comScore Releases January 2012 U.S. Online Video Rankings

Long-Form Video Content on the Rise, Reaching 6 Minutes on Average in January

RESTON, Va., Feb. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released data from the comScore Video Metrix service showing that 181 million U.S. Internet users watched nearly 40 billion videos of online video content in January.

Top 10 Video Content Properties by Unique Viewers

Google Sites, driven primarily by video viewing at YouTube.com, ranked as the top online video content property in January with 152 million unique viewers, followed by VEVO with 51.5 million, Yahoo! Sites with 49.2 million, Viacom Digital with 48.1 million and Facebook.com with 45.1 million. Nearly 40 billion videos views occurred during the month, with Google Sites generating the highest number at 18.6 billion, followed by Hulu with 877 million and VEVO with 717 million. The average viewer watched 22.6 hours of online video content, with Google Sites (7.5 hours) and Hulu (3.2 hours) demonstrating the highest average engagement among the top ten properties.

Top U.S. Online Video Content Properties Ranked by Unique Video Viewers
January 2012
Total U.S. – Home and Work Locations
Content Videos Only (Ad Videos Not Included)
Source: comScore Video Metrix
—————————–
Property Total Unique Videos Minutes
Viewers (000)* per Viewer
(000)
— —-
Total Internet : Total Audience 181,115 39,995,849 1,354.7
——————————- ——- ———- ——-
Google Sites 151,989 18,633,743 448.7
———— ——- ———- —–
VEVO 51,499 716,608 62.2
—- —— ——- —-
Yahoo! Sites 49,215 538,260 57.4
———— —— ——- —-
Viacom Digital 48,104 507,046 58.0
————– —— ——- —-
Facebook.com 45,135 248,941 22.0
———— —— ——- —-
Microsoft Sites 41,491 558,017 51.3
————— —— ——- —-
AOL, Inc. 40,991 419,783 51.4
——— —— ——- —-
Hulu 31,383 877,388 189.0
—- —— ——- —–
Amazon Sites 27,906 86,705 19.7
———— —— —— —-
NBC Universal 27,096 95,034 17.2
————- —— —— —-
*A video is defined as any streamed segment of audiovisual content, including both progressive downloads and live streams. For long-form, segmented content, (e.g. television episodes with ad pods in the middle) each segment of the content is counted as a distinct video stream.

Top 10 Video Ad Properties by Video Ads Viewed
Americans viewed 5.6 billion video ads in January, with Hulu delivering the highest number of video ad impressions at 1.4 billion. Adap.tv ranked second overall (and highest among video ad exchanges/networks) with 652 million ad views, followed by BrightRoll Video Network with 598 million, Tremor Video with 580 million and Specific Media with 398 million. Time spent watching video ads totaled more than 2.3 billion minutes during the month, with Hulu delivering the highest duration of video ads at 540 million minutes. Video ads reached 47 percent of the total U.S. population an average of 38 times during the month. Hulu delivered the highest frequency of video ads to its viewers with an average of 43, while ESPN delivered an average of 20 ads per viewer.

Top U.S. Online Video Ad Properties Ranked by Video Ads* Viewed
January 2012
Total U.S. – Home and Work Locations
Ad Videos Only (Content Videos Not Included)
Source: comScore Video Metrix
—————————–
Property Video Ads Total Ad Frequency % Reach
(000) Minutes (Ads per Total U.S.
(MM) Viewer) Population
— — —- ——- ———-
Total Internet : Total Audience 5,558,261 2,329 38.4 47.3
——————————- ——— —– —- —-
Hulu 1,446,618 540 43.1 11.0
—- ——— — —- —-
Adap.tv** 651,531 395 10.8 19.8
——- ——- — —- —-
BrightRoll Video Network** 598,353 370 6.1 32.3
————————- ——- — — —-
Tremor Video** 580,302 314 12.6 15.0
————- ——- — —- —-
Specific Media** 397,941 187 5.6 23.2
————— ——- — — —-
Auditude, Inc.** 386,702 151 9.7 13.1
————— ——- — — —-
Microsoft Sites 385,581 149 11.2 11.2
————— ——- — —- —-
SpotXchange Video Ad Marketplace** 356,755 207 10.3 11.3
——————————— ——- — —- —-
ESPN 343,801 131 20.0 5.6
—- ——- — —- —
Viacom Digital 286,024 123 12.8 7.3
————– ——- — —- —
*Video ads include streaming-video advertising only and do not include other types of video monetization, such as overlays, branded players, matching banner ads, homepage ads, etc.

**Indicates video ad network

**Indicates video ad exchange

President Obama Leads Mitt Romney by 9 points and Rick Santorum by 12 points

Ron Paul does best against the President

Harris Poll Logo. (PRNewsFoto/Harris Interactive)

With about ten days to go before the next primaries in the Republican race for the nomination, all four remaining Republicans are losing to President Obama by between 8 and 17 points. As the race narrows down to the final candidate, just half of Americans (51%) say they are satisfied with the choices available to them for President while more than two in five (44%) are not satisfied. Independents are the most dissatisfied with over half (55%) saying they are not satisfied with the choices while two-thirds of Democrats (68%) are satisfied. Republicans are more split as half are satisfied (52%) and 44% are not satisfied. But the Republican satisfaction is soft with just 13% very satisfied and 39% saying they are only somewhat satisfied.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,056 adults surveyed online between February 6 and 13, 2012 by Harris Interactive.

Head to head match-ups

If the presidential election were held today, 46% of Americans would vote for President Obama, 37% would vote for Mitt Romney and 17% are not at all sure. Last month, two in five U.S. adults (43%) said they would vote for President Obama while 39% said they would vote for Mitt Romney. Among Independents, it’s a slightly closer race with 43% voting for the President and 37% voting for the former governor and 46% of adults in the 2012 Swing States (Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia) would vote for President Obama and 39% would vote for Mitt Romney.

Ron Paul may not be in the fight for front-runner, but he actually makes it a slightly tighter race as 45% of Americans would vote for President Obama and 37% would vote for the Congressman while 18% are not at all sure. Among Independents, Paul is ahead 42% to the President’s 40% but in the 2012 Swing States the President is ahead 45% to 41% for Paul.

He may be jockeying for front-runner status but the former Senator from Pennsylvania is more than ten points behind the President. Almost half of Americans would vote for President Obama (47%) while 35% would vote for Rick Santorum and 18% are not at all sure. Among Independents, 44% would vote for President Obama and 35% for Santorum with 20% not at all sure. In the 2012 Swing states, 46% would vote for the President while 40% would vote for Santorum.

Finally, if the election was held today, half of Americans (50%) would vote for President Obama and one-third for Newt Gingrich (33%) with 18% not at all sure. Among Independents, President Obama leads Newt Gingrich 47% to 32% with 20% not at all sure and among people in the 2012 Swing states President Obama leads Newt Gingrich 48% to 36% with 16% not at all sure.

So What?

The Republican primary continues to be a road full of twists and turns and the main benefactor to these constant changing stories is President Obama. In each of these four races the President has expanded his lead. The question is what happens when the primary race is over and the Republicans have decided on a candidate. If that happens quickly, he will have time to make the race close, but the longer the primary goes, the shorter the general election timeframe becomes.

TABLE 1
ROMNEY VS. OBAMA
“If the presidential election were held today and these were the two candidates, for whom would
you most likely vote?”
———————————————————————————————–
Base: All adults
—————-
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb
— — — — —
% % % % %
— — — — —
Barack Obama 41 41 43 43 46
———— — — — — —
Mitt Romney 40 41 40 39 37
———– — — — — —
Not at all sure 18 18 17 19 17
————— — — — — —
Note: Percentages may not add up
to 100% due to rounding

TABLE 2
ROMNEY VS. OBAMA – By Party and Political Philosophy
“If the presidential election were held today and these were the two candidates, for whom would you most likely vote?”
———————————————————————————————————————-
Base: All adults
—————-
Total 2012 Swing state Party ID Political Philosophy
—– —————- ——– ——————–
Rep. Dem. Ind. Cons. Mod. Lib.
—- —- —- —– —- —-
% % % % % % % %
— — — — — — — —
Barack Obama 46 46 9 84 43 19 51 78
———— — — — — — — — —
Mitt Romney 37 39 77 7 37 64 30 10
———– — — — — — — — —
Not at all sure 17 15 14 9 20 16 19 12
————— — — — — — — — —
Note: Percentages may not add up
to 100% due to rounding; 2012
Swing States are Colorado,
Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada,
New Hampshire, North Carolina,
Ohio and Virginia

TABLE 3
GINGRICH VS OBAMA
“If the presidential election were held today and these were the two candidates, for whom would you most likely vote?”
———————————————————————————————————————-
Base: All adults
—————-
Total Total Total 2012 Party ID Political Philosophy
Dec Jan Feb Swing
States
——
Rep. Dem. Ind. Cons. Mod. Lib.
—- —- —- —– —- —-
% % % % % % % % % %
— — — — — — — — — —
Barack Obama 45 45 50 48 12 87 47 19 56 83
———— — — — — — — — — — —
Newt Gingrich 38 36 33 36 72 6 32 63 24 6
————- — — — — — — — — — —
Not at all sure 17 19 18 16 16 7 20 18 20 12
————— — — — — — — — — — —
Note: Percentages may not add up
to 100% due to rounding; 2012
Swing States are Colorado,
Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada,
New Hampshire, North Carolina,
Ohio and Virginia

TABLE 4
PAUL VS. OBAMA
“If the presidential election were held today and these were the two candidates, for whom would you most likely vote?”
———————————————————————————————————————-
Base: All adults
—————-
Total Oct Total Nov Total Total 2012 Party ID Political
Philosophy
Jan Feb Swing
States
——
Rep Dem Ind Cons Mod Lib
— — — —- — —
% % % % % % % % % % %
— — — — — — — — — — —
Barack Obama 41 40 42 45 45 10 84 40 20 50 74
———— — — — — — — — — — — —
Ron Paul 36 38 38 37 41 71 8 42 61 31 14
——– — — — — — — — — — — —
Not at all sure 23 21 20 18 15 19 9 18 19 19 12
————— — — — — — — — — — — —
Note: Percentages may not add up
to 100% due to rounding; 2012
Swing States are Colorado,
Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada,
New Hampshire, North Carolina,
Ohio and Virginia

TABLE 5
SANTORUM VS. OBAMA
“If the presidential election were held today and these were the two candidates, for whom would you most likely vote?”
———————————————————————————————————————-
Base: All adults
—————-
Total Total 2012 Party ID Philosophy
Jan Feb Swing
States
— —
Rep. Dem. Ind. Cons. Mod. Lib.
—- —- —- —– —- —-
% % % % % % % % %
— — — — — — — — —
Barack Obama 45 47 46 10 85 44 18 54 78
———— — — — — — — — — —
Rick Santorum 36 35 40 74 6 35 67 25 7
————- — — — — — — — — —
Not at all sure 19 18 14 16 8 20 15 21 14
————— — — — — — — — — —
Note: Percentages may not add up
to 100% due to rounding; 2012
Swing States are Colorado,
Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada,
New Hampshire, North Carolina,
Ohio and Virginia

TABLE 6
SATISFACTION WITH CANDIDATE CHOICES
“How satisfied are you with the choices available to you for President?”
————————————————————————
Base: All adults
—————-
Total Tea 2012 Party ID Philosophy
Party Swing
Supporter States
—— —
Rep Dem Ind Cons Mod Lib
— — — —- — —
% % % % % % % % %
— — — — — — — — —
SATISFIED (NET) 51 51 55 52 68 42 50 49 61
————– — — — — — — — — —
Very Satisfied 19 12 25 13 35 12 16 17 31
————– — — — — — — — — —
Somewhat satisfied 32 39 30 39 33 30 34 32 30
—————— — — — — — — — — —
NOT SATISFIED (NET) 44 48 41 44 29 55 47 46 34
—————— — — — — — — — — —
Not very satisfied 28 34 27 32 18 34 32 28 20
—————— — — — — — — — — —
Not at all satisfied 16 14 14 12 11 21 15 18 14
——————– — — — — — — — — —
Not at all sure 5 1 4 4 3 3 4 6 5
————— — — — — — — — — —
Note: Percentages may not add up
to 100% due to rounding; 2012
Swing States are Colorado,
Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada,
New Hampshire, North Carolina,
Ohio and Virginia
Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between January 25 and 27, 2012 among 2,099 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

J41216
Q1245, 1246, 1247, 1249, 1250

The Harris Poll®#18, February 17, 2012
By Regina A. Corso, SVP, Harris Poll, Public Relations and Youth Research, Harris Interactive

Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) tourism human resources conference to explore partnerships & innovation

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – How to enhance Caribbean human resources through partnerships and innovation will be the key subject of discussion when tourism human resources professionals from across the Caribbean gather in Barbados from May 23 to 25 for a major conference.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has announced that tourism HR practitioners will explore ways to expand their knowledge and sharpen their skills as it relates to human resources challenges in the tourism environment at the 6th Tourism Human Resources conference will be held at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI).

During the three day event, tourism human resources professionals from the public and private sectors, tourism educators and trainers and consultants will approach the theme from a number of angles. These include effective leadership and employee engagement, how to recognize and nurture leadership at all levels of an organization and how to leverage resources across boundaries.

An exciting workshop aimed at breathing life into the workplace has been planned. This workshop – Waking up the Tourism Workplace – is one of two intensive practical learning sessions to be presented by experts in the various fields. The other workshop will focus on innovation and creativity in the workplace.

CTO is partnering with the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus and the Barbados Hospitality Institute – Hotel PomMarine, to organize the conference.

Travel Video News Home Travel Videos eBrochures Book Your Tour Stock Footage Contact Us Take a Walk on the Wild Side in Grenada,‘the Spice of the Caribbean’

February, 2012. (Grenada, W.I.)— On your next holiday, do something different and watch giant leatherback turtles nest on the beach, come face-to-face with mona monkeys, swim amongst hundreds of vibrantly coloured fish or view the splendors of Jason de Caires Taylor’s Underwater Sculpture Park. All of this and more is possible in Grenada, ‘the Spice of the Caribbean.’

The lush, tropical island of Grenada is home to an array of wildlife, making it the ideal destination for nature and outdoor enthusiasts. An impressive one-sixth of the island consists of parks and natural wildlife sanctuaries. Each year, endangered leatherback turtles make their way to Grenada’s Levera Beach to nest. Conservation efforts are underway on the island to ensure this species remain protected. Those visiting the island during nesting season (mid-April to July) can arrange to see these striking creatures up close.

Year-round snorkeling and scuba diving provide an excellent opportunity to experience Grenada’s marine life, including brightly coloured coral, schools of fish, stingrays, sharks and turtles. With over 50 dive sites, the world’s first Underwater Sculpture Park, along with impressive shipwrecks, Grenada is home to some of the best diving in the Caribbean.

A hike through the Grand Etang National Park also allows visitors to experience the island’s wildlife and if you’re lucky, you may even spot a mona monkey. Grenada is the only place these monkeys can be found in the wild, outside of Africa.

For those looking for a different type of Caribbean getaway, Grenada has it all. Lounge on the beach and soak up the sun’s warm rays, or take the opportunity to experience nature at its finest.

About Grenada Board of Tourism

The Grenada Board of Tourism’s objective is to market and promote Grenada as a preferred year round Caribbean tourist destination, while providing technical and managerial support to the travel trade, industry partners and airlines. For more information on Grenada, contact the Grenada Board of Tourism at 416-595-1339, email at tourism@grenadaconsulate.com or visit www.grenadagrenadines.com. To receive the Grenada Board of Tourism’s regular newsletter please visit the website.

AMERICA’S LARGEST INTERNATIONAL FASHION EVENT WELCOMES THE WORLD’S BEST DESIGNERS AND LIVING LEGEND DIONNE WARWICK

Miami Beach International Fashion Week™
celebrates its Fourteenth spectacular year

Miami is widely considered the axis between Europe and the Americas, with South Beach as its glamorous epicenter. The city is therefore the natural selection to host the country’s largest International and Hispanic fashion event, the 14th annual Miami Beach International Fashion Week, set to take place March 21st-24th at the Miami Beach Convention Center. This year, the event is proud to welcome music legend and style icon Dionne Warwick who will share her expertise in and around the world of celebrity and fashion.

Miami Beach International Fashion Week (MBIFW) is the longest standing fashion event in Miami, and has received worldwide recognition and fame for discovering and showcasing the best fashion from around the world. Featuring eminent designers, celebrities, and musicians from nearly every continent, Miami Beach International Fashion Week promises to once again set the stage as the gateway to the world’s most innovative talents. 2012 will mark an exciting addition to the glamorous affair when it welcomes Superstar Dionne Warwick. An idol in the music industry for over four decades, Mrs. Warwick will host a media seminar for students and designers in which she will discuss her life, her style, and advise how to succeed in your chosen passion. Warwick was famously mentored about her own personal style by one of Hollywood’s all time greats, Marlene Dietrich.

MBIFW has secured a reputation for introducing American buyers and consumers to up-and-coming designers from around the world who have gone on to illustrious careers in the U.S. The event is often the first opportunity for fashion industry insiders to capture a glimpse of the designers they’ll soon feature in their own magazines, stores, and closets. “Over the years, discovering the world’s best emerging designers has been a wonderful and exciting experience. By creating the international platform through MBIFW that allows these designers to be seen by the entire world, we have been able to launch their careers to the next level,” explains MBIFW President Beth Sobol. “Many of our young designers, including Colombia’s Esteban Cortazar and Silvia Tcherassi, Peru’s Sitka Semsch, Chile’s Ruben Campos, Manish Arora and Sabyasachi Mukherjee from India, Furne One for Amato Couture in Dubai and Heather Jones from Trinidad & Tobago are just a few of today’s fashion industry stars who have emerged from our runways. As an invited guest, judge and speaker at many of the worlds emerging fashion events, we continually seek to discover the best of the best from every corner of the globe.”

This year’s slate of events, designers, and performers promises all of the excitement the fashion world has come to expect from this prestigious event. Highlights of the week’s line up include the Miami Style Showcase featuring Florida’s top designers including Viviana G for Petit Pois, Ema Savahl Couture and Kayce Armstrong of Art of Shade among others. The Prêt-A-Porter Designer showcase will feature the winner of Bolivia’s Mision Moda, Banja Luka Fashion Fair Designer Showcase featuring Marina Banovic, Liliana Majkic, and Davor Sladakovic from Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro, Latin Fashion Weeks Council Showcase with the best designers from throughout Latin America and more. Additionally, for the first time in the U.S., Walla Al Alawi of the Kingdom of Bahrain, widely considered the trendsetter for the Gulf region, will grace the runway with her latest collection. Walla’s customers include numerous members of the Gulf’s royal families and her designs have already been picked up by Saks Fifth Avenue Bahrain. In addition to Mrs. Warwick, there will be celebrity appearances by Grammy Award winning music producer Damon Elliott and the Miami Moda & Music Awards will feature a showcase of Red Carpet gowns worn by some of Hollywood’s and Latin America’s biggest stars by designer Nicolas Felizola and a special performance by Supermodel and the face of Lancôme Russia, Dasha, performing her new hit, ” The Prfct Girl.”

MBIFW is considered the fifth largest and most important fashion event on the world’s fashion calendar. Sobol and her team spend the year scouring the globe to uncover the most creative and elite designers from hundreds of countries and invite them to present their collections on the Miami Beach runway. In past years, designers have hailed from the Americas, Caribbean, Europe, Asia, The Middle East and Africa. In 2011 MBIFW hosted 55 designers from 32 countries, 650 international media outlets and received over 740 million global media impressions worldwide. 2012 will showcase even more designers from more countries than ever before and has secured media partners including Vanidades, Harper’s Bazaar en Español, Latina, Miami Modern Luxury and GLITZ TV Latin America.

Last year’s MBIFW was such a success that Sobol – Perry Fashion Productions decided to introduce the first ever Miami Beach International Bridal Week™ (MBIBW,) which took place last November at the Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach.

For more information and to purchase tickets for Miami Beach International Fashion Week please visit www.miamifashionweek.com. Become a fan at http://www.facebook.com/MiamiInternationalFashionWeek and follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/MiamiFashionWk

Registration Opens for the Master’s Program in Spanish-Language Journalism

Florida International University (FIU), one of the fastest-growing academic research centers in the United States, has opened registration for the Master’s Program in Spanish-Language Journalism and Multimedia which begins in August 2012.

The program offers:

– Investigative Journalism

– Training on Electronic Media

– Web Design for Journalists

– Digital Editing and Multimedia Production

– Business Education

– The possibility of internships in radio, television, print media and digital journalism in the most prestigious communications media located in South Florida.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication also offers the option of a Master’s Program in Bilingual Journalism and the granting of a Certificate in Latin America Studies.

Latin American and Caribbean students can obtain scholarships in the form of a significant discount on the cost of the master’s program, applicable for the 2012-2013 academic year. These scholarships do not include books or other study materials, or medical insurance, accommodation, food, transportation or other incidental expenses.

FIU is among the 100 fully accredited journalism schools in the country. Consequently, admission requirements are highly competitive.

Deadline for Application

The deadline for receipt of applications from students residing in the United States is June 1, 2012. International students must send their applications for admission prior to April 1, 2012, and all their documentation prior to June 1, 2012.

For more information on requirements, please visit http://journalism.fiu.edu/AdmissionsRequirements.html

To learn about the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, visit http://journalism.fiu.edu and http://go.fiu.edu/slj

Some Clubs Allege Digicel is trying to “destabilize and destroy Haitian football.”

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (defend.ht) – Some presidents of Haitian football clubs met in a meeting to denounce and take actions against Digicel and its CEO Maarten Boute for what they allege as an attempt to “destabilize and destroy Haitian football.”

Following a controversial election process by the Federation of Haitian Football (FHF) that saw the reelection of Dr. Yves Jean-Bart to the presidency of the federation for a fourth consecutive term.

Digicel, FHF’s largest sponsor, imposed sanctions in lieu of a commission of inquiry into the elections, which indeed aroused questions by the Haitian population.

Credits to club presidents’ cellphones were cut and Digicel Haiti CEO Maarten Boute spoke about the need for clarity and the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry, as the Haitian community did find the election process to have been irregular.

Mr. Carlo Marcelin, Recording Secretary of a meeting held by some of the club president’s of the Haitian Division I league published the minutes of the meeting held on February 5th in Le Nouvelliste.

Caribbean Basketball 2012

PORT OF SPAIN Trinidad and Tobago, February 7th, 2012 — The Caribbean basketball confederation (CBC) held its 2012 congress in Port of Spain, Trinidad on Saturday January 28th. The CBC was pleased to host the FIBA world president, Mr. Yvan Mainini, along with FIBA world secretary-general Mr. Patrick Baumann.

Joining the congress for the third consecutive year were FIBA Americas president Mr. Horacio Muratore; FIBA Americas secretary-general Alberto Garcia; FIBA Americas secretary-general emeritus Mr. Jenaro “Tutu” Marchand; in addition to the president of the Central American and Caribbean sub-zone Mr. Ruperto Herrera.

At least sixteen (16) of the twenty-four (24) members of the CBC attended the congress, to include the national federations of Antigua & Barbuda; Bahamas; Barbados; Bermuda; Cayman Islands; Cuba; Grenada; Guyana; Jamaica; Netherlands Antilles; Puerto Rico; St. Kitts and Nevis; ST. Lucia ; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Trinidad & Tobago; and the virgin islands.

The 2012 CBC congress was presided over by the president senator Usie Richards and laid the foundation for this year’s activities to include competitions, clinics for coaches and referees and the implementation of 3×3 basketball.

President Richards expressed his gratitude for all that were in attendance, and more importantly for having the presence of our FIBA president and secretary-general, Mr. Mainini and Mr. Baumann, who were able to update the members new developments and mandates in the world of FIBA basketball.

Our FIBA Americas executive outlined their expectations for the CBC organization and their plans to assist the CBC members in developing the organization and management of national federations in the Caribbean.

President Richards stated, “we were very pleased and appreciative of our host, Trinidad and Tobago, in the quality of the hosting facilities, and their efforts to ensure a successful congress.

I also express our deepest gratitude to Mr. Patrick Haynes, CBC technical manager, for the development of the first edition of CBC rebound, a digital magazine, that can be found on the CBC website, www.caribbeanbasketball.com”.

This inaugural edition covers the activities, from beginning to end, of the xxi CBC senior men championship and the xx senior women championship held in Nassau Bahamas.

SERENA EXITS EARLY AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN !!!

Serena Williams looks to the skies during her fourth-round defeat at the Australian Open. Photograph: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images

Serena Williams exited the 2012 Australian Open early after being trounced in a mere twenty-two minutes. Serena Williams has lost at the Australian Open for the first time since 2008, struggling with her serve and hitting too many unforced errors in a shocking 6-2, 6-3 fourth-round defeat to Ekaterina Makarova. Questions have began to surface regarding the 30 year old’s commitment to the game. Her opponent the No. 56 ranked, Ekaterina Makarova surprised her with tremendous groundstrokes.”I don’t know what to say,” the 23-year-old Makarova said. “Amazing feeling and first time in quarter-finals. Williams is an unbelievable player. It’s really tough to play against her so I’m really happy I finished it in my way.”

Willams, hit 37 unforced errors in 6-2, 6-3 defeat. Williams had lost only two matches at the Australian Open since winning the first of her five titles here in 2003.