40 Years In The Desert: CFPB Draws First Blood (From a Vampire Squid)

CFPB Draws First Blood

Posted: 18 Jul 2012 09:05 PM PDT http://40yrs.blogspot.com/2012/07/cfpb-draws-first-blood.html

They just fined Capital One $210 million for misleading consumers on credit protection and protection monitoring programs:

Capital One Financial agreed to pay $210 million to resolve charges by banking regulators that its call-center representatives misled consumers into paying for extra credit card products.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/18/us-capitalone-cfpb-idUSBRE86H0SJ20120718 

 40 Years In The Desert: CFPB Draws First Blood (From a Vampire Squid)
*****

Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net Explore Carroll: www.explorecarroll.com The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com

Eagle Archive: Budget and the economy were worries in 1837 ... and still are

Eagle Archive: Budget and the economy were worries in 1837 ... and still are

by Kevin Dayhoff

This is the time of the year when many citizens turn their attention to the budget processes of Carroll County government and its eight municipalities. No matter where you live in Carroll County, money matters.

Statewide, Gov.Martin O'Malleyhas announced that on Monday, May 14, the General Assembly will get together for a couple of days to raise taxes and enact more laws, rules and regulations. (For more on this read, "Delegation says county stands to lose $1 million in special session," on ExploreCarroll.com.)... http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/carroll/opinion-talk/ph-ce-eagle-archive-0513-20120509,0,1799107.story

DealBook: Investors Likely to Reserve Judgment on France and more - Edited by Andrew Ross Sorkin The New York Times

DealBook: Investors Likely to Reserve Judgment on France and more - Edited by Andrew Ross Sorkin The New York Times
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1. M & A: Judge Halts Martin Marietta Bid for Vulcan Materials
2. INVESTMENT BANKING: Stock Trading Continues to Fall After Crisis
3. PRIVATE EQUITY: Blackstone Said to Be Set for a Calpers Investment
4. HEDGE FUNDS: Hedge Fund Intensifies Attack on Yahoo Amid Storm Over Padded
Résumés
5. OFFERINGS: Is Mark Zuckerberg Ready to Lead a Public Company?
6. VENTURE CAPITAL: Which Start-Up Is the Next Big Thing?
7. LEGAL/REGULATORY: Dewey Leadership Acknowledges the Firm Could Close
- Top Story -

DealBook: Edited by Andrew Ross Sorkin The New York Times
Monday, May 7, 2012
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For the latest updates, go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/dealbook
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TOP STORIES
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Buffett Talks Succession and Taxes at Berkshire's
Annual Meeting
Tens of thousands of shareholders gathered at the
CenturyLink Center in Omaha to take in Warren E. Buffett's
pronouncements on his massive conglomerate, the global
economy and whatever else tickles his or investors' fancy.
DealBook's Andrew Ross Sorkin was one of the reporters on
stage to ask questions as well.

Hanging over this year's festivities was Mr. Buffett's
disclosure that he has received a diagnosis of prostate
cancer. He has taken pains to emphasize that the disease was
caught early and that he plans to keep working for a long
time.

Mr. Buffett addressed the succession issue again, as well
as the ongoing controversy over his principle of raising tax
rates on the wealthiest Americans and his management
philosophies. He also briefly mentioned a deal that would
have been worth more than $20 billion, but said he had
discarded the idea after deciding the takeover would have
been too expensive.

DEALBOOK:
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/05/05/live-blog-berkshires-2012-annual-meeting/?nl=business&emc=dlbka10_20120507

Treasury to Sell A.I.G. Shares at $30.50
Apiece
The government continues to unwind its stake in American
International Group, as the insurer slowly recovers from the
depths of the financial crisis.

The Treasury Department announced that it would sell
163,934,426 shares of A.I.G. - or roughly $5 billion -
at $30.50 apiece. A.I.G. plans to buy back around $2 billion
of the stock.

"We're continuing to make significant progress exiting
our investment in AIG," Assistant Secretary for Financial
Stability Tim Massad, said in a statement. "We remain
hopeful that taxpayers will ultimately recover every single
dollar invested in the company, which is something few would
have expected during the depths of the financial crisis."

DEALBOOK:
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/05/07/treasury-to-sell-a-i-g-shares-at-30-50/?nl=business&emc=dlbka10_20120507

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 For the latest updates, go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/dealbook
Investors Likely to Reserve Judgment on
France
The incoming French president, François Hollande, may spend
more than investors would prefer to revive the French
economy, and may not immediately undertake certain labor
market and business reforms that are seen as necessary. But
analysts say investors are likely to give France a grace
period, The New York Times reports.

NEW YORK TIMES http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/07/business/global/wary-markets-likely-to-wait-to-cast-vote-on-france.html?ref=business&nl=business&emc=dlbka22_20120507

A Contrarian Bet on Greece
Just two months after investors in Greek debt were forced to
accept a 75 percent loss on their holdings, some
distressed-debt investors see a buying opportunity, The New
York Times reports.

NEW YORK TIMES http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/05/business/global/bondholders-bullish-on-greece.html?ref=todayspaper&nl=business&emc=dlbka22_20120507

An Heir Takes His Place at L'Oréal
Jean-Victor Meyers, 25, must convince shareholders he has
what it takes to sit on the board of L'Oréal in place of
his grandmother, Liliane Bettencourt, the matriarch of the
French cosmetics company, The New York Times reports.
Looming over the transition is the question of whether
Nestlé, which owns just under 30 percent of the company,
might one day make a play for the 30 percent stake owned by
the Bettencourt family.

NEW YORK TIMES http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/business/jean-victor-meyers-the-new-prince-of-loreal.html?ref=business&nl=business&emc=dlbka22_20120507

After Facebook, Wielding Political
Influence
Chris Hughes, a Facebook co-founder who recently became the
publisher and editor in chief of The New Republic after
buying a majority stake in the magazine, has been making the
rounds in New York political and literary society, The New
York Times reports.

NEW YORK TIMES http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/fashion/chris-hughes-and-sean-eldridge-are-the-new-power-brokers.html?ref=todayspaper&nl=business&emc=dlbka22_20120507

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1. MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS --------------------------------------
Judge Halts Martin Marietta Bid for Vulcan
Materials
In granting an injunction, Chancellor Leo E. Strine Jr. of
the Delaware Chancery Court found that Martin Marietta had
breached confidentiality agreements between the two
companies.

DEALBOOK:
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/05/04/judge-halts-martin-marietta-bid-for-vulcan-materials/?nl=business&emc=dlbka23_20120507

Westlake Abandons $1.2 Billion Bid for Georgia
Gulf
The decision follows acquisition talks with Georgia Gulf's
management that had been aimed at creating one of the
largest producers of building materials like olefins and
vinyls.

DEALBOOK:
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/05/04/westlake-abandons-1-2-billion-bid-for-georgia-gulf/?nl=business&emc=dlbka23_20120507

Micron Said to Enter Exclusive Talks for
Elpida
The chip maker Micron Technology won the right to exclusive
talks after offering more than $2.5 billion for Elpida
Memory, its failed Japanese rival, Reuters reports, citing
an unidentified person with direct knowledge of the deal.

REUTERS http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/07/us-elpida-micron-idUSBRE8430QA20120507

DigitalGlobe Rejects Offer From GeoEye
DigitalGlobe, a satellite imaging company, said on Sunday
that the $792 million takeover offer from its rival GeoEye
was too low, Reuters reports.

REUTERS http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/07/technology/digitalglobe-rejects-takeover-bid-from-geoeye.html?ref=todayspaper&nl=business&emc=dlbka23_20120507

Citigroup Records a Higher Value for Brokerage
Stake
Citigroup, which is selling pieces of its stake in the
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney brokerage, said in a regulatory
filing that the fair value of the asset was higher than the
$10 billion recorded on its balance sheet, Bloomberg News
reports.

BLOOMBERG NEWS http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-04/citigroup-sees-brokerage-s-fair-value-rising-before-sale.html

Comcast to Unload Part of A&E Stake
Comcast said in a regulatory filing last week that its
NBCUniversal division exercised an option to sell "a
substantial portion" of its stake in A&E Television
Networks, a deal that could be worth about $2 billion, The
Wall Street Journal reports.

WALL STREET JOURNAL http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304749904577384642829634950.html?mod=WSJ_business_whatsNews

Buyer for Taiwanese TV Company Laments Regulatory
Delay
The conglomerate Want Want China Holdings said delays in the
approval of its $2.4 billion deal to buy China Network
Systems from MBK Partners had cost it an additional $300
million, Reuters reports.

REUTERS http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/07/us-mbk-taiwan-idUSBRE84608H20120507

--------------------------------------

2. INVESTMENT BANKING --------------------------------------
Stock Trading Continues to Fall After
Crisis
The average daily trades of American stocks on all exchanges
was 6.5 billion in April, nearly half of the peak in 2008 of
12.1 billion, according to Credit Suisse Trading Strategy,
The New York Times reports. This decline has come even as
American stocks have doubled in price in the last three
years.

NEW YORK TIMES http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/07/business/stock-trading-remains-in-a-slide-after-08-crisis.html?ref=business&nl=business&emc=dlbka24_20120507

Broker Rebates Seen as a Conflict of
Interest
Payments that brokers collect from stock exchanges in return
for sending them business could be costing mutual funds,
pension funds and other investors as much as $5 billion a
year, according to a new study by the financial consulting
firm Woodbine Associates, The New York Times reports.

NEW YORK TIMES http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/07/business/rebates-to-brokers-are-seen-as-a-conflict-of-interest.html?ref=todayspaper&nl=business&emc=dlbka24_20120507

Ally Financial's Mortgage Woes
The overall picture at Ally Financial, which is still 74
percent owned by taxpayers, is improving. But the
company's mortgage unit, Residential Capital, is in
trouble, prompting speculation that it may file for
bankruptcy, Gretchen Morgenson writes in The New York Times.

NEW YORK TIMES http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/business/troubled-mortgage-unit-threatens-ally-financial.html?ref=business&nl=business&emc=dlbka24_20120507

Barclays Aims to Attract U.S. Depositors
The British bank is opening an online savings bank in the
United States as a way to help finance its American credit
card business, and is offering depositors interest rates of
about 1 percent, The Wall Street Journal reports.

WALL STREET JOURNAL http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304488504577384100381710504.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection

Signs of Life in London's Financial Job
Market
In London's financial sector, new job vacancies increased
by 9 percent in April compared with March, but were still
down 27 percent compared with a year earlier, according to a
recruiter, The Financial Times reports.

FINANCIAL TIMES http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/7a4dcadc-95f9-11e1-9d9d-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=published_links%2Frss%2Fworld_uk_business%2Ffeed%2F%2Fproduct#axzz1u8WntZZ6

Why Bankers Quit
New York magazine surveyed 74 current or recently departed
finance workers who are members of Escape the City, an
online community that offers advice for "corporate
professionals who want to 'do something different,'"
to find out what gave them second thoughts about working in
finance.

NEW YORK http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/topic/bankers-2012-5/

UBS Takes Risky Mortgage Securities to
Market
This week, the Swiss bank is seeking buyers for
collateralized debt obligations with a face value of $1.5
billion, dating to the height of the boom, Bloomberg News
writes.

BLOOMBERG NEWS http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-07/ubs-bets-on-toxic-debt-demand-after-fed-s-record-sale-mortgages.html

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For the latest updates, go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/dealbook
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3. PRIVATE EQUITY --------------------------------------
Blackstone Said to Be Set for a Calpers
Investment
The Blackstone Group is close to securing an account from
Calpers, the largest public pension fund in the United
States, Reuters reports, citing an unidentified person
familiar with the matter.

REUTERS http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/04/us-blackstone-calpers-idUSBRE8431IT20120504

Blackstone Buys a Singapore Business Park
With the purchase of the StarHub Green project from SEB
Asset Management for about $172 million, the Blackstone
Group made its first acquisition in Singapore, Reuters
reports, citing an unidentified person familiar with the
deal.

REUTERS http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/05/07/business/07reuters-blackstone-singapore.html?src=busln&nl=business&emc=dlbka31_20120507

3i Said to Be in Talks to Sell Enterprise
The British private equity firm is in advanced talks with
the Spanish infrastructure company Ferrovial to sell
Enterprise, which offers support services to utilities and
public sector customers, The Financial Times reports, citing
unidentified people close to the situation.

FINANCIAL TIMES http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/7020115e-9776-11e1-83f3-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1uAYWVYl3

HgCapital Puts Drug Company on the Block
HgCapital is looking to sell Mercury Pharma, which it bought
in December for £178 million ($287 million), and has chosen
Jefferies to handle the sale, The Financial Times reports.

FINANCIAL TIMES http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/ab4f8042-9790-11e1-9b05-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1uAYWVYl3

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4. HEDGE FUNDS --------------------------------------
Hedge Fund Intensifies Attack on Yahoo Amid Storm
Over Padded Résumés
Third Point, which is the middle of a contentious proxy
battle with Yahoo, called for the dismissal of the
company's chief executive, Scott Thompson, after revealing
that he had inaccurately stated his credentials.

DEALBOOK:
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/05/04/hedge-fund-intensifies-attacks-on-yahoo-as-storm-grows-over-padded-resumes/?nl=business&emc=dlbka32_20120507

A Cheerleader for the Hedge Fund Industry
Anthony Scaramucci, the founder and managing partner of
SkyBridge Capital, who is trying to make hedge fund
investing accessible to the less-wealthy, "thinks
attention is an undervalued commodity," Jessica Pressler
writes in New York magazine. "While his peers in the hedge
fund industry only occasionally emerge, groundhoglike, to
declaim somberly on the markets, 'the Mooch,' as he is
known, is a petite man-shaped fireball of energy, constantly
orbiting the public sphere and blazing a trail through
social events with a steady stream of charmingly
self-effacing stories."

NEW YORK http://nymag.com/news/business/themoney/anthony-scaramucci-2012-5/

Icahn Said to Sell LightSquared Debt
Carl C. Icahn sold his $250 million debt holdings in
LightSquared, the beleaguered wireless company run by Philip
A. Falcone, apparently making a profit, Reuters reports,
citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. In
addition, LightSquared's creditors were said to grant a
second week-long extension to Mr. Falcone in negotiations to
avoid a potential bankruptcy.

REUTERS http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/05/06/business/06reuters-lightsquared-icahn.html?src=busln&nl=business&emc=dlbka32_20120507

BLOOMBERG NEWS http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-06/falcone-s-lightsquared-said-to-get-week-credit-extension.html

Ackman's Borders Bet
An upcoming book, "The Alpha Masters: Unlocking the Genius
of the World's Top Hedge Funds," says that William A.
Ackman lost $200 million on his investment in Borders last
year, calling it "a big mistake on the buy," The New
York Post reports.

NEW YORK POST http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/bill_borders_problem_CKw4hgrvxviPpSK2TH6AaP

Paulson Said to Extend a Losing Streak
John A. Paulson's Advantage Plus fund lost 6.7 percent in
April, bringing its slump so far this year to 8.8 percent,
Bloomberg News reports, citing two unidentified people
briefed on the returns.

BLOOMBERG NEWS http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-04/paulson-hedge-fund-said-to-extend-slump-with-april-loss.html

--------------------------------------

5. I.P.O./OFFERINGS --------------------------------------
Is Mark Zuckerberg Ready to Lead a Public
Company?
Henry Blodget writes in the New York magazine cover story:
"As Facebook embarks on its I.P.O. 'road show,' the
question of just how good Zuckerberg is will trail it: His
control of the company is such that a bet on the company's
stock is a bet on him. Investors will be wagering on an
entrepreneur who's committed himself to getting better and
better as a leader. But they'll also be betting on one
whose commitment to his long-term vision is so deep that he
just might drive Wall Street crazy."

NEW YORK http://nymag.com/news/features/mark-zuckerberg-2012-5/

Zuckerberg's Control Over Facebook May Be a New
Model
In at least 10 of last year's tech I.P.O.'s, a special
class of shares gave founders more votes than new
shareholders, Bloomberg News reports.

BLOOMBERG NEWS http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-07/zuckerberg-stock-grip-becomes-new-normal-in-silicon-valley-tech.html

The 'Willy Wonka' of Silicon Valley
Mark Pincus, Zynga's chief executive, who refers to
himself half-seriously as "a kind of Willy Wonka,"
presides over a headquarters that resembles one of the
company's games, The Financial Times writes.

FINANCIAL TIMES http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f7ff2b72-942a-11e1-bb47-00144feab49a.html#axzz1u8WntZZ6

A Week of Small I.P.O.'s
This week's deals, none of which is larger than $200
million, may compete for attention with Facebook, which is
due to trade next week, The Wall Street Journal reports.

WALL STREET JOURNAL http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304752804577384911794213928.html?mod=WSJ_Markets_LEFTTopStories

--------------------------------------

6. VENTURE CAPITAL --------------------------------------
Which Start-Up Is the Next Big Thing?
Path, Taskrabbit, Square, Quora, Dropbox, Airtime, Pinwheel,
Pinterest, Uber? The New York Times lets you vote on your
choice.

NEW YORK TIMES http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/05/07/technology/start-ups-next-big-thing.html?ref=technology&nl=business&emc=dlbka34_20120507

In Scotland, Angel Investors Organize
Scottish angel investors operate with an unusual degree of
organization, forming syndicates that, as one professor put
it, behave "like mini venture capital funds," The
Financial Times reports.

FINANCIAL TIMES http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/44ab515a-95d7-11e1-a163-00144feab49a.html#axzz1u8WntZZ6

Letting You Text Pictures You Probably
Shouldn't
Snapchat, an increasingly popular iPhone app, lets users
send each other pictures that automatically disappear after
several seconds, but the service isn't without risks, Nick
Bilton writes on Bits.

NEW YORK TIMES BITS http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/disruptions-indiscreet-photos-glimpsed-then-gone/?ref=business&nl=business&emc=dlbka34_20120507

--------------------------------------

7. LEGAL/REGULATORY --------------------------------------
Dewey Leadership Acknowledges the Firm Could
Close
In a memo sent late Friday afternoon, Dewey & LeBoeuf
management acknowledged for the first time that the firm
could shut down.

DEALBOOK:
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/05/04/dewey-leadership-acknowledges-that-firm-could-close/?nl=business&emc=dlbka35_20120507

Dewey & LeBoeuf Confronts a New Reality
James B. Stewart writes in The New York Times: "The
circumstances at Dewey may turn out to be extreme. But the
firm's messy decline lays bare the harsh realities of
today's law practice, and shatters the perception, still
held by many members of the bar, that however transformed in
recent decades by the realities of the market, law is at
heart still a guild, a brotherhood (and increasingly a
sisterhood) - in short, a profession more than a
business."

NEW YORK TIMES http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/05/business/deweys-collapse-underscores-a-new-reality-for-law-firms-common-sense.html?ref=todayspaper&nl=business&emc=dlbka35_20120507

Spanish Banks Resist a 'Bad Bank' Rescue
Proposal
The largest Spanish commercial banks, Santander and BBVA,
which have big investments overseas, have opposed the idea
of having the government set up an asset management company
to house banks' toxic assets, The New York Times reports.

NEW YORK TIMES http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/07/business/global/spanish-banks-resist-idea-of-bad-bank-bailout.html?ref=business&nl=business&emc=dlbka35_20120507

Spain Said to Plan a Rescue of Bankia
Spain plans to provide Bankia with cash injections and new
managers, as part of a rescue of a bank whose toxic loans
have placed it at the center of the country's crisis,
Reuters reports, citing unidentified people.

REUTERS http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/05/07/business/07reuters-bankia.html?src=busln&nl=business&emc=dlbka35_20120507

Regulators Unveil Tighter Rules for Municipal
Bonds
Looking to prevent debt disasters like the one in Jefferson
County, Ala., federal regulators issued new rules on Friday
that are intended to curb practices like Wall Street
firms' underwriting a state's bonds while helping other
customers trade against them, The New York Times reports.

NEW YORK TIMES http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/05/business/tighter-rules-are-issued-on-municipal-bond-deals.html?ref=todayspaper&nl=business&emc=dlbka35_20120507

Crackdown on Corruption Overseas
James Surowiecki writes in The New Yorker: "When you read
the business pages these days, you can be forgiven for
thinking that international commerce is a cesspool of graft.
Yet, by historical standards, things have never been
cleaner. What's changed is how strenuously governments are
cracking down on corruption."

NEW YORKER http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2012/05/14/120514ta_talk_surowiecki

India Said to Begin an Antitrust Investigation of
Google
Indian regulators are looking into Google's online
advertising business, The Wall Street Journal reports,
citing unidentified government officials familiar with the
matter.

WALL STREET JOURNAL http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304363104577389280326071526.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection

A Case for Regulatory Robots
Jason Zweig writes in The Wall Street Journal: "Investment
advisers are being examined infrequently, inconsistently and
incompletely - largely because regulators are outnumbered
and reliant on outmoded technology. In a business world that
routinely runs on 'big data,' it's time to put
computers on the case."

WALL STREET JOURNAL http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304020104577384211255978898.html?mod=WSJ_Markets_LEFTFourthNews

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For the latest updates, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/dealbook or http://m.nytimes.com/dealbook.

*****

Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net Explore Carroll: www.explorecarroll.com The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com