wimbledon
Tzunami of Linsanity: This Taiwanese 23-year-old is an instant Red Sox hero
Police: Williams lawfully entered intersection before fatal crash
Lin Tzu-wei is a 'pleasant surprise,' Red Sox manager says
Manny Pacquiao loses his welterweight belt to unknown Jeff Horn
Bottas holds off Vettel to win Austrian GP
Wimbledon: Federer rolls Raonic, Murray crashes out, injured Djokovic quits
Messi marries childhood sweetheart in hometown of Rosario
Hamilton sets pace in Austrian GP practice
Decision to skip clay the perfect tactic for Wimbledon king Federer


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Former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky's wife, Dottie, told CNN that she is angry about accusations of child sexual abuse occurring in her home, calling them "absolutely untrue."
"No child who ever visited our home was ever forced to stay in our basement and fed there," she said. "We would never do anything to hurt them."


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Research has discovered miles of marsh coastline in Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk are suffering from erosion caused by ragworms.
The worms can be found feeding on marshes between Southend and Yarmouth, according to research by marine scientists.
Now, using old net curtains, they have devised a way to protect mudflats and keep the hungry worms at bay.
The plan is to use the fine mesh curtains to trap the worms beneath the surface of the mud to protect the most at risk areas.
Biggest threat
This prevents the worms from eating up to the surface and prevents some erosion and allows the regeneration of marshes.
Dr Rob Hughes, from Queen Mary's College at the University of London, is leading the research team.
He said the loss of mud-flats at salt marshes is now the biggest threat to coastal habitat conservation in the UK.
More than 40 hectares of marshes are lost every year in Essex, Suffolk and Kent with worms highlighted as a major causes.
He said: "We have demonstrated that the scheme can be used to manage marsh land and this needs to be used on a larger area."
The plan has been tested at a small site in Essex and now Dr Hughes is applying for further cash to extend the scheme.
He believes the idea can be used to safeguard areas and stimulate growth in neighbouring marsh land.
The worms destabilise the mud, helping the erosion process, as well as devouring seeds and seedlings.
There are an estimated 500 to 2,000 worms on every square metre of mud-flats.


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The legendary rocker reportedly is planning to quit from doing world tour and is preparing his final one before retiring.
It seems that Paul McCartney is about to announce a shocking and disappointing news as latest reports claim that the legendary musician might not go on tour again. It is said that Paul is preparing to do one last mega tour before he will stop and spend more of his time with his daughter Beatrice.
That news comes from a source close to Paul who told Mirorr.co.uk, "Paul explained that this tour will be the last big one. He wants to settle down and enjoy Beatrice's childhood." The source also added, "The tour will be the last time he performs in many parts of the world. Beatrice and his family life are going to come first. He does not want to be away for months at a time."
Moreover according to Mirror, Paul's upcoming final tour will be two years long and set to kick off this autumn. The website also said that the upcoming concerts will feature venues in Europe, Asia, North and South America and also Australia, the official dates reportedly will be announced later this month.
Paul himself recently has just finished performing at the Sound City Music Festival in Liverpool, England on June 1, where he was also being joined on stage by Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl. Beside that, he will also fly to Ukraine to stage another gig at the Independence Square in Kyiv on June 14.


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7 Enterprise Applications Trends for High Growth Companies in 2013
Oracle and its partners were busy in 2012 helping midsize companies modernize their enterprise applications and technology platforms to support growth. Deployment models continued to evolve. Mobile applications deployment emerged as a major consideration impacting IT strategies. The quest to gain easy access to clear and relevant business performance metrics via Business Intelligence (BI) solutions remained top of mind among financial and technology managers. Will these trends continue to gain strength in 2013? What other technologies will emerge to impact the IT strategies of growing businesses? Oracle experts and partners weigh in on what to expect in 2013.
The trends identified in this list are interrelated and reflect cautious optimism across global markets. Consistently, the extended Oracle community supporting the needs of midsize companies sees a continued commitment by midsize companies to modernize IT in order to capitalize on opportunities for growth.
A Widening IT Skills Gap
Since the dawn of Management Information Systems (MIS) people who understand how to apply technology solutions in solving real world business challenges have always been in high demand. While some markets globally are not yet experiencing a shortage of IT skills, others see available jobs go unfilled due to a lack of qualified applicants. Some institutions of higher learning recognize the need to offer interdisciplinary degree programs that combine business and technology course work. Also, many technology solution providers are increasing their investment in technology skills training programs for high school, college students and graduates such as the Oracle Academy and Oracle's Product Development Internship program. Companies with plans to modernize their enterprise applications systems in 2013 should consider not just a potential solution's capabilities, but also how easy it is to deploy, maintain, and adjust in the long term. Modernizing enterprise resource planning (ERP) should simplify IT, not complicate IT, and provide companies with more options for both systems and business management. Oracle partners are seeing a slight trend towards more midsize companies outsourcing business analyst and applications specialist roles which corresponds with a larger trend towards reducing IT staff in general. They are also experiencing an increased interest amongst their clients in investing in training and mentoring programs to speed achievement of self-sufficiency.
Quicker, Tighter, Faster Deployments Enabled by Industry Best Practices
Most growing midsize companies need to deploy enterprise applications quickly in order to lower costs, reduce business disruption, and speed time to value. Startups need robust applications in place on day one. Inorganic opportunities such as mergers, acquisitions, and divestures are the most common drivers of rapid growth amongst midsize Oracle customers and prospects. Such opportunities usually require new systems to be in place by a hard cutoff date driven either by contractual obligations or business cycle restrictions. Today, the average midsize company deploying Oracle ERP for the first time adopts 75 percent of the embedded best practices because industry standards would be an improvement over existing processes or because no strategic value would be gained by configuring the new system to the old way of doing things. The remaining requirements that define the unique competitive attributes of their business are configured by the deployment team. As a result, the new solution is typically live and generating value in less time than might previously have been spent in just the traditional requirements assessment and request for proposal (RFP) review process.
Discovering the Plus Side of Technology Upgrades
Upgrading existing enterprise applications may offer the best path to modernization if the vendor-like Oracle-has continually invested in its solutions. Usually, upgrade projects are driven by the need to stay on a supported release, yet they can be expensive and difficult to get approved if there is no tangible ROI. A decade ago, upgrades could be approved simply as a cost of doing business. Today, financial and technology managers expect IT to be an enabler of strategic initiatives and not just a back office transactional platform. Tier one ERP solutions have improved considerably over the last decade. Financial and IT managers at growing midsize companies can build a more compelling business case by developing a broader, longer range plan that maps out how an upgrade enables subsequent revenue producing or cost cutting IT projects now and in the future. That case may include components of leveraging existing investments by turning on more functionality in the core product or deploying complementary products that address high value areas of the business with big "bang for your buck" opportunities.
The Cloud Helps Makes ERP Exciting Again
Vinyl music albums are increasingly popular because their analog sound quality blows away that of digital MP3 downloads. Snow ski technology innovation is turning the tide on a two-decade wave of snowboarding popularity. And now, the cloud is putting the fun back in ERP. Inorganic growth is often bringing midsize businesses to where they are today and the most important goals are usually to rationalize the company's portfolio and standardize on one technology platform. CIOs and CFOs simply want a more predictable cost model for IT without sacrificing capabilities-one that provides flexibility to configure processes to new business activities, extend capabilities to acquired operations and business partners (such as outsourced manufacturers), and integrate with third-party solutions. Oracle partners are experiencing frequent requests from their midsize clients to gain a deeper understanding of how to practically transition some processes to the cloud while leveraging their existing investments. Oracle's approach is to provide customers with the broadest array of interesting cloud options to include in short and long term plans (for more insight, read, "ERP in the Cloud: CFOs See the Value of Running Enterprise Applications as a Service," by Steve Miranda, Executive Vice President, Oracle Applications Development).
Business Analytics Keep On Sizzling Due to Clear ROI
Business Analytics-Business Intelligence (BI) and Enterprise Performance Management (EPM)-have been so hot for so many years that marketers are running out of buzz words. Maybe they no longer need them because the Return on Investment (ROI) of Business Analytics is so well and frequently documented. Growing companies need to plan and forecast with greater precision and they need intuitive, role-based intelligence to power better decisions. Business Analytics are the catalyst to the continued evolution of ERP from efficiency to effectiveness to business transformation as detailed in the report, "Analytics: Driving Innovation With Analytics". This report cites a survey of BI professionals by Dresner Advisory Services in which respondents ranked the integration of analytics with operational processes highest on a list of emerging BI technologies, with 74 percent indicating it was either critical or very important. Business Analytics are staying hot for growing midsize companies because the products just keep getting better and easier to deploy. Analytic applications enable companies to deploy 75-85 percent of the performance metrics they need upon go live. And, it is now common for non-technical executives-such as a CFO-to set up their own BI and EPM dashboards on their iPads. And Business Analytics are not just for larger companies. Oracle partners tell us that even companies with USD 10-20 million in annual revenue are finding ROI in Business Analytics investments.
More Enterprise Applications Go Mobile
Progressive financial and IT managers have spent the last few years fine tuning their smartphones in order to streamline access to information and manage their day to day lives better and more efficiently. Then came the Apple® iPad®–a more robust device with a larger display. Apple's competitors soon followed suit with their versions of tablets and "phablets"–large-screen smartphones optimized for optimized for mobile and multimedia applications. As those same professionals explored the power of their mobile devices they soon realized that they no longer needed to lug their laptops around to meetings, on business trips, or even on the commute home from the office. Now, they increasingly one consistent access to all relevant data irrespective of where they are and what device they are using-at home, in the office, in meetings, or on the road. An effective presentation of a complete solution's power should include a demonstration of dashboards, push alerts, and workflow because that is the way managers are going to use the system. Enterprise application mobility is now evolving beyond the boardroom. Gone are the days of the "back office" where legions of clerks transferred data from paper to the transactional system. Increasingly tablets are replacing work stations on the shop floor, finding their way into the cabs of delivery trucks, and showing up behind retail counters because that's where business happens. That's where transactional information is born and no company wants personnel in those roles to have to wade through a series of ERP screens to get their jobs done.
Big Data is the Next Big Thing
To date, Business Analytics have largely been in the business of analyzing structured data from a well defined (and understandable) set of sources. In contrast, Big Data and its growth is hard to define and even harder to visualize. We can't see it or touch it. We can't comprehend its enormity because we're not able to, for example, lay all the Big Data down end to end to see if it reaches to the moon and back. However, financial and technology managers at growing midsize companies intuitively know that their business activities are capturing exponentially more unstructured information-Big Data-every year. Sources of Big Data include core transactional systems, online stores and help sites, CRM solutions, product sensors, smart phones, medical devices, and social media activities. It represents potentially priceless (and often proprietary) knowledge related to customers, partners, employees, and operations. Thus, Oracle partners working with growing midsize businesses are having more frequent discussions with their clients about Big Data. Even as these clients analyze where cloud computing, business analytics, and mobile applications fit in their near term plans, they recognize that sooner than later they will need to harness the power of Big Data. Not long ago, most of this data was tribal knowledge siloed in one group or line of business and lost forever when circumstances changed. Now, it's raw information living in the system and has become organizational property waiting to be put to work. Think about how early GPS systems simply told you how to get from Point A to Point B. Today's GPS systems overlay that guidance with a prolific stream of recommendations (how to avoid traffic and road closures) and opinions (which hotel is the best value and which restaurant serves the best lunch). Likewise, growing companies can benefit from gaining more guidance on the best way to get to where they are going as well as becoming more aware of what customers, partners, and employees are saying about them.
Financial and IT managers at growing midsize companies want information systems to be more intelligent, accessible, and pervasive. They want everyone in the organization to have access to the right information in a digestible format. ERP in its first generation was transactional, about "command and control". Today's ERP is about having the entire organization on one system with standardized processes. It's efficient, smart, and agile. Today's business manager enjoys real time access to stock market activity, hourly weather forecasts, airline flight status updates, and push alerts when someone mentions them on Facebook or their dry cleaning is ready to be picked up. They want no less from their business systems and, now, it's not too much to ask. Tier one ERP is now easier than ever to deploy.
Shane Eisenhauer, Vice President, Platinum level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork, Terillium, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Paul Connelly, Co-Owner and Principal Consultant, Gold level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork, Percipient Consulting, Northwich, UK
Maureen Clifford, CEO, Gold level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork, Ndevr Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Australia
Deborah Arnold, Founder and Partner, Platinum level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork, DAZ Systems, Inc., El Segundo, CA, USA
Lyle Ekdahl, Group Vice President General Manager, Oracle's JD Edwards, Denver, CO, USA
Steve Cox, Vice President, Oracle Accelerate Global Programs, Bristol, UK


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Father: *James Lindsay b: ABT 1336 in Crawford, Lanarks, Scotland
Mother: *Margaret Keith b: ABT 1350 in Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Kincardineshire, Scotland
Marriage 1 *John Herries b: ABT 1360 in Terregles, Kirkcudbright, Dumfriess, Scot.
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Tristan Wyatt Six, 10, of Garner went to be with the Lord Sept.23, as a result of a four-wheeler accident.
He was born Feb. 20, 1997.
He was preceded in death by great-grandparents, Luther Six of Garner, Bud and Ellen Jones of Beebe, Robert and Eva Schoonover of Hunter, Gene Gamble of Little Rock and D. L. Holmes of Beebe.
He is survived by his father and mother, Larry Bucky and Michele Six; two brothers, Larey Six and Tommy King; one sister, Megan Six, all of Garner; grandparents, Dr. Larey and Rita Six of Garner, Jerry and Vicki Davis of Cabot, Jerry and Vickie Whittenburg of El Paso, Ronnie and Margaret Schoonover of Brinkley, and Gerald Pawpaw and Tonya Mawpaw Mathis of Beebe; two great-grandmothers, Freda Six of Garner and Maxine Holmes of Beebe; aunts and uncles, Charles and DeAnna Renneker, Casey Six, Brittany Whittenburg, Tonya and Michael Todd, Jeremy and Christy Ramsey, Matt Whittenburg, Jeremy and Deidre Whittenburg; and a host of cousins, friends and family.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26 at Union Valley Baptist Church, with burial in Meadowbrook Memorial Gardens.
Funeral arrangements are by Westbrook Funeral Home of Beebe.
Carrie Wood
Carrie Lee Wood, 48, of Cabot passed away Sept. 23.
She was born April 20, 1959 in Little Rock.
She was preceded in death by her father, Henry Howell, mother, Donna Howell and stepfather Carlee Howell.
Survivors include daughters, Terrie Billings and husband Albert and Linda Williams and husband Jimmy; son, Phillip Wood and wife Melissa, all of Ward; grandchildren, Samantha Wood, Justin Billings, Zacary Williams, Hunter Williams, Makinzee Wood and Little Wood to be; sisters, Pam Miley and Melissa Eldrid; and brothers, Gene Howell and John Howell; along with many other family members and friends.
Graveside services will be at 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 26, at Sylvania Cemetery in Ward with Pastor Aaron Hill officiating and Mike Myers, Rance Hill, Johnny Garrianger, Jason Howell, Jimmy Williams and Brad Howell as pallbearers. Funeral arrangement will be by Thomas Funeral Service.
Mandi Amos
Mandi Amos, 28, loving daughter and granddaughter, of Jacksonville, passed away Sept. 24.
She is survived by her mother and step-father, Benita and Sammy Crook III of Jacksonville; her father, Lesley Amos; two brothers, Greg Rogers and Bryan Amos; one sister, Leigha Crook Garrity; and one grandfather, Vernon Ford.
Family requests memorials be made to the American Diabetes Association or the Arkansas Kidney Foundation. Graveside services were held Sept. 25 at Serenity Garden Cemetery in Jacksonville.
Graveside service arrangements were made by Wood Funeral Home of Jacksonville.


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Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana, Inc.
901 Lehman Ave, Ste. 7
Bowling Green, Kentucky 42101
Phone: 270-842-8138
Fax: 270-842-6137
Toll Free: 1-888-771-5172
Service Area: Adair, Allen, Barren, Butler, Cumberland, Edmonson, Hart, Logan, Metcalfe, Monroe, Simpson, and Warren Counties
Hours: M-F 9:00am - 6:00pm; 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month – 9:00am – 2:00pm
Close at 12:30 pm on Friday during summer months
Cost: Annual membership fee of $27.50 (adult, includes background check) and $30.00 (girls).
Service Description: Program for girls ages 4-18 designed to help them achieve the goals of developing self-potential, relating to others, developing values and ethics, and contributing to society. Troop program activities encompass self-development, people, math, science, and technology, arts, and the outdoors. Girls can be enrolled in a variety of options including troop or non-troop (individual enrollment)
If your nonprofit agency or organization would like to update your information, please contact the ALIVE Center at 270-782-0082 or email us at email@example.com.
If your nonprofit agency or organization would like include your information in our directory, please complete the human service directory blank form, and return it to the ALIVE Center or email it to email@example.com
We ask that any nonprofit, civic organization or WKU department using our meeting space, complete the form before reserving a room.
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BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) A federal court trial over whether states have the authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles got underway Tuesday, with a lawyer for automakers asserting that stricter standards being adopted by states won't do much to stem global warming.
"The whole truth, as the evidence will show, is that this regulation ... will not have any meaningful impact on global warming," said Andrew Clubok.
But a lawyer for Vermont said every little bit helps.
The trial, which involves a suit filed by the auto industry, centers on rules adopted by California in 2005 and afterward by Vermont and other states.
The non-jury trial is the first of a series of court fights expected in the states. It is being heard by U.S. District Court Judge William Sessions III.
The states and several environmental groups say the Clean Air Act is the ultimate word on regulating emissions. The act allowed California to set more stringent emissions rules than the federal government and let other states piggyback on the California rules.
The trial comes in the wake of an April 2 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ordered the federal government to take a new look at regulating carbon dioxide emissions, saying the Clean Air Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced by cars.
Automobile manufacturers and dealers say climate change is not fully understood and that new regulations could carry economically significant consequences.
Green Mountain Chrysler Plymouth Dodge Jeep, Green Mountain Ford Mercury and Joe Tornabene's GMC of Pownal are plaintiffs in the case, as are General Motors (GM), DaimlerChrysler (DCX) and a pair of auto industry trade groups.
The state has been joined by the state of New York and five environmental organizations who are in the case as defendant-interveners. Among them: the Natural Resources Defense Counsel, Vermont Public Interest Research Group and the Conservation Law Foundation.
In an 80-minute opening statement Tuesday, Clubok said the auto industry would present expert witnesses to demonstrate that the cost of meeting the regulations of California, Vermont and nine other states would be too high and the lead time necessary for car companies to install carbon-reducing technology too short to be feasible.
Assistant Vermont Attorney General Scot Kline said the defendants in the case will put on witnesses rebutting car company claims about costs and lead time.
"The Vermont regulation, by itself, will not stop global warming. But the evidence will show it's a start," said Kline.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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For pictures of stuff like Tricorders, Phasers and maybe even ATMs.--UTS DeLorean 19:22, 16 January 2007 (UTC)
- Support, we have a ton of technology pictures and we need to sort them. - V. Adm. Enzo Aquarius 15:12, 14 April 2007 (UTC)
- Comment, I guess I support this for now, but it should probably be broken down into more sub cats, like "Medical instruments", or something. --OuroborosCobra talk 15:30, 14 April 2007 (UTC)
- Conditional Support: As long as the focus of the image is a piece of technology, not just Kirk holding a PADD or something.--Tim Thomason 03:14, 15 April 2007 (UTC)
- Support: In those cases, notably if the title of the image is of the object, perhaps the image would be cropped to the tool, unless the wide shot shows it is use. --Alan del Beccio 05:06, 20 April 2007 (UTC)


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Injured victims and their loved ones are already dealing with enough as they get medical treatment for, and adjust their lives to, their injuries. They should not have to worry about how their medical bills will be paid, how their lost wages will be covered, or how their pain and suffering will be fairly compensated. For those who have lost a loved one due to another's negligence, it can be especially difficult to manage all of these concerns. Injured victims need an attorney who compassionately advocates for them and their cause.
As a trial attorney, I have the unique opportunity to assist injured people through this difficult time in their lives, offering my skills to help them obtain civil justice. I like to be personally available to my clients, and I love the work that I do. My clients have struggled with difficult challenges as the result of someone else's negligence. It can be very hard for them to accept that their lives have changed, sometimes forever, through no fault of their own. Seeing their relief and satisfaction upon the successful resolution of their cases is truly rewarding, as it is sometimes the first step in moving on with the rest of their lives.


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Edinburgh Photography Prices
I believe that pricing should be completely transparent. I charge for my time on the day of the shoot and for careful editing of your images. I don't charge for prints, instead I provide you with an online gallery of all of the best images I take on the day where you can download the high resolution images.
There are three options:
Newborn Shoot (babies up to the age of 2 weeks): £340
The fee of £340 includes a shoot of up to 3 hours, careful editing of your images (I won't remove blemishes etc as standard because I believe that babies are perfect as they are but please ask me if this is something you'd like to discuss) and an online gallery of print ready photographs. Photos with parents are included. The photo shoot can take place in my home studio or in your own home, whichever you'd prefer.
Mini Family Shoot: £195
A mini shoot is suitable for babies on the move, toddlers and bigger kids. It takes place outdoors and lasts for up to one hour. The shoot will be very relaxed and I will capture natural shots of your kids being themselves and having fun. The fee includes my time on the shoot, editing time and 6 images in digital format (high resolution, ready to print).
Older Baby or Full Family Shoot: £320
The session includes a shoot of around 2 hours, careful editing of your images and all of the images in an online gallery of print ready photographs. Depending the age(s) of your baby or child(ren) these sessions can take place in your own home or out and about where your children can enjoy the fresh air and freedom to run around. I am happy to come to a special place of your choosing or I can recommend areas around Edinburgh which provide plenty of space and scenic backgrounds.


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More Than 7,000 Athletes Set To Compete At 2012 Drake Relays
DES MOINES, Iowa- Des Moines will play host to more than 7,000 track and field athletes as they descend on Iowa's capitol to compete in the 103rd running of the Drake Relays. America's Athletic Classic gets underway today with competition in the decathlon and heptathlon taking place, as well as the Pole Vault in the Mall at Jordan Creek Town Center at 6:15 p.m.
The decathlon and heptathlon continue on Thursday, while a number of other track and field events begin competition and the 12th annual Distance Carnival will take place Thursday evening.
Colleges and universities from all over the United States will take part in the 102nd running of the Drake Relays. There will be 125 men's university-college teams with 1,450 athletes competing. On the women's side, 131 teams with 1,289 athletes will compete.
In the high school boys division, 631 athletes have entered the Drake Relays from 141 schools. In the high school girls division, 136 teams are sending 589 athletes. There will also be 452 grade school and middle school athletes representing 57 teams from the greater Des Moines area.
There also will be 145 unattached athletes competing, 89 men and 56 women.
The road race event will also draw an estimated 2,500 runners to the Drake Relays.
Overall, the Drake Relays will have an estimated 7,056 athletes competing during the three-day meet.


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For many years, Norma ammunition has built an outstanding reputation as premium ammunition for hunters in Europe and Africa. Today, Norma USA is pleased to offer American PH, ammunition designed specifically for the North American big game hunter. This ammunition is loaded with premium hunting bullets for maximum terminal performance.
Norma Soft Point bullets are conventional lead-tipped bullets perfect for hunting thin-skinned game. On impact, these bullets rapidly expand and mushroom to produce immediate devastation to the vitals.
Technical Information
- Caliber: 7.7mm Japanese
- Bullet Weight: 174 Grains
- Bullet Style: Soft Point
- Case Type: Norma Brass
Ballistics Information:
- Muzzle Velocity: 2500 fps
- Muzzle Energy: 2415 ft. lbs.


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Connie Webb
» Click to list general statistics » OR, select a date :
The Smiling Path
Your smile brings out my smile
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Taking the smiling path.
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It is the first week on my invisalign treatment and i've noticed the toothache subside little by little. Unfortuanately the top of my mouth behing my front two teeth always seem to bleed, especially in the morning. It's swollen also. Is this normal?
Is It Normal for my Palette Behind Central Incisors to Bleed on my 1st Week of Treatment?
Doctor Answers 5
Some Invisalign aligners need to be trimmed
Once in awhile, patients do develop sore areas on their gums from the aligners rubbing, but this is easily solved by having your dentist trim the Invisalign aligners. Contact your dentist right away to determine if this is the solution, or if something else might be going on with your gums.
Bleeding and soreness with aligners
Definitely contact your invisialign provider as there is most likely a problem. It may be minor, but if you wait, it can become major. Beeding usually indicates irritation triggered by something.
Palate Bleeding
I would recommend that you call your orthodontist right away and explain the situation. It is quite likely that they will want to see you to see what is happening.
You might also like...
Aligners causing bleeding
You should go to your doctor immediately and see what the problem is. THey may be overextended into the gums and need to be trimmed back. This would be rare. SOmething else may be going on as well. This should be diagnosed and resolved quickly
Invisalign aligners may be putting pressure on your gums.
It is not normal for the gums to be swollen or bleed with the aligners. It sounds like the aligner may be digging into your gums causing irritation. Please go back to your treating doctor and see if the aligner needs to be trimmed back.
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.


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Last week, readers got their first taste of Marvel Comics' "Cable and X-Force" by writer Dennis Hopeless and artists Salvador Larroca and Frank D'Armata. The series follows a brand new X-Force squad led by Cable, recovering from the events of "Avengers: X-Sanction" as his body reacts to being cured of the Techno-Organic virus that's plagued his body since birth. Along with Domino, Colossus, Forge and Dr. Nemesis, the new X-Force is set to combat new threats in the landscape of Marvel NOW!
X-POSITION: Hopeless Unites "Cable and X-Force"
Current Status: Published (4)
Seeded on Tue Dec 18, 2012 5:30 PM
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About RMS
The table below illustrates which research grants officer will be responsible for your faculty. For all questions related to the administration of grants and research contracts please contact the officer assigned to your faculty.
|RMS Officer
|Natural Sciences and Engineering
|Science, Engineering
|André Lalonde
|Health Sciences, Medicine
|Guy Czaika
|Social Sciences and Humanities (1)
|Social Sciences, Law (Common & Civil)
|Anne Desrochers
|Social Sciences and Humanities (2)
|Arts, Education, Telfer
|Francine Payant


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Celebrate NBA 2K13 with the Launch Trailer! This year, 2K Sports has joined forces with music icon JAY Z to transcend virtual basketball. Featuring the all-new Control Stick and an improved MyCAREER mode, NBA 2K13 is the deepest basketball simulation ever made. Enter the New Dynasty!
Click to create and send a link using your email application


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By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press
WASHINGTON Senate Democrats on Wednesday overcame Republican opposition and cleared the way for a $26 billion measure to help states ease their severe budget problems and save the jobs of tens of thousands of teachers and other public employees.
The bill advanced by a 61-38 tally that ensures the measure will pass the Senate on Wednesday or Thursday. The House may return early during from its August recess for a final vote that would deliver the bill to President Barack Obama, his larger jobs agenda curtailed by Republicans who argue against the spending it would entail.
Moderate Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine cast the key votes to break the GOP filibuster.
The bill would extend programs enacted in last year's stimulus law to help preserve the jobs of teachers, police officers, firefighters and other public employees.
The legislation is scaled back from versions that stalled earlier this summer as part of a larger tax-and-spend measure extending jobless benefits and a variety of expired tax breaks. The first piece is $16 billion to help states with their Medicaid budgets in the first six months of next year.
It's less generous than the help provided under the stimulus law but is still desperately sought by governors, who have already made big budget cuts as tax revenues have plummeted in the recession and warn of even worse cuts if the federal help is not continued.
The measure also contains $10 billion to help school boards hit with similar budget woes avoid teacher layoffs this fall.
"This legislation makes a difference," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. "Real people in real jobs. Real paychecks."
But most Republicans opposed the measure, calling it a payoff to public employee unions and warning that it would make the states ever-dependent on federal funds.
The spending is accompanied by tax increases and spending cuts to avoid increasing the budget deficit. The bill eliminates in March 2014 an expanded food stamp benefit enacted last year and limits the ability of some U.S.-based multinational companies to use foreign tax credits to reduce their U.S. taxes.
"That would have the effect of driving jobs overseas," said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.
Democrats, who control the chamber with 59 votes, needed to pick up at least one Republican to muster the 60 votes required to defeat the GOP filibuster.
Wednesday's vote to break a GOP filibuster came after Democratic leaders made final tweaks to the measure in hopes of winning over Snowe and Collins. The duo also provided the key votes last month to pass a six-month extension of jobless assistance for the long-term unemployed.
A vote scheduled for Monday was postponed after an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office showed the measure would add to the deficit. Snowe and Collins also had been concerned about cuts to Navy shipbuilding accounts since the Bath Iron Works in Maine is so essential to the state's economy. Majority Leader Harry Reid got rid of the proposed cuts Monday night.
Reid orchestrated other changes to close an almost $5 billion deficit gap, including new reforms to a tax credit claimed by the working poor.
Collins has been a past supporter of giving states help with their budgets and was the driving force behind an aid package enacted in 2003 that added $20 billion to the deficit.
Both provisions are heavily backed by unions for teachers and public employees, key allies of the Democratic Party. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees ran ads Wednesday in four Maine newspapers urging Collins and Snowe to vote to break the filibuster.
"It's important to be able to provide this support to the states at a very critical time," Snowe said afterward. "I think it also should be done with the understanding that the states are going to have to begin to make some tough decisions."
Obama requested an extension of additional aid for the Medicaid program in his budget and has belatedly rallied behind the money for teachers as well.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Kris Humphries Booed At First Nets Game
Kris Humphries played his first game with the New Jersey Nets last night since his divorce from Kim Kardashian, and apparently Knicks fans take the sanctity of marriage very seriously – or are extremely protective of massive asses that will one day crush the earth – because they decided to boo the ever-living shit out of him the entire time he was on the court. FOX News reports:
The second Humphries took the court at Madison Square Garden in New York City to play the New York Knicks in the Nets' final preseason game, Humphries was booed mercilessly by the Knicks crowd.
As he was each and every time he touched the ball for the full five minutes his coach had him on the floor.
Even better, insanely hot model Kate Upton was in the crowd which had to be embarrassing as fuck. I'm talking accidentally telling a beautiful woman you're a "blogger" embarrassing, and if the two are anything alike, just assume Kris Humphries pissed himself then tried to run away only to slip and fall in said piss. I, uh, hear that happens. To other people. *kicks package of Depends under desk*
[Ed. Note: Yes, the only video is some dude filming his own television. What a marvelous modern age we live in.]
Photos: Splash News