Mammoth Blog

Many said it would take a self-implosion for Jimmie Johnson to allow any Sprint Cup competitor back into the 2008 Chase for the Championship -- a wreck, engine trouble, failed inspection.

But in reality, all it took was a phenomenal run at Texas by Carl Edwards, who sliced Johnson's Sprint Cup points lead by nearly half and heads into Phoenix this weekend trailing the two-time reigning champ by just106 points. The maximum amount of points a Sprint Cup driver can make up in one race is 161. So, yes, the race is on....

"There's been a race the whole time," Johnson told reporters last Sunday after the Texas race. "You just never know what's going to happen. There are still 400 miles at Homestead-Miami and 300 at Phoenix. A lot can happen. Even at 183 points over Carl, I wasn't comfortable. I mean...If I stuffed it in the fence the first run, I finish 43rd, they're right there. It's a race of 20 or 30 points at that point."

While Johnson has won the last two races at Phoenix, Edwards last eight starts in the desert have resulted in three Top 5s, five Top 10s, an 11th and only one DNF. So though he has yet to take the checkered flag there, Edwards has an impressive resume in Phoenix. And he doesn't even need to gain an additional 77 points in Phoenix to make Homestead-Miami one phenomenal finish to the 2008 NASCAR campaign. It's also worth noting that a Roush-Fenway driver has won in Miami five of the last six years.

Now, if Jimmie Johnson does win the title, we're talking some pretty unique NASCAR history, as only one driver previous has ever won the Cup three straight years (Cale Yarborough, 1976-78).

So will it be comeback drama or NASCAR history at Homestead-Miami next weekend? Either way, that's a ticket worth having....[morw/]

Other notes on Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Nov. 14-16...

Carl Edwards -- there's that name again -- steadily has gained on Nationwide Series leader Clint Bowyer and enters Phoenix this weekend just 91 points behind that series leader.

Miami's own Juan Pablo Montoya will run both the Sprint Cup finale on Sunday and the Nationwide race on Saturday -- one of only two Nationwide races the Coral Gables resident will run in 2008.

With two races left, at Phoenix and Homestead-Miami, the race for the Craftsman Truck Series championship is closer than it's ever been heading to the final two events -- only six points separate Johnny Benson and Ron Hornaday. "No matter what I do, Benson's right there," Hornaday said after the race. "So it's going to come down to the end of it [at Homestead-Miami]. This is pretty cool. Two more races and we'll see." The Craftsman Truck finale race takes place Friday night, Nov. 14th, at Homestead-Miami and is FREE to kids. source>>>

A boy, no older than 5 or 6, stood close to his father and gawked at the floppy-haired young man towering over him in an elevator in a suburban Atlanta hotel on the morning of Sept. 27. After a few seconds of awed silence, the boy's father spoke to the young man.

"John Parker," the father said. "Can you give him five?"

Alabama senior quarterback John Parker Wilson, only a few hours away from taking the field against Georgia in Athens, smiled. He slapped five with the young Crimson Tide fan and said a few kind words before reaching his floor and stepping out. As the elevator doors closed, the boy's father turned to his friend.

"Now, if he could just throw the deep ball," the father said.

Such is life for Wilson, the quarterback who will lead top-ranked Alabama into Baton Rouge on Saturday to face No. 15 LSU in the Tide's final major test before the Dec. 6 SEC title game. Alabama fans love him now, because he has piloted the Tide with ruthless efficiency -- picking his spots to unleash his arm while allowing the defense, the offensive line and a deep stable of backs to set the tone. Still, it hasn't even been a year since those same fans cursed his name, or worse, mocked it with comparisons to a certain Manolo Blahnik-wearing starlet. On Third Saturday in Blogtober, a Bama fan who calls himself Crimson Daddy used to file posts about the quarterback under the name "Sarah Jessica Parker Wilson."

Before this season, some Bama fans' enduring image of Wilson's first two years as a starter came from last season's LSU game. Facing a third-and-12 from the Alabama 30 with the scored tied at 34 late in the fourth quarter, Wilson dropped back and LSU safety Chad Jones exploded through an opening in the line. Wilson tried desperately to secure the football before Jones flung him down, but the ball squirted loose. LSU recovered on the Alabama 3, and an easy Jacob Hester touchdown run kept the Tigers' national title run alive.

Or maybe those fans fully formed their opinion two weeks later, when Wilson's third-down incompletion sealed a home loss to lowly Louisiana-Monroe. The WarHawks didn't commit a turnover that day; Wilson threw two interceptions.

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Madonna had a little help from some friends at the Los Angeles stop of her Sticky and Sweet tour last night (Nov. 6) at Dodger Stadium, as both Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake turned up as surprise guest stars.

The former wowed the crowd during the third song of the night, "Human Nature," while Timberlake joined Madonna on "4 Minutes" towards the end of the show.

Spears, in her first public performance since the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, emerged from the back of the stage to the roar of the crowd, looking radiant in black heels and slacks, a white ruffled dress shirt and straight blond hair.

Singing with a mic in hand, she sauntered out for a diva matchup at the end of the catwalk. Meanwhile, every camera phone in the venue had already been whisked out to capture the moment while flashbulbs were firing at record speed.

After arriving alongside the guitar-wielding Madonna, the latter said, in mock surprise, "Oops! Hey Britney!" and then later, "she's not your bitch!" before Spears sang her own infamous lyric, "It's Britney, bitch." And then after about two minutes on stage, it was over. Spears was lowered beneath the floor and Madonna carried on to the next number.

Timberlake was another surprise, and he too received a thunderous response from the crowd on "4 Minutes," the song on which he guests from Madonna's "Hard Candy" album. Madonna and Timberlake reprised the choreography and staging they employed for the last time they sang the song live, during a promo performance at New York City's Roseland Ballroom in April. Much like Spears, once Timberlake's song was over, he vanished from the stage.

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Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and Dale Earnhardt Inc. have entered discussions that could lead to a merger between the two organizations, foxsports.com reported this week.

Such a union would bring together the Nos. 41 and 42 cars of Ganassi and the Nos. 1 and No. 8 cars of DEI, according to the report.

Juan Pablo Montoya drives the No. 42 car, but Ganassi has not named a driver for the No. 41 Target car. Martin Truex Jr. is the driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops car, and Aric Almirola drives the No. 8, which has not named a sponsor for next year.

One of Montoya's current sponsors, Texaco Havoline, will not return to the car next year, but Ganassi has a partial sponsorship locked in with Wrigley's for the No. 42.

"I'll tell you, I haven't really talked to Chip too much the last few days," Montoya said. "I haven't even asked him who's driving the other car (No. 41). Right now, our focus is trying to make sure we run better. At the end of the day, it's very important to make sure we've got a good teammate.

"That's more up to Chip than myself. I think, as long as I do my part, I'm pretty happy. We need to make sure the whole company runs a little better. It'll be a matter of time to see what comes out. Merger, no merger . . . I don't know. I just drive the car."

That the two organizations are aligned with different manufacturers is a complication. DEI runs Chevrolets and maintains an engine alliance with Richard Childress Racing, which also is in the Chevy camp. Ganassi has a contract with Dodge that runs through 2010. According to the report, the expectation would be for the newly formed team to move to Chevrolet, if details can be worked out with both manufacturers. source>>>

During a modest round of layoffs Monday and Tuesday at Hendrick Motorsports, Jimmie Johnson's spotter, Stevie Reeves, was told he would not return to the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet team next season. Reeves and the Hendrick organization part on good terms. The spotter, who helped guide Johnson to his second consecutive Sprint Cup championship in 2007, has already been contacted by other teams and is weighing his options.

"They wanted to give me plenty of time to find something before Homestead and not leave me hanging high and dry," said Reeves, who will spot the final two races of the season for Johnson as he attempts to win a record-tying third straight championship. "Rick Hendrick knows how to treat people, and that's what makes him so successful. Jimmie Johnson is a class act, and the only thing I regret is that I won't be working with him next year, but I'm going to land on my feet OK."

When the NASCAR season began 10 months ago, one major storyline was Dale Earnhardt Jr. vs. Kyle Busch, after Rick Hendrick's decision to drop Busch to make room for Earnhardt on his four-team roster.

So how have the two fared in a transitional season? In the Chase, they're no-shows: Busch is 10th in the standings, 428 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson, and just a single point ahead of Earnhardt.

In the regular season, Busch had it all over Earnhardt.

And Busch's Nationwide win last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway was his 21st national NASCAR win of the season: eight in Sprint Cup, 10 in Nationwide, three in Trucks. Busch is entered in all three races at Phoenix this weekend and could stretch that total 24. He's won the past two Nationwide races here, and he won the Truck race at PIR last fall. If he were in the Chase, this would be a "closer" track for him.

Next, a few days after next week's Homestead finale, Busch will fly to Japan to test a Formula One car. Probably just for fun, but you can't never tell ... and he's only 23.

? Earnhardt has seemed flat this fall, and a gas-mileage-doomed 20th-place finish at Texas didn't perk him up. He made the Chase but hasn't done much at all.

Just what's going on in his head at the moment is unclear. He has spent much of the year trying to become a Hendrick company man, and he has changed his image ... but that may also have changed his game plan on the track.

"It's been a busy season, it's been flattering and humbling," Earnhardt said. "A lot of good things have happened, a lot of neat stuff happened to me.

"Being with Hendrick, that was flattering to me.

"There were a lot of little pats on the back and compliments that were pretty cool. You get appreciated for when you do good, you get recognized for it. And you get help when you do bad. You get people trying to remedy why that happened, try to help keep that from happening again."

? Busch was a headliner all season, until two mechanical problems the first week of the Chase took him down a notch. Still, he clearly has overachieved.

"We've exceeded our goals," he said. "Our goals were to get a win, first, and then a couple wins, and then solidify ourselves as contenders and get into the Chase and compete for the championship.

"We didn't get a shot to compete for the championship, which is too bad. But there were plenty of highlights -- sweeping the road courses, winning the first race at Atlanta, and winning all the races I've won this year.

"We were OK in the spring race here, but we weren't running where we wanted to be. We've been working extremely hard on our flat-track program, because that's something we'll need to improve on next year."

to have a shot at the championship. We had trouble at both New Hampshire and Pocono.

"We're not as good as we were in the beginning of the year. Our cars haven't changed much, but we haven't gotten any better. Everybody else has just caught up that much....

"It's just phenomenal the way this year has gone. Pretty special times for us. Hopefully it will continue next year too." source>>>

Curt Hocker was just some Illinois State University student until recently when the El Paso Golf Club member purportedly made five holes-in-one over the course of just six days. Think that sounds insane? That's because it is.

The Journal Star reports:

Eighteen months ago, Hocker - a 22-year-old from El Paso - was just like most golfers. An avid player with solid game, he was still looking for his first career hole in one. Then it happened, on May 31, 2007. Then, a week later, it happened again.

And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again.

Twelve times in all Hocker has allegedly made a hole in one, a double eagle or both. In August, the Journal Star published a story about Hocker, who apparently made an ace on a par 4 and a double eagle on a par 5 in the same round of golf.

But that's nothing compared to what's happened in the past week at the golf club near Kappa. Beginning Oct. 29 and ending Tuesday about the time Barack Obama began sweeping the East Coast, Hocker and several witnesses say he made five holes in one in a six-day span...

Statistically, Hocker has a better chance of being struck by lightning while collecting his Powerball winnings on the way to a Ralph Nader victory rally than he does of making five aces in six days.

The last time I got struck by lightning while collecting Powerball winnings on the way to a Ralph Nader rally, I got so messed up from the electrocution that I thought I'd made five holes-in-one. Really though, it's easy to wonder about the veracity of Hocker's story, but the small probability of its truth doesn't mean it actually isn't true. And if it is, well, wow.

Hocker will finish his degree at Lincoln College. source>>>

avid Beckham helped UBC business students score a winning shot during a recent Google competition that demanded both cyber smarts and marketing prowess.

A team of Sauder School of Business students placed in the top 10 per cent of the first-ever Google Online Marketing Challenge.

They did this by homing in on keywords "David Beckham" to boost ticket sales for a Vancouver Whitecaps versus Los Angeles Galaxy exhibition soccer game that took place in Edmonton this May.

The Google Online Marketing Challenge required entrants to devise an effective online campaign for a local business. Each team received US $200 of free advertising on Google AdWords -- the ads that appear above or to the right of hyperlinks generated by a regular Google search.

UBC was one of four Canadian universities taking part in the Google challenge - one that attracted more than 1,600 student teams from 47 countries. An independent panel of academics from around the world ranked the students' campaign results.

Justin Wong, then a fourth-year marketing student at Sauder, found the learning curve fairly intense during the three-week Whitecaps advertising campaign.

Wong and his two Sauder teammates had to quickly figure out the intricacies of Google AdWords. The system works by auctioning keywords to the highest bidder. Advertisers must then pay that agreed-upon amount to Google each time someone clicks on the keywords.

And similar to organic Google searches, Google AdWords is also powered by search engine algorithms that reward relevance, ranking ads according to the frequency of clicks.

"So even if a company outbids others on a particular keyword," explains Wong, "its ad will move down to a less prominent spot if consumers are not clicking on it."

During initial bidding, Wong and his teammates won the use of keywords "David Beckham" for $2 per click. Then the Google Adwords auctions heated up.

"Bids went up to $3 per click," says Wong. However, the team thought the Beckham buzz was worthy paying the higher rate and would complement the campaign's other keywords, "Vancouver soccer" and "Vancouver Whitecaps soccer," which by comparison cost between 50 cents and a dollar per click.

"The reason we did so well had a lot to do strategic advertising and timing," says Wong. "We picked an event that could generate ticket sales and kick off a huge awareness campaign."

By spending $123 on Google AdWords, the team increased web traffic for the Vancouver Whitecaps website. Over the three weeks, their ads promoting Whitecaps' season ticket sales and the Galaxy-Whitecaps exhibition game generated a total of 141,452 impressions. An impression is when each time the ad loads onto a user's screen. That translated to about 12 impressions per penny spent on Google Adwords.

However, online advertising demands constant vigilance, says Wong, who is building a career in the online industry.

During the campaign, the three students had to spend time each day monitoring whether people were actually conducting Google searches with the keywords they were bidding on. They also had to calculate how much these "click throughs" cost in light of their total advertising budget.

Sauder marketing instructor Paul Cubbon says he's delighted at how quickly students applied their "big picture" learning to a live environment.

"They're taking what they understand about consumer behaviour, segmentation, targeting, perceptual mapping and positioning concepts into an evolving space," says Cubbon. "In this way, students are able to link strategy to implementation and results."

By way of proof, Cubbon points to yet another Sauder student team that finished strongly, making the competition's semi-finals within the "Americas" category. Over a three-week period, that team succeeded in generating close to 13 per cent of the total traffic to the Sauder home page by attracting potential applicants and showcasing Sauder's HR specializations in the MBA program.

Starting next January, Cubbon will make the Google Online Marketing Challenge a required assignment for his fourth-year e-marketing class.

"It makes students really job-ready," says Cubbon, noting that in the past marketing students wouldn't be tackling such complex tasks until some time into an actual job.

Wong says the Google competition gave him a head start on what has become the Holy Grail of most businesses today: search engine optimization.

"With the pressure on businesses to cut costs, online marketing is really the final frontier, the next big thing," says Wong source>>>

The Biggest Disney Vacation Sale of the Year FREE Nights, FREE Tickets, FREE $300 Disney Gift Card
Total savings over $1,000 per reservation! 7-night vacations from $94 per person, per night

Last update: 9:45 a.m. EST Nov. 7, 2008
MILWAUKEE, Nov 07, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Family vacations to the Walt Disney World(R) Resort in Orlando, FL are more affordable than ever with a new, out-of-this-world, blockbuster of a sale from United Vacations.
Now through December 20, 2008 customers who purchase a 4-night vacation package, including 4-Day Magic Your Way Tickets, to any Disney Resort Hotel will receive their next three nights for FREE. In addition, they'll also receive three days of FREE Theme Park Tickets and a FREE Disney Gift Card at hotel check-in valued up to $300 to enjoy and spend on vacation. Total savings is over $1,000 per reservation. Wow!
This offer is valid for travel January 4 through April 4, 2009 and April 19 through June 27, 2009.
Vacation packages are expected to go fast; therefore customers are encouraged to start planning now.

Example packages listed below reflect PER PERSON pricing and include:

-- Roundtrip flight to Orlando, FL
-- 7-night hotel stay (including savings from 3 FREE nights)
-- 7-day or longer Magic Your Way Tickets (including savings from 3 FREE
days)
-- $300 Disney Gift Card (per reservation based on selected travel dates)
-- Disney's Magical Express complimentary airport/hotel transportation
service
-- Best Price Guarantee
-- Access to 24/7 Customer Support

From Chicago O'Hare (ORD): Was Now
Disney's All Star Resorts (Value) $737 $634
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort (Moderate) $987 $799
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Deluxe) $1,330 $1,024
Disney's Old Key West Resort (Deluxe Villa) $1,538 $1,109

From Washington DC Dulles (IAD): Was Now
Disney's All Star Resorts (Value) $769 $664
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort (Moderate) $1,019 $829
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Deluxe) $1,362 $1,054
Disney's Old Key West Resort (Deluxe Villa) $1,570 $1,139

From Denver (DEN): Was Now
Disney's All Star Resorts (Value) $829 $724
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort (Moderate) $1,079 $889
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Deluxe) $1,422 $1,114
Disney's Old Key West Resort (Deluxe Villa) $1,630 $1,199

From Los Angeles (LAX): Was Now
Disney's All Star Resorts (Value) $919 $814
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort (Moderate) $1,169 $979
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Deluxe) $1,512 $1,204
Disney's Old Key West Resort (Deluxe Villa) $1,720 $1,289

From San Francisco (SFO): Was Now
Disney's All Star Resorts (Value) $996 $894
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort (Moderate) $1,246 $1,054
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Deluxe) $1,589 $1,279
Disney's Old Key West Resort (Deluxe Villa) $1,797 $1,369

To receive the savings from this amazing sale, the following must be included in the package purchase:

-- Roundtrip flight to the Walt Disney World(R) Resort (WDW)
-- 7 nights or more at a Disney Resort Hotel (select a SALE category)
-- to receive 3 FREE nights
-- 7-Day or longer Magic Your Way Ticket per person -- to receive 3 days
of FREE Theme Park Tickets
-- Promo code GIFT -- enter at the time of booking to receive the FREE
Disney Gift Card

More on the Disney Gift Card: Travelers can spend the Disney Gift Card online or splurge on vacation. It's theirs to enjoy however they want. The Disney Gift Card is the ideal way to buy Disney merchandise, food, parking, and much more. Disney Gift Cards can be redeemed at selected shops and food locations throughout the Disneyland(R) Resort, Walt Disney World(R) Resort, Disney Store locations in the U.S., DisneyShopping.com and Disney Cruise Line(R).
Consumers: Purchase online at http://www.unitedvacations.com, by calling 888-328-6877 or by contacting a travel agent.
Travel Agents: Book UV through VAX VacationAccess(R) at http://www.vaxvacationaccess.com or the VAX VacationAccess technology via Amadeus AgentNet, Sabre Vacations, and Vacation.com AgentNet.
Offer Terms & Conditions: Sample prices are based on double occupancy, and reflect vacation package rates available on unitedvacations.com as of 11/6/08 for 1/22/09 departures. SALE room categories must be selected during booking process to receive reduced rates. Reduced rates offer ends for bookings by 12/20/08 and is valid for travel 1/4-4/4/09 & 4/19-6/27/09. Promotion code GIFT is valid for travel 1/4-6/27/09 and must be applied at time of booking to receive a $100 Disney Gift Card at hotel check-in. $200 Disney Gift Card is only valid for travel 1/4-3/29/09. $200 and $100 Disney Gift Cards are combinable. DISNEY'S ALL STAR Resorts & DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM Lodge are based on a SALE Standard room, DISNEY'S CARIBBEAN BEACH Resort is based on a SALE Standard View room and DISNEY'S OLD KEY WEST Resort is based on a SALE Studio. Prices are subject to change as airfare and hotel availability may be limited. Prices include all applicable fees and charges including passenger facility charges, air segment fees and September 11th Security Fee unless otherwise noted. All prices shown are per person, based on double occupancy. Alternate origins, hotels and travel dates are available; prices will vary. Listed prices only available when booked on unitedvacations.com. Receive a Disney Gift Card valued at $300 for travel January 4-March 29, 2009 and $100 for travel March 30-June 27, 2009. Disney Gift Card offer is applied one time per reservation and not valid for previously booked rooms. Cannot be combined with other hotel offers. May not be applied toward package price, as applicable. The Disney Gift Card can only be used at select participating locations at DISNEYLAND(R) Resort, WALT DISNEY WORLD(R) Resort, DISNEY CRUISE LINE(R), Disney Store locations in the US, and DisneyShopping.com. See participating locations for details or visit DisneyGiftCard.com for more information about the Disney Gift Card program. Subject to availability, blockout dates and restrictions. All Disney offers, events, tickets, age ranges, services, attractions and entertainment may be seasonal and are subject to change without notice. As to Disney photos, logos, properties: (C)Disney Customers with economy airline tickets traveling to the US including Hawaii as well as Canada, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and San Juan who do not have Mileage Plus or Star Alliance status may check one bag for free and a second bag for a $25, per direction, service fee. For customers with at least Premier status in Mileage Plus or Silver status with Star Alliance, there are no changes to the number of bags they can check for free. For more information, clients can reference http://www.united.com/baggage. For full details, see the Terms & Conditions. Prices may be higher on vaxvacationaccess.com. ^ Best Price Guarantee is available. View Best Price Guarantee policies.
United Vacations' America, Canada, Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, Mexico and Ski programs are operated by The Mark Travel Corporation in Milwaukee, one of the largest vacation companies and operators of private-label brands in the United States.
SOURCE United Vacations

// New Release - Total Pop! The First 40 Hits

Now *this* is the truly awesome Erasure release that we've all been waiting for...

To be released on the 23rd February 2009 is "Total Pop! The First 40 Hits" - a collection of Erasure's first 40 hits which features all the hit singles from Erasure's five no. 1 albums, eight top 10 singles plus a brand new remix of 'Always' by Jeremy Wheatley.

As well as a double CD package and digital download, Total Pop! will also be released as a special four-disc deluxe box set which includes Pop! (remastered since its original release), Pop2!, a live CD and a DVD featuring classic BBC performances from 1986-2005, which includes television performances ranging from 'Sometimes' on 'Top of the Pops', 'Ship Of Fools' on 'Wogan' to an appearance on 'Later With Jools'.

// New Release - Pop! Remixed

And if that wasn't enough, released on the 9th February 2009 is "Pop! Remixed", which features the brand new Jeremy Wheatley remix of 'Always' plus remixes from Vince Clarke, Mark Picchiotti, Manhattan Clique, Komputer and Sweden's Sound Factory.

Keep your eyes and ears open for further information on these exciting releases in the coming weeks.

www: http://www.erasureinfo.com

// New Shop Merchandise - Total Pop! Related Items

To coincide with the Total Pop! announcement, the Erasure Shop (Lexer Music) has the following exclusive items available now:

Erasure Logo Keyring
www: http://shop.lexermusic.com/index.php?p=product&id=262&parent=4

Five Commemorative Postcards Set
www: http://shop.lexermusic.com/index.php?p=product&id=204&parent=0

Mobile Phone / MP3 Player Sock
www: http://shop.lexermusic.com/index.php?p=product&id=203&parent=0

All the above items feature the classic Pop! era Erasure logo.

// Reminder: Andy Bell Live Performance (Tonight)

Don't forget that Andy Bell is performing tonight (7th November) at the 6th annual Act Art event at 'The Arches' (51-53 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1RU).

He will be performing several of his world wide Erasure hits as well as songs from his debut album 'Electric Blue'.

Act Art is an international platform for artists working in all disciplines including performance, live art, film, video, installation, site specific, painting, drawing, and photography. The theme of the event is Dying For It! addressing what's wrong with the world today.

Advance q-jump tickets available from wegottickets.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- The world of Web 2.0, forged by the millions of users flocking to popular sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Digg, is proving to be a fertile breeding ground for spammers, vandals and hackers who want to exploit the trust implicit in this ecosystem. These malcontents are either looking to throw a stick in the hub of a Web site's progress or make some extra cash. At the Web 2.0 Summit here Nov. 5, Google's Matt Cutts discusses how companies can recognize this activity to protect themselves and their communities. Continue>>

I Can See

Today's Scripture
"I don't know whether he is a sinner," the man replied. "But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!" (John 9:25).

"The people are the ultimate guardians of their own liberties. In every government on earth is some trace of human weakness, some germ of corruption and degeneracy. Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone." -- Thomas Jefferson

Wilkesboro, NC -- The box office will open for MerleFest 2009 ticket sales on Tuesday, November 11, at 2:00 p.m. EST. Ticket purchases can be made on the web at www.merlefest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. MerleFest, celebrating its 22nd year from April 23-26, 2009, will feature over 90 acts performing on 15 stages. A complete list of confirmed performers is available at http://www.merlefest.org/. Ticket prices for 2009 remain the same as for 2008

MerleFest fans to keep checking our website (www.MerleFest.org) for updates to our talent line up."

In addition to providing the full line-up, the festival's website, www.MerleFest.org, is a complete source of information on all aspects of the event. Festival fans are encouraged to visit the website and sign up for the MerleFest e-newsletter to keep up with the latest developments. They can also sign up to volunteer by visiting the site.

The MerleFest box office will open for 2009 ticket sales on Tuesday, November 11, at 2:00 p.m. EST. Ticket purchases can be made on the web at www.MerleFest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. With over 90 acts performing on 15 stages during the course of the event, MerleFest is an entertainment value, with 2009 ticket prices remaining the same as for 2008.

MerleFest honors the memory of instrumental virtuoso Eddy Merle Watson and the contributions of Doc and the entire Watson Family to the musical traditions of the region and nation. Held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, MerleFest began in 1988 as a fundraiser for the college and remains the largest fundraiser for the institution.