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Events Calendar
Best Buddies Holiday Party
Best Buddies will host a holiday party in the Campus Center Mainstage.
Date: December 3, 2019 - December 3, 2019
Time: 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Location: Campus Center Mainstage
Hosted by Best Buddies
The final event of the semester, the party features a catered Italian meal! Members will also be making holiday cards for patients in the hospital.


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In order to conduct financial services in or from the DIFC, firms need to obtain a licence from the DFSA. To conduct ancillary services in or from the DIFC, firms need to be registered by the DFSA. As a risk-based regulator, the DFSA conducts initial assessments to ensure firms adhere to the DFSA's standards of conduct and business.
Becoming Authorised
In order to conduct financial services through the Dubai International Financial Centre, individuals or entities need to seek authorisation from the DFSA. Authorisation is given in the form of a licence which is issued by the DFSA, which specifies the type of financial services that can be conducted.
For more information about the authorisation process, refer to the sections under the specific entities:
Firms wishing to conduct other services should refer to the Becoming Registered section.
The DFSA's ITL provides a controlled environment for a firm to develop and test innovative FinTech ideas without being subject to all the regulatory requirements that would otherwise apply to it as an Authorised Firm.
To be considered for this type of Licence, firms need to meet the following criteria:
a) it must involve innovation and the use of FinTech;
In assessing if a business involves innovation and the use of FinTech, the DFSA will consider, if the business model, product or service uses new, emerging or existing technology in an innovative way, and if it brings a new benefit to consumers or industry
b) it must involve an activity that, if carried on in the DIFC, would amount to a Financial Service (or combination of Financial Services);
In order to obtain a DFSA Licence, the activity proposed must involve a Financial Service within the scope of the DFSA's regulatory regime, for example, arranging deals in investments or advising on financial products.
c) it must be ready (or soon be ready) to start testing with customers or industry;
In assessing if a business is ready to start testing, the DFSA will want to see a regulatory test plan that, for example, sets out the objectives and parameters for testing, and the timeline and key milestones for that testing.
d) the firm must intend to roll out its business on a broader scale in or from the DIFC after it has successfully completed testing.
The DFSA will want to see evidence of how the operator intends to roll out its business at the end of the test period.
If the eligibility criteria are met, in order to be licensed, a firm must complete an ITL application form and regulatory test plan that describes the proposed business model, product or service and the details of how that will be tested and ready for regulation. The DFSA will help applicants navigate through this process.
The DFSA will work with a firm to establish which Rules should apply during the testing period. While the DFSA will give waivers from, and modifications to, some Rules, there are some key requirements that must be met. These include, being located in the DIFC, complying with UAE Federal Laws, and acting with integrity and due skill, care and diligence.
Some limits will be placed on the testing activities to ensure appropriate controls for the safety of any customers involved. These include, for example, restrictions on the number and type of customers that may take part in testing.
The testing period will be for a finite period of time, normally six to twelve months. In exceptional cases, the DFSA will consider extending that period.
If a firm has met the outcomes in the regulatory test plan and has shown it can meet the full DFSA authorisation requirements, it will migrate to a full licence. If it does not, it will have to employ an exit strategy.
Authorised Firms and ITL
If you are an existing Authorised Firm with a valid DFSA Financial Services Licence, and wish to test an innovative FinTech business model, product or service, you do not need to apply for an ITL. Instead, if you already have the authorisation for the activity you wish to carry out, you can apply to the DFSA for relevant waivers or modifications if there are DFSA Rules that are not appropriate for testing.
Alternatively, if you do not have the particular authorisation for the activity you wish to carry out, you would need to seek to amend your licence to obtain that authorisation. You can then apply to the DFSA for waivers or modifications if there are Rules that are not appropriate for testing.
The DFSA will treat this aspect of the Authorised Firm's business as an ITL and work with you to establish the right regulatory test plan.
Contact us
All interested firms should contact the DFSA at firstname.lastname@example.com
Other useful information
DIFC and UAE Initiatives
The following is a guide for firms seeking authorisation from the DFSA:
Tips For Applicants
How We Assess Applications
How To Prepare To Apply
Authorisation Timeline
Getting Help
Authorised Individuals are the officers or employees who carry out defined Licensed Functions within an Authorised Firm.
These functions are materially linked to an Authorised Firm's management, and/or the provision of its financial services. As a result, Authorised Individuals must meet particular standards relating to their experience, knowledge and qualifications.
A firm must make separate applications for each individual it wishes to become authorised.
Applicants will only be authorised if the DFSA is satisfied that they are fit and proper, and that the functions of their role will be conducted and managed in a sound and prudent manner.
An Authorised Market Institution (AMI) is an exchange or a clearing house in the DIFC that is licensed and regulated by the DFSA.
There are currently two AMI's in the DIFC, namely the NASDAQ Dubai (formerly known as DIFX) and the Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME).
We strongly recommend that firms, in the first instance, engage with the Business Development unit of the DIFCA. They will help you understand the value proposition of the DIFC to assist your evaluation of whether a presence here will make business sense for your firm.
Some firms go straight to attempting to complete the application forms. This often results in a poor application and can lengthen the application process. Here are some recommended preparation steps:
Completing the Application Forms
It is vital that you supply all relevant information. Openness and honesty are essential. Should we need to examine your application more closely because of any disclosures you make, this will not necessarily count against you. However, deliberately withholding information or providing false or misleading information will adversely impact the success of your application. If in doubt, disclose.
If the information you provide is inaccurate or incomplete, we may deem your application as materially incomplete, in which case it would not be accepted. Thus, missing information will lengthen the application process. Ensure that all relevant documents are also included with your completed application.
You should also start the registration process with the DIFC Registrar of Companies at the same time as you submit your DFSA application. This will help you to avoid delays at the end of the authorisation process.
Before we can authorise a firm as an Authorised Firm, we need to be satisfied that the firm meets our Fit and Proper test, and is likely to do so on an ongoing basis. Generally, Fit and Proper means the ability to carry out a financial service competently, with honesty and integrity.
The areas we look at include:
Legal status:
A firm must be a body corporate or partnership. It can be formed in the DIFC, or a firm can establish a branch of a legal entity based in another jurisdiction. In the latter instance, the DFSA would expect the outside jurisdiction to have internationally compliant regulatory and legal standards.
Location of offices:
A firm must carry on its activities from a place of business in the DIFC. Please discuss office requirements with the DIFC Authority Business Development Unit.
Ownership and group structure:
The DFSA seeks to establish that it will be able to effectively supervise the firm. Therefore we need to be made aware of any Close Links (eg parent, subsidiary, sister company) which could hinder effective ongoing supervision.
Adequate resources:
A firm must have adequate resources to carry out the proposed financial services including financial resources and adequate systems and controls. A firm must have an internal audit function.
Senior management:
A firm must appoint a Senior Executive Officer, a Compliance Officer, an Anti-Money Laundering Reporting Officer and a Finance Officer. The first three positions require the individuals responsible to be resident in the UAE. As part of our process, we will evaluate the competence and integrity of the proposed senior management team.
If the application is complete and the application fee has been paid, we will process your application according to the following timeline:
The timeline set out above is indicative only. The time taken to process your application will depend on its scale and complexity, as well as the timely submission of information and response to any requests for further clarification. The need to make the correct regulatory decision will always take precedence over meeting target timescales.
A successful application will result in the DFSA issuing you an in-principle letter which will allow you to complete the DIFC Registrar of Companies process. We will then issue you with your DFSA licence once you can demonstrate that you have successfully registered with the Registrar of Companies, have sufficiently capitalised the firm and have met any other outstanding matters.
DFSA Rulebook: Generally applicable modules include: General (GEN) and Conduct of Business (COB).
DFSA Sourcebook: Regulatory Policy and Process.
Authorisation Enquiries: You can direct your questions regarding our regulatory regime or the authorisation process to Authorisation Enquiries
DIFCA Business Development Manager: For advice on the commercial aspects of setting up in the DIFC and for copies of the application forms.
Markets Division: You can direct your questions regarding applications for Authorised Market Institutions to the Markets Division within the DFSA.
Recognition: For information about obtaining recognition as a Recognised Body or Recognised Member on these AMIs, refer to the Becoming Recognised section on this website.
The DFSA's regulatory framework is based on principles of transparency, integrity and efficiency. We have used these to create an enabling regulatory framework for the Islamic financial services industry. With the advantage of being able to design our regime from inception using international standards, we have been able to create a cohesive and balanced regulatory framework, rather than bolting Islamic finance onto an existing conventional regulatory regime.
Central to the DFSA's approach to Islamic finance is our belief in risk-based regulation. Many of the risks in Islamic finance have their counterparts in conventional finance, and we believe they should be treated similarly. So our regime for Islamic finance is integrated with that for conventional finance, but with explicit recognition of the structures and risks of Islamic finance, where these are different.
We apply internationally accepted standards and principles; in Islamic finance those of the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) and the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB). A number of DFSA employees are actively involved in the working parties and committees of these bodies. As members of the Asian-Oceanian Standard-Setters Group we contributed to its research paper on financial reporting issues for Islamic finance and can be accessed here.
DFSA speeches on Islamic finance
DFSA publications on Islamic finance
Authorised Firms doing Islamic finance business
To access the Public Register
Click here to access the Public Register.
The underpinning law is the Law Regulating Islamic Financial Business.Under this law, any firm that holds itself out as conducting Islamic financial business must have a special endorsement on its licence.This may allow the firm to operate as a wholly Islamic firm, or to operate an Islamic window.
Sharia Governance
The DFSA is a Sharia Systems Regulator not a Sharia Regulator.Any firm which conducts Islamic financial business must put systems in place to ensure that the business is conducted in accordance with;Sharia. This includes the appointment of a Sharia Supervisory Board (SSB), of at least three competent scholars.The firm must have systems in place to disseminate the SSBs rulings, conduct regular Sharia reviews and also conduct an internal audit. (See the Islamic Finance Rules Module of the DFSA Rulebook – IFR - click here) These systems requirements provide the DFSA, and firms, with a clear measure against which to assess the firms performance.
Prudential Regulation
Firms who offer Profit Sharing Investment Accounts (PSIAs) are subject to special prudential requirements, which reflect the possibility of Displaced Commercial Risk, ie the fact that the firm may find itself under commercial pressure to pay PSIA holders a rate of return higher than that which would normally be payable under the contract.The relevant rules are contained in the DFSA Rulebook.The rulebook also deals with the capital treatment of various Islamic contracts. (See Chapter 5 of the IFR Module of the DFSA Rulebook - click here).
There are specific provisions relating to Takaful companies in the PIN Module (click here). Islamic firms must in general follow the AAOIFI accounting standards.
There are specific disclosure requirements for Islamic firms.The firm must disclose details of its Sharia Supervisory Board, as well as disclosures about the special characteristics of the products offered.
Islamic Funds
While DFSAs collective investment Funds regime is substantially contained in the Collective Investment Law, the Investment Trust Law and the Collective Investment Rules (CIR) specific provisions relating to Islamic funds are found in the Law Regulating Islamic Financial Business and Islamic Finance Rules (IFR) modile.These are broadly similar to those for firms conducting Islamic financial business, and include the appointment of a Sharia Supervisory Board, and disclosures in the fund prospectus.
Islamic Finance Tailored Handbooks
The DFSA's tailored handbooks for Islamic finance are designed to help firms undertaking particular activities to locate the requirements in the DFSA Rulebook that apply to their activities.
Islamic Securities
Islamic securities may be listed on an exchange in the DIFC, and there are disclosure requirements mainly related to Sharia Board approval.
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Different types of cookies do different things. Our cookie makes sure that when you revisit the DFSA's webpage, you will see it in the language you selected on your earlier visit.
We take your use of the DFSA's website to mean that you consent to having these cookies on your device.
© 2020 DFSA refers to the Dubai Financial Services Authority, a body established under Dubai law as the independent regulator of financial services and related activities for the DIFC.

subset: commoncrawl


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SWAROVSKI Stylus Pen (White Pearl)
The perfect accessory for both handwriting and typing on a touchscreen. The tip is a ballpoint pen and the other end can be used as a stylus. Filled with 100 sparkling clear crystals, the unique design features white lacquered metal parts and makes a great gift for smartphone and tablet user!
Material: Metal


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The role of the Mouse Genetics Core (MGC) is to support the use of genetically manipulated mice for in vivo studies of gene function in biological processes that are of interest to investigators at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Biological problems investigated using the services and expertise of the MGC includes cell survival and proliferation, embryonic development and cell differentiation, organogenesis, cell-cell interactions, immune responses, and the generation of mouse models of cancer. The services of the MGC are provided by the staff of two interacting groups within the Core, the Transgenic Mouse Group and the CRISPR Group.
- Production of transgenic mice: transgene DNA purification; transgene DNA injection; genotyping of founder mice; and transgene transmission to progeny.
- Production of gene targeted mice: generation of chimeric mice by ES cell injection into blastocysts and identification of germ-line chimeras.
- Cryopreservation of embryos and sperm for long-term storage of transgenic, gene targeted, congenic, and other mutant mouse strains.
- Rederivation by embryo transfer and in vitro fertilization (IVF) for strain importation and recovery.
- Performance of specialized animal surgical procedures and embryological techniques based on the needs of investigators.
- Management of breeding colonies at Long Island City.
- Provision of specialized mouse strains/lines for investigators' research.
- Provision of ES cell services.
- Consultation & training.


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Maggie Smith: I haven't seen 'Downton'
NEW YORK (AP) -- Millions of people have watched Maggie Smith on "Downton Abbey." But she's not one of them.
The 78-year-old actress, who portrays Lady Grantham in the popular PBS series, told "60 Minutes" that she hasn't watched the drama because doing so would only make her agonize over her performance. She said she may watch it someday.
Smith told Steve Kroft, in an interview to be televised Sunday, that what she takes from the role is "the delight of acting."
She has two Oscars, three Emmys and a Tony Award, but said the "Downton Abbey" role has given her more public recognition than anything in her career.


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ShellEnhancer 18.104.22.168 has a lot of new features and bug-fixes. Major New Features of 220.127.116.11:
- Major rewrite of the backend, making it much more stable and fixing the applications crashes like for Java applications, Winamp...
- Because of this, ShellEnhancer now requires Windows XP or later.
- Live Preview: continuously update the little preview in the Enhanced Alt+Tab Taskswitcher.
- Full Windows XP native Unicode support.
- Major fixes for the Shell Enhanced Applications feature, especially when applied to windows of Windows Explorer.
- The mouse-screen-corner feature now fully supports multi-monitor systems.
- Lots of new features for the Enhanced Alt+Tab TaskSwitcher.
- Option to draw mouse gesture trails on screen when drawing a mouse gesture.
- Option to rollup windows by double clicking on titlebar.
- More options for the On Screen Display (OSD).
- Minimized-to-tray windows icons are restored when ShellEnhancer is restarted after it crashes.
- This version also includes lots of other enhancements and bugfixes. Learn more about all the other new features and bug fixes in version 188.8.131.52.
- ...
Learn more about ShellEnhancer 18.104.22.168.


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kanan strawberry Toscana, Kiri Bibit strawberry delician f1
Hi! I'm Nella a Bataknese. I currently live in Germany. However, I'm originally from Jakarta, Indonesia. I'm a full-time-stay-at-home-mom of two. I have a lot of passions for gardening.
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Is this the future of fanfic on Livejournal?
398 words, Willow and Dawn, early season 6, rating 12 (PG-13). No payment was received for writing this story.
Product Placement
Willow took a sip of her Pepsi Max and turned the next page in the tome she was reading. It was heavy going; thank goodness her drink contained extra caffeine and revitalising herbs to keep her energy level high!
She noted with interest that the spell she was researching needed ginseng as one of its components. Perhaps she could incorporate another can of Pepsi Max into her magic, because the drink was packed full of that healthy life-giving Chinese plant! But no, it would be a shame to waste it like that instead of drinking it... she took another sip and licked her lips appreciatively.
Her pleasurable thoughts were interrupted by the bang of the front door as Dawn announced her return in her usual hyperactive way.
"Hi, sweetie. Good day at school?"
"Ugh. Total drag. Got any more of that Pepsi Max? I need a pick-me up."
"Sure. The fridge is full of it. Only one can, though - remember your sister doesn't like you having too much. Pepsi Max is a grown-up drink; its powerful blend of caffeine and herbs is too much for kids to handle!"
"I'm not a kid. I'm 15!" Dawn stomped over to the refrigerator, and cracked open a can. "Aah. Pepsi Max is so refreshing. Hey, Will, you're not using your laptop at the moment, are you?"
"No. Why? You need it for homework?"
"Umm... sort of. It's art. An art project."
Dawn huffed. "Well, if you don't believe me..."
"Dawnie, there's a few things I need to teach you about computer security. Like, always clear your previously-opened files log, y'know? If Buffy saw some of the things you've been drawing, she'd freak."
"You, um, you've seen them?" Dawn turned scarlet. "I tried to hide them..."
"Hey, I'm me, remember? Computers hold no secrets. Gotta say Daniel Radcliffe doesn't really do it for me, but there was one picture... y'know, that one with Harry, Ron, Hermione and the 20 oz bottle of Pepsi Max? That was hot."
Dawn giggled. "You should totally buy a bottle yourself and then call Tara. I mean, with the delicious Pepsi Max in such an, um, interestingly large bottle, you could have all sorts of fun. And then drink the Pepsi Max afterwards."
"Dawnie!" Willow looked mildly shocked, then grinned hugely.
"Will you be okay on your own while I go to the 7-11?"


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Envisat captures sand and dust blowing northeast from the Arabian Peninsula across the Persian Gulf toward Iran (visible at image top).
Some of the world's largest sandy desert areas, including the Rub' al Khali and An-Nafud, are located in the Arabian Peninsula.
Sand and dust storms are usually the result of atmospheric convection currents, which form when warm, lighter air rises and cold, heavier air sinks.
Dust storms in northeastern Iraq, the Persian Gulf and the southern Arabian Peninsula are more frequent in summer because a strong northwesterly wind, called the shamal, blows over the floodplain of Iraq's Tigris and Euphrates Rivers for up to three months, transporting the sand and dust.
In mid-June, a shamal caused a massive dust storm that stretched from Iraq to India to the Arabian Peninsula, where it hovered for days due to low wind speeds.
Other countries visible in the image include Iraq (where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers merge at top left), Kuwait (top left of Persian Gulf), Saudi Arabia (bottom stretching along the peninsula) and Qatar (centre right, jutting out into the Persian Gulf).
This image was acquired on 1 July 2008 by Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument while working in Full Resolution mode to provide a spatial resolution of 1.2 km.


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ESOC gears up for MSG-2 launch
Mission controllers and launch engineers at ESA's Space Operations Centre are in high gear for the launch of
"It's a delivery service, pure and simple," says Nigel Head, co-Flight Operations Director at ESOC for the launch of MSG-2, Europe's second Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) weather satellite. "We provide the technical expertise for our customer and see the spacecraft through several critical activities during the immediate post-launch period," he says.
The post-launch period is referred to universally by spacecraft controllers as 'LEOP', for Launch and Early Orbit Phase, and is a one of the numerous specialties regularly practised at ESOC.
After launch on an Ariane 5 launcher from Kourou, French Guiana, then LEOP controlled by ESOC, the satellite will be handed over to its owner, EUMETSAT, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, and renamed Meteosat-9 for routine weather reporting operations.
The spacecraft will be used for routine weather reporting operations. Its main instrument is the SEVIRI Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager, used to generate frequent images of Earth's cloud cover and atmospheric conditions; the satelitte also carries GERB, a highly accurate radiometer aimed at monitoring the Earth's radiation budget.
The spacecraft's main instrument is the SEVIRI Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager, used to generate frequent images of Earth's cloud cover and atmospheric conditions, as well as the Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget (GERB) sensor; GERB is a highly accurate radiometer aimed at monitoring the Earth's radiation budget.
What are the critical activities during LEOP?
It varies from mission to mission, but for MSG-2, mission control engineers will watch extremely closely during the three larger and one smaller engine burns needed to boost the cylindrical, 2-tonne spacecraft into geosynchronous orbit. Once in final orbit, the satellite will appear to stay over the same spot on the Earth's surface at some 35 800 km altitude and 0 degrees longitude over the Gulf of Guinea.
Critical operations during LEOP
"We will also conduct several critical payload operations, including switching on the SEVIRI imager and releasing two protective covers, one over the optics and the second covering the radiator," adds John Dodsworth, co-Flight Operations Director for MSG-2. He explains that the imaging mirrors also have to be decontaminated. "This all has to happen rather quickly, or else performance could be affected," he says.
Two experienced mission control engineers are sharing the workload for MSG-2's LEOP overseeing the 'A' and 'B' sections of the mission control team (MCT), an arrangement made necessary by the requirement to staff ESOC's Main Control Room and monitor MSG-2 24 hours per day during LEOP, scheduled to end on 2 January 2006.
The MCT is comprised of some 35 engineers and scientists, who are directly involved with operating the spacecraft. These include spacecraft engineers with specialities in data systems, telemetry and telecommanding, onboard power systems and flight operations, among others. In addition, some 25 additional staff from ESOC, ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), EUMETSAT and the satellite's contractors will provide support during LEOP.
Year-long training and preparation
Mission control team members have been engaged in training campaigns and finalising the mission control software and systems for most of the past year. "We built a robust mission control system, but of course we did not have to extend this to include mission scheduling, data transfer or other routine phase activities as these will all be handled by EUMETSAT after handover," says Dodsworth.
The team was, in fact, ready for launch on two earlier occasions, but the launch was delayed by the need to schedule a co-passenger satellite onboard the Ariane 5 launcher. INSAT 4A, a telecommunications satellite owned by the Indian Space Research Organisation, will ride into space with MSG-2.
As of last week, the pre-launch operations readiness review had been completed, the mission control system was 'frozen' to preclude any further changes in software or procedures, and the flight operations directors were planning the final simulation exercise. A full rehearsal, with all mission controllers, engineers and support personal on console, or at work stations and available, is planned for 16 December.
Once handover is complete, most personnel working on MSG-2 at ESOC will return to the missions and activities from which they were borrowed for the launch and LEOP.
ESOC also provided LEOP services for MSG-1, launched on 28 August 2002. This series of launches has allowed ESOC to further refine its capabilities as a centre of excellence for flight control, LEOP activities and the development of mission control systems and applications.
About MSG
Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) is a joint project between ESA and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and follows up the success of the first generation Meteosat weather satellite series with a larger design boasting higher performance. The first in a planned series of MSG satellites was launched in 2002, entering into service with EUMETSAT in early 2004 and now renamed Meteosat-8.


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Our world is built on modular, composable software. We routinely expect that we don't need to know about the internal implementation details of a library or plug-in to be able to use it correctly.
The problem is that locks, and most other kinds of synchronization we use today, are not modular or composable. That is, given two separately authored modules, each of which is provably correct but uses a lock or similar synchronization internally, we generally can't combine them and know that the result is still correct and will not deadlock. There are only two ways to combine such a pair of lock-using modules safely:
- Option 1. Each module must know about the complete internal implementation of any function it calls in the other module (generally impossible for code you don't control).
- Option 2. Each module must be careful not to call into the other module while the calling code is inside a critical section (while holding a lock, for example).
Let's examine why Option 2 is generally the only viable choice, and what consequences it has for how we write concurrent code. For convenience, I'm going to cast the problem in terms of locks, but the general case arises whenever:
- The caller is inside one critical section.
- The callee directly or indirectly tries to enter another critical section, or performs another blocking call.
- Some other thread could try to enter the two critical sections in the opposite order.
Quick Recap: Deadlock
A deadlock (or deadly embrace) can happen anytime two different threads can try to acquire the same two locks (or more generally, acquire exclusive use of the resources protected by the same two synchronization objects) in opposite orders. Therefore, anytime you write code where a thread holds one lock L1 and tries to acquire another lock L2, that code is liable to be one arm of a potential deadly embraceunless you can eliminate the possibility that some other thread might try to acquire the locks in the other order.
We can use techniques such as lock hierarchies to guarantee that locks are taken in order. Unfortunately, those techniques do not compose either. For example, you can use a lock hierarchy and guarantee that the code you control follows the discipline, but you can't guarantee that other people's code will know anything about your lock levels, much less follow them correctly.


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45 of 51
Grilled Chocolate Sandwich
Crusty bread stuffed with dark chocolate, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and served with ice cream.
The marriage of crusty bread and chocolate was consummated many years ago in Europe, but this tricked-out sandwich goes a step further. We took the best of a pain au chocolat and a churro, tossed it on the grill, and cut it into thin slices—the perfect accompaniment for your next sundae.... Read More
View Recipe


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During a recent interview with "Nightline," Nicki Minaj admitted that she "wanted to kill [her dad]" and that she "used to wish he was dead." She painted a picture of a violent, drug addicted man who beat on her mother.
Her father, Omar, didn't know he felt that way about him.
TMZ reports–from a unamed source of the family– "Nicki's anecdotes are grossly exaggerated — Omar admits he had anger issues when she was a child … but insists it NEVER reached the point Nicki described in her interview."
The source adds "her father still loves Nicki very much … and always has."
Nicki Minaj Opens Up On "Nightline": "My Father Was Abusive"
Nicki Minaj Becomes First Female Rapper To Top The UK Charts
Like HelloBeautiful on Facebook to stay on top of your favorite black celebrities:


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The principles in Ofgem's guidelines were that:
- All electricity sold was matched by renewable energy.
- The tariff delivered additional environmental benefits.
- Tariffs were overseen by an independent panel which enforced rules on transparency and annual audits.
All tariffs had to be supplied by members of the scheme.
Matching by renewable energy
Matching (also known as the Volume Test by Ofgem) required members to hold sufficient Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs) to cover all the usage of customers on green tariffs, and to have retired any associated Renewable Levy Exemption certificates (LECs). This prevented the same unit of green electricity being sold twice, for example to domestic consumers using REGOs, and in the commercial market using LECs.
Additional environmental benefits
There were four possible forms of additionality:
- Purchase of approved traded offsets, historically under either:
- The Government's Quality Assurance Scheme (QAS) with a required offset of 1.8tCO2/customer (the QAS was closed on 30 June 2011) or
- The Gold Standard with a required offset of 1.0tCO2/customer
- Green Funds, where the member was required to invest in new community renewables schemes (which could include heat as well as electricity) to produce annual savings of at least 50kgCO2/customer. Members were not allowed to retain any benefits of the installation such as ROCs, LECs or REGOs, but could purchase energy from the beneficial owners.
- Energy efficiency schemes, where the member invested in energy efficiency or behavioural measures to produce annual savings of at least 50kgCO2/customer. Measures were allowed to be in customers' premises and included insulation and heating system improvements.
- Any other robust, quantifiable scheme subject to the approval of the panel. No such schemes were introduced, although approval was given in principle to one based around electric vehicle charging points.
Additionality, savings were based on Ofgem average UK electricity consumption of 3,300kWh per customer, equivalent to around 1.8tCO2. Savings had to be scaled up proportionately for non-domestic customers.
Members gained approval through completing a proforma, including "Tier 3" information about the tariff that includes the summary information that was made available to consumers on the Green Energy Scheme website,which permitted prospective customers to choose a tariff based on their preferred sources or energy and method of additionality. Audits were made in arrears for the period to the anniversary of approval of the tariff. All tariffs were found to comply with the main principles of the scheme, although the scheme did require some changes to how tariffs were marketed to avoid misleading consumers.
The independent panel
The panel consisted of a maximum of five members:
- Solitaire Townsend (Chair); co-founder of Futerra Communications Ltd
- Dr Nick Eyre; Programme Leader of the Lower Carbon Futures group in the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford
- Virginia Graham; Chief Executive of Renewable Energy Assurance Ltd
- Dr Stephen Andrews; independent energy consultant
- Dr Sally Uren; Deputy Chief Executive of Forum for the Future
- Simon Retallack; Head of Climate Change at the Institute for Public Policy Research
- Giles Bristow; Director Programmes, Forum for the Future.
Solitaire Townsend, Nick Eyre and Virginia Graham were panel members for the entire duration of the scheme.
The panel was supported by a secretariat, the National Energy Foundation. The panel and secretariat administered the scheme through a rule book, which detailed how Ofgem's rules (which were not mandatory) should be implemented in practice.
Choice of tariffs
At its maximum, there were 11 publicly-certified domestic green tariffs and two non-domestic ones, with all the 'Big Six' suppliers (British Gas, E.On, EDF Energy, npower, Scottish Power and SSE) and Good Energy marketing tariffs. Some companies offered a choice of tariffs to permit either traded carbon offsets or smaller scale community schemes to be selected. There were also a couple of white label tariffs certified, allowing customers to sign up through an affinity partner. Around 100,000 domestic customers benefited from certified green tariffs at any time, although the number of non-domestic customers was lower due to a restriction imposed by Ofgem that such tariffs could only be sold to customers with an annual electricity consumption below 55,000kWh.
Ending of the scheme
Despite its success in providing assurance to customers of the value of their green electricity supplies, the tariffs certified by the scheme failed to attract large numbers of customers. As a result, when Ofgem announced a limit of four domestic tariffs for each supplier, none felt able to retain a permanent certified green tariff in their core offer. Existing customers were able to remain on certified tariffs until 2015, but certification ended on 31 March 2015 when the full force of the 'Retail Market Review' (RMR)came into effect. The panel held its final meeting in July 2015, reviewing any outstanding audits.
Future prospects for green energy in the UK
As part of the RMR, Ofgem introduced mandatory rules around marketing green electricity. Unlike the voluntary rules implemented through the Green Energy Supply Certification Scheme, the new ones were incorporated into a licence condition. While they retained the key concept of matching, the additionality elements were significantly watered down. Coupled with the limitation on the number of core tariffs, the large suppliers withdrew from the green supply market, although several smaller suppliers, including some who were not part of the scheme, continue to market renewable electricity tariffs. Although there is no longer any additional third party certification, it is possible to obtain tariffs that comply with the specific requirements of the European EKOenergy label.
More information
A more extensive summary of the GESCS achievements is available as is the final version of the scheme's rule book.
If you would like to discuss further with the National Energy Foundation about ways in which we might support the responsible sale of green electricity, including the label, please contact Ian Byrne.


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Hard Rescues
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I have a lot of respect for lifeguards at the ocean. I mean, first of all, I wish I could swim like they do; they make what I do look like dog paddling for sure. But I have seen them in action. I remember being at the New Jersey shore and watching five lifeguards go to work on a rescue to bring in three children. And I think I have a new appreciation for these guys and girls having talked to my friend, Jim, because he used to be one on the other side of the country; he was a Pacific Ocean lifeguard. He described to me the different kinds of rescues that there are.
For example, what do you do when there's someone who is panicky and hanging onto you for dear life and almost going to take you down? Well, lifeguards are trained a certain way to handle that. And then there's one that they call "the hard rescue" and for good reason. But you don't have to be in the ocean to be a candidate for some strong treatment from The Lifesaver.
Distributed by Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
Learn how to begin a personal, love-relationship with the God who made you.


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Over the past 5-8 years a good number of family and faith based entertainment resources have been made available. I admit that I may have more access and awareness because of my role at CatholicTV, but all over there is a heightened appreciation for the revenue that Christian and family friendly media can generate. Christians seem to be a hungry audience!
We are hungry, but not desperate.


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Thursday Exact Weather forecast
Today: Mostly cloudy, humid and breezy with a chance for a few isolated showers. High: 84. Wind: Southeast 15 – 20 mph.
Tonight: Cloudy and overcast with a few showers early, then showers and storms after midnight with a few storms possibly being strong or severe. Low: 71. Wind: South 10 – 15 mph, shifting to the north.
Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy and breezy with isolated showers and storms. High: 71. Wind: Northwest 10 – 15 mph.
Discussion: It will continue to be unseasonably warm and humid today with a slight chance for an isolated shower or thunderstorm. Then overnight tonight, through tomorrow morning, a cold front will pass bringing rain and showers along with a few thunderstorms. A few storms could become strong or severe. The front will be in the Gulf by Friday afternoon but a few lingering showers and storms will persist until the evening. By Saturday and Sunday the skies be clear and temperatures cool in the morning with lows in the 40s and 50s, and mild in the afternoon with highs in the low to mid-70s under mainly clear skies.
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The Houston Dynamo fell to FC Dallas 1-0 in the third-place game of the Disney Pro Soccer Classic on Saturday. Brek Shea's ninth-minute penalty kick was the difference as Houston lost its final match of the preseason. The Dynamo will now prepare for their MLS regular season opener on March 11 against Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center.
FC Dallas turned an early opportunity into the game's only goal. Seven minutes after the opening whistle, Andre Hainault attempted to clear a bouncing ball in the Houston penalty area. As Hainault tried to clear, Blas Perez tried to knock the ball into the net. After the two opponents made contact with each other, a penalty was awarded to Dallas.
Brek Shea, a starter in the U.S. national team's victory over Italy on Wednesday, slotted the spot kick to the opposite side of Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall's dive for the game-winning goal.
Hainault had an excellent opportunity for redemption three minutes later. Brad Davis took a free kick near the corner flag and curled in a well-placed cross to the center of the Dallas penalty area. Hainault struck the header well from six yards, but it bounced off the pitch and over the crossbar.
In the 22nd minute, Hall kept the Dynamo in the match with a great save on Shea. Fabian Castillo used a quick feed to spring Shea through the Houston defense. Shea was alone, about 10 yards from goal, and he tried to slip a low shot to the left side of the net. Hall lunged to his right and used his right hand to stop the shot for a fantastic save.
Less than a minute later, Castillo had a clear chance from eight yards, but his shot stayed over the bar.
After few chances in the first half, Houston came out with more energy after half time and created more opportunities. In the 49th minute, Adam Moffat played a clever one-touch from the top of the Dallas penalty area to Davis on the left side of the goal. Davis dribbled past Zach Lloyd, who fouled Davis from behind and the Dynamo were awarded a penalty.
Davis stepped to the spot and took the penalty to his right, but Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman dove to his left and pinned the ball to the front of the post and kept it out for the important save.
The Dynamo continued to gain more control of the game and pushed for the equalizer. In the 54th minute, Davis played a short corner to Moffat, who struck a shot from the edge of the area low and hard to the near post, but Hartman was there for the save.
After a series of substitutions, Houston continued to create chances on the attack. In the 68th minute Je-Vaughn Watson played a ball from the right flank across the middle of the area, where Davis was racing towards the near post. Davis tried to chip the charging Hartman, but his shot hit the crossbar, and Dallas was able to clear before Calen Carr could bury the rebound.
Davis was involved in another scoring chance in the 90th minute. The midfielder took a set piece 25 yards from goal and curled in a quality service in front of the goal. Cam Weaver rose and won the header but directed it wide of the net.
The Dynamo finished the tournament 0-2-2 and will return to Houston on Sunday for final preparations for the regular season.
Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas
March 3, 2012 – ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
Disney Pro Soccer Classic - Consolation Match
Scoring Summary:
FC Dallas – Brek Shea 9 (penalty)
Misconduct Summary:
DAL – Andrew Jacobsen 45
HOU – Je-Vaughn Watson 52
HOU – Bobby Boswell 52
DAL – Juan Carlos Enriquez 78
HOU – Boswell 88 (red card)
Houston Dynamo – Tally Hall; Andre Hainault (Kofi Sarkodie 79), Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron, Corey Ashe (Oscar Recio 85); Colin Clark (Luiz Camargo 61), Adam Moffat, Je-Vaughn Watson (Youssouf Hersi 77), Brad Davis; Will Bruin (Calen Carr 67), Macoumba Kandji (Cam Weaver 61).
FC Dallas – Kevin Hartman; Zach Loyd, Hernan Pertuz, Ugo Ihemelu, Jair Benitez (Geoffrey Tulasne 46); Fabian Castillo (53' Andrew Wiedeman), Daniel Hernandez (59' Bobby Warshaw), Andrew Jacobson (59' Victor Ulloa), Carlos Rodriguez; Brek Shea (Ruben Luna 46, Bryan Leyva 87), Blas Perez (Juan Carlos Enriquez 77).


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As you probably all heard by now, Nissan announced last March that it will reintroduce the long gone Datsun marque in emerging markets like Russia, India and Indonesia as a budget brand. With 43.4% of their shares at Renault for more than a decade now, one could only wonder where they got the idea from. The new Datsuns will be based on the Lada Kalina's platform, but use different bodies and interiors, with the first ones going on sale as soon as next year.
It's pretty understandable that Nissan doesn't want to ruin its image with cheap workhorses. It's also clear that the money they invested so far together with the $750 million they are going to pour into the Russian brand and its factory in Togliatti isn't just a Christmas present. But it's also worth remembering what Datsun stood for. Certainly nothing like this:
Datsun is older than Nissan itself. It appeared first on a car in the summer of 1931, although at that time, it was spelled Datson. After Nissan took over its parent company in 1934, the name was changed so it wouldn't have a negative meaning anymore (as son[損] is "loss" in Japanese), and also to represent the Sun, the country's national symbol.
Nissan grew to include 74 firms including Nissan Motor before the war, and built trucks, airplanes, and engines for the Japanese military when the action started to heat up. In the fifties, British cars were build under licence (and copied without hesitation), all wearing the Datsun logo. Nissan branding was only used on commercial vehicles. This all changed in the sixties, especially after the merger with Prince Motor Company in 1966. In the following two years, the new large cars like the Skyline or the Gloria were sold as Nissans, and the Prince brand was completely phased out.
By that time, Datsun was on the North American market for six years, getting its reputation by building the great Fairlady roadster, only to be followed by the mighty 510, and America's favourite budget sports car, the 260Z. Remember that one? Of course you do. In fact, you probably still want one.
Nissan spent a fortune on global rebranding after the decision was made to switch to the corporate name in 1981, after seeing how successful Toyota become having the pride do that from the start. It wasn't easy, as after getting half a billion dollars shorter, the Datsun name was still more recognizable than Nissan in 1986.
I'll stop right here with the history lesson, dear
Renault Nissan, but tell you one thing:
While making a $3000 car for the emerging markets is an idea I can full support, legacy (something Dacia never had) is not something you should just throw out of the window. Datsuns were known not only for being cheap and well built, but for making you smile. So... you go and design a cheap but reliable hot hatch, and we'll call it even.
Photo credit: Kyle Ryan, Dave_7, and AFP for Mr. Putin and his Kalina Gti.


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This report aired on Dateline on Friday, Dec. 12 at 10 p.m. ET, 9 p.m. CT.
Word association: you hear "Orlando" and images explode of castles and rides, Mickey and Minnie, leaping orcas and slack-jawed children dazed with the wonder of it all. It's not much of an overstatement to say that the Orlando economy is all about making kids deliriously happy.
But for millions of TV viewers, since last summer there's one Orlando child, in particular, who's been a reminder that the flipside of children's happiest dreams can be the darkest of nightmares.
By now, you've seen their faces everywhere: Caylee Marie Anthony, the missing two-year-old girl, and her 22-year-old mother Casey. But tonight the question— where is Caylee? – may have been answered in the most unhappy way.
Thursday morning a meter reader for a local utility came upon what thousands of volunteer searchers had missed in the past six months: the skeletal remains of a small child, found in a plastic bag, just a quarter mile from the home where Caylee was being raised by her mother and grandparents.
The bones have not been conclusively identified as Caylee's. But the authorities say evidence found among the remains can be linked to Caylee's home. A weekend and more of testing by the FBI lies ahead. The new question is: is it really Caylee?
Tonight, we'll put the case together starting from the very first hours of this mystery, back weeks ago when we talked to the missing child's grandparents who believed fervently that the child was alive and in danger from unknown kidnappers.
George Anthony: She was threatened. Caylee was threatened. So are we.
And you'll hear from Casey herself... Her story in her own words.
Casey Anthony: I'm never gonna forgive myself because there's that chance that I might not see Caylee again and I don't want to think about that.
So let's begin here: a quiet, middle-class neighborhood of Orlando, where George Anthony, a former sheriff's deputy now in the security business, and his wife, Cindy, a registered nurse, raised their son, lee, and daughter, Casey.
CindyAnthony: Casey was always a good student. She was always the mom of the crowd. Always took care of everybody and they still call her Mom -- her friends.
After high school, Casey got a job working at the Universal Studios theme park, which is, incidentally, owned by this program's parent company NBC Universal. It was there Casey met a young guy named Jesse Grund.
Jesse Grund: It was kind of the love at first sight type of thing.
Jesse and Casey started dating in January 2005, and their relationship blossomed, though it did come as something of a shock to Jesse when Casey told him six months later that she was pregnant, and that he was the father.
Jesse: My exact words to her were, "I'm not ready to be a parent, and you're not ready to be a parent. Let's give the child up to someone, some family who can't have kids, who is ready to be parents." And she said, "No, I'm not gonna carry this child around for nine months, and give birth to it, and then give it up to somebody else. This is my child."
On August 9th, 2005 little Caylee Marie Anthony was born. Her birth certificate never listed a father -- a paternity test showed that it wasn't Jesse, the boyfriend. It didn't matter. Jesse was as smitten with the baby girl, as he'd been with her mother. Jesse proposed and Casey said "yes."
Jesse: She was crying. And it was probably one of the happiest moments of my life.
But five months later, Casey -- who was still living with her parents -- broke off the engagement. She told Jesse she was happier on her own. And she did indeed seem happy. She took to motherhood with apparent joy.
And her parents couldn't have been more supportive. To them, Caylee's arrival seemed like a gift from heaven.
Dennis Murphy: Barely three. But, she got her little-girl personality, huh?
Cindy: Oh, absolutely. I mean, she lights the room and she controls the house.
All of which makes the events of last Father's Day weekend, when Caylee Anthony suddenly disappeared -- that much more of a mystery.
That Sunday, June 15th, grandmother Cindy took Caylee to visit her great grandfather in his nursing home. This home video, taken during that visit -- contains the last confirmed pictures we have of Caylee.
Cindy: We spent a wonderful day together, and then Casey came home and we had a great evening that evening.
The next morning, Monday, George remembered seeing Casey and Caylee at home before he left for work.
George: I was still home in the morning getting ready to go do my job, you know, later that afternoon.
Cindy: That was the last time you saw Caylee.
George: Yeah. I'm sorry. It's just, it's (crying) it's hard not to cry.
When George and Cindy came home that night, Casey and Caylee were gone. That wasn't out of the ordinary -- Casey occasionally spent the night with Caylee away from home.
But she didn't return the next day, or the one after that.
Dennis Murphy: All of a sudden Casey is gone from the house?
Cindy: Right.
Dennis Murphy: She's not coming to her bedroom and the child is gone and...
Cindy: Right, and you know, she had an explanation every day where she was. And a reasonable explanation.
But four weeks later, she was still a no-show when on July 15th, George received notice that their car -- the white Sunfire Casey had been driving -- had been towed. She'd abandoned the vehicle two weeks earlier, in the parking lot of a check cashing business.
Orlando Sentinel Reporter Bianca Prieto: That's when it's like, "Oh my gosh, Casey's car's been towed. What's going on?" And so, they go to pick it up. They get there and they say there's this overwhelming stench just coming from the car. You're three feet away and you can smell it.
George, the former sheriff's deputy, later told investigators that he knew the odor well.
George: It smelled, uh, like a decomposed body. I'm being very straight with you guys. I've got a sick feeling for a second because the car that was all closed up, if you're in, from me to you away from it, you can smell an odor, you don't forget that odor, no matter what it is, you never, ever forget it.
After retrieving the car, Cindy Anthony decided to take action -- she was determined to confront Casey face-to-face. But where was she?
Cindy: I had found a resume of one of her friends in the front seat. So, I just took her phone number off of there and actually when I called her, was very surprised that she had seen Casey just hours before.
The friend told Cindy she knew where Casey was staying that day, and agreed to take Cindy there.
Cindy: When Casey came to the door, you know, I asked her where Caylee was. She said she was with the nanny. I said, "Let's go pick up Caylee." And she said, "No, mom, you know, it's kinda late in the evening.
But Cindy wasn't buying. She gave her daughter an ultimatum.
Cindy: I said, "One of two things is happening. You know, either we're gonna drive to, you know, pick up Caylee or I'm gonna take you to the police station and someone else is gonna help me pick up Caylee." And she said, "Mom," she says, "It's okay. Take me."
Dennis Murphy: Take me to the police?
Cindy: Yes. And for her to say it, you know, to take her, I'm thinking now, "Something's not right."
Cindy was about to find out how "not right" things were. She took Casey back home, and from there, she dialed 911.
Cindy: I have someone here that I need to uhm, be arrested in my home.
Operator: They're there right now?
Cindy: And I have a possible missing child. I have a three-year-old that's been missing for a month.
Operator: A three-year-old?
Cindy: Yes.
Operator: Have you reported that?
Cindy: I'm trying to do that now, ma'am.
But shortly after that 911 call, Cindy says she overheard Casey whispering something to her brother, Lee... Something about a babysitter, Zanny, that would set her into full-on panic mode.
Cindy: I heard her say the words that Zanny had taken Caylee. And that's when I flew into her room. And I said, "What the heck are you talking about?" And she just broke down and she said it had been, 31 days that she had seen her daughter.
After 30 days with no sign of her grandchild, Cindy Anthony had finally confronted her daughter, Casey, and heard a truly disturbing story. That someone named Zanny, a woman who Casey said she'd hired as an occasional babysitter, had kidnapped little Caylee.
Cindy: That's when I, you know, I panicked and I got on the phone. And I didn't care what the heck I said to get them out there.
Casey: My daughter finally admitted that the baby-sitter stole her. I need to find her.
Operator: Your daughter admitted that your baby, the baby is where?
Cindy: That the baby-sitter took her a month ago. The daugh... my daughter's been looking for her. I told you my daughter was missing for a month. I just found her today but I can't find my granddaughter. And she just admitted to me that she's been trying to find her herself. There's something wrong. I found my daughter's car today and it smells like there's been a dead body in the damn car.
Dennis Murphy: That's a very alarming bit of information for a 911 dispatcher.
Ron Stucker: That is.
Ron Stucker is chief of criminal investigations at the Orange County sheriff's office.
Dennis Murphy: Deputies arrive at the house and say, "What do you have here?"
Ron Stucker: What they find out is they're getting really mixed stories and conflicting information.
The story investigators got from Casey is that one month before, she'd dropped Caylee off with her baby-sitter -- Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez -- before heading to work at Universal Studios. When she returned to pick Caylee up, no one was home.
Bianca Prieto: She calls Zenaida and the phone's disconnected and she panics.
Dennis Murphy: And the child is gone?
Bianca Prieto: And the child is gone.
Dennis Murphy: And she doesn't call 911 and say, "My baby's gone." She doesn't call her parents.
Bianca Prieto: No, she doesn't call anybody. She says that she sits there for a few hours on the steps waiting, and then decides to do her own investigation.
Dennis Murphy: She's been unaccounted for more than 30 days at this point.
Ron Stucker: It's incredible --
Dennis Murphy: That's gotta be hugely unusual in this kind of case.
Ron Stucker: Incredible disadvantage for us.
That disadvantage was about to get a whole lot worse. Deputies, with Casey, in tow began looking for this baby-sitter, Zenaida. They drove Casey to the apartment where she said she'd left Caylee with the sitter. But the apartment, it turned out, had been vacant for almost five months.
Casey then led detectives on what turned out to be a wild goose chase around Orlando-- she pointed out an apartment building where she says Zenaida had lived two years ago. It turned out to be a seniors-only facility.
Then she brought them to a building where she says Zenaida's mother owned a condo -- but no one in the building knew the babysitter or her mother.
The investigators then returned to the first apartment building to go through the residents list. There was no Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez living there, but they did locate a Zenaida Gonzalez who had applied to rent an apartment back in June.
Zenaida Gonzalez: They called my cell phone. And then they asked me, they first asked me -- "Are you Zenaida Gonzalez?" Yes.
To this day, this Zenaida isn't sure how Casey got her name -- whether it was just coincidence, or if Casey may have come across the visitor's log at that apartment building. But Zenaida told investigators she'd never heard of Casey, and was most certainly not a baby-sitter... And the sheriff's office believed her.
Zenaida Gonzalez: I got six kids of my own, what you think, I want to bring another one into the family? I'm OK. (laughter) I have enough. I have enough.
Dennis Murphy: Zanny the Nanny.
Ron Stucker: Yes.
DennisMurphy: Your opinion, does this person exist?
Ron Stucker: As a nanny for her baby?
DennisMurphy: Yeah.
Ron Stucker: No, she does not exist.
DennisMurphy: Imaginary friend.
Ron Stucker: Exactly.
Every possible lead that Casey Anthony had given investigators turned out to be a dud. The apartment where she claimed she'd dropped Caylee off -- vacant. The baby-sitter -- a phantom. And there was something else -- there was no evidence that Casey had told anyone about her daughter's disappearance over the last month.
By now, detectives were certain that Casey Anthony was spinning a web of lies. They were ready to confront her at the last stop on their Orlando tour -- the Universal Studios theme park.
With her story unraveling, Casey accompanied investigators to the employee entrance at Universal Studios, telling the security guard she'd lost her ID.
Ron Stucker: And we said, "Well, go ahead and let her in. Let's just go walk down to her office." She walked with the detectives down a hallway and just walked down looking in offices and --
DennisMurphy: You got a breakthrough moment at that point, didn't you, Chief?
Ron Stucker: She reached the end of the hallway and she turned around. And when she ran out room -- and she said, "I'm lying to you. I don't work here."
She had once... But not for years. During a recorded conversation in a conference room at the theme park, casey broke down and confessed that she had been lying.
Police: Okay, so you purposely misled us. This was all an attempt to help find your daughter, right? That makes sense to you, correct?
Casey: Again and in a backwards sort of way, yes.
Caught in a lie but still she stuck to her original story -- that a baby-sitter named Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez had indeed kidnapped Caylee.
Casey: I was scared.
Police: What does that mean?
Casey: I saw my mom's reaction right off the bat and it would've been the same from the get-go.
Police: So wait a minute. So you're more afraid of your mom's reaction than you are if you ever see your daughter again?
Casey: No, I'm absolutely petrified. Absolutely petrified. I know my mom will never forgive me. I'm never gonna forgive myself because there's that chance that I might not see Caylee again and I don't want to think about that.
She forged on with her baffling logic. She'd led investigators on a merry chase to universal studios, she said, in hopes that they'd stumble upon Caylee.
Casey: I'm coming back to places that are familiar to me that I know are familiar to her. Familiar situations that maybe...
Police: What did you think...
Casey: ... just maybe..
Police: How old is she?
Casey: ... would help. She's almost three.
Police: She's almost three.
Casey: In a month.
Police: What do you think she's gonna take a cab here? I mean...
Casey: I know she's not.
Police: ... how did you think she's gonna get here?
Casey: Because she's with someone else. If I could find her if...
Police: She's with someone else.
Casey: ... I could track her down...
Police: Wait, she's with...
Casey: and this wouldn't be happening.
Police: Okay, hold on a second let's put this together where it makes sense okay. She's with someone else, whose hid her from you for five weeks.
Casey: Yes.
Police: But you brought us here today, 'cause she might be here.
Casey: She could be anywhere.
Dennis Murphy: Casey and the truth?
Bianca Prieto: Casey and the truth have a problem. You know, everything that she said almost is a complete lie, or it's not checking out. Investigators can't find anything and they tell her, "We're gonna help you, but you need to tell us the truth."
After their confrontation at Universal Studios, investigators took Casey to the county jail, and charged her with child neglect, lying to the police, and obstructing an investigation.
But her problems were only beginning. Many more charges would follow -- Casey Anthony was about to be accused of doing the worst thing a mother can do to her child.
Just about everything Casey Anthony told investigators about the disappearance of her daughter, Caylee, had turned out to be a lie. But if investigators thought they would rattle a true confession out of her once she was in jail, they were wrong. From the county jail, Casey made an angry phone call to her parents to ask for her boyfriend's number.
Casey: Mom!
Cindy: What? No! I don't know what your involvement is, sweetheart. You keep, you're not telling me where she's at.
Casey: Because I don't f---ing know where she's at. Are you kidding me?
Cindy: Casey, don't waste your call to...
Casey: no.
Cindy: ... scream and holler at me.
Casey: Waste may call sitting in oh, the jail in...
Cindy: Whose fault is...
Casey:... where punks are?
Cindy: Well whose fault is your sitting in jail? Are you blaming me that you're sitting in jail?
Casey: Not my fault.
Cindy: Blame yourself for telling lies. What you mean it's not your fault? What do you mean it's not your fault, sweetheart? If you'd have told them the truth and not lied about everything they wouldn't...
Casey: Do me a favor, just tell me what Tony's number is. I don't want to talk to you right now. Forget it.
One of Casey's friends got on the line, hoping she could get through to Casey.
Kristina: Casey, you have to tell me if you know anything about Caylee. Video: Cindy Anthony on her 911 calls (on this page)
Casey: Sweetheart...
Kristina: If anything happens to Caylee, Casey, I'll die (crying). You understand I'll die if anything happens to...
Casey: Oh, well...
Kristina: ... that baby (crying).
Casey: Oh, my God. Calling you guys, a waste. A huge waste.
RonStucker: She's expressing absolutely no concern for the location of her child.
Dennis Murphy: Behavior of a frantic, anxious mom?
Ron Stucker: Absolutely not. Absolutely not.
That apparent lack of concern was noteworthy because as investigators began to interview Casey's friends and family, they started to piece together a jarring picture of what Casey was up to in those 30 days since Caylee went missing -- the image they got was not one of a concerned mother.
Ron Stucker: She goes and gets a new tattoo which says "Bella Vita," which means "beautiful life." She is text messaging and emailing her friends, setting up appointments do to things. And in none of those does she ever express concern about her child that is allegedly missing.
In fact, on that first evening after her daughter had disappeared -- June 16 -- Casey was spotted at a blockbuster video store, browsing for movies with a boyfriend, Anthony Lazzaro. He later told investigators that Casey never once mentioned anything about Caylee going missing.
Detective: No phone calls from babysitters?
Anthony Lazzaro: Nope. Like I said before, every time she'd talk on the phone she was pretty, not secretive about it, but you know.
Detective: Any conversation about her child at all?
Anthony Lazzaro: No.
Within hours of Casey's arrest on July 16, the story had gone national. And photos began to surface on the web, showing Casey partying and at clubs. These photos were taken the weekend of June 20 -- just four days after Caylee went missing.
To the Orange County sheriff, Kevin Beary... It was what Casey did in the days after her daughter went missing that spoke to him of the suspicion of her guilt.
Kevin Beary: The typical person, the legitimate parent, if you turn around in a store and you don't see your child, and then 20 seconds later you find them, you're huggin 'em and tellin' em, "Don't ever run away like that again." We didn't get any of those emotions.
And among the friends interviewed by police, one woman's story raised a different kind of red flag. The friend, Amy Huizenga, had lent Casey her car for a week in July. She told police that during that time, Casey stole a checkbook out of her glove compartment.
DennisMurphy: Her friend's checkbook?
BiancaPrieto: One of her best friends. The girl she had been spending all summer with.
Dennis Murphy: And she goes and has a shop-up on her friend.
BiancaPrieto: Right. You know, she goes to Target, buys a bunch of stuff. It's interesting. The shirt that she's wearing, with the blue hoodie with the number on the front that she's wearing when she's arrested, bought with Amy's money.
Now along with child neglect and lying to investigators, authorities were looking into possible charges of check fraud. But back to their missing child investigation.
Investigators interviewed the Anthony's next door neighbor, who remembered that sometime between June 17-20 -- just a couple days after Caylee disappeared -- Casey had backed up her car into the Anthony's garage. And she had come over to borrow a shovel.
Crime scene investigators descended on the Anthony home.
Ron Stucker: We had our cadaver dogs who were alerting on the car that had been abandoned. They were alerting in the parents' backyard. And they're already indicating to us that there's been a dead body in that trunk.
The search for a missing girl suddenly took on a darker undertone -- police were now looking for a body. They didn't find one yet, but in that car trunk police found something else significant -- hair that resembled Caylee's.
But while the evidence against Casey Anthony ratcheted up -- and with it plenty of public hostility -- her parents seemed to have a public about-face.
Her mother, who had placed that 911 call alluding to the smell of a dead body in the car, now had a different explanation.
Cindy: There was a bag of pizza for what 12 days in the back that stunk so bad. You know how hot it's been. That smell was terrible...
Cindy: It was our first visitation with Casey that actually gave us insight into what was going on with her.
George: I just wish you could have came to me sooner.
Casey: I wish I could've come to anyone sooner. I wish that, like I said, that none of this would have happened.
In those jailhouse visitations with Casey, which were recorded on video cameras, the Anthonys probed for answers on where Caylee could be.
Cindy: Do you think Zanny's acting by herself or does she have help?
Casey: I don't know, Mom. I haven't been able to talk to anybody. I don't know. I'm hoping that if there's people involved there's as many people that are dumb enough to open their mouths and say something.
And Casey told her brother, Lee, that she had a message for the public.
Casey: All I want is to see her, to hear her laugh, to see her smile, and just be with her family.
From the information they were able to glean from their daughter, George and Cindy now believed that Caylee was being held by a group of tough characters associated with the baby-sitter -- characters who had been threatening Casey, and who were now preventing her from talking.
At a bond hearing a week after her arrest, a tearful Casey watched as her parents told a judge they would do everything in their power to support their daughter, and find Caylee.
Cindy: There's only one or two reasons why Casey would be withholding something about Caylee. And I think it's something that someone is holding over her and threatening her in some way.
Bond was set at half-a-million dollars. Casey would remain in jail.
But the Anthony's belief that Caylee was still alive, being held by someone, was about to get a boost from an unlikely source.
George: Each moment that went by, it just - I found it harder and harder to believe that these guys were just going through motions. And I just, I couldn't accept that from them.
By August, the Anthonys - George and Cindy - were growing frustrated. The police, they believed, had given up on looking for their granddaughter, Caylee, and were intent on implicating their daughter, Casey, for murder. But public sentiment was turning against them.
BiancaPrieto: I mean, the protesters are egging them on.
Dennis Murphy: So, people have gathered to taunt the family?
BiancaPrieto: People have gathered. Yes. All hours of the night.// There was one woman who brought her little child out there, and a baby, two years old, is holding a sign that said, "Why would you wanna kill a child like me?"
One month after Caylee had gone missing, the besieged Anthonys got a boost from an unlikely source: a black-hatted, black-dudded bounty hunter from out west, named Leonard Padilla.
Padilla, a reality show veteran, made a public announcement about bailing casey out, and getting the real story out of her.
LeonardPadilla: I believe she's still alive. I believe she still can be found.
After five weeks in jail, Casey returned home. But just a few days later...
Reporter: So what do you think of her?
LeonardPadilla: I think she is a self-centered egotistical little spoiled brat.
It turns out, the bounty hunter got the same story from Casey that she'd given police, with some slight variations...
LeonardPadilla: She says, "Zenaida held me down. Samanatha, her sister, grabbed the baby put her in the car with the kids. Zenaida handed me a list. It's got 30 days instructions on what to tell the people."
DennisMurphy: Let's call it your baloney detector. Is it going off?
LeonardPadilla: Yeah.
DennisMurphy: And you called her on it at that point?
LeonardPadilla: Yeah. She says, "Get outta my house. You're not gonna talk to me like a cop. Get outta here."
Anchor: Busted again. Casey Anthony is back in jail tonight just a few hours ago, deputies descending on her parent's home and rearresting her, as the crowd as you can hear outside that home cheered."
But Padilla didn't have to wait too long to get his bail money back. A week after getting out of jail on her original child endangerment charges, Casey Anthony was arrested again -- this time for fraud -- those checks she had allegedly stolen from her friend's car.
Within hours though, the check fraud charges would become old news, as the orange county sheriff's office revealed the preliminary findings of its forensic investigation into what happened to Caylee.
Orange County Sheriff's Office, Captain Nieves: We had higher hopes of finding her alive, and that hope has somewhat diminished.
In their initial search, crime scene investigators from the sheriff's office had processed Casey's car, after a cadaver dog alerted them to a hit. They sent evidence from the car off to the FBI's crime lab in Quantico.
Now, the results were back... And the conclusions were grim.
Among the findings by the FBI lab -- signs of human decomposition on that strand of hair taken from Casey's car trunk -- hair that DNA analysis showed could have come from Caylee or Casey. And that wasn't all.
Air samples from the car had also been sent to the University of Tennessee's forensic anthropology center, also known as the body farm, where researchers gather data on how bodies decay.
Dennis Murphy: And what did the car say to the lab people?
RonStucker: What it's telling us right now, based on the evidence that's been processed -- that, yes, there was a decomposing human body in that car.
The sheriff's office had also sent samples from that car trunk to the Oak Ridge national laboratory in Tennessee, and got back perhaps the most devastating findings of all... Elevated traces of chloroform found in the spare tire cover and trunk liner.
Dennis Murphy: Help us connect the dots. When I think of chloroform, I just think of old movies where someone puts it in a rag, and puts it on the person's face to knock 'em out. Is there any other explanation, in our daily lives, of chloroform occurring, being found?
Ron Stucker: When we first got that, one of our investigators began to call chemical companies in the Orlando area and say, "Hey, can I get some chloroform?" Nobody could provide it to them. They were like, "Nobody even asked for this." And so it of course raised our curiosity of what it could be used for.
The presence of chloroform was also important because of something else detectives had discovered in the case.
They seized Casey's home computer, and discovered some disturbing searches. Someone had used the computer before Caylee disappeared to browse missing children's websites. Back in march, there were Google searches for "neck breaking" and "household weapons." And even more significantly...
Ron Stucker: It was on the computer is where we found that there were searchers for the word chloroform, and trying to find information about chloroform.
And there was more on that computer that would cause friends, who had uniformly agreed that the devoted young mother would never speak ill of Caylee -- to pause.
Investigators uncovered instant messages Casey had exchanged with a boyfriend, shortly before Caylee vanished. In the messages, Casey -- who worked sometimes at a club, wrote "spending the day with Caylee is 10 times more exhausting than working a 12-hour event."
Dennis Murphy: And uses the word "snot head"?
BiancaPrieto: Yeah. She calls --
Dennis Murphy: Not a mother's term of endearment?
BiancaPrieto: She calls Caylee snot head. Ya know, not a very loving term for a child.
And still more. On July 7th, Casey made this chilling entry on her MySpace page. It read, "What is given, can be taken away. Everyone lies. Everyone dies. Life will never be easy." There was also this eerie cartoon.
Dennis Murphy: What are you putting together about her?
BiancaPrieto: We don't know who this girl is. One thing that was very interesting, when we were trying to piece together a profile about her, is no one would talk.
Dennis Murphy: The best friends had clammed up?
BiancaPrieto: Yeah. No one. Friends wouldn't talk. The only people that were speaking on her behalf were George, Cindy, and Lee.
Her family was still standing by her, even after the flood of forensic evidence. On September 4, an anonymous donor once again posted bond on Casey Anthony. Hounded by protesters and media alike, she returned home to her parents.
People shouting: Casey, where's Caylee? Casey, did you kill Caylee?
But it was only a short matter of time before she would be back in jail again, this time on charges of murder.
On Oct. 14, prosecutors presented their murder case against Casey Anthony in front of a grand jury. Among the witnesses called, her father, George.
George: It's very emotional. I mean, no one wants to be called-- to talk about their family, in-- in such a way. But, I mean, it's-- I had to go do it. I just had to go do it.
Cindy: You had no choice.
George: I didn't have a choice.
Cindy: You had a subpoena.
For three months, the Anthonys had been bombarded with evidence that their missing granddaughter, Caylee, was dead, and that their daughter, Casey, was responsible. But they refused to believe any of it.
George: I just believe they're wrong, you know. And we've said in different conversations we've had with the Sheriff's department, "Prove it to me. Prove to me what you got." And by, you know something, they can't. Because my granddaughter is alive out there. And we're gonna find her. No matter how long it takes, I'm gonna find this little girl.
Prosecutor: The first count is first degree murder...
The grand jury indicted Casey for first degree murder - which in Florida, can mean either pre-meditated murder, or murder committed in the course of other, underlying crimes.
That same day, before she was arrested, Casey appeared at a press conference next to her attorney -- her heretofore chilly public persona suddenly showing cracks.
Jose: Casey is going through a nightmare and has been living a nightmare for the last several months. She has a missing child. She's also someone's child. This family has-- has-- has had to withstand something unlike anyone has ever seen.
Casey pleaded not guilty to all the charges against her. A month after the indictment, more than a thousand volunteers from all across the country -- gathered in Orlando to search for the body of Caylee Anthony.
They concentrated on a 25-mile radius -- where, according to signals off her cell phone, Casey had been in the days after caylee disappeared.
Melanie: I think people need closure. And I hope we find her today, but I don't think the results are what everyone want it to be.
Her family told us, up until this week, that they refused to give up hope that Caylee was still alive, kidnapped, they thought, by a woman named Zenaida.
Cindy: We believe that you know, Casey's been threatened. Our investigators are finding that everything that Casey has said has been true. They are putting, you know, everything together.
Dennis: Why do you think she lied when she did lie?
Cindy: I don't know. Why does anybody lie when they lie? I don't really know. I know why she lied to me for the month of June is because she didn't, she was worried about our safety. And she was worried about Caylee's safety.
The grandparents say that for months, hundreds of leads on Caylee's whereabouts have been ignored by the sheriff's office -- leads like this one -- a possible sighting from Nov. 16, when a tipster in Orlando took these photos at a local mall.
Cindy: There so many characteristics you know, that are Caylee. Are we 100 percent sure it's Caylee? No. But what what person would not want to follow that tip to the very end?
And they point out what they see as a major flaw in the prosecution's case -- that for Casey, a loving and devoted mother, to have killed her own daughter, just doesn't make sense.
Bianca Prieto: Everything we've been told is that Casey was a very loving mother. And it would be really hard to believe that she would do anything malicious to intentionally kill her child.
Dennis Murphy: You love your daughter. Is it possible there was an accident? Something happened and Casey covered it up badly?
Cindy: No -- Casey was always one, I mean, if Caylee fell and skinned her knee, you know, she was right there. If something happened, she'd been screaming bloody murder. She'd a call 911, you know, if something would happened to Caylee.
And if as that instant message chat suggested, Casey had felt burdened by Caylee, she could have easily given the child up to the grandparents -- she said as much in her interview with the police back in July.
Casey: If I wanted to really just get rid of her, I would've left her with my parents and I would've left. I would've moved out. I would've given my mom custody.
Even the ex-fiance says the Casey he sees today just doesn't jibe with the Casey he once knew... Something he's had to struggle with.
Jesse: The Casey that I knew, that I was with, that I was engaged to was not capable of doing that. But I've come to grips with the fact that this Casey, who she is now, I don't know her, and I don't know what she's capable of, and I don't know if she's capable of hurting her daughter.
Perhaps the only person who could answer that question for certain, still wasn't talking to authorities.
Then yesterday morning, even as Casey Anthony's attorney was appearing in court at a pre-trial hearing: A meter reader in a wooded area near the Anthony home was bending over to pick-up a plastic bag. A tiny skull tumbled out, and the case against the mother entered uncharted territory.
The gruesome discovery came on a day that was supposed to be quiet, in what has become the Casey Anthony media circus.
At 9:00 yesterday morning, lawyers were back in court for a routine hearing -- Casey's attorney, Jose Baez, requesting that her trial date be pushed back to march.
Bianca: no surprises, a 10-minute long hearing, and then within an hour, everything changed. There was this 911 call that came in.
11:00 caller 1: Yes, this is orange county utilities emergency dispatch, we found a human skull.
911: Oh my gosh.
Caller1: I know. Uh - we've got, uh, is it a meter reader?
Caller 2: yes.
Caller1: i'm going to let you speak right now to a representative from our field services utilities.
Caller 2: hi.
Caller 1: everything is recorded, here he is.
Caller2: how are you doing? A skull of -- that we believe is human.
911: what's the location?
Caller2: it's right off of suburban and Chickasaw in the Caylee Anthony area.
The call came after a meter reader for the water utility stumbled upon human remains in a patch of woods, just a quarter-mile from the Anthony home. He reported back to his office which then called 911.
Local reporter: You can see this is only a few blocks north of where the grandmother and Casey Anthony, the mother of missing Caylee Anthony, where they live at.
The remains, which authorities identified as those of a young child--gender undetermined--,were found inside a sealed plastic bag. When the meter reader picked up the bag, a skull rolled out. Neighbors who saw the remains say that duct tape was wrapped around the mouth of that skull.
Stucker: Of course we sent our investigators out right away but once they saw the scene and saw what was there we knew this may be a significant find.
The remains were found in a wetland area that was inacessible to search teams last summer. It had been waist deep in water due to record rainfall. But chief inspector stucker says the water levels may have actually helped the investigation.
Stucker: If these remains were submerged, it may have prevented animals from coming in and scattering it that we may have never found it
The Anthonys, who were on a plane back from California when the news spread, requested through their spokesperson, some privacy as they absorbed the latest developments.
Deputies whisked them away once their plane landed. They returned home this afternoon.
As for Casey, sources say that when she received news of the discovery, she suffered an anxiety attack and requested a sedative. The orange county jail has since placed her under psychological observation.
Reporter: are you concerned about your client's stability right now?
I'm concerned about my client, period and have been since day one.
After visiting his client for more than an hour yesterday, Casey's attorney cautioned the public to hold off on drawing any conclusions just yet.
Baez: there is still the chance that this might not be Caylee. So having said that, we're going to follow the rules.
Now begins the waiting game to conclusively i.d. The remains --
Chief Stucker: A lot of the time frame is really going to depend on the integrity of the evidence, how quickly they can extract that and compare it to our known samples. We are hoping it will be within a couple of weeks
But the sheriff's office is leaving very little doubt as to what it thinks.
Late last night, officers from the sheriff's office returned once again to search the Anthony home -- declaring it a crime scene.
In the meantime, investigators continue the search today in the area around where the remains were found.
Bianca: this is a huge finding.// the sheriff's office had circumstantial evidence. They had the stain in the trunk, they had the smell in the trunk. And they had this missing child. They have a body now -- they have that, a body that may very well be the body of Caylee Marie Anthony.
The sheriff's office has said that a forensic examination of the remains has linked them to Caylee's home. And just today in court, the defense said that the color of the hair found among the remains, resembled Caylee's. So it asked for permission to send its own team to witness the autopsy. That request was denied. Linda Kenney Baden, the newest member of defense team, wasn't pleased with that decision.
Linda Baden: We just feel very sorry that the state and the county and the medical examiner felt that they could not open the process up for us to see.
The murder case of Casey Anthony has accelerated. All those questions waiting for answers. If it turns out to be the child? What happened to her? What is that ominous duct tape all about?
Questions, not least, about this enigmatic mother with a story authorities consider as fantastical as any told inside the children's theme parks. Orlando appreciates a good thrill ride and the trial of Casey Anthony promises to be all of that.
© 2013 NBCNews.com Reprints


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This week marks the start of the television "up-front," when advertisers traditionally buy much of their commercial time for the upcoming season.
No one's quite sure how it will go this year: advertisers are worried about the rapid proliferation of the digital video recorders that let viewers zap their commercials, so they may see television as less valuable. Marketers are also reserving more of the dollars they once spent on television for the Internet. But at the same time, the television folks are embracing the Internet, with one big advantage: as the last medium to come to the Web, they have some history to look back on. And both print and the music industry provide key lessons in what not to do.
Magazines and newspapers were the first on the Web in the mid-1990s and adopted the then-reigning ethos: everything for free. We can always start charging later, went one theory.
More visionary folks saw that the Internet would someday be an incredibly powerful advertising medium: We're going to make it up on advertising. But it turned out there is enormous competition for ad dollars on the Web — community sites, games, search engines, and soon even application software, all competitors that print never had to face in the real world.
While many magazines and newspapers are attracting a large Web audience and lots of advertising, the revenue may never match what they made in the real world. Print's future on the Web: downsizing.
Next up was the music industry. Early on there were smart people in the recording industry who saw the potential of legal downloading: What business wouldn't like to sell direct to the consumer with no physical distribution costs?
But the industry was both complacent and overly concerned about upsetting the existing CD distribution chain. Thus they dragged their feet on downloading and were entirely overwhelmed — with no legal alternative to offer — when Napster appeared in 1999. Seven years later, illegal downloads still vastly outnumber legal online sales.
Now that video-capable broadband reaches more than half of American homes, it's television's turn to leap. And they're doing something that's collectively very smart.
Five networks — ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and WB — have announced a panoply of varied Internet initiatives that include both streaming and downloading, both for-pay and advertiser-supported, and even a deal with BitTorrent, the current number-one technology used by those offering illegal video downloads.
Some of the approaches virtually ignore the local stations (the current distributors); others cut them in on the deal. When you step back, it almost looks like an industry-wide research project, throwing a half-dozen business models at the wall to see which ones stick. As soon as winners emerge, you can bet the rest will follow — television executives are, if nothing else, very good at copying each other.
But what's the Internet upside for television? Print and music, of course, get to shed the costs of physical distribution — no more mailing magazines or shipping CDs.
Television, on the other hand, is already electronically distributed, in a way that makes lots of money for the networks and stations. But there's a different benefit for television — getting out from under the cable and satellite owners. It didn't take long, for example, for network TV executives to figure out that interactive advertising was going to be controlled by the set-top box.
In other words, if CBS sells an ad where the viewer clicks on Ashlee Simpson's sweater to buy it, under the current distribution model the cable or satellite company is going to get a cut of the action. With video delivered on the Web, the network could get 100 percent of the deal.
So when do we all start watching television on the Web? Certainly not anytime soon.
Computer manufacturers need to sell more media-centric machines, such as Media Center PCs, that connect directly to the big screen in the living room. Delivery to cell-phones must also be standardized and simplified. Apple could provide a boost when it finally provides a living-room Mac with full television compatibility— not to mention a video iPod phone.
Television producers have to be convinced that digital rights management systems will protect them from the illegal downloading of the music industry. And then Internet picture quality needs to improve. That last is inevitable: video compression and bandwidth will only get better. And MP3s and iTunes have already demonstrated that consumers will give up some quality in return for convenience and control.
Finally, it's once again worth looking at history. Ten years after newspapers went onto the Web, print circulation is beginning to drop substantially for many papers, while their Internet properties grow by double digits. On the music side, the value of legal downloads tripled in 2005 even as CD sales fell 7 percent, and neither trend is slowing.
It's only logical to assume that five or 10 years out, the television landscape will see a similar shift. Cable, broadcast, satellite — plus the new telephone company fiber-optic systems — will still deliver lots of video, especially high definition. But both consumer video buying and advertising spending will increasingly move to the Internet.
It's still very early days for the television industry on the Internet, but so far it seems to be doing an excellent job at keeping its business options open. Ironically enough, even though Internet entrepreneurs have always glorified the "first-mover advantage," television may demonstrate that the last to arrive at the party may occasionally still have the best time.
© 2013 MSNBC Interactive. Reprints