Bowl Handle Fails to Flush Standard

Close but no cigar could be the post-theme of Super Bowl XL as far as a record Las Vegas Super Bowl handle is concerned.

Pittsburgh defeated Seattle 21-10 Sunday — easily covering the spread — the total went way under 47, Bill Cowper finally won a Lombardi and the Bus finally rolled a stop, while on top.

The $6,064,000 Question in the Land of Odds — besides “Did you win or lose?” was “Will the handle surpass last year’s standard of more than $90 million?”

“I won’t know until sometime Monday when I see all the numbers and things come together, but it’s going to be close,” said Tony Paonessa, race and sports book manager at Sam’s Town.

“Last year was close.”

Rich Baccellieri, race and sports director at the Palms, used the C word too.

“It was amazing how close everything was,” Bacellieri said, pointing to a differential of 50 in the number of tickets written on the two Super Bowl combatants among thousands sold.

“Right now I couldn’t tell you what the city’s handle was, just how we did here and our business was up 65 percent.

“That creates so much juice.

“But I’ll tell you this: we needed Pittsburgh.”

Many Vegas Valley sports books kicked off at Steelers minus 4, but 4 1/2s were available throughout the wagering period (including at the Las Vegas Hilton) and 5s were spotted here and there.

The Palms dove in at 3 1/2.

“We got money from every Seattle fan in the world,” Baccellieri said, acknowledging he took “several” six-figure bets.

“We had a lot of late money on the Seahawks, but the money line was fairly balanced.”

The Hilton also took a bundle on the Far Northwesterns — until just before wagering windows were shuttered.

“We had lots of Seahawks backing until a last minute rush on the Steelers,” said oddsmaker/supervisor Jeff Sherman.

He also reported a win for the house.

“Parlay cards had a good handle and average win, while props did very well,” Sherman said. “It just took awhile to grade them.”

SuperBook boss Jay Kornegay had a strong opinion on Pittsbugh going into the game.

The Palms broke even on parlay cards, while Sam’s Town reported a “small winning day.”

“The important thing is we didn’t lose,” Paonessa said, adding that the Boyd Group was a loser on the total.

All three resorts reported heavy traffic as Sin City circumvented the NFL ban on Super Bowl parties by offering food and drink specials and showing the game on regulation-sized TVs throughout the casinos.

“We were busy, but I’ve seen better,” Paonessa said.

“We were busy all day,” said Baccellieri, a veteran Caesars Palace employee who hadn’t been in Vegas for the Super Bowl in five or six years

“Always before I saw it from the perspective of a major Strip hotel,” he continued.

“It was fun, different, to view it from an off-Strip one.

“I’d call it a decent day.”

Not even close.

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I am having a ball today. Met some great people online who I am surely will meet in the real world very soon. It is just awesome that you can do such things through the Internet.

I met this guy and that girl and this guy and then another girl. They are all super nice and I love them already.

Bill Moyers Book inspects the partisan messages that have appeared in the crossfire to find out who’s playing politics to persuade, and potentially derail, real reform. You do not know what you are talking about. “Steele charged Obama of conducting a dodgy experiment which will hurt the economy and force millions to drop their present coverage.”. FACT : This is GOP ‘code’ for it will hurt the insurance firms bottom line and millions will happily drop their present coverage for the better govt option plan.  We all know that we need health reform to guarantee Yanks get the fine quality, reasonable care they need and merit. Under the enterprise, too many US people can’t get the reasonable care they need when they become ill. Real health reform must also improve the fitness of our country by making an investment in urgent prevention and wellness initiatives that help to keep Yanks healthy and out of the infirmary in the 1st place.

Today, USA citizens spend more on medical care than any other country in the world, yet we do not live longer. Scientists say this generation of Yank kids may not live so long as their folks did. If we do nothing, most of them will grow up to develop a prolonged illness that might have been forestalled if we made inducements to inspire wellness instead of just targeting treatment. When we help Americans give up smoking, forestall obesity and give them the tools and info they need to live fitter lives, we all benefit. Lingering diseases are the number one reasons for death and incapacity in the US and are an amazing drain on our medicare system. 85 p.c of the money spent on medicare goes toward people with one protracted condition.

A number of these conditions include diabetes, heart problems and obesity conditions that we all know we will be able to stop. The Yank folk remember the old proverb and they know that an oz of prevention actually is worth a pound of cure.
That is only one of the explanations why helping to stop illness and sickness also has strong public support.

A poll released this week by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation discovered that US people overpoweringly rank prevention as a top concern for health reform. Forestalling sickness and illness is an essential part of health reform.

We all know that it’s not enough to provide coverage and keep doing the same. It’s time to make stopping illness and illness the basis of our medicare system.

Pay-day loan no ATM card is a money advance loan in which cash is complicated to you on your monthly earnings or pay. Banks will give guarantee the cash will be paid in your account inside 24 hours of the approval of the loan. Sometimes the length of pay back the cash back is till your next pay day. That’s the reason why these loans are a. K. A pay-day loans. Some critical things to grasp Like other normal loans available in UK there’s some suitability criterion which has to be needed by the borrower. All adult UK voters are able to sign up for these loans. Borrower have to have a current checking account which is active and in use for the last half a year.

Your blemished credit could not create any problem in approval of the loan whether or not you are suffering from balance, default, CCJ, bankruptcy etc it’s not relevant for banks. Loan banks needed only your account number and a post dated check with an amount equal to total loan amount and the interest rate. On the arriving of your next pay-day this post dated check is going to enable reduction of the loan amount immediately from your account. You have another choice to increase the repayment duration if your monthly revenue is high enough to galvanize the bank, but lender is sure to charge some extra fee. Lenders don’t give any limitation on the use of the money. It is kind of private loan. You are free to use it for your weekend vacation trip, an additional shopping or paying of a medical bill. Its most advantageous part is that it is availing pay-day loans no ATM card. All you want to do is to fill in a web application with all needed info. This could include your private details like identity evidence or tax return and so on. And then click submit. Once bank is happy with your capability to reimburse the money, they transferred the money to your account the following day.

Do you know a good sunblock lotion? I tried one from Banana Boat and man, there is something in there that triggered my skin to respond with a lot of redness. It was itchy and I had to scratch myself so bad, it was horrible. The only way for me to get it off was to take a shower immediately. I get sunburns fast and so I depend on a good sunblock lotion for when being out in the sun.

A friend mentioned several high end products and they seem to be of better quality. So, I might try that and stay away from the cheap sunblock solutions that my local supermarket carries. In particular my friend suggested a Peter Thomas Roth oil-free sunscreen. It is supposed to be super light on the skin and the SPF 30 is usually more than sufficient as I do not stay longer than 2 hours in the sun.

So, I will keep you posted about this sunblock and if it works out or not. What sunscreen are you using?

I was recently using MSN Messenger for an online discussion and noticed the limited number of emoticons or smileys available. I am really surprised about that since I would expect MSN to provide a larger variety of emoticons to be available. A dear friend pointed me to several websites that provide msn emoticons of different kind. I did not know that this is such huge niche on the Internet. I settled on this site (Sexy MSN Emoticons) and found it very entertaining

Soccer Team Strategies With the 3-4-3 System of Positional Set Up

3-4-3,
Defense;
3, defenders,

These three are very confident that they can handle a lone striker or two forwards. They are also reliant on a good defensive midfield.

On the attack these players will play wide positions. On the defense these players will be more compact and allow the outside midfields to aid in the wider positions.

At times the inside mid-fielders will “show” for the ball. This creates an additional attack from the centre of the pitch as the mid-fielders become out-let players.

They are trying to convert the play by maintaining possession.

When there are only 4 midfielders the attitude is to feed the 3 strikers with the long ball from the back.

Midfield

4, mid-fielders are usually arranged as outside left, inside left, inside right and outside right.

The outside players are called, wingers or flank players and are also involved in striking the goal.

This would make this line up have a possibility of 4 strikers at any given time.

These wingers usually have the bulk of the running to do as they could carry the ball from the defending third and into the attacking third.

This also depends on the team strategy as outlined by the coaching staff.

The two inside mid-fielders are supposed to be the “play makers”.

These are the individuals who are responsible for carrying out the plans the coach and players have designed and used as the methods of attack and goal scoring.

These positions have traditionally played these roles. However nowadays the play making comes from anyone and sometimes all the players at any given time.

These inside players have also been more defensive in their general on field play.

This defensive idea is to stop the opposition from creating attacking options.

They will then gain possession of the ball and and mount an immediate attack through their play making abilities.

Forwards

3, forwards,This is the first time in any formations that we discuss the possibility of three strikers.

This is a team who definitely has goal scoring in mind first.

They want to put pressure on their opponents by having a greater numerical advantage while attacking.

This team also forces the opposition to become more defensive. This is a tactical of aggression from this team.

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NAHB’s Voluntary Model Green Home Building Guidelines

The voluntary Model Green Home Building Guidelines are designed to move environmentally friendly home building concepts further into the mainstream marketplace. Currently, there are approximately thirty communities throughout the U.S. that have green home building programs in place or in development. By developing the set of voluntary national guidelines, NAHB intends to help facilitate the adoption of green home building practices and the formation of additional local programs in the parts of the country not currently served by programs.

In the spring of 2003, NAHB approved a resolution supporting green building. In response to NAHB member’s requests to provide the membership with technical guidance to support the new green building policy, NAHB tasked the NAHB Research Center to manage a project to develop national green home building guidelines.

The NAHB Research Center worked together in an open, public process with over 60 Stakeholder Group members from the home building industry to create those guidelines. The guidelines contain six primary sections:

Lot Preparation and Design – With lot preparation and design, the builder has opportunities to demonstrate environmentally sensible construction practices. Even before the foundation is poured, careful planning can reduce the home’s impact on vegetation, soil, water, plus a home’s long-term performance can be enhanced. Such preparation can provide significant value to the homeowner, the environment, and the community. Included for the end user, especially developers, is a Site Planning Appendix that closely mirrors this section and provides additional guidance.

Resource Efficiency – This section shows how certain framing techniques and home designs can effectively optimize the use of building materials. Construction waste management concepts are also discussed. In addition, information is provided on how a home’s durability and the amount of time and money needed for maintenance are affected by how certain materials are used.

Energy Efficiency – This is the most quantifiable aspect of green building. The information on this section will help a builder create a building envelope and incorporate energy efficient mechanical systems, appliances, and lighting into a home that will yield long-term utility bill cost savings and increased comfort for the homeowner. It contains the only requirements to participate in this voluntary program: compliance with the 2003 International Energy Conservation Code, use of ACCA manuals to size HVAC equipment, and 3rd party plan review to verify compliance with the section.

Water Efficiency/Conservation – Although, the relative importance of water availability and usage varies from region to region, the concern with adequate supply of water is becoming more widespread geographically. Experience also shows that employing the line items from this section of the guidelines for indoor and outdoor water use can decrease a homeowner’s need for water and thus reduce utility bills, regardless of location.

Occupancy Comfort and Indoor Environmental Quality – Details in this part of the guidelines will indicate how to effectively manage moisture, ventilation, and other issues in order to create a comfortable indoor living environment.

Homeowner Education – Given the level of effort a homebuilder goes through to create a well thought out home system, it would be a shame not to give the homeowner some guidance on how to optimally operate and maintain the house. Line items from this section show a builder how best to educate homeowners on a variety of homeownership matters.

Each section contains a set of provisions that explain how a builder can incorporate green building concepts into a project. In addition, local builders and green building program developers may apply points to the provisions to further define green building through a scoring methodology currently being developed. Local homebuilder associations will be given a user guide that will provide additional information and guidance on ways to customize the guidelines to accommodate local conditions.The draft presented at Fall Board in Columbus, OH was a piloting version for dissemination amongst HBAs and builders for accuracy and practicality. A number of HBAs and High Production Builders have expressed an interest in helping NAHB to pilot test the document. The deadline for pilot testing was December 1st and the final version will be rolled out during the 2005 IBS in January in Orlando, FL. Currently, NAHB staff from the Energy and Green Building Dept. are traveling throughout the country presenting the guidelines to builders and HBAs who have expressed an interest in implementing green building in their respective businesses/communities. To date over 20 HBAs have voiced their interest and support, with many more to follow in the new year.

In summary, the voluntary Model Green Home Building Guidelines are for the mainstream home builders, many of whom are already incorporating some green building methods and materials into their construction practices. These voluntary guidelines will help systematize the green design and construction process and assist the builder toward incorporating more green building features into homes. As NAHB Research Center data indicates that there is a growing number of green homes built annually, it is expected that these voluntary guidelines will help builders meet the needs of this growing market.

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Condo Hotels – What are Condo Hotels?

The latest trend in vacation homes is the condo hotel. Marketed as a condominium located in a resort hotel, these private residences offer a practical way to own a vacation home, and offset some of the costs when you’re not there.

Condo Hotels first started appearing in places like Miami Beach and Ft. Lauderdale. They have increased tremendously in popularity and can now be found in places like Belize and Dubai.

Most condo hotel properties are owned by names you would recognize. Companies like Hilton, Starwood, Ritz-Carlton, Bulgari, and Trump see the condo hotel trend as a solid business venture. With names like that, if you choose to invest a condo hotel, you’ll know you’re dealing with well-respected, successful businesses. And when you purchase a condominium in a condo hotel, you’re not just buying vacation property, you’re investing in the hotel business.

Here’s how Condo Hotels works:

You purchase a condominium (prices range from as low as $400,000 to well over $2 million) that’s located in a resort hotel. You let the hotel know when you intend to stay in your condo and they reserve the dates for you. The remainder of the time, your condo goes into a rental program, managed by the hotel, and is rented out as a hotel room.

The benefit of this type of arrangement is that you get a luxury condominium in a luxury resort, but don’t have to worry about maintenance and upkeep when you’re not there. In addition, because the hotel will rent out your condo, your vacation home becomes an investment property. Because hotel management handles marketing and promotion, you don’t have to, and you get the added benefit of having your condo marketed as part of a well-known and respected luxury hotel. Imagine the marketing power behind names such as Ritz-Carlton and Trump! Having your vacation condo promoted under a name like that gives you unparalleled exposure.

In addition, property values for this type of investment having been steadily rising due to supply and demand. Especially for those who buy a condo during either the pre-construction or construction phase. Some have been known to increase in value by as much as 16% in the first year.

Keep in mind, there’s no guarantee how often or for how long your condo will be rented while you’re gone. Ideally, you could offset the costs of everything including the mortgage, but be prepared for times when that doesn’t happen. Remember that this is primarily a vacation home and potential long-term investment, not a short-term, quick money maker.

Another benefit of investing in a condo hotel, rather than simply purchasing a vacation home, is that when you stay in your condo, you get all the amenities of a four or five star hotel! Most condo hotels, because they are built and marketed as resorts, have fitness rooms, spas, fine dining restaurants, and pools. Some will even have valet and concierge services, complimentary continental breakfasts, boutiques, and many will be oceanfront properties.

How is a Condo Hotel this different from a time-share?

When you purchase a time-share, you’re not purchasing the property, just time at the property. You have to use the property and it’s facilities during the same time every year, unless you’re able to trade with someone else. This can cause challenges when trying to plan a family vacation. There’s no guarantee that you’ll have the same two weeks free next year that you have this year. And what if you want to go more than once year? Then you have to buy several blocks of time.

In some instances, a time-share gives you a specific week or two, but allows you to choose between several properties. You’re still limited by the dates you purchased, and may not be able to find a desirable location that has your specific dates available.

With a hotel condominium, you own the condo, which means that it’s yours to use as often as you’d like. No trading dates, or locations. You come and go as you please. While you do need to give the hotel advance notice so they won’t rent your condo on the week you’re planning to be there, as the owner, you get first pick. In addition, hotel condominiums are in such demand that they’re far easier to sell than a time-share.

Overall, if you’re looking for a second or vacation home, a condo hotel is well worth looking into. Not only does it give you the chance to enjoy vacationing at a luxury resort, but you’ve got a full-time management staff that will look after things when you’re not there. Because most condo hotels are luxury hotels, you get outstanding amenities and spectacular views. Add to that the fact that you can generate a little money by putting your condo in the rental program, and you’ve got a pretty good deal.

As with any major purchase, it’s wise to do some research before making any final decisions. Weigh the pros and cons carefully and be sure you’re not purchasing the condo with grandiose ideas of making money hand-over-fist. Yes, it is potentially a good investment, as is most real estate, but be sure your expectations are realistic.

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New England Patriots 28, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0

Here we are in the lull between the college football regular season and the bowl games. It’s nice of the NFL to schedule some games on Saturday to help with our withdrawal.

The game between the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was advertised as a great match up. The biggest line was with these two teams we had the winners of the last four Super Bowls playing each other.

I like the Patriots because of their team play and commitment to excellence. I like the Buccaneers because they are from Florida and there are quite a few Bucs that played for Florida State University.

The Pats had lost a few games this season and were on the way back up. The Bucs had struggled in the seasons following their Super Bowl win and were on the way back up.

I was all set for a great game. When I fell asleep in the second quarter, the score was New England 7, Tampa Bay 0. When I woke up in the fourth quarter, the score was New England 28, Tampa Bay 0.

New England quarterback Tom Brady was questionable for the game after 84 consecutive starts. I guess questionable works well for Brady because he threw for three touchdown passes in his 85th consecutive start.

Not a good day for the Bucs.

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