US LACROSSE COLLEGIATE OFFICIALS COMMITTEE NEWSLETTER

Joe Mars

Yesterday morning, Joe Mars of District 2 passed away. He was truly a genuine official. He did not care about ratings, games he was assigned, or coaches. He officiated the game to make the game better. Joe always told it like it was.

He never beat around the bush. He was true and honest. Joe always thought that end lines were over rated and never had a problem telling that to whomever evaluated his game. Joe would always confront an issue and never hide behind it. Yes, Joe trained us, in his own way, to become better officials.

For me, I officiated with Joe throughout the US and overseas. There was never one game that I did not learn something from Joe. I will miss Joe, the teacher, the official, and true friend that we have had over 30 years.

Please say a prayer for Joe and his family for he surely will be missed.

Steve Miller

This is a call for nominees for the Frenchy Julien and Bernie Ulman Awards for 2007. If you wish to make a nomination, please add a few sentences about the nominee and briefly make a case for him/her receiving the award.

All nominees must be sent to Butch West by e-mail at jwest@westcostello.com. You must either use the hyperlink or type my e-mail address in the "Send to" box. An open nomination period will be held until November 15, 2007. Nominations received after this date will not be considered.

The Frenchy Julien Award recipient shall be an active or past member of the COC, or prior to the formation of the COC, an intercollegiate lacrosse official, who has contributed to the continued success of the COC and, when applicable, has made meaningful contribution to the game of lacrosse.

The Bernie Ulman Award recipient shall be an individual who has contributed to the continued success of intercollegiate lacrosse officiating and, when applicable, has made a meaningful contribution to the game of lacrosse.

Thank you,

Butch West
Treasurer
US Lacrosse COC

To: US Lacrosse COC members
From: US Lacrosse COC Executive Board
Re: 2008 Membership Dues Renewal

For 2008, all COC officials in all Districts will be receiving two membership dues renewal notices during the month of August. One dues notice will come from US Lacrosse for $50 and the other will come from Assign By Web (ABW) for $35. Total dues for 2008 will remain at $85 as in years past.

All 800 COC officials (USILA and MCLA) will receive the annual membership renewal form from US Lacrosse for $50.00. US Lacrosse membership is required in order to officiate in 2008 and these dues will cover many of the services that US Lacrosse has performed on our behalf in the past: insurance, magazine, patches, game cards, directory, discounts on USL merchandise, e-mail newsletters, staff support, travel reimbursement for leadership, Convention logistics, and education/certification.

Due to the fact that ABW (the assigning service currently used by the USILA and COC members in Districts 1-4) has already collected almost 200 COC member dues of $35 each, ABW will continue to collect those dues from all 800 COC officials (USILA and MCLA) with its own dues notice in August for this year. COC members in Districts 5-11 who work MCLA games and use Arbiter will be invoiced by ABW for $35. Once ABW has collected these annual $35 dues, COC Treasurer Butch West will send these monies on to US Lacrosse for deposit in their account. These COC monies will be accessible by the COC Board and accounted for by US Lacrosse on a regular basis.

Finally, for a fee of $4,200 this year, ABW will assume some of the duties performed by US Lacrosse in the past: clinic attendance, rules test results, internet training video, library for rule book, mechanics manual, and ethics policy, along with an interface with US Lacrosse. As stated in our most recent letter to membership, this will allow DAAs, CAAs and District Governors one-stop access to determine an official's status.

Questions or concerns may be forwarded to the members of the US Lacrosse COC Executive Board.

1. NCAA rulebook revision recommendations for the 2008 season must be submitted by 6/20/07 to Walt Munze at aalaxcamp@aol.com. 

2. The annual Jim "Ace" Adams Sportsmanship Award winners, voted on by each district, for the 2007 season are as follows:
Dist. 1 Brown University Head Coach Lars Tiffany
Dist. 2 Albany State University Head Coach Scott Marr
Dist. 3 Yale University Head Coach Andrew Shay
Dist. 4 Duke University Head Coach John Danowski
Dist. 5 Savannah College of Arts and Design Head Coach Michael Cummings
Dist. 6 Oberlin College Head Coach Kevin Walz
Dist. 7 No recipient named
Dist. 8 University of North Texas Head Coach Karl Lynch
Dist. 9 Colorado School of Mines Head Coach Dan Hunter
Dist. 10 No recipient named
Dist. 11 No recipient named

Submitted by Eric Evans, COC Secretary

Jeffrey P. Sides, b: 06/13/56   d: 04/20/07
 
Jeffrey P. Sides, of Caledonia Township, Michigan, died on April 20, 2007 at Spectrum Health, Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI. He was born June 13, 1956 to Jack and Eileen Sides in Indianapolis, IN. He married Pamela Todd in 1990 in Coldwater, MI. He is survived by his wife, Pam; mother, Eileen Sides of Indianapolis; brother, Jay (Amy) Sides of Oakland, CA; sister, Nancy (David) Starke of Manhatten Beach, CA; mother-in-law, Leila Todd of Allen, MI; and brother-in-law, Bill (Judy) Todd of Coldwater, MI. He is also survived by five nieces, Molly and Katie Starke, Maureen and Audrey Sides, Dawn (nee Todd) and Jeremy Whitford, and one nephew, Tim Todd.
 
Jeff was employed since 2000 at Dematic Corp. of Grand Rapids in the Software Applications Group as a software project lead. He is a former resident of Dayton, OH and of the Silicon Valley in California working in the defense industry.
 
He was a certified MHSAA boy's and [COC and] CCLA men's lacrosse official, an APICS Certified Program Manager, and PMI Certified Project Management Professional. Jeff graduated in 1974 from Pike High School in Indianapolis, IN; Purdue University in 1979 with a BS in Industrial Management and from the University of Southern California in 1984 with a Master of Science in Systems Management. Jeff greatly enjoyed the sport of lacrosse and served as an official for the past nine years. He was a huge fan of Purdue University football and basketball as well as auto racing.
 
Services for Jeff Sides were held at the George White Funeral Home, Quincy, Michigan on Monday, April 23 at 1:00 p.m. with interment following in the Allen Cemetary. Memorials for Jeff may be made to the US Lacrosse Foundation or charity of one's choice.

MCLA Championships in Dallas, Texas • May 14-20 

NAA Bob Duggan has announced that the following officials will work the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association Championships in 2007. Congratulations to all.

Steve Adamick - WCLL
Gary Alabaster - WCLL
Don Balch - SELC
Keith Denebeim - WCLL
Pete Fleury  -  SELC
Dana Friend  -  CCLA
Hank Friedman - RMLC
Ed Giambalvo - SELC
Ashley Gorham - LSA
Dave Hague - WCLL
Aaron Koransky - PNCLL
Joe Lachat  -  RMLC
Frank Lynch  -  RMLC
Tim Markham - GRLC
Mark McInnis - PCLL
Kevin Morris - UMLL
Anton Schulzki - RMLC
Jim Shaw - GRLC
Greg Simon - WCLL
Jeff Thompson - CCLA
 
Submitted by Eric Evans, COC Secretary

Warren Kimber requested that the following memo to coaches by USILA President Kevin Corrigan be sent to all COC Officials.
 
Coaches,

Four weeks into this season and a number of things to report.
  
We have received an unusually high number of reports regarding instances of misconduct and unsportsmanlike behavior on behalf of coaches and players. To date we have already surpassed the number of suspensions from last season. These incidents will (and must) continue to be called, and when necessary, appropriate and subsequent suspensions based on the USILA's Code of Conduct must apply.
 
Please make sure the language of your players is in accordance to NCAA rules. Numerous incidents of player and coach language violations have been reported, but not flagged. Please know that THE OFFICIALS ARE BEING INSTRUCTED by Warren Kimber TO PENALIZE THIS VIOLATION, so be forewarned.
 
Close games mean that every call may be more intensely scrutinized and potentially more important. Officials are working to do the best job they can, and, it should be noted, are also being held more accountable for their  performance than ever before. Your evaluations, along with the observer  program and the scrutiny of the DAA's and Warren Kimber, allow for a  balanced evaluation of the officials....so please continue to fill out your  evaluations....they do make a difference in time but only if coaches take time to fill them out.
 
Given the increasingly competitive nature of games at all levels, we, as coaches, are responsible for assuring rule and sportsmanship compliance from our teams. Thanks for your continued efforts in this area.

Submitted by Eric Evans, COC Secretary

1. The required COC on-line NCAA Rules Test MUST BE COMPLETED BY JAN. 31, 2007. Access the test through the US Lacrosse Web site at http://www.uslacrosse.org/mens_div/mdoc_training.phtml. 

2. The 12/12/06 COC Newsletter listed the required COC/NCAA clinics. If you did not attend the one last weekend in Philadelphia, you need to make one of the following in order to officiate in 2007:

District 1: 1/28 Endicott College 9 a.m.
District 2: 1/28 Ondandaga Community College
District 3: 1/28 Days Inn, New Brunswick, NJ 9 a.m.
District 4: 2/3 Duke 9 a.m., 2/11 UVA 10 a.m., and Baltimore 1/27
District 5: 1/19 Ft. Lauderdale, 1/28 Emory University, 1/28 Orlando
District 6: 1/28 Columbus, OH 8 a.m., 2/10 Pittsburgh
District 7: Contact Bob Schulte, District Governor
District 8: 1/20 Austin,TX 10 a.m.
District 9: Contact Hank Friedman, District Governor
District 10: 1/16 San Diego 5 p.m., 1/16 Scottsdale, AZ 6 p.m., 1/20 Las Vegas, NV 9 a.m., 1/20 Vallejo, CA 9 a.m., 
                  1/27 Huntington Beach, CA 9 a.m., 1/27 Carpinteria, CA 9 a.m., 1/27 Stanford, CA 9 a.m.
District 11:  1/20 Portland, 1/27 Seattle Pacific University
 
3. Summary of the 2006 Observers Program, by Bob Curcio 
 
• 353 officials were observed in 2006. This represents 81% of our target population who were observed and received some feedback.
• There are innumerable reasons why some officials do not get observed while others are seen more than once each season. If anyone has questions regarding this (or anything else related to the program), feel free to contact me.
• This past Fall, approximately 30 officials were invited to work in various tournaments; about half of them received upgrades in 2007 based on their performances in 2006 and in the Fall.
• 19 officials were selected to work in the NCAA tournament in 2006 for the first time; many of these officials were recommended via the Observer Program.
• In an attempt to increase the pool of officials, we are considering a project where in June, good high school officials would be invited to work at a team camp (on a college campus) and based on their performances some of them would be invited to join the college ranks. At this point it is a possibility but something that we are looking at and hopefully can bring to fruition.
• Lastly, I am most appreciative of the financial support of the COC and want to thank everyone for all they do to make this happen.
 
Submitted by Eric Evans, COC Secretary

3. Those officials using the Assign by Web are requested to log into the site and check the mileage tab BEFORE the schedules are posted. Please send corrections by e-mail to Kevin O’Leary.

4. District 11 has an additional COC-NCAA clinic on January 20th in Portland.

5. COC officials attending only the Saturday, January 13 COC/NCAA Rules Clinic at the US Lacrosse Convention in Philadelphia at 8:30 a.m. may proceed directly to the Clinic and DO NOT have to register for the Convention.

Submitted by Eric Evans, COC Secretary

(b) 2008 and 2009
All game fees per official shall increase $5.00 in 2008 and an additional $5.00 in 2009.

2. Travel
(a) Officials who drive to games and arrive as a driver at a game site shall be compensated for travel as follows:
2007- Total roundtrip travel minus 30 miles times 90% times IRS mileage rate
2008- Roundtrip IRS mileage Zip code to Zip code minus 30 miles
2009- Roundtrip IRS mileage Zip code to Zip code minus 30 miles

(b) Officials who do not arrive as driver at the game site shall be compensated for travel in accordance with the MDOC/MCLA Mileage Chart which is attached hereto and made a part hereof. Officials are encouraged whenever practicable to attempt to travel to games together.

NOTE: If an official travels part of the way to a game site in his own car but does not arrive at the game site as the driver of a car, the official shall not be compensated as a driver but instead shall be compensated based upon the mileage chart.

3. Additional Compensation.
All officials shall receive a per diem of $75 if travel is more than 200 miles one way. An additional $20 shall be paid for all weekday games that face off before 3:00 p.m., except for games that are played on national holidays.

MDOC/MCLA Mileage Chart
 25-49 miles (50-99 roundtrip) — $15.00 payment
 50-74 (100-149 roundtrip) — $25.00
 75-99 (150-199 roundtrip) — $35.00
100-124 (200-249 roundtrip) — $55.00
125-149 (250-299 roundtrip) — $65.00
150-174 (300-349 roundtrip) — $80.00
175-199 (350-400 roundtrip) — $90.00
200+ (400+ roundtrip) — $100.00

New Fee Agreement Between the COC and the USILA for NCAA Division I, II and II Games

NCAA Division I
GAME FEE: 2007 – 2009
GAME FEE 2007: $232
Game fees shall increase in 2008 & 2009 based on the percentage increase in the CPI.
TRAVEL 2007-2009: IRS mileage ZIP code to ZIP code.
PER DIEM 2007: 100-124 miles one way $10.00
125-149 miles one way $20.00
150-174 miles one way $30.00
175-199 miles one way $40.00
over 200 miles one way $90.00 or hotel room provided by Institution plus $50.00
PER DIEM
2008: 100-124 miles one way $15.00
and 2009 125-149 miles one way $25.00
150-174 miles one way $35.00
175-199 miles one way $45.00
over 200 miles one way $90.00 or hotel room provided by Institution plus $50.00
TOLLS: All tolls paid.

NCAA Divisions II and III
GAME FEE:
2007 - $145.00
2008 - $150.00
2009 - $155.00
TRAVEL:
2007 – Total round trip travel minus 30 miles times 90% of the IRS mileage rate.
2008 – IRS mileage ZIP code to ZIP code.
2009 – IRS mileage ZIP code to ZIP code.
PER DIEM 2007-2009: If travel is over 200 miles one way $90 or a hotel room provided by the institution plus $50.00
TOLLS: All tolls paid.

NCAA Divisions I, II and III
An additional $20.00 shall be paid for all weekday,
Division I, II and III games that face-off before 3:00 p.m.

Ulman and Julian Awards
Each year the COC bestows two awards at the annual US Lacrosse National Convention in Philadelphia in January.

The Frenchy Julian award recipient shall be an active or past member of the COC, or prior to the formation of the COC an intercollegiate official, who has contributed to the continued success of the COC and, when applicable, has made a meaningful contribution to the game of lacrosse.

The Bernie Ulman Award recipient shall be an individual who has contributed to the continued success of intercollegiate lacrosse officiating and, when applicable, has made a meaningful contribution to the game of lacrosse.

Nominations for either of these awards should be sent to by e-mail Butch West at jwest@westcostello.com, or by fax to 410.296.6654. Nominations are due by Thursday, Dec. 14.

COC Executive Board
Based on the results of the recent COC Elections, the following members comprise the COC Executive Board for 2007-2008:

President:  John Hill
Vice-President: Hans Witttelsberger
Secretary: Eric Evans
Treasurer: Butch West
At-Large (USILA): Kevin O’Leary
At-Large (MCLA) JD Doyle
Past President: Steve Miller

For a breakdown of the voting, please contact your District Governor.

Submitted by Eric Evans, COC Secretary

Thomas Bensman (1956-2006)
District Six official Thomas Bensman II, who had officiated college lacrosse since 1982, died at his home Nov. 2, 2006 after a short but intense battle with cancer. Tom also served as a high school football and basketball official for 30 years. He is survived by his wife Jacquelyn and his children Lynsay, Lisamarie, and Matthew.

COC Board Elections
Later this month the required COC Board elections will be conducted. Current Board members John Hill (President), Hans Wittelsberger (Vice-President), Eric Evans (Secretary), John West (Treaurer), Kevin O'Leary (At-Large USILA), and JD Doyle (At-Large MDIA) are all planning to run again for their respective positions. More information on the election process will be forthcoming soon.

There were 7 COC referees who were selected to officiate in the tournament from the USA and four additional COC officials from the USA who represented other nations.

Three of the officials, Tom Sutton (D2, a USA official), Brad Scibak (D8, a Canadian official) and Rodney Meyer (D8, an Iroquois Nation official) worked the Gold Medal game played between Team USA and Team Canada. Tom and Brad were on the field with Rodney as the Bench Manager.

Matt Palumb (D1), Tim Howard (D2) and Dave Pinciaro (D1), all USA officials, were assigned the Bronze Medal game between Team Australia and Team Iroquois. Matt and Tim were on the field with Dave as the Bench Manager.

Mike Infantino (D1, a USA official) was selected as the Head Referee for the Fifth Place game between Team Japan and Team England. Sean Murphy (D1) worked the field and Tom Carr (D10) served as Bench Manager.

The Seventh Place game between Team Ireland and Team Germany was officiated by Skip Spensieri (D2, an Italian official).

Dick Pepper (D2, an Ireland official) was selected as the Head Referee for the Ninth Place game between Finland and Italy.

The position of Bench Manager wound up being a very integral part of this series. As a note, the Bench Manager is the official designated to replace an on field official, as needed. Because the weather was excessively hot and humid during the tournament, several officials succumbed to heat exhaustion and could not continue refereeing. As a result of this, the official assigned as the Bench Manager had to take his place.

All the officials from the participating nations enjoyed a great camaraderie throughout the tournament.

Submitted by Al Blau – Chair of the IOC

One Year Fee Agreement Between the COC and the USILA

Division I
Game Fee 2006: $222.50
Travel: IRS Mileage ZIP code to ZIP code
Per Diem 2006
100-124 miles one way $10
125-149 miles one way $20
150-174 miles one way $30
175-199 miles one way $40
Over 200 miles one way $80 or hotel room provided by institution plus $45
Tolls: All tolls paid

Division II and III
Game Fee 2006: $140
Travel 2006: No mileage payable if travel is 50 miles or less round trip. If round trip travel exceeds 50 miles, 80% of IRS mileage ZIP code to ZIP code, not including the first 50 round trip miles.
Per Diem 2006: For one way travel in excess of 200 miles the per diem shall consist of $80 or a hotel room provided by the host institution plus $45.
Tolls: All tolls paid
Two Man Game Fee: $175

From Warren Kimber, NCAA National Coordinator of Officials:

There appears to be an inconsistency in a rule interpretation that needs to be addressed. A1 has possession of the ball in Team A's offensive goal box area. The ball becomes loose and B1 slashes A1 or any player on Team B commits a personal foul against any player on team A while the ball is loose. An immediate whistle is blown stopping play and the penalty is enforced. Same stuation and B1 pushes or commits any technical foul against any player on team A. The official signals "Play On" and if Team A regains possession of the ball the play on is over. A subsequent personal foul by Team B while the ball is in A's possession is a flag down. While the ball is loose during the "Play On" and there is a personal foul against Team A, the whistle is blown immediately and the personal foul is enforced.

From Warren Kimber, NCAA National Coordinator of Officials:

There are several things I would like to share with you relative to officiating games that have been brought to my attention during the last few days. I think the results you have achieved in reducing the number of face off violations is excellent, please keep it up. I understand the concerns you have relative to coverages but again you are doing a great job, stick with it.

In your pregame discussions please give extra attention to pages 72 & 73 in the NCAA Rules book pertaining to stalling. In our 2006 NCAA film, Chuck Winters, Don Zimmerman, and I gave special attention to keep-it-in warnings given early in the first quarter of games and the continuation of those warnings throughout the game. Remember, KEEP IT IN is NOT a penalty. Omit the verbal, "show me some offense." Just tell them to KEEP IT IN. It is apparent that players at the top of the box are stepping in the box with one foot and right out to comply with the ten second count. Please avoid telling them you are going to give them the warning. After you've communicated with your crew, once they step in just tell them to KEEP IT IN and they'll only step out once after you've taken the ball away from them. Telling them what you are thinking about could be considered by the opponent as coaching.

A stall warning can be given during the substitutions as in each transition it is apparent the substitutions are taking close to twenty seconds. You have this tool to speed up the game. The other tool is your quick restarts.Tthe only people who have to be ready for restarts are you.You are urged to continue fast restarts. There is a considerable amount of concern about speeding up the play of the game, and you have the ability to make a contribution toward that end. Please do so.

Looking at the results of games thru last weekend it is apparent that on any given day anyone can beat anyone. The competitiveness of this season is going to put more pressure on the performance of officials. You have to be at your best each and every game and that requires total concentration on the task at hand.

When doing stick checks take at least one long pole a game. You'll be suprised at what you find. Repeating earlier statements, there seems to be more contact in our sport this year. Remember back checks, illegal body checks, and helmet to helmet contact are serious points of emphasis in 2006. Make a serious effort to step up your on field performances during this second half of the season.

On an entirely different note each of us is well aware of the serious circumstances surrounding the allegations confronting the Duke University team. It would do well if in whatever way we can, we show some compassion for and with those people with whom we interact in our sport throughout this difficult time. Think about it and do it in the best way you are able. Thank you for your attention.

From Warren Kimber, NCAA National Coordinator of Officials:

Having observed a dozen or more games it is necessary that we all pay strict attention to our mechanics in the following situations. During face offs, the official putting the ball in play when he brings the players together and says "Down" is to stand so he is looking straight down on the ball with one hand up in the air and the other at his side and then blow his whistle starting the play. The other two officials are to be up to the restraining line on the center line, if possible looking straight down the line. The players should establish their positions first then you yours. If one player from each team is right up to the center line you may step back several feet to look down the line. Once you have assumed your position you are to remain there without moving. When the play starts you are to assume your next position depending on where the ball goes.

If you are the lead official in settled play you are to be on the goal line extended. If the ball goes toward the sideline behind you, you are to remain facing the goal and the trail official is to cover the plays that might occur behind you. From the far side as well as the goal line, if a player with the ball goes to the goal with the ball in his possession follow him. When you are the goal line official and a shot is taken run toward the end line to be sure you have the correct positioning to make the call. If the ball becomes loose behind the cage and is being contested by both teams the goal line official is to cover the play and the far side man is to move to cover the goal line. When you are the far side man and a player with possession of the ball goes toward the goal line, follow him quickly and be in position to cover whatever may occur in the goal crease area.

Another important point to always think about: when the ball is loose and a number of players are attempting to gain possession of the ball, get the ball up.

February 17, 2006

From Chuck Winters, Sec. NCAA Men's Rules Committee:

The Crankshaft stick by STX was approved by the committee
A clear plastic eye protection shield may be used if the treating doctor declares it is necessary for reason of safety for the student athlete. In cases where the retina has been damaged, we are allowing the shield to be of a darkened color. This should be very rare and only approved when the treating doctor mandates that a dark shield must be used.

Page 21 section 21
All players on a team must wear gloves of the same dominant color unless safety reasons require a different color glove to be worn. Change to read: same dominant (official team color) unless safety reasons.....

It has come to our attention that a more protective glove has been developed for the goalkeeper but the glove only comes in black. We will allow the goalkeeper to wear this more protective glove.

We have been told of a situation where a player lost a finger and wanted to modify his glove by cutting off the glove finger and restiching it. We have ruled that the glove could be modified in this situation.

Page 46 AR 71
This AR refers to the ball being LOOSE in the midfield area and gets kicked across the centerline into the DEFENSIVE end of the field. Does the 20 second count begin when Team A gains possession in their DEFENSIVE end of the field? Yes.

The question that is now being asked is: what happens if Team A has possession inside their attack area and the ball gets kicked across the centerline and Team A regains possession in their defensive end of the field, what is the new count? A 10 second count because the ball was possessed in the attack area of Team A.

Page 52 section 24
change exception to read: On an out of bounds on the endline or a timeout on the endline, the ball restarts INSIDE the attack area at the spot where the ball was when play was suspended.

Page 82 AR 29
There has been some confusion about AR 29 on page 82. The intent of the AR is this: If a player is fouled outside of the attack area and he throws a bounce pass which hits the ground OUTSIDE of the attack area, the slow whistle is over. If the bounce pass lands INSIDE the attack area, play continues.

Page 87 (c)
Delete number 2, change 3 to 2 and reword as follows: (2) No shot is taken, the ball is awarded to the team in possession or entitled to possession.

January 23, 2006

USLIA Observers Report 2005 by Bob Curcio
Excerpted from complete 3-page report
In the second year of the program, our observers and DAAs attended 229 games and saw 330 different officials. A significant number of officials were seen more than once allowing us to provide comparative feedback to these men. All of our 2004 observers were back in 2005 plus two more in Dist. 1 and one more in Dist. 4. These observers were directed to give feedback to officials in post-game meetings or via e-mail. Completed observations were sent to me and I passed on these to the respective DAAs and Warren Kimber. I, too, did 31 observations.

Here are the numbers of officials observed in districts 1-6. The "target population" refers to those officials not listed by their DAAs in the top 15 in their district. The "total population" refers to all officials in the district.

January 20, 2006