Mar 8, 2010 – 8:26:06 PM

By Chris Park, MMATorch UK Specialist

DAVID FOLLOWS MIR

Frank Mir recently made some of the most ridiculous comments an MMA athlete has ever made. His remarks towards Brock Lesnar are the kind that can seriously damage the growth and progress that MMA has enjoyed in recent years.

For so long now I have whole-heartedly defended MMA to anyone who is prepared to acknowledge that the human cockfighting image of old is merely a myth. in fact, that perception is anything but accurate since MMA as a whole is in fact one of the most exciting sports in the world with a safe track record other than superficial injuries.

Mir was reprimanded by UFC President Dana White and promptly apologized for his comments. you would think that with all of the controversy, and the damage that this could have potentially caused, this would be a lesson learned by all? well apparently – you would be wrong.

Rumours have been circulating all week over posts from Marcus Davis on what is apparently his “official” Twitter account. Davis this week expressed his dislike for Welterweight no.1 contender; Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy and stated that he hoped the Brit died of “Aids.”

Davis really does need to finally move on. He lost to Hardy last June and has since suffered the first knockout loss of his entire career. I have always thought that Hardy was on his mind the night Ben Saunders knocked him out. the Brit was Octagon-side and Davis has just not been able to let go. seeing him there, last November, played a part in that loss – of that I’m sure.

Everything Dan Hardy said both to and about Davis in their build up was humorous. it was tongue-in-cheek. more importantly, it was designed to give him an edge in the fight, if Davis let him get under his skin, and hype the showdown itself to increase interest in the fight.

What Davis said is very odd. this is a man who has developed an obsession which, if he is not careful, will eat him alive. I don’t see him getting a re-match with Hardy anytime soon – if ever again.

Hardy is now one of the Welterweight elite and what will be killing Davis is that Hardy played him and in doing so used him as a stepping stone to his shot at Georges St. Pierre.

THE COUNT TO 114

Following his three round decision loss to Wanderlei Silva, Michael Bisping looks set for a quick return to the Octagon at UFC 114. this week reports stated that Bisping has agreed to face Dan Miller.

Miller is coming off back-to-back losses to Chael Sonnen and Damien Maia. Although these defeats are to arguably the top two contenders at 185, a third straight defeat would likely see him on the chopping block.

Bisping himself will be desperate for the win. Although his need may not be quite as “do or die” as that of Miller, he will not want to go 1-3 in his last four fights. Bisping has only lost to former champions and two legends of MMA so, with nothing to be ashamed of, this could be his chance to rebuild his middleweight career.

Miller was convincingly beaten by Damien Maia in a fight which surprisingly took place on its feet. With that in mind, I see Bisping easily winning this fight. He is better standing up. His defense off his back has been exceptional recently, and his cardio is second to none.

Wanderlei Silva has said he will give Bisping his re-match once he has take care of business with Yoshihiro Akiyama (a fight that looks set to take place on the April 17 event). Personally I don’t want Bisping to go for that re-match just yet. I believe in rebuilding one step at a time. He was extremely disciplined in the first round against Silva and, on another day, may have been able to avoid a few key attacks and grind out the points win. however, I fear for him turning into a marquee-only fighter instead of a rising contender if he is not careful.

I would love to see another great performance from Bisping, taking the positives from that first round and building from there against Miller. I think he could even take away a more impressive win than the Dennis Kang victory.

Should Bisping come through, he should move on to face the likes of Alan Belcher, Yushin Okami, or Patrick Cote. those are the challenges he should be setting for himself at this moment in time.

Once he has beaten two or three of those guys, move to the next group and face the likes of Nate Marquart, Damien Maia, or Chael Sonnen.

Then, and only then, should Bisping look at challenging Wanderlei again.

KRYPTONITE

With only a matter of weeks to go until Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy makes history by becoming the first English fighter EVER, to compete for a UFC title, the excitement levels are getting higher by the day.

The quote that is sticking with me is Hardy’s “I am Georges St. Pierres Kryptonite.”

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Superman comics or movies, Kryptonite was the one thing that Superman’s powers were lost on. it his one vulnerablity, the one thing all of his given powers and ability were nullified by.

I love this parallel that Hardy has drawn and it just gets the imagination going. What if Hardy really could shock the world and defeat the champ?

GSP has been almost superhero-like in recent performances leaving few betting against him. Hardy told UFC.com: “All those GSP fans are betting their houses on him. well, there’s gonna be a lot of homeless GSP fans the day after.”

No one is really giving Hardy a shot in this fight and, as history has proved, that can be a grave error. Dan Hardy is one of the best technical strikers and one of the best counter punchers in all of MMA. the only person who doesn’t seem to be writing Hardy off is the champion himself. GSP told ufc.com”Dan Hardy has nothing to lose and guys with nothing to lose are the most dangerous guys to fight. the night of the fight I’m gonna have to fight the best fight because if I don’t it might be a bad night for me. I don’t take this fight lightly he’s the most dangerous guy I have fought so far.”

With a response to all the doubters Hardy added: “How many more of your favourite fighters do I have to beat up, before you believe the hype?”

So the question remains: is Dan Hardy really Georges St-Pierres Kryptonite? We’ll find out on March 27.

There have been noises for a while now regarding the possibility of MMA becoming an Olympic sport. I for one applaud this idea and believe it would cement its status into the mainstream.

One of the main concerns I keep hearing is how the “cage” appears from the outside looking in. the stigma that is attached to it with the old myth of no rules “lock ‘em in a cage until one is dead” seems to hurt the sport.

We all know it is anything but that type of event. if anything, it’s quite the opposite. MMA is such a safe sport and it more than deserves a spot at the Olympics.

If I were in a position to make any decisions or suggestions, I think I would address the cage issue – just for the short term. For an event such as the Olympics, replace the cage with an Octagon shaped ring. Ropes instead of chain link could just make that difference, just taking the edge off the stereotype, so that the sport we all love can be appreciate for just how good it really is.

- following the withdrawal of Cole Miller from their Fight Night 21 showdown, Andre Winner now has a new opponent. the Brit will face Raphaello Oliveira on March 31. Winner exploded into the UFC in November with a KO debut victory over Roli Delgado. Oliveira on the other hand is 1-1 in the UFC and could be fighting for his contract.

-The new set of “The Ultimate Collectors” figures has been unveiled with star names such as Kimbo Slice, Tito Ortiz, B.J. Penn, and British Middleweight Michael “The Count” Bisping as members of the cast.

-British Lightweight prospect Terry Etim has finally regained main card status. After dropping back-to-back decisions to Rich Clementi and Gleison Tibau, Etim found himself back on preliminary cards. After a four fight win streak, Etim will now face Brazilian Raphael Dos Anjos on the televised card of the 112 show in Abu Dhabi.

-Josh Koscheck has shown a better sense of humor than Marcus Davis. following what is becoming a trend with British fighters, Paul Daley has endorsed photo-shopped pictures of Koscheck. the TUF 1 star has taken it all in good humor and even posted a competition on his Twitter to decide the best picture created.

I hope you enjoyed reading this weeks round up of “The UK Scene” and hope you will join me next week.

Chris Park is the MMATorch UK Specialist. please email any comments or questions to Chris at; mmatorchpark@gmail.com or look us up at facebook.com/mmatorchuk our new MMATorch Facebook home for UK Fans!

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HomeMMATorch PodcastUpcoming EventsMMA NewsUFCStrikeforceOther NewsWECBellatorPPV & TV EventsUFC EventsStrikeforce EventsWEC on VersusOther EventsTV ReviewsThe Ultimate FighterLive Event ReportsOpinion & AnalysisKeller’s TakePenick’s TakeEnnis’ TakePelky’s TakeWilliams’ TakeHyden’s TakeBent’s TakeStaff ColumnistsThe SpecialistsRoundtablesGuest EditorialsReader ReaxInterviewsChamps & RankingsAsk the TorchDVD ReviewsTorch FlashbacksTorch MMA PollsTorch TriviaVIP Feature AlertAbout UsContact UsStaff Picks ]]> SUTCLIFFE: Fallout from WEC 47 leaves Jens Pulver with more questions than answers UK SCENE: Marcus Davis hurt sport with comments, Bisping’s future, UFC 114 Countdown, MMA in Olympics, Hardy-GSP Kryptonite, UK News & Notes ROUNDTABLE (pt. 2 of 3): would it be better for MMA for Strikeforce to grow or go out of business? Pelkey, Carter, Leet, Williams, O’Donnell BOOK REVIEW (pt. 4 of 4): Randy Couture’s “Becoming the Natural: My Life in and Out the Cage” UK SCENE: Michael Bisping vs. Wanderlei Silva break down from UFC 110, news briefs ALL BUSINESS: the UFC’s 10 Year Expansion plan – Step 2.5 – A Night at the Theater DREAM FIGHT: Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez – Breaking down likely strategies and predicting the outcome BOOK REVIEW (pt. 3 of 4): Randy Couture’s “Becoming the Natural: My Life in and Out the Cage” COMIC: “The Ninth Side” featuring the “The Axe Murderer” and an invitation mix-up BEST BETS: Walker’s walk through the UFC 110 main card with predictions and best bets to win ALL BUSINESS (EXCLUSIVE): Interview with Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez (Audio) COLUMN: With a busy four weeks ahead for UFC, the fights I’m most looking forward to that aren’t main events DREAM FIGHTS: Playing out a Kimbo Slice vs. Chuck Liddell and a prediction of who would win ALL BUSINESS (EXCLUSIVE): Bellator Fighting Championships Courts Canada – An audio interview with fighter Sean Pierson UK SCENE: Boxing vs. MMA, Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping preview and prediction, St. Pierre-Hardy preview, UK News & Notes BOOK REVIEW (pt. 2 of 4): Randy Couture’s “Becoming the Natural: My Life in and Out the Cage” COMIC: “The Ninth Side” featuring the “Evil Genius” Dana White BOOK REVIEW (pt. 1 of 4): Randy Couture’s “Becoming the Natural: My Life in and Out the Cage” COMIC: Dana White has a seemingly simple request for Roy Nelson (new feature!) UK SCENE: Hathaway’s next challenge is a Nightmare, UK-stacked card in Abu Dhabi, Unlucky Al Turk, TUF night for Dean, Bisping, Pickett

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MUMBAI:Indices were on a firm foot on Wednesday as buying activity resumed across theboard ahead of November series expiry. however volatility later in the daycan’t be ruled out.

At 12:29 pm, Bombay StockExchange’s Sensex was at 17269.62, up 138.54 points or 0.81 per cent. The30-share index hit an intra-day high of 17284.30 and low of 17124.15.

National Stock Exchange’s Nifty was at 5123.25, up 32.05 points or0.70 per cent.

“Nifty depicted signs of weakness on shortterm charts with formation of distributive patterns. Short term oscillators havebeen depicting sign of weakness for some time. Despite the divergence the indexso far continued to form higher peaks and troughs. Failure to rally past 5110would lead to increasing weakness in the index. Short term supports are placedat 5050 and below that at 5020 while 5110 remain crucial supply zone. Trenddecider level remains at 4900 and 5185 which may lead for unfolding of a biggermove,” said Edelweiss report.

BSE Midcap Index was up 0.77 percent and BSE Smallcap Index gained 0.93 per cent.

amongst thesectoral indices, BSE Oil&gas Index was up 1.76 per cent, BSE Metal Indexmoved 1.33 per cent higher and BSE Auto Index gained 1.10 per cent. BSE RealtyIndex was down 0.22 per cent.

Reliance Industries (1.90%), Mahindra& Mahindra (1.75%), Hero Honda (1.66%), Maruti Suzuki (1.61%) and ITC(1.46%) were amongst the top Sensex gainers.

DLF (-0.86%), NTPC(-0.46%), ICICI Bank (-0.42%), Tata Power (-0.34%) and Wipro (-0.14%) wereamongst the top losers.

Market breadth was positive on the BSE with1608 advances and 913 declines.

MUMBAI:Indices were on a firm foot on Wednesday as buying activity resumed across theboard ahead of November series expiry. however volatility later in the daycan’t be ruled out.

At 12:29 pm, Bombay StockExchange’s Sensex was at 17269.62, up 138.54 points or 0.81 per cent. The30-share index hit an intra-day high of 17284.30 and low of 17124.15.

National Stock Exchange’s Nifty was at 5123.25, up 32.05 points or0.70 per cent.

“Nifty depicted signs of weakness on shortterm charts with formation of distributive patterns. Short term oscillators havebeen depicting sign of weakness for some time. Despite the divergence the indexso far continued to form higher peaks and troughs. Failure to rally past 5110would lead to increasing weakness in the index. Short term supports are placedat 5050 and below that at 5020 while 5110 remain crucial supply zone. Trenddecider level remains at 4900 and 5185 which may lead for unfolding of a biggermove,” said Edelweiss report.

BSE Midcap Index was up 0.77 percent and BSE Smallcap Index gained 0.93 per cent.

Amongst thesectoral indices, BSE Oil&gas Index was up 1.76 per cent, BSE Metal Indexmoved 1.33 per cent higher and BSE Auto Index gained 1.10 per cent. BSE RealtyIndex was down 0.22 per cent.

Reliance Industries (1.90%), Mahindra& Mahindra (1.75%), Hero Honda (1.66%), Maruti Suzuki (1.61%) and ITC(1.46%) were amongst the top Sensex gainers.

DLF (-0.86%), NTPC(-0.46%), ICICI Bank (-0.42%), Tata Power (-0.34%) and Wipro (-0.14%) wereamongst the top losers.

Market breadth was positive on the BSE with1608 advances and 913 declines.

Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS), a unit of M&M will bid for defence projects in India worth $3.5 billion over the next seven years, said its chief executive yesterday.

Khutub Hai, head of MDS, a special division set up in New Delhi to oversee the requirements of the domestic defence sector told Reuters in an interview yesterday, ”Most of projects will come from artillery systems and armoured vehicles.”

Hai said that he hopes to increase revenues from the current $21.7 million to $430 million by 2016 through joint ventures.

In March 2009, M&M had sought shareholders’ approval to spin off two divisions of its defence unit into separate subsidiaries by transferring the land systems and naval systems divisions of MDS into separate companies. (See: M&M proposes to spin off land, sea defence units)

MDS is a current supplier of the entire range of light combat / armoured vehicles and their derivatives for defence / security forces. It also is the largest private sector company supplying bullet-proof vehicles and sea mines.

The company has been awarded industrial licenses by the government of India for Light Armoured Multi Role Vehicles, simulators for weapons and weapon systems, mobile surveillance platforms, sea mines, small arms and Up-armoured vehicles

MUMBAI:Indices were on a firm foot on Wednesday as buying activity resumed across theboard ahead of November series expiry. However volatility later in the daycan’t be ruled out.

At 12:29 pm, Bombay StockExchange’s Sensex was at 17269.62, up 138.54 points or 0.81 per cent. The30-share index hit an intra-day high of 17284.30 and low of 17124.15.

National Stock Exchange’s Nifty was at 5123.25, up 32.05 points or0.70 per cent.

“Nifty depicted signs of weakness on shortterm charts with formation of distributive patterns. Short term oscillators havebeen depicting sign of weakness for some time. despite the divergence the indexso far continued to form higher peaks and troughs. Failure to rally past 5110would lead to increasing weakness in the index. Short term supports are placedat 5050 and below that at 5020 while 5110 remain crucial supply zone. Trenddecider level remains at 4900 and 5185 which may lead for unfolding of a biggermove,” said Edelweiss report.

BSE Midcap Index was up 0.77 percent and BSE Smallcap Index gained 0.93 per cent.

Amongst thesectoral indices, BSE Oil&gas Index was up 1.76 per cent, BSE Metal Indexmoved 1.33 per cent higher and BSE Auto Index gained 1.10 per cent. BSE RealtyIndex was down 0.22 per cent.

Reliance Industries (1.90%), Mahindra& Mahindra (1.75%), Hero Honda (1.66%), Maruti Suzuki (1.61%) and ITC(1.46%) were amongst the top Sensex gainers.

DLF (-0.86%), NTPC(-0.46%), ICICI Bank (-0.42%), Tata Power (-0.34%) and Wipro (-0.14%) wereamongst the top losers.

Market breadth was positive on the BSE with1608 advances and 913 declines.

Renault has no intentions of upsetting the applecart with Mahindra & Mahindra on the Logan project.

The Logan will continue to be developed with M&M, Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Renault-Nissan, told Business Line during his recent India visit.

However, it is still not clear if there will be any change in the retail strategy for the car. At present, it is showcased with M&Ms Scorpio sport-utility vehicle in the companys showrooms. Renault is clear, though, that it is working on an independent retail strategy for its future India products and it remains to be seen if the Logan will be part of this revised plan.

The only thing that has to be clarified for Renault is how to market and sell our products. this is not an issue with our partner, Nissan because its retail plan is in place. Renault is working on something and is clear about an exclusive identity in the form of showrooms, advertising campaigns and so on, Ghosn said.

M&M and Renault entered into a 51:49 partnership three years ago to manufacture the Logan sedan. The car promised plenty but monthly sales have been at the sub-500 unit level for sometime now and losses last fiscal totalled nearly Rs 500 crore. The Nashik plant has been planned with an installed capacity of 50,000 cars annually.

M&M believes that the way forward is to reduce the length of the Logan to four metres so that it qualifies as a small car in the Indian context and can avail of the lower eight per cent excise duty (instead of the current level of 20 per cent). this is applicable to any car up to four metres long whose engine capacities do not exceed 1.2 litres for petrol and 1.5 litres in the case of diesel.

The excise duty is an issue in India but we need to continue to work on the Logan to adapt it to local tastes. we also need to do it quickly and with a good knowledge of what customers want, Ghosn said.

According to him, the other solution lay in localisation of components which would play a key role in bringing down costs. It now remains to be seen which of these options would be exercised though he was categorical that both parties would work jointly on finding an answer.

We need to do it with M&M as they have shared responsibility on the car and also possess knowledge of the Indian market. we need to decide the solution together, Mr Ghosn said.

It now looks as if the partners are working overtime to get it right. Hopefully, before the Delhi Auto Show kick of in January next year, you could see many things becoming clear in these small, grey areas, he added. It will be interesting to see if some of these initiatives include a new product line-up for the Nashik plant.

Trimming the Logan will help reduce its price tag by at least Rs 50,000 but dealers are not entirely certain if that alone would suffice especially when substantial discounts are already being offered on the car to keep it moving off the shelves.

Ghosn said that the Indian customer is value-driven and wants everything in his car which seems to indicate that Renault may even work on some internal aspects of the Logan in terms of offering more goodies at the same price, or even lower if its length is also reduced. The car, he added, has been a huge success in Russia, Europe, North Africa and Brazil.

We are surprised that it could not be replicated in India. The Logan is important for Renaults future because it is the first product from us in this country, Ghosn said.

Taken from Business Line

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fitch Ratings corrects the bond description on the recently rated Bloomington, Minnesota’s unlimited tax bonds. The bonds originally named general obligation (GO) permanent improvement revolving fund bonds of 2009, series 43 are now named taxable GO permanent improvement revolving fund bonds of 2009, series 43 (Build America Bonds- Direct Pay). The city chose to issue taxable Build America Bonds because of market conditions. The par amount of about $7.835 million and the rating of ‘AAA’ with a Stable Outlook remain the same.

The unlimited taxing power of most local government general obligation pledges is the broadest security a U.S. local government can provide to the repayment of its long-term borrowing, and therefore is the best indicator of its overall credit quality. The average local government GO rating is ‘AA-’ with approximately 56% rated at or above ‘AA-’ and 7% rated ‘BBB+’ or below. The relatively high ratings reflect local governments’ inherent strengths: the authority to levy property taxes, nonpayment of which can result in property foreclosures; additional taxing power that can include sales, utility, and income taxes; and essentiality of and lack of competition for services provided by local governments. those with low investment-grade or below-investment-grade ratings generally have a combination of a limited or highly volatile economic base, high levels of long-term liabilities including debt and post-employment benefits, and/or unusually limited financial flexibility. for additional information on these ratings, see U.S. Local Government General Obligation Rating Guidelines dated March 22, 2007.

for further information, see the press release dated Nov. 12, 2009.

Additional information is available at fitchratings.com.

ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY’S PUBLIC WEBSITE ‘WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM’. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH’S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE ‘CODE OF CONDUCT’ SECTION OF THIS SITE.

The village of Martinstown in Dorset has long had a special place in the hearts of meteorologists. On 18 July 1955, it experienced the heaviest rain ever recorded in the UK over a 24-hour period. Until last week that is.

Now the dubious honour belongs to Seathwaite and the residents of Martinstown have sent their sympathies to the people of Cockermouth.

Experts at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) have been poring over their records to see how unusual it is for Seathwaite to experience intense rainfall. the village, apparently, gets regular mentions in the British Hydrological Society’s “chronology of hydrological events”, going back to 1800.

“There is a record of 8.52 inches (204 mm) on 12 Nov 1897 and 7.52 inches (191 mm) 26 Nov 1861; 6-inch totals are not uncommon in the record. This is one of the wettest parts of the country, and clearly has seen some very notable rainfall totals in the past. however, the recent rainfall seems to eclipse anything previously seen, by some margin.”

According to the Lake District National Park, Seathwaite is actually the wettest inhabited place anywhere in England, experiencing around 3500mm of precipitation each year. but even the oldest inhabitants will never have seen anything like the rain the village suffered last week.

“Flooding during the autumn/winter season is relatively common in the UK,” says Jamie Hannaford from CEH. “However, the magnitude of the provisional rainfall totals (for Seathwaite) suggests this is a monumental event, and perhaps a ‘record-breaker’.”

The Met Office has a list of “record-breakers” on its website – still awaiting confirmation of the Seathwaite downpour, one assumes.

What strikes me about these lists is that the 12 rainfall events span more than a hundred years and if you were going to pick a period that has seen exceptional precipitation, it would be the period between June 1953 and June 1956. Three extraordinary, record-breaking rainstorms hit the UK in three years. No-one attributed them to climate change then.

The CEH has been thinking about the question of whether the Cumbrian floods can be laid at the door of global warming.

“This flooding is occurring in a part of the country which has become wetter in the recent past. the latest research from the UK Climate Projections team (UKCP09) indicates that winter rainfall has increased in the north-west of the UK since the early 1960s. other research suggests that extreme rainfalls have also increased in frequency in northern and western areas of the UK, and one recent study which involved CEH scientists found that, over the last 50 years, the daily maximum rainfall has increased by 25% in northern and western areas relative to the previous 50 years.”

The CEH experts have also identified increases in river flows leading to floods in the area over the last 30-40 years, but they cannot be sure of the cause.

“Whether this is due to climate change is an open question; these records are fairly short, and increases in rainfall and flow over this period may reflect variability associated with changes in atmospheric circulation over the North Atlantic,” they suggest.

Indeed, trying to see the Cockermouth floods in an historical context, they are even more equivocal. “(T)rends over a longer period (more than 50 years) are generally much less compelling, and in general, there is limited evidence for long-term trends in flood frequency or magnitude anywhere in the UK.”

So, in trying to answer the question of my title, this post must end with the cliched pay-off from a thousand TV news reports: “It is too early to tell”.

The black and white images in this post are from Margaret Hearing’s the Book of Martinstown. Many thanks to Richard Knight and Margaret Hearing for permission to reproduce them.

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Jasper, IN – the Dad’s Root Beer Company, LLC is pleased to announce the addition of M&M Distributors of Lansing, MI to the Dad’s Root Beer Team! M&M will be distributing the Dad’s Root Beer, Bubble up and Dr. Wells portfolios in 12oz cans, 12oz glass bottles, 20oz bottles, and 1 Liter bottles.

M&M Distributors can be reached at 517-322-9010 for order information.

About Dad’s Root Beer:
Dad’s is one of America’s most popular soft drinks. the beverage was developed in Chicago in February of 1937, and its unique and delicious flavor has earned it a loyal following. In 2007, Dad’s was purchased along with the Sun Crest, Dr. Wells, and Bubble up brands by Hedinger Brands, LLC and licensed to the Dad’s Root Beer Company, LLC. the company headquarters is now located in Jasper, Indiana.

For more information please contact Andrea Hedinger @ ahedinger@dadsrootbeer.com

Source: Dad’s Root Beer Company, LLC

SAN FRANCISCO – (Business Wire) (This is an update of a release originally issued Nov. 18, 2009. it reflects changes related to the issuance amount, the resulting impact to cash flow projections, and the sale date).

Fitch assigns an ‘AA+’ rating to the Moulton Niguel Water District’s (the district) $60.5 million certificates of participation (the certificates) 2009 series a and B. Series B will be Federally Taxable Build America Bonds. the specific allocation of the total $60.5 million of certificates between the tax-exempt Series a and taxable Series B will be determined at the time of pricing. the certificates are scheduled to price the week of December 7 via negotiated sale. Fitch also assigns the ‘AA+’ rating on the district’s outstanding parity certificates of participation series 1993 and 2003. the Rating Outlook on the certificates is Stable.

the ‘AA+’ rating reflects the district’s role as the water and wastewater service supplier to an affluent service area of 167,000 people, strong financial performance with good debt service coverage levels and very strong liquidity position, low rates and very manageable capital plan requiring no additional debt. Credit concerns focus on the district’s 100% reliance on Metropolitan Water District (MWD) through the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) for potable water. the key rating driver is the district’s ability to sustain solid debt service coverage levels without rate stabilization fund transfers and continued very strong liquidity levels.

the district’s financial performance has been strong with historic debt service coverage ranging from 2.0 times (x) to 4.8x from fiscal 2005 through 2009. Projected coverage levels will be at least 2.0x through 2014. Liquidity measures have been very strong with over one year of cash since 2005. At the end of fiscal 2009 (unaudited), unrestricted cash and investments totaled just over $108 million, equal to 844 days cash. with a manageable $117 million five year capital plan requiring no additional debt and approved rate increases through 2011, liquidity measures are expected to remain strong, well in excess of over one year of cash.

the district is a member agency of MWDOC and receives 100% of its potable water supply from MWDOC. MWDOC in turn, imports water which it buys primarily from MWD. MWD faces significant water supply challenges and cost pressures on imported water in southern California, which are expected to continue. the pressures also are expected to impact the cost of operations of underlying retailers to some degree. nevertheless, the district’s rates are among the lowest in the area, benefiting from the property tax revenues generated and collected by the district; these revenues account for about one-third of total district revenues. currently, the average monthly water bill using 1,600 cubic-feet of water is $24, significantly less than the water portion of bills for other entities which also are highly dependent on imported water from MWD; wastewater charges are also low. even with approved annual rate increases of 16.2% over the next two years, projected rates are expected to remain very affordable.

the district provides water, wastewater and recycled water services to approximately 167,000 people in southern Orange County. the district encompasses 36.5 square miles and includes the cities of Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, significant portions of Laguna Hills and Mission Viejo and small portions of Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano.

Considerations for Taxable/Build America Bonds Investors:

the following sector credit profile is provided as background for investors new to the municipal market.

Water and Sewer Utility Revenue Bonds:

Municipal water and sewer utilities in the U.S. are enduring natural monopolies that typically have autonomous rate setting ability and provide highly essential services. the bonds are secured by a pledge of net revenues generated by the water and/or sewer system; and typically include structural legal protections such as rate covenants, debt service reserve requirements, and anti-dilution tests. As such, the sector exhibits extremely strong credit characteristics with minimal defaults. Reflective of this strong performance, the average water and sewer revenue bond rating is ‘A+’ with 53% at or above ‘AA-’, and approximately 6% rated ‘BBB+’ or below. Those with low investment-grade or below-investment-grade ratings generally have substantial capital programs, a high degree of leverage or weak financial flexibility as reflected in low cash levels, narrow debt service coverage and/or limited rate-raising flexibility. For additional information on these ratings, see Water and Sewer Revenue Bond Rating Guidelines Aug. 6, 2008.

Additional information is available at ‘fitchratings.com’.

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