The motion picture was released in 1939, winning eight of its 13 Oscar nominations. The movie starred Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable and further increased the novel’s already intense popularity.

In celebration of this anniversary, Atlanta is hosting several city-wide events this month.

About Gone With the Wind
The 1936 American novel by Margaret Mitchell set in the Old South American Civil War and Reconstruction. The novel won the 1937 Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into an Academy Award-winning 1939 film of the same name. It was also adapted during the 1970s into a stage musical titled Scarlett; there is also a 2008 new musical stage adaptation in London’s West End titled Gone With The Wind. It is the only novel by Mitchell published during her lifetime, and it took her ten years to write it. The novel is one of the most popular books of all time, selling more than 30 million copies (see list of best-selling books). Over the years, the novel has also been analyzed for its symbolism and treatment of mythological archetypes.

Search for signed collectible editions of Gone With the Wind.

Justin Cronin (born 1962) is an American author. He has written three novels: Mary and O’Neil, The Summer Guest and The Passage. Awards he’s won for his fiction include the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Stephen Crane Prize, and the Whiting Writer’s Award.

About The Passage

With The Passage, award-winning author Justin Cronin has written both a relentlessly suspenseful adventure and an epic chronicle of human endurance in the face of unprecedented catastrophe and unimaginable danger. Its inventive storytelling, masterful prose, and depth of human insight mark it as a crucial and transcendent work of modern fiction.

Reference: http://liljas-library.com/

1922
The story opens with the confession of Wilfred James to the murder of his wife, Arlette, following their move to Hemingford, Nebraska onto land willed to Arlette by her father.

Big Driver
Mystery writer, Tess, has been supplementing her writing income for years by doing speaking engagements with no problems. But following a last-minute invitation to a book club 60 miles away, she takes a shortcut home with dire consequences.

Fair Extension
Harry Streeter, who is suffering from cancer, decides to make a deal with the devil but, as always, there is a price to pay.

A Good Marriage
Darcy Anderson learns more about her husband of over twenty years than she would have liked to know when she stumbles literally upon a box under a worktable in their garage.

If you’re a Stephen King collector, make sure to browse our online catalog.

Though Jimmy Carter eventually rose to the highest post in America, he began his career as a simple peanut farmer. Service to his country started in the US Navy and took him quite far from home, first as the Georgia Governor and eventually as the President of the United States. Not one to cease his pursuit of the public good, he dedicated his post-Presidential career to philanthropy and humanitarian service, improving the lives of countless thousands and earning the distinction among many historians of being the most engaged ex-President in American history.

Not only is Jimmy Carter an activist, he is also a Nobel Prize Winner and prolific writer who has penned over twenty books since leaving office. His writings explore a wide variety of topics both humanitarian and artistic, touching on politics, religion, human rights, growing old, and even poetry.

To honor and celebrate this great man, Veryfinebooks is proud to announce two of his best and most famous works, “The Hornet’s Nest” and “Keeping Faith”, both Signed Limited Editions.

These are two luxurious leather bound masterpieces that you can be proud to keep in your presidential library.

“The Hornet’s Nest” is significant because it’s the first work of fiction by a President of the United States — a sweeping novel of the American South and the War of Independence.

Design career

Vonnegut’s work as a graphic artist began with his illustrations for Slaughterhouse-Five and developed with Breakfast of Champions, which included numerous felt-tip pen illustrations of such subjects as anal sphincters, as well as other less scatological images. Later in his career, he became more interested in artwork, particularly silk-screen prints, which he pursued in collaboration with Joe Petro III.

In 2004, Vonnegut participated in the project The Greatest Album Covers That Never Were, for which he created an album cover for Phish called Hook, Line and Sinker, which has been included in a traveling exhibition for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Find more Vonnegut books at Amazon.

Lilja with Stephen King

Last week I had the unique opportunity of interviewing Hans-Ake Lija. As many of you know, he is the founder of the most viewed on-line Stephen King fan based website, Lilja’s Library. For over 10 years now, he has brought us the latest breaking news from the Stephen King universe. Stephen King’s official website has even praised it as “A Fan Site with a wealth of information.” Here is the question and answer session along with a few reader questions below:

There are many Stephen King fan sites out there. What makes yours unique that has contributed to its success over the years?

“I think that the number one thing is that I keep the news section updated. It’s extremely important to keep websites updated, what every it’s about, and I think I have done quite a good job on that. I think and hope that people know that if they go to Lilja’s Library they’ll find the latest news and most of the time quite early. I also hope my readers like the other things on the site and that it all together makes Lilja’s Library a quite nice site to visit, both if you want to know the latest news or need to do research for a school paper.”

Your site, as it has been said before, has a wealth of information. If a new visitor comes to your site, where should they start?  In other words, do you have a “best of Lilja” section?

“That depends a little on their reason for visiting the site. My guess is that most want to know what’s happening in the King world and if that is the case they’ll just have to read the first thing they see on the site since my front page is also my news page. If they want older news they can get that in the archive and if they want a view over what’s in the pipeline they can find that under the “Release list” link. I believe the site is easy to navigate so anyone visiting shouldn’t have any problems knowing where they should go.”

Every couple of years I notice you completely redesign the website. Why is this and how long before we see a new design in the works?

“As with everything else it gets a bit boring to keep looking at the same stuff year after year and when that happens you know it’s time to redesign. And then you also have the functions on the site to consider. There’s always a better or a smarter way to do things and eventually you need to do an upgrade. After the last redesign (done by my friend Anders Jakobson) the site is very easy to update and that makes my work easier so that redesign was well worth. There might be some changes later this year but the details are still being worked on so we’ll have to wait and see if something happens…”

The big craze lately has been Twitter and the millions of users it attracts. Do you twit, and if not, are you planning to in the near future?

“No, I don’t twit. I feel that I keep my readers updated with the site and I have no desire to twitter about myself. For that I would have to live a more interesting life then I do…”

Do you have a Stephen King book collection, and if so, what is your most prized treasure? And is it signed?

“I do have a collection but it’s not very impressive. I do however have some items that I’m quite proud of. The most expensive (in terms of money) would be a copy of “Six Stories” (and yes, it’s signed). When it comes to sentimental value my most valued items are a few copies of “Lisey’s Story” that Steve signed for me in person, face to face, in London 2006.”

Your website appeared in The Stand comic, you have a new book coming out, so the next logical step would be a movie. Would you ever consider playing a role in any one of King’s movies and would you do it if asked?

“Haha, well, I don’t know if that is a logical step… If I was asked to play something like a corps that was just lying around being gory that would be fun but I totally suck in the acting department so I would not accept a leading role in a movie.”

The Upcoming New Book

Lilja's Library: The World of Stephen King

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Let’s talk about the new book. Can you tell us a little bit about this book and how the idea of publishing this came about? Is it going to be illustrated?

“Well, the book is a collection of all the reviews and interviews I have done for the site up till around mid 2008 and a some extra reviews and interviews that isn’t on the site. I was approached by Cemetery Dance about doing the book and for about a second I though “is this a good idea?” and then I accepted ? I guess we’ll know later this year if I was right.

The book is illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne who’s illustrated the “Secretary of Dreams” books as well as created my mascot Marv – The Library Policeman and the mascot for Steve’s radio station. He has also done the beautiful illustrations that you can see on the front and back cover.”

When is it scheduled to be released and how can someone get a signed copy?

“It’s scheduled for an October release so it’s still a few months until it’s available. Anyone interested in buying a copy can go here:  http://www.liljas-library.com/section.php?id=59 to find links to Cemetery Dance, Amazon and other places that sells it. There is also a table of contents there.

There will be a trade edition for and a signed lettered edition. If someone wants the trade edition signed I’m afraid they will have to send the book to me (and return postage) since I probably won’t be doing any signings ? If anyone’s interested they can contact me at info@liljas-library.com and we’ll take it from there. Please remember that I live in Sweden though and it might const a few dollars to send the book.”

Anything else you’d like to say to your readers out there that they probably don’t know about you?

“I don’t think that they are that interested in me as a person   I can tell you though that Lilja is my last name (my first is Hans-Ake) and I’m not a female . A lot of people have thought I’m a she based on that they think Lilja is my first name. That is not the case though.”

Questions from our Readers

And now, here are several questions that our readers sent in :

If you could be one of the characters in one of Stephen King’s novels, who would you be and why?

“That is a very difficult question to answer. It would be fun to be Jack in “The Talisman” because he gets to have a wolf as a friend and he has a lot of adventures. There are other characters that I’d like to be as well but unfortunately they always find themselves in situations I don’t want to be in   so I guess I have to go with Jack even though he gets in trouble as well.”

I devour Stephan King books as soon as they come out. I’ve read several of his books several times and I’m going to start reading “The Dark Towers” again. How many of his books have you read over and over? Which ones? Which book was your first Stephan King book?

“My first book was “Carrie”. I read that one in the mid 80’s when I got it as a Christmas present. I have since read all his books and several of them more than once. Which and how many I don’t know but I have found that I prefer to read it myself the first time and then listen to the audio version the second time. There is a lot of stuff you’ll find different when someone else reads for you. The one book that I have read the most times is “The Long Walk” which is one of my favorite books by Steve. I think I have read it about 4 or 5 times and it’s just as good every time.”

You interviewed artists like Michael Whelan, Stutzman and Wrightson among others. Interviewed filmmakers like Frank Darabont and Mikael Håfström. Your website appeared in The Stand comic. You interviewed Stephen King (TWICE!) and met him. After more than 10 years working in your website, is there anything you’re still looking forward to achieve?

“No, I have done it all… Just kidding. I definitely have a lot more I want to do with the site. If I hadn’t it would be time to put it out of it’s misery. I have a lot of names left on my wish-list for interviews. I would love to interview George A. Romero who’s been involved in many King adaptations. I also hope to get the chance to do more interviews with Steve himself. My readers seem to like them and I like doing them so it’s a win-win situation. Or maybe I could publish an original Stephen King story on Lilja’s Library… That would be very cool! I don’t know if the server would survive it though ”

Lilja, operating your website must be costly in terms of time and money. I see some ads from other SK related sites but will the time come when you have to make a nominal charge to help it pay its way? It’s a brilliant site and long may it continue whatever you do.

“No, I will never charge people for stuff on the site. I have (twice) asked for donations to keep the site up and running and both times my readers have been extremely kind and donated. And I have a donation link at the bottom of the site that from time to time generates some money. But that’s it. I might have to ask for donations again and if so I will but I will never charge people for anything on the site.”

Lilja, being that you are not an American, do you think this gives you a unique perspective when reading and analyzing the works of an American author like Stephen King?

“I don’t know if it gives me a unique perspective but I think it might give me a different perspective then reviewers in the US. With that said though I’m not sure if it’s better or worse. Maybe it’s just different…”

Well, Lilja, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. It’s been a real pleasure.

“Thank you! It was fun!”

There you have it. Everything you wanted to know and more. So what do you think? Leave a comment below.  For the latest Stephen King news and updates, be sure to visit Lilja’s Library by clicking on the banner below:

Related:

Stephen King signed and rare limited editions.

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Reviews

Netherland was published in May 2008 and was featured on the cover of the New York Times Book Review where Dwight Garner (NYTBR senior editor) called it “the wittiest, angriest, most exacting and most desolate work of fiction we’ve yet had about life in New York and London after the World Trade Center fell”. It would later that year make the prestigious New York Times Book Review list of “10 Best Books of 2008″ as chosen by the paper’s editors.

James Wood, writing in the New Yorker, called it “one of the most remarkable postcolonial books I have ever read”; and said it has been “consistently misread as a 9/11 novel, which stints what is most remarkable about it: that it is a post colonial re-writing of The Great Gatsby.

Awards and nominations

In the weeks leading up the announcement of the 2008 Man Booker Prize, Netherland was spoken of by some literary pundits as being the favourite to win.  However, on September 9, 2008, the Booker nominee shortlist was announced and the novel, surprisingly at least for some critics at the New York Times, failed to make the list.  The book was also nominated for the Warwick Prize for Writing (2008/9) and made it to the long list of that prize announced in November 2008.

Netherland won the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.

The books are called “History in the War of the Peninsula and in the South of France” from the year 1807 to the year 1814.

It appears that Stephen King is not too much of a Stephanie Meyer (“Twilight”) fan.  He recently did an interview with USA Weekend, where he compared Meyer to J.K. Rowling, the Harry Potter author.

He said: “Both Rowling and Meyer, they’re speaking directly to young people… The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good.”

wow!  Those are fighting words. King may not be a fan of Meyer’s writing, but he does understand why her series “Twilight” is so popular among readers.

He further states, “People are attracted by the stories, by the pace and in the case of Stephenie Meyer, it’s very clear that she’s writing to a whole generation of girls and opening up kind of a safe joining of love and sex in those books. It’s exciting and it’s thrilling and it’s not particularly threatening because it’s not overtly sexual.”

“A lot of the physical side of it is conveyed in things like the vampire will touch her forearm or run a hand over skin, and she just flushes all hot and cold. And for girls, that’s a shorthand for all the feelings that they’re not ready to deal with yet.”

We’ll just have to wait and see if and how Meyer responds to King’s remark. This may get interesting to say the least.

About Stephenie Meyer

Stephenie Meyer (née Morgan, born December 24, 1973) is the American author of the bestselling young adult Twilight series, which revolves around the relationship between mortal Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen. The Twilight books have sold over 40 million copies worldwide, with translations into 37 different languages around the globe. A film adaptation of Twilight was released domestically on November 21, 2008. Meyer is also the author of the adult science-fiction novel The Host.

Meyer was the biggest selling author of 2008, having sold over 22 million books in one year alone, with Twilight being the best selling book of the year.

Twilight

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Meyer says that the idea for Twilight came to her in a dream on June 2, 2003. The dream was about a human girl, and a vampire who was in love with her but thirsted for her blood. Based on this dream, Meyer wrote the transcript of what is now Chapter 13 of the book. Despite having very little writing experience, in a matter of three months she had transformed that vivid dream into a completed novel. After writing and editing the novel, she signed a three-book deal with Little, Brown and Company for $750,000. The book was released in 2005.

Twilight quickly gained recognition and won numerous honors, including:

• A New York Times Editor’s Choice
• A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
• An Amazon.com “Best Book of the Decade…So Far”
• A Teen People “Hot List” pick
• An American Library Association “Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults” and “Top Ten Books for Reluctant Readers”

The novel reached #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list for young adult chapter books, and has been translated into 20 languages. However, critical reception has been mixed. Booklist wrote, “There are some flaws here — a plot that could have been tightened, an overreliance on adjectives and adverbs to bolster dialogue — but this dark romance seeps into the soul.” Kirkus wrote: “[Twilight] is far from perfect: Edward’s portrayal as monstrous tragic hero is overly Byronic, and Bella’s appeal is based on magic rather than character. Nonetheless, the portrayal of dangerous lovers hits the spot; fans of dark romance will find it hard to resist.”

Fan following

Meyer has gained a following among young adult readers for her Twilight novels, which are set in the small town of Forks on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. Forks has thus received an unusual amount of attention, and celebrates “Stephenie Meyer Day” on September 13, the date of character Bella Swan’s birthday, in honor of the author.^[22]

Fans express themselves in other ways: “[They] dress up like her characters. They write their own stories about them and post their tales on the Internet. When she appears at a bookstore, 3,000 people go to meet her. There are Twilight-themed rock bands.”

In the spirit of Superbowl weekend, we have gathered a collection of what is perhaps the most highly regarded and recommended Superbowl books and DVDs you will find anywhere. Some of these are even collector editions that would make a great gift for the Superbowl fan and enthusiast.

In professional American football, the Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game and its ancillary festivities constitute Super Bowl Sunday. Over the years it has become the most-watched U.S. television broadcast of the year, and has become likened to a de facto U.S. national holiday. In addition, many popular singers and musicians have performed during the Super Bowl’s pre-game and halftime ceremonies. Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest U.S. food consumption day, following Thanksgiving.

The Super Bowl was first played on January 15, 1967 as part of an agreement between the NFL and its younger rival, the American Football League (AFL) in which each league’s championship team would play each other in an “AFL-NFL World Championship Game”. After the leagues merged in 1970, the Super Bowl became the NFL’s championship game, played between the champions of the league’s two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Since the NFL season extends into the New Year, the Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather than the year it was held. For example, Super Bowl XLII, played in February 2008, was actually part of the 2007 season. Super Bowl XLIII will be played between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009 in which the Steelers are a 6.5 point favorite.

Origin

The Super Bowl was created as part of the merger agreement between the National Football League (NFL) and its competitive rival, the American Football League (AFL). After its inception in 1920, the NFL fended off several rival leagues before the AFL began play in 1960. The intense competitive war for players and fans led to serious merger talks between the two leagues in 1966, culminating in a merger agreement announcement on June 8, 1966. One of the conditions of the AFC-NFC Merger was that the winners of each league’s championship game would meet in a contest to determine the “world champion of football”. According to NFL Films President Steve Sabol, then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle wanted to call the game “The Big One”.[3] During the discussions to iron out the details, AFC founder and Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt had jokingly referred to the proposed inter league championship as the “Super Bowl”. Hunt thought of the name after seeing his children playing with a toy called a Super Ball;[4] the small, round ball is now on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The name was consistent with postseason college football games which had long been known as “bowl games.” The “bowl” term originated from the Rose Bowl Game, which was in turn named for the bowl-shaped stadium in which it is played. Hunt only meant his suggested name to be a stopgap until a better one could be found. Nevertheless, the name “Super Bowl” became permanent. After the NFC’s Green Bay Packers convincingly won the first two Super Bowls, some team owners feared for the future of the merger. At the time, many doubted the competitiveness of AFL teams compared with NFL counterparts. That perception all changed with the AFL’s New York Jets’ defeat of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III in Miami. One year later, the AFC’s Kansas City Chiefs defeated the NFL Minnesota Vikings 23-7 and won Super Bowl IV in New Orleans, the last World Championship game played between the champions of the two leagues, as the league merger finally took place later that year. The game is played annually on a Sunday as the final game of the NFL Playoffs. Originally the game took place in early to mid-January following a 14-game regular season and playoffs. Over the years the date of the Super Bowl has progressed from the second Sunday in January, to the third, then the fourth Sunday in January; the game is now played on the first Sunday in February, given the current 17-week (16 games and one bye week) regular season and three rounds of playoffs. This progression of the date of the Super Bowl has been caused by the following: the expansion of the NFL regular season in 1978 from 14 games to 16, the expansion of the pre-Super Bowl playoffs from two rounds to three (also in 1978), the addition of the regular season bye-week in the 1990s, and the decision prior to the 2003 season to start the regular season the week after Labor Day, moving the start of the season to a week later than it had been (in 1997, for example, the regular season started on Sunday, August 31). Former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle is often considered the mastermind of both the merger and the Super Bowl. His leadership guided the two competitors into the merger agreement and cemented the preeminence of the Super Bowl. The winning team gets the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for the coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowl games and 3 of the 5 preceding NFL championships (1961–62, 1965). Following his death in September 1970, the trophy was named the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and was first awarded as such to the Baltimore Colts at Super Bowl V in Miami. Super Bowl III was the first to be numbered. Super Bowls I and II were not known as such until the game’s third year and were named “The AFC-NFC World Championship Game” when they were played.

Recommended Superbowl Books

Encyclopedia of the NFL: Superbowl XIII to the Zone Blitz (The Child's World Encyclopedia of the NFL) (Library Binding)

The Stars That Never Shine:

The Making of A Superbowl Football Player

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Review The Stars That Never Shine I think that this is an extraordinary book about sports, performance and life. It is a testamony of personal courage with clear examples of extraordinary teamwork and endurance through historically challenging years. Joe Harris’ dedication to the spirit personal accomplishment superceded financial reward and sometimes even constraints posed by social norms and race. Joe Harris is a winner and worthy of being a role model and motivational speaker for young and aspiring athletes. He is a humble and gentle giant in sports and still large enough to be thankful to his parents, community, coaches and alma marter — Georgia Tech. –W. Calvin Anderson The Stars That Never Shine will leave you with a keen perspective on life in the sports world; it brings a voice where there is silence. –Anthony Prior, author “The Slave Side of Sunday”. Autobiographical reflections of a former NFL Player from Super Bowl XIV. This book is a must read for aspiring football players. It provides invaluable insights and advice for ball players at any age from secondary school through college. It is a great tool for those who want a Super Bowl ring.

Team America

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Team America begins when President Derevenko of Russia declares that the American Superbowl Champions are not the champions of the world, only North America, and that the Russian National Team is better. He challenges America to a match to determine who the true champions of the world are. Although sceptical at first, America accepts the challenge and proceeds to build a super team of all-stars, the very best in America, to meet the challenge. When the words, “Russia vs. America,” flash across the television sets throughout America and around the world, sports fans, no matter what their background may be, are taken on a roller coaster ride of emotions that will change their lives forever. “Derevenko has challenged us. He says we are not the best in the world in football, that Russia is better. I say he’s wrong. He says let’s prove it down on the field where it counts. I say that’s a challenge we can’t ignore. What do you think?” -President Jack MacMillan “At first the people were sceptical. It was so bloody ridiculous, America playing the Russians for the championship of the world in football. Bizzare! Who the hell did the Ruskies think they were anyways. They were nobody. Nobody had ever heard of them before. What chance did they have of winning. None. And playing them in the summer, who’s brilliant idea was that. Football’s not summer. Baseball’s summer. The fall is football. And what about the prices they were looking to charge. Two and three times regular season prices. Highway robbery. And for what! A mess. A bloody travesty. The biggest goddam debacle of all time.” -The American People “You Americans, you’re unbelievable. I’ve never seen such arrogance in my life. Just because you’re Americans, you think you’ve got some preordained right to be the best in whatever field of endeavour you choose. You think just because you invented the game of football you’re bound to be better than anyone else. Well that’s just not true. I’ve seen the Russians play and they’re excellent and I’ve seen you Americans play and you’re just not as good. Believe me, you people are in for a rude awakening. Let me make a prediction right now. Not only will the Russians beat you, they’ll beat you easily. Mark my words, if this thing turns into a slaughter it’ll be you people on the receiving end, and you know what, it’ll look good on you.” -European Sportsman, Bunny O’Reilly “Is Team America a great team? I think not. It takes more than great players to make a great team. The pieces have got to fit together. There has to be a certain chemistry that brings the players together and binds them into a cohesive force. Whether Team America has the pieces that fit and the necessary chemistry to be great remains to be seen.” -Reporter, Frank Carrington “Nonsense! Let me state unequivocally, Team America will decimate the Russians. The defense will annihilate the Russian offense. By the end of the first half there will be Ruskie arms and legs strewn all over the field, along with a couple of heads. The offense will rip the Ruskie defense to shreds. There is no way they are going to be able to stop our power, even slow it down. We will be scoring points every time we get the ball and we will be getting it whenever we feel like it. Make no mistake about it, this is a great team. These people are winners, the cream of the crop. There is no way they can lose to anybody, especially the Russians. So if somebody suggests to you they might, tell him to put his money where his mouth is. Team America is a team we can be proud of, so enjoy and let nobody spoil your fun. Shortly, the carnage will begin and then there will be no doubt about it. Team America will truly be the champions of the world.”

SUPERBOWL HOLDINGS LTD.: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis [DOWNLOAD: PDF]

SUPERBOWL HOLDINGS LTD.: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis Though we heavily rely on historical performance, the figures reported in this report are not historical but are forecasts and projections for the coming fiscal year. The forecasts are updated quarterly. This particular report was updated in the last quarter. In order to maintain comparability over time and across companies and countries, we use an index system. In the case of a firm’s assets, we treat the total assets as equaling 100, irrespective of the value of the local currency. All other assets are then calculated as a percent from total assets. In this way, the structure of the firm’s assets can be easily interpreted and compared with international benchmarks. For liabilities, total liabilities and equity are indexed to equal to 100. For the income statement, total revenue is indexed to equal 100, and all other figures are calculated as a percent of these figures. Ratios are projected using raw financial statistics and, as ratios, are therefore comparable. The source(s) for the various raw statistics include public filings, corporate releases, and various other data sources. Given a company’s financial structure, the resulting figures are benchmarked across “leading competitors”. In choosing the leading competitors, Icon Group chooses only those firms with sound financial situations or those not undergoing radical restructuring, or where random volatility, mergers, or bankruptcy affects financial performance. Since the calculation of competitors’ benchmarks proceeds in a similar fashion, but are aggregated across all competitors, one can directly conduct a financial gap analysis. Here, Icon Group graphically reports, for each part of the financial statement, the larger gaps that the firm has vis-a-vis the leading competitors. A gap need not be a bad sign.

Recommended Superbowl DVDs

Super Bowl XXXI-XL Collector’s Set

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Continue your collection with the 4th decade of Super Bowl games! Live the excitement of Super Bowls XXXI – XL and the seasons leading up to each big game in a 5-disc collector’s set loaded with defining highlights, enhanced content and exclusive memorabilia. The fourth set in the Super Bowl Collection, Super Bowl XXXI-XL, features some of the most memorable events in NFL History: – John Elway caps his Hall-of-Fame career by leading the Denver Broncos to two consecutive Super Bowl victories — earning MVP honors in his final game – It took every play of the game to decide Super Bowl XXXIV as Kevin Dyson and the Tennessee Titans fell a yard short to Mike Jones and the St Louis Rams – The Baltimore Ravens proved defense really does win championships as Ray Lewis spearheaded a 34-7 drubbing of the New York Giants – Just a year after leaving the Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay’s John Gruden defeated his old team in Super Bowl XXXVII to become the youngest coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl championship – The New England Patriots establish a true dynasty by winning three of four Super Bowls behind the golden arm of two time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady and the clutch leg of Adam Vinatieri – Jerome Bettis returns to his hometown Detroit to lead the 6th Seeded Pittsburgh Steelers to their 5th Super Bowl victory This powerful 5-disc set features over 10 hours of game footage, recaps of every season, and a trip into the minds of the players and coaches that made these games legendary. Build your collection today!

NFL Super Bowl I-XL Collector’s Set

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Review: This is pure heaven for any true NFL fan. Highlights of every Superbowl since 1967 are presented here in one glorious package. Each Superbowl has a 25-30 min ducumentary about the game itself and is preceeded by a 20 min review of the season that led up to it. Not only this but each game also has a couple of extra documentaries about the key players/events. The photography is fantastic, the music is adrenaline-pounding and the packaging/booklets include full player listings, score breakdowns, programme covers and reproduction tickets.
This box set will only disappoint those who were expecting the full game broadcast for every Superbowl but then does anyone truly think that’s feasible at over 3 1/2 hours per game! Go on, treat yourself and work through them 1 to 40 to get a fascinating insight into the development of the game and first sight of every classic play.

NFL Films Super Bowl Collection – Super Bowls XXI-XXX

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Review: These Super Bowl DVD box sets have been simply the best, I tell ya. If you haven’t already, you have to check out the first two box sets.  Not only do these sets have highlights from the Super Bowls, but they have highlights from the season play leading up to each Super Bowl! And what highlights they are.  There’s two special features segments for each Super Bowl event.
The Super Bowls themselves on this set are:
Denver v. NY Giants / Denver v. Redskins / 49ers v. Bengals / 49ers v. Denver / NY Giants v. Buffalo / Washington v. Buffalo / Buffalo v. Dallas / Buffalo v. Dallas (again) / San Diego v. 49ers / Dallas v. Pittsburgh
The first two box sets are the two most cherished dvd sets in my collection. And I love DVDs, a little too much probably.

NFL Films Super Bowl Collection – Super Bowls XI-XX

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Prepare for impact because you’re about to witness more of the most incredible NFL action ever captured on film! Relive the greatest moments from Super bowl XI through XX. Experience the raw emotion, the hard hits, and the game-breaking plays that have made the Super Bowl the greatest one-day sporting event on earth.

The second set in the Super Bowl Collection, “Super Bowls XI-XX” takes you back in time to relive some of the greatest moments in Super Bowl history including:

-The Cowboy’s dominant defense the recovers from four fumbles and picks four passes en route to victory in Super Bowl XII.

-A Bradshaw-Stallworth pass for 73 yards that makes the difference in Super Bowl XIV.

-The 49ers’ close win in Super Bowl XVI that begins a decade of dominance.

-Joe Gibbs’ gutsy fourth-and-one play call that changes the momentum of Super Bowl XVII.

-Marcus Allen’s incredible change-of-direction run in Super Bowl XVIII.

-The colorful 1985 Bears’ defense that shuts down the Pats in Super Bowl XX.

This dynamic 5-disc set features over 10 hours of spectacular game footage, interviews and insights from the players, coaches and commentators who continue the tradition that is the Super Bowl. Build your collection today.

Live the excitement of the second 10 Super Bowls and the seasons leading up to each big game in a five-disc collector’s set loaded with defining highlights, enhanced content and exclusive memorabilia.

Greatest Moments in Super Bowl History

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For this new edition of great Super Bowl highlights, NFL Films jumps around a bit, staying away from viewing 34 Super Bowls in chronological order. The video is split up into 12 chapters focusing on different aspects, starting with “Masters of the Game,” which focuses on the three players who won multiple MVP awards (quarterbacks Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Bart Starr). Other segments look at special-team play, defenses, receivers, and the like. “The Quarterbacks” includes a segment on the MVP of Super Bowl 34, St. Louis Ram Kurt Warner. The material really comes alive in the DVD version of the title, but any fan of the game will be charged up by NFL Films’ gusto mix of music, action, and insightful interviews (from players, coaches, and such experts as Frank Deford, many of them new). –Doug Thomas

Additional features
This disc really shows how DVD can improve a production. During viewing, icons pop up on the screen indicating that additional information on the game or player being featured can be shown by pressing a button on your remote. For instance, when you see Washington Redskin John Riggins’s game-defining run at the end of Super Bowl XVII, you can read Riggins’s statistics for the day, see two interview segments about the play, or see the play broken down from multiple angles. DVD-ROM features include complete statistics for all 34 games, images of the programs, rings, and game play plus bios and trivia for the true fanatic. The use of multiple angles and separate audio tracks is underscored in diagnosing the dramatic final play of Super Bowl XXXIV with two different audio tracks: the elated Rams’ announcers and the dejected Titan crew. Hopefully, these impressive additional features will be used in more sport highlight shows. –Doug Thomas