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      <title>Mergers Unleashed Report</title>
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      <copyright>Copyright 2007 Mergers Unleashed. All rights Reserved.</copyright>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:34:16 EDT</pubDate>
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      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Talking Infrastructure]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[By some estimates, the United States will require $1.6 trillion of investment into its infrastructure over the next five years.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_25/182997-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
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      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Lehman Confirms Q2 Loss, De-Leveraging Underway]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[Lehman Brothers lost $2.8 billion in the second quarter, or $5.14 a share, in the second quarter of 2007.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_25/182996-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Loan to Own Opportunities Emerge]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[As the debt markets continue to wallow, buyers increasingly turn to loan-to-own strategies as a way to wrest control of troubled companies.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_25/182994-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
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      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Carlyle Grows Asian Business]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[The Carlyle Group has bolstered its Far East operations, naming Sunil Kaul senior director of financial services for Carlyle Asia Partners.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_25/182995-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Landmark Aims to Empty Portfolio in 08]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[A bidding consortium including NBC Universal is poised to win The Weather Channel after Time Warner abandoned its bid, sources say.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_25/182992-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Quadrangle Logs into Greenfield Online]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[The Quadrangle Group agreed to acquire interactive media and services data gatherer Greenfield Online for $426 million excluding debt.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_25/182993-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
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      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Sharper Image IP Assets Sold]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[A group of investors received court approval to acquire the Sharper Image brand.    ]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_23/182763-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Cengage Buys Houghton Mifflin's College Unit]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[Cengage Learning completed its $750 million deal to acquire the college division assets of Houghton Mifflin.  ]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_23/182761-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Study: Leaks Create New Deal Risks]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[According to a recent study, information leaks to the press have a significant impact on both the terms and the success rate of deals.   ]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_23/182762-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Bear PE Goes Independent]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[The private equity affiliate of Bear Stearns, informed the world that it was spinning out from as an independent investment house. ]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_23/182758-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Hummer Goes on the Block]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[General Motors initiated a strategic review of its Hummer brand, the embattled SUV that has seen sales plummet as gas prices have climbed.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_23/182759-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[TowerBrook Pursues Building Products]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[TowerBrook Capital Partners is exploring investment opportunities in the building products area.   ]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_23/182760-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[CI Strengthens Ply Gem]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[CI Capital Partners has secured $700 million in new financing for its portfolio company Ply Gem Industries.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_23/182757-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
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      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[FdG Sells Implus to AEA]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[FdG Associates, a New York private equity firm, said it has sold shoe accessories company Implus Footcare to AEA Investors in a secondary buyout.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_22/182328-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Learning Tree Considers Sale]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[Nasdaq-listed Learning Tree International retained RBC Capital Markets to pursue a possible sale of the company.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_22/182329-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
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      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[CKX Amends Sale]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[After nearly a year since the original offer, Nasdaq-listed CKX Inc. reached a new deal with 19X Inc. resulting in a management buyout valued at $12 a share. The agreement represents a discount to the previous transaction with 19X, inked last June, which had valued the company as high as $13.75 a share, or $1.3 billion, but was subject to adjustment based on the company's stock price.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_22/182330-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[In Defense of M&amp;A]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[When Italian aerospace and defense company Finmeccanica launched its $5.2 billion bid to acquire Parsippany, N.J.-based military contractor DRS Technologies at $81 per share in May, the transaction represented more than just another new cross-border acquisition executed by a European acquirer. It heralded the potentially fierce corporate battle for market share taking shape in the US aerospace and defense supply business, where M&amp;A activity is expected to continue heating up, according to industry observers.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_22/182325-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
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      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[The JV Alternative]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[If M&amp;A is like a marriage, then a joint venture is akin to a live-in courtship, and as many companies are discovering, the less binding alternatives do have their advantages. This is especially true in a market in which companies are desperately seeking growth but remain hesitant to bet the farm on a particular combination.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_22/182326-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
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      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Emerging Market Payola]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[When BAE Systems' chief executive Michael Turner entered the U.S. near the end of May he was greeted with a subpoena related to a Department of Justice bribery probe. The next step could be an appearance before a grand jury, where he would face questioning over claims that BAE paid kickbacks to Saudi Arabia's royal family to help cement an aircraft contract. Under-the-table payments have long been considered just part of doing business in certain markets. The Department of Justice's squeeze on Turner, however, signals that regulators are starting to crack down. ]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_22/182327-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[AOL Execs Face Music]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[The Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil fraud charges against eight former executives of AOL Time Warner, claiming that the each took part in a scheme to fraudulently overstate the company's advertising revenue by more than $1 billion. ]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_21/182190-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Rollups Face Scrutiny]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[The rollup is an old standby for investors, and industry titans such as Sysco Corp. illustrate the kind of scale that can be achieved through a well thought out series of transactions. Rarely, it seems, have regulators ever thought to police these tuck-in acquisitions, although a recent case that emerged out the FTC's Bureau of Competition serves as a reminder that even smaller deals can generate attention if they're part of a bigger picture.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_21/182187-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
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      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[NexCen Looks to Unload Assets]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[NexCen Brands, alongside news that it would delay its first-quarter earnings statement, said it exploring 'all strategic alternatives,' including the possible sale of one or more of its businesses. The company also disclosed that it is in discussions its lender and intends on taking immediate steps to trim its operating budget.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_21/182188-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[PE Fundraising Faces Overflow Risk]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[The large number of private equity funds seeking to raise new capital is extending the time frame it takes to complete the fundraising process, as well as creating a possible market risk of over saturation, according to new data from London- and New York-based private equity data company Preqin.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_21/182189-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Eyeing Distress]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[Most dealmakers will claim they relish an inefficient M&amp;A market. That partiality, however, is being put to the test, as the opportunity for turnaround and distress situations has forced investors to reconsider how they value businesses. Whether it's backward-moving earnings or a company on the brink of collapse, evaluating these types of transactions isn't nearly as cut and dried as deal pros may be used to.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_21/182185-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
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      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Opportunity Still Knocking for Private Equity]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[The credit market dislocation, initially viewed as an unfortunate development (at best) for the private equity community, has turned out to be the leveraged buyout industry's latest spinning wheel for new investment opportunities.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_21/182186-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
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      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Circuit City Opens Books to Blockbuster]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[After some initial wariness and pressure from a shareholder, Circuit City Stores has allowed Blockbuster, along with famed investor Carl Icahn, to conduct due diligence for a possible takeover, and seperately hired Goldman Sachs to explore other strategic alternatives.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_20/181872-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Weather Channel Auction Whittled to Two]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[Fresh off of its $1.75 billion acquisition of CNET, CBS Corp. could be closing in on the acquisition of Landmark Communications' The Weather Channel. It will have to fend off NBC Universal, according to a source familiar with the auction, who notes that the bidding has largely been whittled down to the two TV giants. ]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_20/181870-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
      </item>

      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Pearlstine Back to the News]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[Norman Pearlstine is leaving The Carlyle Group to fill a newly created position at Bloomberg LP, chief content officer. ]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_20/181871-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
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      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[The Gold(man) Standard]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[In April, boutique bank Morgan Joseph hosted its inaugural conference on special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), drawing hundreds of attendees. Along with a pep talk from legendary college football coach Lou Holtz and a catered lunch, attendees were greeted with a questionnaire. The last question asked: Do you favor the way Goldman Sachs is handling SPACs.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_20/181868-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
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      <item>
         <title><![CDATA[Clear Channel Buyers Agree to Lower Price]]></title>
         <description><![CDATA[Clear Channel Communications and the buyers hoping to take it private settled lawsuits against the lending syndicate financing the take private deal, and agreed to lower the acquisition price, from $39.20 a share to $36 a share.]]></description>
         <link>http://www.mergersunleashed.com/mar/2008_20/181869-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS</link>
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