Laurendeau has some extra variables to consider ahead of Davis Cup roster picks

There are a number of factors that Martin Laurendeau must consider before a decision is made on the Canadian roster for Davis Cup play.
For next month's World Group tie against Spain, a few extra variables are in play.
Laurendeau has a few weeks left to weigh his roster options ahead of the first-round matchup in Vancouver. Making things different for the longtime Canadian captain is the possibility that Jesse Levine could be in the mix and the opposition may not have its top player.
Levine, an Ottawa native who moved to the United States when he was 13, has petitioned the International Tennis Federation to represent Canada. It's unlikely that he will get approval in time for the Spain tie, but it's a possibility.
In addition, the status of world No. 4 Rafael Nadal is uncertain. The Spaniard announced last week that he probably won't play again for about two months, saying he needs time to recover from a stomach virus.
Nadal, who missed several months last season due to knee problems, now hopes to return at Acapulco on Feb. 27. However, he did not rule out playing at an earlier tournament if his recovery went well.
Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., is Canada's top singles threat and will have his hands full with Spain's deep lineup with or without Nadal. Toronto's Daniel Nestor is the Canadian doubles anchor and Vasek Pospisil of Vancouver rounds out the team's core.
"Our main task basically is to have a healthy team and to have all our players as sharp as they can (be) that early in the season, which is a difficult thing to do," Laurendeau said from Australia. "To play a Grand Slam and a Davis Cup within the first month of the year is a tough assignment. It's a tough start. You want all your guys healthy."
The fourth roster spot could go to youngster Filip Peliwo of North Vancouver, Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., Peter Polansky of Thornhill, Ont., or Levine, if he gets approval.
"It's that time of the year where things can go slowly and we haven't heard back from the ITF," Laurendeau said of Levine's status. "It's going to be cutting it short I think. There's an outside chance that he might be eligible but I think it's more of a longshot."
At No. 104, Levine would be Canada's second-ranked player behind Raonic (No. 13). Pospisil has the No. 125 spot, Dancevic is at No. 165 and Polansky has the No. 180 position. Peliwo, meanwhile, was named ITF junior world champion last year.
Laurendeau said whether Levine is selected or not, the 25-year-old southpaw is planning to be in Vancouver for training purposes and support. Levine reached a career-high ranking of No. 69 last January and has had success in singles and doubles.
"He can volley, he's got the feel, he can drop, he's got good hands," Laurendeau said. "Given the chance, he can hold his own and do his share of damage playing doubles. It's not at the top of his priorities but given the chance he can take on most of the teams out there."
Canada is hoping the indoor courts at UBC's Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Winter Sports Centre will provide an advantage against the top-ranked Spaniards, who are most dominant on clay. Anchored by world No. 5 David Ferrer, Spain has several top-flight players and will present a stiff challenge in the best-of-five tie.
"From our end, we don't have the same depth as Spain but our top players can hold their own against any of their guys," Laurendeau said.
Spain dropped a 3-2 decision to the Czech Republic in the 2012 final, a loss that prevented the Spaniards from claiming a sixth Davis Cup crown. Canada maintained its spot in the World Group with a 4-1 victory over South Africa last September in Montreal.
The hard-serving Raonic has shown that he can hang with anyone on tour, especially on an indoor synthetic hardcourt. If he can pull out a couple of singles victories and Canada can add a point in doubles or in the other singles matches, the host side will have a shot.
The roster must be named 10 days before the start of the Feb. 1-3 tie but up to two player changes can be made after that. For his lineup, Laurendeau must consider previous head-to-head matchups, big-match experience and health and fitness.
"As far as I'm concerned the No. 1 thing is to have everyone playing, everyone healthy and then we'll select (the lineup) accordingly depending on who's showing the best form that early in the season," Laurendeau said.
Injuries have been a problem for the Canadians over the last few years.
Polansky and Dancevic have had some injury issues and Raonic had to bow out of a key Davis Cup match last February against France due to a knee problem that did not prove to be serious.
It's also unclear who might be the best fit to play with Nestor, who has been a dominant force on the doubles circuit for years. Laurendeau has said Nestor's partner will be whoever is playing the best at the time.
"That's where his experience comes into play," Laurendeau said of the doubles veteran. "The ideal scenario is to play with the same guy every match of the year but come Olympics and Davis Cup that's difficult to do.
"He's important to the team because of his experience and his ability to play with whoever is thrown out there with him."
The tie will begin with two singles matches on the Friday of Davis Cup week. The doubles match goes Saturday and reverse singles are set for Sunday.
"Doubles on Saturday is always an important point and we've lost the last couple of points on Saturday, the last two times that we played," Laurendeau said. "We've really got to address that, the fact that if we want to beat Spain, we're going to have to come out with a win on Saturday this time around for sure."
Raonic's performance will be particularly critical for the 12th-ranked Canadian side at the 6,500-seat venue.
"He's a guy that trains really hard in the off-season and it's not a coincidence that he's done well early in the season the last two years," Laurendeau said. "And if we want to beat Spain, we'll need him to do it a third year in a row.
"We need Milos to be at the top of his game.

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Azarenka wins; Stephens vs Williams in Brisbane

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka opened her 2013 season with a 6-3, 6-3 win Wednesday over Sabine Lisicki to join No. 3 Serena Williams and fourth-seeded Angelique Kerber in the Brisbane International quarterfinals.
American Sloane Stephens had a 6-3, 6-4 win over Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson to set up a quarterfinal against Williams. She'll face a childhood hero.
"Obviously, she's been a really great influence in my tennis," the 19-year-old Stephens said. "I'm excited to play her and get on the court with her. I think it'll be fun."
Williams said she has been following Stephens' career and was "a fan" of her young Fed Cup teammate's style.
In her first tournament back since being sidelined by an abdominal injury following the U.S. Open, Stephens isn't awed by the prospect of taking on the 15-time Grand Slam winner.
"Obviously, I always was like, 'Oh, my God. I love her to death. She's amazing, whatever,'" Stephens recalled of early meetings with Williams. "Now she's like an actual person and I'm like, 'Oh, hi. How is it going?' She's not like a hero anymore. She's just a friend.
"Even if I go out there and lose, just bomb it, I don't win a game, at least if I'm able to focus on myself and do what's right for me, then it's not a loss."
Kerber recovered from 5-2 down in the deciding tiebreaker to beat Puerto Rican qualifier Monica Puig, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7).
Azarenka won her first major at the Australian Open last year during a 26-match winning streak to start the season and spent most of 2012 atop the women's rankings.
She said her focus ahead of her first major title defense was more about attacking than defending.
"I actually don't really look at defending anything. I'm just looking to win," Azarenka said. "I'm going to have the same mindset for as long as I'm playing."
The Belarusian, who won here in 2009 without dropping a set, got the better of 37th-ranked Lisicki in a match that had nine breaks of serve. Azarenka said Lisicki, who was serving at up to 121 mph, proved a tough match and a good measure of her preparations for the Australian Open, which starts on Jan. 14.
Lisicki was "serving some bombs," although the German player was only getting half of her first serves into play and had five double-faults. Lisicki mixed 36 winners with 36 unforced errors, trying to push Azarenka around the court.
Azarenka will play Kazakh qualifier Ksenia Pervak, who has ousted former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and Urszula Radwanska in matches decided by third-set tiebreakers.
"I hope she's tired," Azarenka said, joking. "She's a young girl with a lot of potential. She's going to be really motivated. I'm looking forward to the challenge."
Kerber rallied from 4-1 down in the third set and reached the tiebreaker when Puig was two points from the biggest victory of her career.
The 19-year-old Puig, ranked No. 124, buried a swinging volley into the bottom of the net at 5-2 in the tiebreaker and it changed the momentum of the match.
"For sure, it was a surprise how she played. I didn't know her before, but, yeah, I'm sure that she'll be coming very soon into the top 50," Kerber said. "I have a lot of confidence right now that I won again (in a) very close match."
In men's second-round matches, third-seeded Gilles Simon of France beat Colombia's Alejandro Falla 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) and No. 5 Kei Nishikori of Japan had a 6-3, 6-3 win over Tommy Robredo of Spain. Sixth-seeded Florian Mayer lost 6-4, 6-2 to 2006 Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis.
In the night match, fourth-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov was leading 6-2, 4-1 when Jarkko Nieminen of Finland retired because of a migraine.

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No. 1 Victoria Azarenka beats Lisicki 6-3, 6-3 to reach Brisbane International quarterfinals

BRISBANE, Australia - Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka opened her 2013 season with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Germany's Sabine Lisicki on Wednesday to join No. 3 Serena Williams and fourth-seeded Angelique Kerber in the Brisbane International quarterfinals.
Azarenka, who won here in 2009 without dropping a set, got the better of 37th-ranked Lisicki in a match containing nine breaks of serve.
The Belarusian won the Sydney International and then her first major at the Australian Open last year during a 26-match winning streak to start the season and spent most of 2012 atop the women's rankings.
She said her focus ahead of her first major title defence was more about attacking than defending.
"I actually don't really look at defending anything. I'm just looking to win," Azarenka said. "I'm going to have the same mindset for as long as I'm playing."
In earlier second-round matches, Angelique Kerber recovered from 5-2 down in the deciding tiebreaker to beat Puerto Rican qualifier Monica Puig, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7) and Sloane Stephens had a 6-3, 6-4 win over Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson to set up a quarterfinal against fellow American Williams.
Azarenka said Lisicki, who was serving at up to 194 kph (121 mph), proved a tough match and a good measure of her preparations for the Australian Open, which starts on Jan. 14.
She said Lisicki was "serving some bombs," although the German player was only getting half of her first serves into play and had five double faults. Lisicki mixed 36 winners with 36 unforced errors, trying to push Azarenka around the court.
"I had a tough challenge at the beginning," she said. "It's always good to see where you're at, right at the start."
She'll next play Kazakh qualifier Ksenia Pervak, who has ousted former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and Urszula Radwanska in Brisbane in matches decided by third-set tiebreakers.
"I hope she's tired," Azarenka joked. "She's a young girl with a lot of potential. She's going to be really motivated. I'm looking forward to the challenge."
Five of the top eight seeded players had already been eliminated midway through the second round.
Kerber narrowly avoided that fate, coming back from 4-1 down in the third set and clawing her way back in a tiebreaker when Puig was two points from the biggest victory of her life.
The 19-year-old Puig, ranked No. 124, buried a swinging volley into the bottom of the net at 5-2 in the tiebreaker and it changed the momentum of the match.
"For sure it was a surprise how she played. I didn't know her before, but, yeah, I'm sure that she'll be coming very soon into the top 50," Kerber said of Puig. "I have a lot of confidence right now that I won again (a) very close match."
Stephens had a convincing win over Arvidsson and next faces a childhood hero.
"Obviously she's been a really great influence in my tennis year career. I'm excited to play her and get on the court with her. I think it'll be fun," the 19-year-old Stephens said.
Williams said she has been following Stephens' career and was "a fan" of her young Fed Cup teammate's style.
In her first tournament back since being sidelined by an abdominal injury following the U.S. Open, Stephens isn't overawed by the prospect of taking on the 15-time Grand Slam winner.
"Obviously I always was like, 'Oh, my God. I love her to death. She's amazing, whatever,'" Stephens recalled of her earliest meetings with Williams. "Now she's like an actual person and I'm like, 'Oh, hi. How is it going?' She's not like a hero anymore. She's just a friend.
"Even if I go out there and lose, just bomb it, I don't win a game, at least if I'm able to focus on myself and do what's right for me then it's not a loss."
In men's second-round matches, third-seeded Gilles Simon of France beat Alejandro Falla of Colombia 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), and No. 5 Kei Nishikori of Japan had a 6-3, 6-3 win over Tommy Robredo of Spain. Sixth-seeded Florian Mayer lost 6-4, 6-2 to 2006 Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis.
In the night match, fourth-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov was leading 6-2, 4-1 when Jarkko Nieminen of Finland retired due to a migraine.

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3 reasons the next round of budget talks might be easier

Tough issues remain but there have already been some key concessions from both sides
Although Matthew Yglesias says we’ve entered "an era of semi-permanent fiscal policy crisis," there’s still hope to think the next round of budget negotiations — in two months when the U.S. Treasury is unable to borrow money and automatic spending cuts kick in — just might be a little bit easier.
1. The big reason for optimism is that the issue over tax rates is settled. Republican resistance to ever raising taxes on anyone was finally broken earlier this week. Taxes were raised on the wealthiest Americans and will bring in about $620 billion in new revenues over the next decade.
SEE ALSO: 7 inspiring firsts for the 113th Congress
2. House Republicans have already signaled to Democrats that they would consider an overhaul of the tax code — mainly by closing loopholes and limiting deductions — as a way to raise additional revenues to reduce the deficit.
3. President Obama has already offered a major concession on how the government calculates cost of living adjustments to Social Security and other entitlement programs. By moving to a "chained CPI" calculation, analysts predict the government would save more than $100 billion over the next decade.
There are certainly many more complicated and controversial issues to be hashed out, but the seriousness of reaching an agreement in two months might also spur greater cooperation. The "fiscal cliff" was a creation by politicians, not markets, and going over it — as we did for more than a day — really didn’t amount to much. But the next deadline involves the full faith and credit of the federal government. Reneging on our debts would have an immediate punishing effect by the financial markets and possibly throw the entire global economy into crisis.

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The Accidental Congressman: Can a good man survive in Washington?

A new documentary tracks the rise and fall of Ahn "Joseph" Cao, the first Vietnamese-American to serve in Congress
When Ahn "Joseph" Cao won election to the House in 2008, he ticked off a couple of firsts. He was the first Vietnamese-American to serve in Congress. He was also the first Republican in more than 100 years to win election in Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District, which covers nearly all of New Orleans. With zero experience in politics (he was formerly in training to become a priest), the diminutive candidate won election in the heavily Democratic district only because his opponent, William Jefferson, was mired in scandal. When he arrived in Washington, he was known as the Accidental Congressman.
Two years later, Cao was out of a job. His unlikely rise and precipitous fall is the subject of Mr. Cao Goes to Washington, a new documentary from PBS that premiered on Thursday night and will be aired across the country by various affiliates in the coming week. (Watch a trailer below.) The film, directed by Leo S. Chiang, is the story of what happens to a well-intentioned rookie who finds himself thrust into the partisan miasma of Congress.
Cao was always something of an anomaly in the country's halls of power. He told Deborah Solomon at The New York Times that he had joined the Republican Party for its "strong pro-life stance. That alone." His positions on other issues were decidedly liberal, though they were inflected with a religious bent. "I always adhere to what I call 'the politics of the Gospel,'" he told Solomon. "You have to take care of the poor, take care of the widows, visit the sick, help those who cannot help themselves." He crossed GOP orthodoxy multiple times (irritated conservatives kept track of his infractions), and, most egregiously, was the only Republican who voted to pass President Obama's health care bill. The distinction earned Cao the president's affection.
Or so he thought. The health care vote upended Cao's life. Republicans accused him not only of betrayal, but of pandering to his mostly black constituents. Cao then switched his vote to "nay" for the bill's final draft, claiming that the Senate had introduced language that could allow federal money to be used for abortions. His about-face earned him the disdain of Democrats, who claimed that Cao had let Republicans bully him into line. Cao claimed that all his votes were reflections of his conscience and beliefs; his opponents on both sides of the aisle said he reeked of political opportunism. And, when the air is so foggy with cynicism, who knows which side is telling the truth?
Cao was especially disappointed when he discovered that Obama had cut an ad in support of his 2010 opponent, Democrat Cedric Richmond. "From the tone of his campaign I expected something different than the usual political stance," he told Carlo Rotella of The Boston Globe. "I had hoped he was a person who would do the right thing, not the expedient thing." As Rotella notes, "Can he possibly be naive enough to mean this?

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The single dumbest gun-control measure ever proposed

With extraordinary shortsightedness, Connecticut lawmakers want to publicize the addresses of handgun owners
The Connecticut state legislature is about to consider changing the law to make the information and addresses of 170,000 Connecticut handgun owners public. Aside from potentially being unconstitutional on the grounds that such a law would violate (somewhat ironically) the right to privacy first enumerated by the Supreme Court in Griswold v. Connecticut, this proposal would, if passed, prove a boon for criminals, a disaster for unarmed Connecticuters, and would eventually lead to the proliferation of handgun ownership throughout the state.
That was not a typo: I did, in fact, write that the law would most harm people who do not own handguns. Of course, the gun-rights crowd is emphasizing the harm the proposal would do to gun owners' privacy. And they argue that it would put handgun owners in more danger. It's certainly true that the law would invade the privacy of Connecticut residents who own guns. But it wouldn't put them in harm's way. It would actually maximize the utility of owning a firearm — to the detriment of people who don't own guns.
Think about it. What idiot is going to choose to rob a home where he knows the owner is packing heat? Criminals tend to be stupid, but not that stupid. On the contrary, owning a registered handgun would dramatically decrease the likelihood of your home being targeted, all things being equal.
Here's what would happen: Someone, probably some ridiculous newspaper that does not think the consequences through, will FOIA the gun ownership records and publish them online in an easily searchable database. Would-be robbers would then visit this website and figure out which houses do not have residents who own registered handguns. Those will be their targets. In other words, this law would screw the very people it is aimed at protecting: people who do not own handguns.
Civilians will quickly catch on to this logic. It turns out that if you are a civilian and you are worried, you probably are going to want to be on that gun owner list, if only because you do not want to be among the crowd most likely to be targeted. At this point, the proposal’s most perverse consequence of all becomes clear: If this bill becomes law, Connecticut would likely see first-time handgun permit requests and handgun purchases skyrocket as people who never had any reason to desire a gun flock to stores so that criminals will be more likely to leave them alone. And because the proposal exempts rifles, people who already own guns for sporting purposes will also probably head to the store and pick up a handgun that they neither wanted nor needed.
This proposal, which appears to have received almost no critical thought prior to its introduction, is a perfect example of why legislators need to think long and hard about how they seek to regulate firearms. If they do not, ill-conceived proposals are apt to do exactly the opposite of what they were originally designed for. For historical evidence, look no further than the Assault Weapons Ban of 1990. The ban eliminated high-capacity magazines… but only for a limited time. Furthermore, the law grandfathered in all pre-ban magazines and failed to ban their importation in certain circumstances. Thus the number of high-capacity magazines actually increased while the ban was in place.
Additionally, the ban limited supply and, in the wake of the ban, demand skyrocketed. Gun companies like Glock cleverly arranged to have many of the police departments that use Glock trade their old weapons (with their pre-ban magazines) in for new weapons. Glock then resold the old guns and, more importantly, the pre-ban magazines at a considerably higher price, creating a windfall for the company. And then, of course, when the assault weapons ban expired, Glock resumed production.

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Today in business: 5 things you need to know

Regulators clear Google in antitrust probe, Tory Burch becomes a billionaire, and more in our roundup of the business stories that are making news and driving opinion
1. REGULATORS CLEAR GOOGLE IN ANTITRUST CASE
The Federal Trade Commission, after a two-year investigation, has determined that Google didn't violate antitrust laws by delivering search results that highlight its own services. The decision, released Thursday, constitutes a major victory for Google and allows it to avoid a costly and lengthy battle similar to the one Microsoft fought in the 1990s. That antitrust battle helped competitors challenge Microsoft's tech dominance, and now the weakened software giant is among the loudest voices complaining that Google is using its ubiquitous search engine to unfairly squelch competition. [New York Times]
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2. OFFICIAL DATA CONFIRM HIRING HELD STEADY DESPITE FISCAL CLIFF
Labor Department figures released Friday confirmed what private analysts reported this week: Employers shrugged off the looming fiscal cliff in December and continued to gradually hire more workers. Businesses added 155,000 jobs in the month, close to expectations, leaving the unemployment rate essentially unchanged, at 7.8 percent, from revised numbers for November. The new hiring was consistent to the gradual gains posted throughout 2012, which economists said would slowly but steadily bring down the unemployment rate. [Washington Post]
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SEE ALSO: The world's 9 best movie-inspired theme bars
3. TORY BURCH BECOMES A BILLIONAIRE (ON PAPER)
The former husband of fashion designer Tory Burch has sold nearly half of his 28 percent stake in her company in a deal that makes her a billionaire. Tory and Chris Burch opened their first store in New York in 2004, and divorced two years later. The company, which sells high-end women's clothing and accessories, has since grown into a retail juggernaut, with 80 Tory Burch retail stores and other displays in other outlets, including Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale's. Chris Burch sold off part of his stake to settle the former couple's legal squabble, fetching a price that values Tory Burch's 28-percent stake at $935 million. [Bloomberg]
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4. WHITE HOUSE SIGNS OFF ON OBAMACARE INSURANCE EXCHANGES
The Obama administration on Thursday approved another seven states' plans to set up health-insurance exchanges designed as a key part of President Obama's health-reform law. The White House has now signed off on the plans submitted by 17 states and Washington, D.C. The exchanges will serve as "a kind of Travelocity" to help individuals and businesses find the best deals on health coverage. The exchanges are due to start enrollment on Oct. 1, so consumers will be able to use federal subsidies to buy insurance on the exchanges by Jan. 1. Most states didn't submit plans to run their own marketplaces, so they'll have to either partner with the federal government or let the Obama administration establish their exchanges for them.

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Google's big antitrust victory: What the FTC's decision means for you

An investigation into whether the search giant was unfairly burying competitive sites in its search results ends with Google emerging unscathed
After a lengthy two-year investigation, the Federal Trade Commission elected Thursday not to pursue charges against Google for showcasing its own products in its search results over those of competitive websites. The five-member FTC commission unanimously voted to close its investigation, saying that the search giant, which dominates the U.S. search market with 70 percent of all queries, had not violated antitrust or anticompetition statutes, reports The New York Times. Here's what you should know about the FTC's decision:
What was the FTC after Google for?
Google pretty much has a stranglehold on the search market, but the company also competes in a number of other business arenas, including but not limited to: Maps, restaurant reviews, travel bookings, social networking, email, and more. Appearing higher in Google's search rankings can make or break an online business in terms of web traffic and revenue, and competitors accuse Google of unfairly spotlighting its own services on the first page of results. Microsoft, one of Google's most outspoken competitors, says Google was using its "monopolistic position to thwart rivals," hurting the business of Microsoft-owned properties like Bing and Outlook (formerly Hotmail). Google was also accused of lifting content from websites like Yelp to display information directly in its search results, thereby negating a user's need to leave Google.com.
And what did the FTC decide?
Jon Leibowitz, chairman of the FTC, says that Google's practices, save for a few small infractions, aren't really doing anything to hurt other businesses and aren't damaging enough to warrant further charges. "While not everything Google did was beneficial, on balance we did not believe that the evidence supported an FTC challenge to this aspect of Google's business under American law," he said. Not only does Google get to skip a long and expensive legal war, but the company will also retain the competitive advantage of being able to highlight products like Google+, Maps, Zagat, shopping, Gmail, etc. (For example: A search for "social networks" could place Google+ higher than, say, Facebook.)
Is anything going to change when I visit Google.com?
Nothing too major, at least when it comes to the everyday user experience. To its credit, the company is implementing a new system that allows websites to opt out of having their content "scraped" and displayed in search rankings, as in the aforementioned case of Yelp content. Another small change is Google will now have to license a few of its hardware and software patents it acquired from Motorola Mobility to other phone makers (like Microsoft).
What do tech experts think of the ruling?
Depends on who you ask, but opinions range from Google made out "pretty well" to "this is highway robbery." Tony Romm at Politico says Google escaped with not much more than a "slap on the wrist." Casey Newton at CNET echoes the sentiment while also declaring it a "major victory." In an op-ed for Gizmodo, Scott Cleland slams the ruling as egregious, and say the FTC "screwed up" the investigation completely. "If promising 240 million American consumers unbiased search when routinely and opaquely providing them with biased search is not a deceptive business practice, what is?" asks Cleland. "Is the FTC setting a new precedent here that misrepresentation actually can be net-good for consumers if accompanied with enough ancillary innovation and consumer benefits?"
So clearly Google's competition isn't happy, right?
Not at all. FairSearch.org — a coalition that includes Kayak, Microsoft, Expedia, and a number of other companies — said in a statement that "the FTC's inaction on the core question of search bias will only embolden Google to act more aggressively to misuse its monopoly power to harm other innovators." Yelp, another vocal critic, says the FTC missed an opportunity "to protect innovation in the internet economy, and the consumers and businesses that rely on it."
SEE MORE: Can computer programmers account for morality?
Does this affect the E.U.'s Google investigation?
Nope. "We have taken note of the FTC decision, but we don't see that it has any direct implications for our investigation, for our discussions with Google, which are ongoing," said Michael Jennings, a spokesman for the European Commission.  
How exactly did Google pull out this win anyway?
Essentially, by studying how Microsoft lost its own antitrust probe in the 1990s and vowing not to make the same mistakes. Rather than sit by idly as the FTC carried out its investigation, Google spent $25 million out of pocket to fly its people to Washington and lobby lawmakers. Politico reports:
Instead of ignoring Washington — as rival Microsoft did before its costly monopolization trial in the 1990s — Google spent about $25 million in lobbying, made an effort to cozy up to the Obama administration and hired influential Republicans and former regulators. The company even consulted with the late Robert Bork and The Heritage Foundation and met with senators like John Kerry to make its case. In other words, these traditional outsiders worked the system from the inside.

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Adapting To An Evolving U.S. Economy: Charitable Giving And “The Fiscal Cliff”

Avrum D. Lapin to join the founder of EJewishPhilanthropy.com to host a seminar for nonprofit leaders that fundraise in the United States and Israel

Jerusalem, Israel (PRWEB) January 02, 2013
Avrum D. Lapin, Director and Senior Partner of the Philadelphia fundraising firm The EHL Consulting Group, will join Dan Brown, the founder of popular philanthropy blog EJewishPhilanthropy.com, to host a seminar that explores fundraising ideas for Israel-based organizations seeking to innovate and adapt to an ever-evolving American marketplace. The two experts will discuss the newest trends in global philanthropy, and highlight the techniques that successful nonprofits employ as they plan for future success.
The free seminar, “Adapting to an Evolving U.S. Economy: Charitable Giving and The Fiscal Cliff” will be held on Monday, January 7th from 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM at PresenTense Hub, Hillel 14, 4th Floor in Jerusalem, Israel.
“As donors slowly recover from the Great Recession and re-prioritize their personal finances, nonprofit organizations around the world are significantly impacted,” notes Mr. Lapin. “How will the charitable marketplace in the U.S. be impacted by the outcome of the negotiations between the President and Congress around the so-called ‘Fiscal Cliff,’ and what are the implications for Israel-based nonprofits?”
Topics for the presentation will include:

    Giving in Response to Possible "Fiscal Cliffs": Learning how factors such as tax breaks, politics, and charitable deduction limitations may impact the scope of giving in 2013...and beyond.
    Personalized Donor Pages: Discovering how the most successful nonprofits are leveraging their social media connections to engage new donors online and expand their networks.
    Cause vs. Org: Understanding how online "investment models" are changing the way philanthropists identify potential nonprofit partners.
“Smart nonprofits are finding ways to adapt to the ‘New Normal.’ New technologies and techniques are being introduced into the marketplace. Our job is to ascertain if these strategies are working and to help perfect them,” Mr. Lapin concludes.
The EHL Consulting Group
The EHL Consulting Group is a nonprofit fundraising consultant firm located in suburban Philadelphia, and is one of only 38 fundraising management firms that belong to the Giving Institute. Founded in 1991, the Philadelphia fundraising firm guides nonprofit organizations across the United States and around the world in understanding and implementing the most effective ways to raise money and sustain support. For more information, visit http://www.ehlconsulting.com.

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Monster Jam Tickets Rev Up Massive Sales Traffic on BuyAnySeat.com

Tickets to Monster Jam 2013 events are driving massive online search and sales traffic for seats, said Felina Martinez at ticket marketplace BuyAnySeat.com. The shows start up on Friday night, January 4, 2013 in nine U.S. cities from Trenton, New Jersey to Tacoma, Washington.

Denver, CO (PRWEB) January 02, 2013
Monster Jam is set to kick into high gear again this year. The 2013 shows rev up Friday night, January 4, 2013 in nine cities, including: Trenton, New Jersey; Des Moines, Iowa; Nashville, Tennessee; Manchester, New Hampshire; Birmingham, Alabama; Columbus, Ohio; Rochester, New York; Tacoma, Washington; and Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The tour begins in the late winter each year and visits virtually all major cities in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The shows culminate with the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas every year, with this season’s finals event scheduled for March 23, 2013.
The series is sanctioned under the umbrella of the United States Hot Rod Association (USHRA) and takes place primarily in the United States. Although individual event formats can vary greatly based on the “intermission” entertainment, the main attraction is always the racing and freestyle competitions by monster trucks.
“Online traffic for Monster Jam tickets has been absolutely massive,” said Felina Martinez at online ticket marketplace BuyAnySeat.com. “Not only are tickets beginning to sell out for some of the dozens of upcoming shows, the show’s popularity grows each year as new competitors join the tour.
“Since fans of all ages attend these events, many times with close friends and family, we’re proud to be able to offer them a complete selection of Monster Jam tickets, with a worry-free guarantee to protect their purchase,” said Martinez.
“To access the continuously updated selection of discount Monster Jam tickets we have available, fans can go to BuyAnySeat.com and search for Monster Jam – then select their tickets,” said Martinez.
Monster Jam is a live motorsport event tour and TV series currently operated by Feld Entertainment and sponsored by Advance Auto Parts. Scheduled concurrently at different venues around the country, monster trucks face off in two different forms of competition – racing and freestyle.
In the smaller shows, there is a wheelie competition or a donut contest, and sometimes both. The goal in the wheelie competition is to hit a ramp and get big air while remaining perpendicular to the ground. In the donut competition, drivers try to spin their trucks until they get dizzy, the truck can't go any more, or they think they have a good enough score to win.
Side-by-side racing is traditional heads-up tournament racing, where the first truck to cross the finish line moves onto the next round until it is eliminated or wins the Championship race.
The freestyle competition gives drivers 90 seconds, plus a 30 second bonus period, on an open floor to show off their skills as they drive their huge trucks over cars. Drivers perform stunts and tricks that make these massive high-horsepower vehicles appear to dance gracefully across the track. The freestyle competition winner is determined by three judges who each give the driver a score out of a possible 10.
If the same driver who wins racing that night also wins freestyle, they receive the Double Down trophy, named after the Double Down activities in the Las Vegas Monster Jam World Finals. (Source: Wikipedia.com)
To shop for cheap Monster Jam tickets, visit BuyAnySeat.com.
About BuyAnySeat.com: An online ticket marketplace, BuyAnySeat.com connects sports, theater and other live entertainment fans to an extensive worldwide network of ticket sellers. The site’s simplified listings and navigational tools enable fans to easily locate, compare and purchase inexpensive, discounted or lower-priced tickets to virtually all advertised sports and entertainment events around the globe. The site, which is PCI-compliant and Norton Secured, also provides customers with a complete Worry-Free Guarantee on all ticket purchases. Based in Denver, Colorado, BuyAnySeat.com is a subsidiary of Denver Media Holdings. For more information, please visit http://buyanyseat.com.

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