PTS

For the most part, Italy fielded a real good team. It wasn't exactly their A team as they did have a few youngsters playing but the US was also in the same boat missing Donovan, Jones, Onyewu, Chandler and Torres. All five would have likely started based on the pre-match buildup. As for the game itself, execution is still an issue but the build up was much better for the US. They had more than a few chances but couldn't get good shots off. That said, they played a defensive powerhouse. Three things came out of this game: Clint Dempsey is clinical. He keeps getting better with age. I think we've seen the last of him at Fulham. I have to think a big club is going to want him in the offseason. Michael Bradley is a world class player. One of the best games I've seen from a US player against a quality opponent. Joining the Italian League where they breed defensive midfielders was a great career move. With the infusion of the German-American players, the US finally has depth at most positions. When healthy, we should be competitive against the world's best.

Happened to my sister with her iPad a few months back. I'm afraid it's probably too late to do anything now. The only chance she had was using Find My iPhone as soon as she realized it was stolen. Even then, the seasoned criminal knows to turn it off right away. Occasionally the dumb thief will leave it on and you can lead the police right to his location. http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/new-york-cop-arrests-robber-using-find-my-iphone-28-01-2012/ http://9to5mac.com/2011/11/22/find-my-iphone-helps-police-arrest-an-armed-robbery-suspect/

Horror? Or whore?

I didn't say there wasn't anything to do in WNY, there's just so much more down here. We are out and about every weekend doing something different. There are just far more family-friendly events here. Weather probably has a lot to do with it.

We are in Indian Land which is one of the fastest growing suburbs of Charlotte. Rock Hill is about 15 minutes away. Indian Land is still technically part of Fort Mill but that will likely change. We're right on the border of Charlotte's Ballantyne district which is like a mini downtown with all the brand new office complexes. I joke with my wife that there are more businesses in Ballantyne than all of downtown Buffalo. Downtown Charlotte - or uptown as they call in here - is 20 miles away.

Last year my wife and I moved our family from Buffalo to Charlotte. The decision was spurred after the birth of our first son. While we were both more than comfortable living in Buffalo, we couldn't say the same for a lot of our friends that stayed behind. I think a lot of us just accepted what WNY gave us and never though there was more out there. So we wanted to move somewhere that our son and future kids could grow up, enjoy and stay. We've been in the Charlotte area for about six months now and my only complaint is that I didn't leave New York State sooner. We ended up on the South Carolina side of the border just one mile from a really great part of Charlotte. It's so strange to have so many options around you (shopping, restaurants, activities, etc). In Buffalo, we found ourselves doing the same ole, same ole. We decided on SC because the property taxes are basically nothing. We have an amazing 4000 sqft home and pay $1400 a year in taxes! We paid four times that amount in Buffalo for a home half the size and quality. And what did we have to show for it? Now we live in an amazing community with hundreds of families and a boatload of amenities. Plus, there's a least a dozen or so families from WNY that we met so far. My wife and I tell each other everyday that we can't believe how nice we have it. I'm sure there are a few more cities in our great nation that are just as nice, so my advice to you is find one you really like and get the hell out of dodge. WNY will always be WNY. You can always go back because nothing will ever change there.

I hate when Bills fans play the "We Should Have Drafted ________ Instead" game. This organization is almost as incompetent in developing players as they are in drafting players. If Aaron Rodgers were drafted by the Bills, he would have been no better than JP Losman.

I've been with COD since it came out. I decided to try BF3 a few weeks ago and I can honestly say it's slightly better in all aspects. It did take a week of getting used to it but now that I'm comfortable, I love it. COD was getting stale, that said it is still a great game. The graphics and sounds on COD are great but they are surreal on BF3. I wish both games didn't come out at the same time.

WTF? That's all I got to say. If your life is so bad, kill yourself and spare the innocents.

Because the organization needs someone to come in and shake it up in the worst way possible. Enough with these nice guy coaches, I want a coach that puts fear back into the organization.

From what I've read after seeing this video, the fan came from the ULTRA fan section which in many European countries contains fanatical racists and Neo-Nazis. Goalie had every right to go to town on the attacker. The referee should have called the match. The red card does nothing to protect the players and it in fact rewards the attacker's motives. Even the Ajax coach was perplexed by the red card.

Can't believe I missed this. AZ is Jozy Altidore's club team. AZ's coach did the right thing pulling his team off the field. What was the referee thinking?

Just got the LOTR Extended Edition Bluray a few months ago. Watch it all over the course of two days. I could watch it again today if I had the time. Can't wait for this movie to come out. I'm sure it will be epic as well.

Just thought I'd update everyone. We moved into our beautiful new home last month in Indian Land, SC. Our community is awesome and we absolutely love where we ended up. We're just two miles from the Ballantyne area of Charlotte and we've got everything we need (restaurants, stores, supermarkets, etc) right on our door steps. The taxes are so low it's laughable. We'd be paying $20k a year in taxes in New York to have the same home. As for the schools, every person we talked to said they have become some of the best in the region thanks to the influx of new residents. As for as the culture shock, the only shock we've experienced is how freaking nice everyone is down here. Almost to a fault. It also took me less than an hour last Friday to register my vehicle, get my tags and license, pay my property taxes and register to vote. To top it all off, every single government employee I dealt with was nice. It was shocking.

I love me some Newt as well. I think he would be an excellent President.

The show has an interesting premise and had the potential to be good but the pilot rushed through what could have been a few good episodes. Not that I can blame the creators. If they went the route of slowing developing the story line, it would have been cancelled in two weeks. Now it will get cancelled in four. LOST is the only show that did it right. They went all in with the pilot but did it in a way that had us wanting more. I'm not even sure what I want after watching Terra Nova's pilot.

Red, White and ... ah eff it. He blew.

Some more gems from Pegula today. I'm paraphrasing but you'll catch the drift: On how much money he's spent on the team: "I don't really know and to be honest I don’t really care." On being an owner: "When you own a professional sports team, it's your obligation to the fans and to the city to do everything you can to win." My Favorite: "We're going to win a Stanley Cup or we are going to die trying."

Terry does it again. Sabres sign Tyler Myers to a seven-year contract extension. Rumor is $5.5 per year. Presser today at 2PM.

Let's see: the greatest QB ever to play the game or one that doesn't even register in the top 1000?

Thomas Vanek's brother-in-law Josef Vasicek was confirmed to be on the flight. Tragic day for many families and fans involved.

We do it all and it's funny you mention farming because that's one industry we saw in our preliminary research that appears to be underserved. If you need any help or have any questions, just shoot me a PM. We did check out Baxter Village and it's very nice but it's way too Neo-Traditional for our tastes. To go from 1.5 to 0.2 acres would be a tough pill to swallow for us. We put in an offer on a short-sale in a beautiful planned-community in Fort Mill two weeks ago. Now we wait to hear from the seller's bank if they will approve the sale.

I was thinking of working for Chick-Fil-A or Bojangles. But if that doesn't work out, I'll just have to fall back on my business. Part of the reason I'm moving is because I'm expanding my website development company into the Carolinas. I hear you. I think I'll manage but I'm worried my wife might find it harder. She's a momma's girl all the way. That said, both our parents are getting closer to retirement and not planning on sticking around New York. Maybe in general but I don't think that's the case in Fort Mill. Everyone we talked in Charlotte said that the schools in Meck County are pretty bad right now. Our realtor that her clients that want good schools are moving to Union County or just over the border into SC. My little one is 10 months so I got some time before having to worry about that.

Just an update. We are moving down next week. Originally, my wife was going to transfer within her company but long story short, she got a far better offer from another company. She'll be working in Ballantyne so we got a short-term apartment minutes from her work. Hopefully we can find and close on a house we like within three months! We are looking at communities just across the border in South Carolina where taxes are even cheaper. Hope to see some of you around at the Buffalo bars in the area.

All joking aside, the Obama Nation would likely "commit suicide" as John Adams famously said about true democracies. It would simply waste away. I have to believe that's why our founding fathers, who were obviously extraordinary men, set our nation up as a constitutional republic. Which is why I'm perplexed why Tea Party supporters are painted so poorly by the media and the liberals on the left. Does Biden consider George Washington and John Adams terrorists?