text:
Amid all the not-so-great news reported during the dog days of summer—weak back-to-school sales, falling rental rates—there were signs the retail industry might be coming out of hibernation.
Men's apparel seller Jos A. Bank, for example, announced it would accelerate its store openings for the fiscal year 2010 to 30 or 40 new locations from the previously announced 10 to 15. Electronics chain Best Buy revealed it was working on 22 new store openings in the third quarter, more than the chain opened in the first and second quarters combined. Apple confirmed it planned to open its fourth New York City store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, while rumors swirled that discount department store chain Kohl's was scouring sites near Herald Square, next to a recently opened JCPenney. Microsoft was rapidly prepping its first two stores to open in October in the Southwest. And even Starbucks decided to keep 30 stores open that it previously had planned to close.
These modest moves toward expansion show that even in the worst of times healthy retail operators continue to have some appetite for new real estate. In fact, discounters, warehouse clubs, drug stores, restaurants and wireless service providers are already actively looking for new stores, while retailers in other sectors are beginning to review their plans for 2010, says Devon Wolfe, managing director for Americas strategy and analytics with Pitney Bowes Business Insight, a Troy, N.Y.-based site selection firm. A recent report by RBC Capital Markets and Retail Lease Trac, a Dahlonega, Ga.-based real estate research firm, estimates retailers will open 64,926 new stores in the U.S. over the next two years. (And that number doesn't include every retail firm. For example, neither Target nor Wal-Mart is included in the figure.)
Meanwhile, retail developers will deliver approximately 60 million square feet of new retail space to the market in 2010, according to data from Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, an Encino, Calif.-based brokerage firm. Another 163.8 million square feet of retail space had been proposed for construction over the next four years, but not yet approved, reports the CoStar Group, a Bethesda, Md.-based commercial real estate information provider.
"What we are seeing now is demand that's starting to pick back up after everything went south last year," says Wolfe. "It doesn't mean we are back to 2006 or 2007, but we are seeing signs of movement and that's good."
But though retailers might feel the worst of the downturn has passed, many firms don't have a lot of cash set aside and execs are worried about how long it might take for consumers to open their purse strings again. So retailers have adopted more stringent return hurdles for new locations. If in 2006, a retailer might have decided to open a store based on a 9 percent expected rate of return, today the figure might be as high as 12 percent. That means each new store is eyed with a lot of caution and has to satisfy a wide set of criteria, including the presence of high-spending core customers, the availability of a competent workforce and attractive rental rates. For example, many chains now want to know what kinds of incentives they might be eligible to receive from state and municipal governments, something they wouldn't have necessarily looked at before, says Todd Caruso, senior managing director in the retail service group of brokerage firm CB Richard Ellis. And according to some brokers, certain dollar store chains won't consider a new location unless they can get rents per square foot that are in the low single digits.
"Tenants are turning down a deal unless it's almost a sure thing," says Wolfe.
Next page: Time is money
Time is moneyWithout a question, the most important change that's taken place in retailers' site selection process is the emphasis on accurate, up-to-the-minute information. Historically, many companies relied on U.S. Census Bureau data on population figures, average household income, employment levels and other demographic metrics. Many projections for growth are still based on the U.S. Census numbers. But that information is dated, having been last collected in 2000 and it doesn't reflect the seismic shifts that have occurred in the economy since 2007.
Today, retailers want quarterly, if not monthly, updates on what's going on in any given area.
"It's a lot more money to be able to do that, but think about what's happened in the past nine months," notes Dean Stoecker, president and CEO of SRC, an Orange, Calif.-based site selection firm. "If you are a retailer trying to make a multi-million dollar investment decision, you can't rely on nine-month-old data. So they are moving to quarterly estimates."
In fact, retailers are now so invested in getting site selection right, last year SRC experienced a 20 percent increase in total revenue compared to 2007.
Furthermore, there has been a shift to looking at markets as they exist today rather than making assumptions about growing populations and incomes. Some of the most problematic retail projects today are the ones that were built to take advantage of burgeoning residential communities built on suburban outskirts. Those projects, where they were not scrapped altogether, now sit mothballed.
To avoid making the same mistakes again and ensure that whatever information they get accurately reflects what's going on now, retailers are using multiple data sources to re-check their statistics, says Keith Peterson, general manager of ElementOne analytics program with TARGUSinfo, a Vienna, Va.-based site selection firm. Those who in the past worked with only one site selection services provider might now be working with several to enable them to compare and contrast market reports from different firms.
There has also been a shift in the kind of data that's considered relevant. Before, the focus was on demographics and psychographics, says Wolfe. When it came to macroeconomic data, the key metrics for retailers included population growth and housing construction. Today, retailers are supplementing that data with statistics on employment figures, GDP growth, retail sales and the number of bankruptcy filings, among other things, to get a more well-rounded view in determining whether to open a store or not. The need for this kind of supplementary data has gotten so great that in the first quarter of the year Pitney Bowes began offering a subscription to MarketPulse reports for its retailer clients, which track all those statistics on a quarterly basis.
"I think the difference is that a few years ago, you didn't see the big market-by-market changes in economic health," Wolfe says. "There were differences, obviously, but they weren't as pronounced as they are right now. Now, it's driving decisions more than individual sites."
Last year, for example, one prospective client Pitney Bowes was working with wanted to expand into Michigan, where it had not existing stores. But in late fall, after the economy took a turn for the worse and it appeared that Michigan would suffer disproportionately because of the troubles in the auto industry, the retailer, which concentrates heavily on discretionary goods, scrapped Michigan off its list for the foreseeable future. The company figured the level of consumer spending in the state would fall short of its site selection criteria for several years to come.
Next page: Your friends and neighbors
Your friends and neighborsAnother factor of site selection that has been going through profound changes recently is the relationship with other retailers within the same trade area. Sophisticated retail operators have always tried to capitalize on any existing synergies with other chains and avoided cannibalization by not opening stores in close proximity to direct competitors. But the retail landscape has changed so much recently, with some long-term players filing for bankruptcy and others closing hundreds of stores, the remaining retailers have had to re-think who they'd like to have as neighbors, says Peterson. According to some brokers, a lot of tenants want to be located next to Wal-Mart these days, because the discount store usually brings in a healthy amount of foot traffic. Supermarkets and grocery operators, which tend to do well in recessions, have also been in high demand as neighbors.
"People are recalibrating their models in terms of their relationships in the market," Peterson notes.
One preference that many retailers have right now is the desire to go into older, established centers, adds Caruso. At the peak of the market, when retail development followed residential growth, many companies assumed that newly completed properties would fast reach 100 percent occupancy and provide steady demand from consumers. Today, when those projections for future demand have in many instances proved to be wildly off the mark, prospective tenants are targeting centers with minimal vacancies and proven levels of performance, Caruso notes.
Meanwhile, the fierce level of competition among various players in different retail sectors has brought to the forefront the importance of a qualified labor force, says Stoecker. When a customer walks into an electronics store like Best Buy and has a question about which product would better serve his needs, the Best Buy employee has to posses the adequate technical knowledge and people skills to point the customer to the right product and close the sale, Stoecker explains. After all, the customer has plenty of options of where to shop for electronics. So to make sure their new stores are profitable, retailers are now examining population characteristics not only for the presence of potential customers, but for potential store personnel as well. They want to see data on what kinds of arithmetic, social, technical and communications skills they can expect from the available workforce in a given trade area. Those who are embracing this model range from electronics sellers and wireless service providers to the drug store chain Walgreens.
"A great location that has a terrible work force results in poor profitability," Stoecker says. "Yet a marginal site with a good workforce can often outperform [other stores]. Especially for the grocery stores, department stores, electronics stores and wireless stores, job training is beginning to be more important."


text:
Mission elapsed time: T + 6 and counting*
A blog (from "web blog") is a discussion or informational site consisting of discrete entries ("posts") typically displayed newest first. All Corrente posts are front-paged; there is no up-rate or down-rate process. Corrente posts are almost entirely community moderated. We encourage a clash of ideas, and do not encourage a clash of persons.
If you are the author of this post, see the Edit tab ad Help (and Advanced Help) for detailed documentation.
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." --Hunter Thompson
Montreal. Victoire! "Even if she has a minority Pauline Maois has the firm intention to act rapidly to cancel the rise in tuition, and repleal Bill 101." Victory…. Or a good start.
Chicago Teachers Strike. Strike spreads: "For the first time in the district's history, teachers in Lake Forest High School District 115 went on strike today after failing to reach an agreement over salaries during negotiations that ended just before midnight." … Sympathy strike? " SEIU Local 1 today informed companies that employ about 1,800 of its members as custodial workers in city schools that those workers might go out on strike with teachers in 48 hours." SEIU?! … Andy Rotherham, worst person in the world: "Part of this strike, it's pretty clear, is that the union needed to have some theater for its members, let them blow off some steam, and that's increasingly obvious." … Organization: "At another Lane event, Smith and colleague Steve Parsons gave a presentation on Eli Broad, the billionaire whose leadership institute trains business people to run school districts with a privatization agenda. Among the Broad graduates is Jean-Claude Brizard, whom Emanuel appointed CEO of Chicago Public Schools." … Legacy parties: "Let's stop kidding ourselves. This is what Mitt Romney and Barack Obama and Arne Duncan and Paul Ryan have in mind when they promote charter schools and the right to fire teachers with tenure: Slash teachers' salaries and bust their unions." … Where Rahm's kids go: "[University of Chicago's Lab School director David Magill:] 'Measuring outcomes through standardized testing and referring to those results as the evidence of learning and the bottom line is, in my opinion, misguided and, unfortunately, continues to be advocated under a new name and supported by the current [Obama] administration.'" … Democrats: "Chicago-area Ds — including several who have relatives in the school system — refrained from taking sides in the strike on Tuesday, saying that both they and the White House should give city leaders space to hash out an agreement." Solidarity! … Progress: "Both [CPS President David] Vitale and [CTU leader Karen] Lewis also said they were hopeful the strike could end and students could be back in class by Friday."
CA. Refinery fire: "A corroded pipe that failed and triggered a leak and massive fire at one of CA's largest refineries [(Chevron's)] had walls as thin as a penny in some areas, federal investigators said." … No helicopter? "During a high-speed chase, alleged bank robbers threw handfuls of money out their vehicle's window. The pursuit began after four men robbed a Bank of America in Santa Clarita." … Air: "Air samples collected near the Salton Sea clinched inspectors' suspicions of the 376-square mile, murky body of water as the source of the pervasive smell. [I]nspectors collected air samples that contained hydrogen sulfide [from dead fish]."
CO. Abortion: "The CO SOS's office says the so-called 'personhood' amendment will not be on the November ballot, despite any legal action from proponents to prove they collected enough voter signatures."
FL. Charlie Crist: "In the case of Digital Domain -- biggest loser in the history of Florida's incentives program -- Crist had plenty of facts to make a more responsible decision. He could have listened to Enterprise Florida. He could have listened to now-former Rep. Carl Domino, R-Jupiter, who tirelessly detailed Digital's bad-risk history." … Disemployment: "A shrinking workforce — not job creation — accounts for 91 percent of the drop in FL's unemployment rate so far this year, according to new projections from state economists." … Charters, corruption: "In one case, a K12 manager instructed a certified teacher to sign a class roster of more than 100 students. She only recognized seven names on that list." … Poverty: "What we are finding is, our calls have much more intensity to them and are taking a lot longer" (crisis hotline)
LA. Fracking, corruption: "[Charles "Chip" Groat] led a study of fracking that was released in February. When it was presented at this year's meeting of the AAAS, Groat pointed out that it had been paid for by the [University of Texas] and its independence was therefore guaranteed. Groat is on the board of Plains Exploration and Production, which paid him $413,000 in cash and stock last year. Since 2007 Groat has received $1.6 million in stock alone from the company. So UT research money is down the drain and [Groat's] Water Institute [which is entrusted with the preservation of the coast] is dragged collaterally into the mud." … Corruption: "For the third time in his congressional career, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., has made Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington's annual list of the 'most corrupt members' of Congress."
ME. Occupy: [M]ore than 20 [Occupy Augusta] protesters stood outside the Diamond Building along with picket signs and handing out flyers that denounced Colby's support for its board of trustees Chairman[, Barclay's] Bob Diamond."
MI. Cars: "Parking is not a right, but a privilege. We should not feel entitled to parking our vehicles in such close proximity to our destination that it erodes our landscape." … Poll: "A poll done by EPIC-MRA showed Obama with a commanding 10-point lead over Michigan-born-and-raised Mitt Romney." Swing state Keynsianism. … Income: "MI's median household income rose by 2.4% in real terms in 2011 — at a time when incomes nationwide fell slightly."
MO. Akin: "But Akin can see what game the GOP is playing. They want to push him out of the race, and their deadline to get him out is September 25. If he stays in the race until then, at that point they'll be stuck with him. Todd Akin may be crazy, but he's not stupid. Wait. Let me rephrase. He may be crazy and stupid, but he's not unable to spot a bluff."
NY. Corruption: "Companies associated with luxury real estate mogul Leonard Litwin have funneled more than $900,000 into races for the NY State Senate so far this election cycle — mostly to Rs." … Corruption: "Assemblyman Vito Lopez demanded the strict confidentiality clause that initially kept secret a $103,000 settlement with two former staffers who had accused him of sexual harassment." … Fracking: "Officials say right now, the state has no tax structure for state taxes to be recouped [from fracking] and that's a real concern if New York is even considering allowing gas drilling."
OH. Referendum: "The Ohio Supreme Court has sided with backers of proposed revisions to the state's redistricting procedures [and] compelled the Ohio Ballot Board to quickly reconvene to replace the text its members had approved to describe November's Issue 2." SoS Husted again.
PA. No longer in play: "The GOP is off the air in PA." …. Fracking: "The PUC says Pittsburgh City Council overstepped its authority by banning fracking, something the commission says only the Commonwealth can do. the Pittsburgh City Council plans to ignore the PUC's censure."
OR. Vital bodily fluids: "The City Council has voted to add fluoride to Portland's water, meaning OR's largest city is no longer the biggest holdout in the U.S."
TN. Unswing states: "[AL GORE:] "I've seen how these states are just written off and ignored, and people are effectively disenfranchised in the presidential race, and I really do now think that it's time to change that." Easiest route to a Constitutional Convention?
TX. Public good: "But rather than let the building become an eyesore, [McAllen] scooped it up and spent $24 million transforming the drab structure into a 123,000-square-foot public library that now serves as a vibrant space for the city's residents." …. Management bloat: "The new head of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department plans to [reduce] the number of top supervisory staff by as much as 20%, and has handed out writing assignments to agency leaders."
USVI. Primary: "In a rare occurrence in Virgin Islands politics, Rs will have a primary for their Delegate to Congress candidate. Holland Redfield II will face off with Vincent Danet for the chance to run against the winner of the Democratic primary and independent candidates Warren Mosler [here], Guillaume Mimoun and Norma Pickard Samuel."
VA. Uranium: "VA politicians are better at doing some things than others. One thing they do especially well is doing nothing. And that's probably what they'll do on uranium mining."
WI. Public good: "Lloyd, a former librarian, was entranced by the Little Free Libraries she'd encountered on her bike trips around Madison, and decided to establish one at Brittingham — one of the city's smallest, but very well used, off-leash dog parks." Also memorial to Maggie, her dog. … Panic: "The Department of Administration confirmed Tuesday that it installed 482 panic buttons in offices around the statehouse, in an effort to provide a level of comfort for staffers who they say have felt harassed by the presence of protesters in the historic building." And not one incident of violence.
Outside baseball. Zeitgeist watch: "[Miley] Cyrus played up the grunge look with her slick blond 'do, an 'Anarchy' cut-off tee and chunky boots." … Libya flap: " At the very least, the attack in Benghazi should make us a bit more skeptical the next time we hear that the U.S. will gain goodwill by taking the side of an opposition movement." ... Totem and taboo: "The main tactic of both parties, in any case, and of all political camps, is the same: anathematization of the opponent on grounds of taboo-violation." … MOOCs: "Instead of teaching dozens of students or even a couple hundred, star teachers will reach thousands. What will that mean for the not-so-great instructors and the no-name educational institutions that employ them? Perhaps they will provide supplementary services, as intermediaries or subalterns, to students who crave that face-to-face experience. Perhaps they'll go out of business. Either way, they will adopt [sic] or die."
Grand Bargain™-brand Catfood watch. Democrats: "But members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) are warning that they'll fight to kill any budget package that would cut Medicare coverage, Social Security benefits and safety net programs for the poor — all elements of the Simpson-Bowles plan." They'll cave...
The trail. Debates: "Free & Equal is working for a 2012 presidential debate, to be held in Chicago on Tuesday, October 23, the day after the last Commission on Presidential Debates event is held. Candidates who are, or may possibly, be on the ballot in states containing a majority of the electoral vote are invited." … Son of Ross Perot: "If enough Rs are disgusted with Romney by election time and if enough Ron Paul voters turn out for Johnson, there's a possibility that a few of the blood-red western states might wind up being competitive for Obama."
Libertarian Party. Ballot access: "The Libertarian Party reports that Gary Johnson will be on the ballot in at least 47 states, plus the District of Columbia."
RNCon. Lessons learned: "I'm rooting for a different lesson, however: that it's a bad idea to base your convention theme around an out-of-context quote, and that it's a bad idea for your vice presidential candidate to reel off one whopper after another in his convention speech – especially obvious lies that the media can't help but pick up on." You never know!
DNCon. Foto Funnies: Romney, Ryan Sneak Into DNC While Posing As Caterers.
The Romney. Libya flap: Timeline (WSJ); Timeline (TPM). … Libya flap, Nooners: "Sometimes when really bad things happen, when hot things happen, cool words or no words is the way to go." … Libya flap, Frum: "The Romney campaign's attempt to score political points on the killing of American diplomats was a dismal business in every respect." … Libya flap, WaPo editorial: "Mr. Romney's rhetoric on embassy attacks is a discredit to his campaign." … Eastwood, Newsmax loon: "It is beyond belief that seasoned political pros would allow Eastwood, whose political views and loyalties have been all over the map through the decades, to take the stage right before the nominee's speech and ad lib a speech."
The Obama. Walter Russell Mead: "9/11/12, the day the roof fell in. The Chicago teacher strike raised doubts about the President's domestic leadership, the publication of Bob Woodward's new book raised questions about his economic management and political skills, and 11 years to the day after the 9/11 attack, radical America-hating Islamists stormed the U.S. embassies in Cairo and Benghazi, assassinated the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three others even as U.S. and Israeli relations sank to another low point." Well, when you put it that way… Srlsy, did somebody take Romney aside and say "Kid, this ain't your night"?
Slogan of the day: "Salute workers, peasants, intellectuals, and cadres in the Swing States!"
Here is the information on how supporters can donate to buy lunch for the striking Chicago teachers:
You can show your solidarity with striking Chicago teachers by donating to pay for their lunch. For however long the strike lasts, striking Chicago Teachers Union activists and supporters will meet at their strike headquarters after morning picket lines and before a mass picket downtown in the afternoon.
The Chicago Teachers Solidarity Campaign has made arrangements with Primo's pizza, a locally owned and teacher-friendly restaurant near the strike HQ, to deliver pizza, pasta, and salads. You can help defer the up to $1,000 a day cost by calling Primo's and asking them to take a donation with your credit card. At the conclusion of the strike, any unused funds will go toward the ongoing campaign to defend public education and fight for an elected school board in Chicago. (Consider pooling donations with others and making just one phone call.)
Call Gus or Daisy at Primo's Pizza at (312) 243-1052. Primo's is at 816 W Van Buren Street, Chicago. Open 11 am to 9 pm Monday through Friday, but try not to call during lunch rush 11:45 to 1:15.
* * *
- lambert's blog
- Log in or register to post comments

subset: commoncrawl


text:
ASHBURNHAM — Police are looking for a white man, between 5 foot 5 and 5 foot 8, with a brown or blond beard, in connection with several break-ins in the area.
The man is believed to be in his 20s and has blond hair.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at (978) 827-4413.


text:
Happy Cinco de Mayo!Things to do today!
Chamber's Spring Fling
Cape Ann Chamber Businesswomen will host this year's Spring Fling on Tuesday, May 5, 5 to 7:30 p.m., at Latitude 43, 25 Rogers St. Terri Trespicio, senior editor at Martha Stewart's "Body & Soul" magazine, will present "Take Back the Reins: Simple and Surprising Ways to Stay Balanced and Whole When Times Are Tough." Trespicio also hosts a daily radio program called "Whole Living." In collaboration with seArts Wearable Arts group, attendees will have an opportunity to wear — and possibly buy — accessories made by local artists. Sponsored by Cape Ann Savings Bank Trust Department, Rockport National Bank and TD Banknorth, the event will feature a Cinco de Mayo supper of quesadillas, nachos and salads. Cost is $25 per person. A cash bar will be available. Chamber members and nonmembers are welcome. For reservations, call 978-283-1601 or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com.
Spaghetti dinner
A spaghetti dinner fundraiser to benefit the Gloucester High School girls softball program will take place Tuesday, May 5, 5 to 7 p.m., at The Fish Shack restaurant in Rockport. Cost is $8 for adults, $5 for children and seniors, with a $25 family cap. For more information, call Anthony Saputo at 978-283-6970.


text:
Two experienced officers, one rookie join Manchester police forceBy MARK HAYWARD
New Hampshire Union Leader
November 19. 2012 10:49PM
MANCHESTER - Manchester police welcomed three people, two of them police officers from other jurisdictions, into their ranks Monday.
One of the three sworn in was a Din R. Jenkins, the second African-American to have a Manchester police badge pinned on him in consecutive ceremonies to welcome new officers.
After a brief ceremony, Police Chief David Mara said his department is making an effort to hire more minorities and women. The effort involves recruiting visits to colleges and job fairs, and the formation of a minority hiring committee within the department.
"Our goal is that the face of Manchester police reflect the face of the city," Mara said. Jenkins brings to six the number of minorities on the force, out of 216 sworn officers, he said. In July, Andre Smith, also an African American, was one of nine sworn in; he remains in training.
The ceremony included remarks from Mayor Ted Gatsas, who noted the three are the last crop of recruits who will be sworn in at the Chestnut Street police station. Workers are putting the finishing touches on a new police station at the corner of Valley and Maple streets.
The three new officers are:
. Jenkins, 36, a graduate of Stoughton High School in Massachusetts and the University of Massachusetts-Boston. In 2004, Jenkins started work with that university's police department. He has been a police officer with Boston University since 2009. He and his wife have two children and one on the way.
. Erland J. Torrey, 35, a graduate of Edward Little High School in Auburn, Maine. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in wildlife ecology at the University of Maine, and master's degrees in criminal justice and business administration at other institutions. He served in the Air Force from 2002 to 2006 and was honorably discharged as a captain. He has worked as a Las Vegas policeman since 2007.
. Mary D. Kitsis, 23, a 2008 graduate of Manchester High School-West. She earned a bachelor's in criminal justice from the University of New Haven and most recently worked in sales at the Sperry outlet in Merrimack.
Kitsis will enter the New Hampshire Police Academy for six months. Torrey and Jenkins will spend nine weeks in in-house training and six weeks training with an experienced officer.
Mara said the three represent a good mix of experience and local roots. He said the reputation of the city and its police department helped to lure Jenkins and Torrey to the department.
"They were police officers who did very well where they were working. We were lucky to get them," Mara said. Experienced officers can land as high as the fifth rung on a 13-step pay grade, said Carl Accorto, a police officer who works in recruitment and training.
Mara said the city is in the process of filling three slots with a federal COPS grant reserved for veterans. Seventy-five signed up; 61 showed up to take the test; 20 remain in consideration following a written test, physical fitness test and oral boards.


text:
STS-102, Mission
Control Center
The Space Shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space Station at 10:32 p.m. CST Sunday, leaving the second station crew to get settled in and begin in earnest the research planned aboard the orbiting laboratory.
The hatches between the shuttle and station were closed for a final time at 8:32 p.m., about an hour after departing Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd passed responsibility for the station to Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev. As the hatches closed, Usachev, and flight engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms marked the start of their four-month stay on orbit. The previous Expedition crew – Shepherd and Cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev – are now headed home on board Discovery.
After the undocking -- which occurred as the two vehicles flew over Guyana, South America, and its capital of Georgetown -- Pilot Jim Kelly flew Discovery one-and-a-quarter turns around the space station before initiating a final steering jet separation burn at 11:48 p.m. CST. During the flyaround at a distance of 450 feet the crew recorded television and still images of the station's exterior.
The two vehicles were docked for a total of 8 days, 21 hours, 54 minutes, which brings the total time shuttles have been docked to the station to 55 days, 23 hours, 7 minutes. The hatches were open for a total of 142 hours, 22 minutes during three periods punctuated by space walk-necessitated closures.
Over the course of joint operations between the station and shuttle crews, Discovery Commander Jim Wetherbee, Kelly and Mission Specialists Andy Thomas and Paul Richards worked with the station crew unloading almost five tons of experiments and equipment from the Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, and packing almost one ton of items for return to Earth. Discovery's space walkers – Voss and Helms, and Thomas and Richards -- also set the stage for continued expansion of the station by installing a platform that will be used to mount a Canadian-built robotic arm to the station next month.
After undocking, Discovery's crew spent the rest of the day exercising, talking with their families and enjoying some scheduled off-duty time. The shuttle crew will go to sleep at 8:12 a.m. and awaken at 4:12 p.m., while the station crew will begin its sleep shift at 3:30 p.m., awakening at midnight.
The next Mission Control Center status report will be issued early Monday evening.
NASA Johnson Space Center Mission Status Reports and other information are available automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail message to firstname.lastname@example.com. In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type "subscribe hsfnews" (no quotes). This will add the e-mail address that sent the subscribe message to the news release distribution list. The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail of each subscription. Once you have subscribed you will receive future news releases via e-mail.


text:
Bullish Outlook for Car Industry Means Auto ETF Looks Attractive
More fuel-efficient vehicles and fresher styles are among the catalysts that some analysts see as driving robust auto sales this year.
Editor's Note: This content was originally published on Benzinga.com by The ETF Professor, Benzinga Staff Writer.
Coming off a year in which US automobile sales climbed 13%, sales are expected to rise again in 2013 as the US and global economies recover. More fuel-efficient vehicles and fresher styles are among the catalysts that some analysts see as driving robust auto sales this year.
"Our fundamental outlook for automobile manufacturers is positive," said S&P Capital IQ in a research note. "We see US automotive demand trending higher on a year-over-year basis. Sales should benefit from widespread availability of and lower cost of credit for consumers. In addition, sales should benefit from an aging vehicle fleet that needs to be replaced and by consumers' desires for newer, more fuel efficient vehicles, and/or fresher styles and the latest in-vehicle technology."
That optimism has been reflected in the recent returns of major auto stocks. In the past 90 days, shares of Ford (NYSE:F), the second-largest US automaker, have surged almost 24%. Shares of rival General Motors (NYSE:GM) are up more than 13% over the same time period.
Despite the history of the automobile business in the US and the industry's importance to the economy here, there is just one ETF devoted to the sector. That fund is the First Trust NASDAQ Global Auto Index Fund (NASDAQ:CARZ), which S&P has a Marketweight rating on.
CARZ, which debuted in May 2011, is reflective of the auto industry in that the ETF is global in its composition. Japan accounts for nearly 37% of the ETF's country weight with the US and Germany combing for more than 34%. Germany and South Korea round out the fund's top-five country exposures and it is the global nature of CARZ that is worth keeping an eye on this year.
"While we expect to see uneven geographic progress, including declines in Europe and weakness in South America, we look for global demand to rise in 2013, led by China and the US General Motors and Ford should see material losses again in 2013 from suffering European operations," said S&P Capital IQ. "We expect global sales volume growth to be in the low to mid-single digits in 2013. We think higher volume in the US and abroad versus 2012 will outweigh European challenges, helping industry profits and cash flows."
S&P Capital IQ has four-star ratings on Ford and GM, the largest and tenth-largest holdings in CARZ, respectively. Other top-10 holdings in CARZ include Honda (NYSE:HMC), Toyota (NYSE:TM), BMW (ETR:BMW), and Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG).
Regarding CARZ, S&P Capital IQ said: "When it comes to Performance Analytics, it is ranked overweight relative to other equity ETFs ranked by S&P Equity Research. However, based on Cost Factors it is categorized as underweight. Based on Risk Considerations it is ranked marketweight."
CARZ, which has $10.5 million in assets under management, has an expense ratio of 0.7%. The ETF has gained about 21.5% in the past three months.
Below, find some more great ETF and market content from Benzinga:
Super Bowl Ads That May Affect Your Portfolio
Sony, Microsoft Could Make Billions If Chinese Ban Is Lifted
Navigating Volatility During Earnings Season
Twitter: @Benzinga
Benzinga Pro covers this and all market news in real time. Get your free trial here.
- 1
The information on this website solely reflects the analysis of or opinion about the performance of securities and financial markets by the writers whose articles appear on the site. The views expressed by the writers are not necessarily the views of Minyanville Media, Inc. or members of its management. Nothing contained on the website is intended to constitute a recommendation or advice addressed to an individual investor or category of investors to purchase, sell or hold any security, or to take any action with respect to the prospective movement of the securities markets or to solicit the purchase or sale of any security. Any investment decisions must be made by the reader either individually or in consultation with his or her investment professional. Minyanville writers and staff may trade or hold positions in securities that are discussed in articles appearing on the website. Writers of articles are required to disclose whether they have a position in any stock or fund discussed in an article, but are not permitted to disclose the size or direction of the position. Nothing on this website is intended to solicit business of any kind for a writer's business or fund. Minyanville management and staff as well as contributing writers will not respond to emails or other communications requesting investment advice.
Copyright 2011 Minyanville Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Daily Recap Newsletter
entertainment, education and
smart market commentary.


text:
Product Review: Wakami USA Unisex accessories
We recently had the chance to sport some Wakami USA bracelet's like the Elements of Life – Fire and the Smile Bracelet for Women. For a very reasonable price, these are some sleek and stylish offerings that can really enhance your look.
Wakami USA has numerous unisex men's accessories and is a socially conscious brand. Wakami brings the world beautiful, hand-crafted Unisex accessories that not only look good, but help in fulfilling thousands of dreams. With names for products such as Dream, Smile, Earth and Life, who wouldn't want to adorn this lil' piece of sunshine and make someone across the world smile.
Through their partnership with Comunidades de la Tierra, Wakami has created the "Wakami Village," a platform for change in rural areas of Guatemala. The Wakami Village program prepares a rural community to become self-sustaining and independent. We're all connected and helping others always makes one feel better about themselves!
Check out what Wakami has to offer you and you're friends right here.
You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook for content updates. Also, sign up for our email list for weekly updates and check us out on Google+ as well.
Posted in: Stuff to Buy
Tags: Wakami, Wakami bracelets, Wakami USA Unisex accessories, Wakami Village


text:
|2012-09-03, 17:59
|Link #262
My posts are frivolous
Join Date: Nov 2008
Age: 29
Whether or not Ichiki was pressured into writing his blog post is not something that we can observe based on the events that have occurred so far. Regardless of whether he really meant it, that is still the stance that he is taking, for whatever reason, and I respect his decision.
I have read all the posts in this thread, and I don't see any compelling evidence to suggest that the apology wasn't sincere. One could argue that it should have been better phrased and whatnot, but the conclusions being drawn over here are all based on what we're reading into the events from bits and pieces without being shown the full picture. Allegations about the apology being insincere are ones that I'm really hesistant to make unless actual (not weak circumstantial) evidence is available. It is for this reason that notwithstanding all the questionable inferences being drawn, I lean towards the default position that the studio has issued an apology and Ichiki has decided to move on.
|2012-09-03, 18:15
|Link #263
阿賀野型3番艦、矢矧 Lv165
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Belgium, Brussels
Age: 32
Consequently, there is no evidence the note was sincere either, -however- there are aggravating points that make the apology totally not convincing:
1) deleting the videos (It is highly questionable why, because they weren't tampered. if it was really a mere prank, why are they afraid of letting these live anyway? Especially the radio event)
2) cancelling the radio event (same point above: no reason if it was really a joke, so supposing it is that, there is no reason for them to cancel them).
3) Sueing people who will upload the videos, claiming the previous ones were shown "differently" of what actually happened (so that means ALL recording (both the event AND radio) were tampered and changed to make it like a malicious prank... really?)
4) no direct mention of Ichiki whatsoever (apology was directed towards the audience)
5) absolutely no detail whatsoever nor the purpose of all of this (aside of the PR?)
As it is, it has absolutely no weight in sincerity, since it doesn't cover the core problem of the prank: the damn reason of that.
So far, we have "business like" apology note, which are nowhere close to apology, and taking them for face value is dubious imho, especially how Japanese Society works a lot on the facade, requiring tricks to save face, or using someone to take all the blame for a company in general.
And frankly, there is a huge difference between Ichiki deciding to make that blog post because he really believes things went out of hand or him being forced to do that. The latter is absolutely not "his" decision at all. It is the usual context of people forced to quit their job instead of being fired: the former being "softed" to the public, despite pressure from highers up would be the cause, which means it is actually the latter.
We will probably never know the absolutely true stance for Ichiki unless the responsible behind that admit what they actually have done. But, wait... even with this "apology", we don't know jack why everything has happened so far, so it is back to square one. basically speaking, these apologies aren't any, and it will just add oil to fire, for those who feel unsatisfied by these and continue their boycott or whatever reckless actions they may perform.
Last edited by Klashikari; 2012-09-03 at 18:39.
|2012-09-03, 18:27
|Link #264
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Boston, MA
Age: 24
I really love Kokoro Connect (It's my favorite current series behind SAO) and I would hate for the series to end prematurely over some misunderstanding. I'm just praying for everything to work itself out so we can all enjoy an excellent series. I am curious as to what management was thinking when they decided to pull this PR stunt, though... even if it is a misunderstanding, I feel like it should have been obvious that something would go wrong. I'm honestly surprised that no one challenged this and just went along with it...
|2012-09-03, 18:44
|Link #265
reading #hikaributts
Join Date: Feb 2009
3) the threat of sueing people did kind of stop last year's escalated seiyuu "scandal" with Toyosaki and Tomatsu and maybe the other members of sphere.
4) on the kokoro connect hp he was mentioned:
"アニメ「ココロコネクト」では、宣伝活動の一環としまして、声優・市来光弘さんを宣伝活動のメインに迎え "
It's true that this was meant for the audience though.
5) the publicity backfired completely, eventhough i can't see the point of this kind of publicity in the first place.
edit: after browsing through some the blogs of the involved seiyuu, they all speak of 誤解. But then again that is the official statement and like others have already pointed out that they can't write something that would contradict those statements. So of course, they can't be 100% sincere about this whole affaire.
Last edited by hyl; 2012-09-03 at 19:06.
|2012-09-03, 19:33
|Link #266
ISML Technical Staff
Graphic Designer
Hm, I will admit I jumped to conclusions even while trying to be cautious when I first responded to this thread. Now I think relentlessflame's analysis makes the most sense and I'm inclined to believe this for now.
1) Did they really decide to choose Ichiki (not completely unknown) instead of a very low profile seiyuu on purpose? The "believable" factor applies with Ichiki but may not apply to a more obscure seiyuu. And if they did, was it just an oversight or did they actually think it would be more funny?
2) Even in a "punked" context, did Taneshima and Kanemoto go overboard? This is akin to "beating a dead horse" -- yes let's say they believe it was rigged and Ichiki never expected to get the job, but did they have to draw out the joke so it becomes...no longer funny and scandalous?
3) If the production team is taken aback by these allegations, let's say they really only intended this to be a prank, was their response appropriate? We're not talking about covering up a vicious incident here, but if they actually believed they acted innocently. I still think even if we give them the benefit of the doubt, their statement (plus taking down the videos) didn't satisfy anyone.
And then, how do I feel about this situation and similar things in the future? Did 2ch go overboard and did we jump too conclusions too quickly? I think that a part of it was the seiyuu felt like they had an obligation to go along with the setup. But they still could've stopped at any time, or offer a word of comfort/encouragement to Ichiki on the radio show. Right now I'm thinking that no one had malicious intent, but people got hurt anyways in the process (as I can give many personal examples of), so an apology is nice even if you didn't intend what you did.
Spoiler for Kokoro Connect, Second Arc:
|2012-09-03, 20:58
|Link #267
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Saimoe Planet
1) I wouldn't know if the same would have happened with another low profile seiyuu instead of Ichiki. Since Ichiki is a friend of Kanemoto I think, maybe the prank would be executed without so much problem on their part.
2) if it went overboard, I think Kanemoto, Taneshima and those involved should be the ones to apologize. If apologizing was the same as admitting, then they can save face. But remember that people will have different reactions to this.
3) If they believe they were innocent then people should not blame them and they should not worry about being involved in this prank.
Man I don't know what to say haha.
|2012-09-03, 21:46
|Link #268
Join Date: Oct 2004
Age: 38
To put things into perspective, the blame falls solely onto those who planned the show. Kanemoto and Terashima are just the means of execution. Tools, if you would have it. In a way they are just as victimized as Ichiki as majority of anger are focused on them.
So far , we have not heard anything from Yamanaka, the only known source of everything. Only from the "tools". Remember, politics are at work here.
Last edited by MakubeX2; 2012-09-03 at 21:56.
|2012-09-03, 21:47
|Link #269
Join Date: Oct 2004
I don't know what to say, too. I thought the drama would end after Silver Link issued the response. The show's quotes starts making sense.
|2012-09-03, 22:20
|Link #271
Cross Game - I need more
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: I've moved around the American West. I've lived in Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Oklahoma
Age: 39
My understanding though is that Ichiki has been the target of a similar prank by Yamanaka before, which tends to suggest this was not random.
My reading of the situation is that Yamanaka probably enjoys being in power over others, and that Ichiki has become a safe target for some unsavory ways of displaying that power.
Maybe Kanemoto is a friend of Ichiki in a jerkass type of way and thought this kind of prank was just the normal publicity stunt crap that actors have to put up with and that in the end it would help Ichiki. A friend who says things about how enjoyable it is to break his friend... yeah, well, I have known men who do say that sort of stuff about their... friends.
At the very least he's not a very good friend, but he might actually think that he is Ichiki's friend.
|2012-09-04, 00:24
|Link #273
Senior Member
This whole situation stinks to high heavens, you have that rather incriminating video evidence and radio show, and you don't think that anybody involved in this had ill-intent? Heck, your own questions make it clear just how unlikely it is that no ill-intent was here. Going by Occam's Razor, what's the simplest solution to the questions you're raising? The simplest solution is that there was malicious intent here, even if many of the people on the Kokoro Connect anime team thought it was a simple and legit publicity stunt. Why did some people go overboard, drag things out so much, and "beat a dead horse"? I think it's because that was the whole point for those people - It was intended (again, just by certain specific people) to humiliate Ichiki.
Plus, I'm amazed how people just keep completely ignoring Klash's excellent arguments. The most likely conclusion those arguments lead to is clear. To put it simply, some people wanted to get shits and giggles at considerable expense to Ichiki. That's obviously ill-intent, imo.
Last edited by Triple_R; 2012-09-04 at 00:44.
|2012-09-04, 01:22
|Link #275
Join Date: Oct 2004
Age: 38
Malicious intent or not, there had to be someone masterminding the entire program. He also needs to seek approval from somewhere. At this point, it's difficult to imagine that this humiliation is conceive as a group or even company wide effort against one single individual.
But finding the mastermind is a futile effort now given that there is no confession and everyone is distracted by the few presented at the crime scene. Also said mastermind must had been a influential person to draw up those "apologies".
Last edited by MakubeX2; 2012-09-04 at 02:05.
|2012-09-04, 01:48
|Link #276
My posts are frivolous
Join Date: Nov 2008
Age: 29
As I said before, I'm not convinced because there is simply no hard evidence, and we are still relying on bits and pieces that may not even be linked. Simply put, we are looking at the events that have occurred so far an assuming that they were caused by earlier events when they very well may not have been.
Take for example the removal of the videos and the cancellation of the radio show. The arguments so far have been that the videos were removed because the studio was truly guilty of pulling a severe prank with no intention other than to humiliate Ichiki. That, however, is a leap of logic. It is more likely that the studio chose to take down those videos simply because of the negative PR from the internet brigade and 2ch, which does not imply anything about their initial intentions in pulling the prank.
Everyone, including Kashikari, concedes that there is no strong evidence either way, and while there have been several interesting theories and arguments about the circumstances behind the events, I'm not ready to draw negative conclusions against a studio simply because of what could have happened, what might have happened, what likely happened, or even using an Occam's Razor agument.
To me, the only strong evidence that we can rely on is Ichiki's blog post, because it came straight from the horse's mouth. There is zero evidence to suggest that Ichiki was forced to put up this post by his company, and even if that were indeed the case, the fact is that he made the choice to do so. What this means is that he has accepted what happened as part of the job (since he didn't quit his company or even leave the industry altogether), and wants to move on from it. What I really don't get is why so many folks insist on making the situation bigger than it really is when the victim himself has decided to accept it.
Edit: And for that matter, the studio has no reason or obligation to issue an apology to the public. Any such apology, if they want to make one, should be issued to Ichiki. I would even argue that the studio should not make the apology public, since all it will do is draw even more attention to the details of the events, which would only be to the detriment of everyone involved, including Ichiki.
|2012-09-04, 01:54
|Link #277
Le fou, c'est moi
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA
Age: 29
^I don't particularly feel that strongly about the incident, I just feel sorry for the victim who'll be having a hard time for quite a while, but your faux-naivety is starting to really annoy me.
Look, you aren't taking the high horse, you're just acting like a hypocrite and going "no hard evidence" as if that excuses everything. Well just how many bullying incidents you've known and heard about have hard, irrefutable evidence? This one's got more than most, (suspiciously deleted) videos of the incident, a previous case, a clear power relationship, nonapologies (people keep talking about an apology...what apology? They said they did nothing wrong and the 2ch crowd can fuck off). Stop pretending to be stupid just to be contrarian.
|2012-09-04, 02:03
|Link #278
My posts are frivolous
Join Date: Nov 2008
Age: 29
There is no single universal view as to the correct standard of proof required to ascertain whether or not an event did occur. I happen to prefer a higher standard of proof and you prefer a lower one, that's all.
|2012-09-04, 02:16
|Link #279
Moderate Haruhiist
|2012-09-04, 02:16
|Link #280
Join Date: Dec 2006
Age: 32
The Kokoro Connect Production Committee made the crucial mistake of responding to any of the accusations and wild theories. As it stands, they can't write them off as merely false information, they gave the rumours some validity. Unfortunately for them, they have to release some information that will stick. But if Ichiki's blog didn't do the job, I'm not sure what will.
And as for removing of promotional contents, isn't this standard practice to remove them after a certain period of time? The rumours only gave them the push to remove them faster.
|Thread Tools


text:
The Source
Blasting at the Sellwood Bridge, Mar. 13 - 14
March 08, 2013
Traffic Alerts
Daytime: The outside southbound lane of Hwy. 43 is closed from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays between SW Taylors Ferry Road and the bridge while the contractor excavates the hillside west of the highway.
Nighttime: Blasting is scheduled on March 13 and 14 as part of the work to widen Highway 43 for the new bridge interchange. On blast nights, intermittent closures of traffic lanes and the highway and bridge will happen between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. Gates to Riverview Cemetery will be closed from dusk to dawn on March 13 & 14 next week due to nighttime blasting on the west side of Highway 43. Highway and bridge closures will last from 5 to 20 minutes for each blast. Five minutes and one minute before each blast, a warning siren will sound. The siren will probably be louder than the blast itself. Two or three blasts are scheduled each night between 9 pm and 3 a.m. Travelers can avoid delays by choosing alternate routes on blast nights. Click here for more information about blasting.
West Side Work
Retaining Walls – Excavation of the hillside west of the highway continues, in preparation for construction of retaining walls this year.
Landslide Work – Work to stabilize the landslide is about 85% complete and is expected to be finished in April.
Tree Removal – The contractor plans to remove several trees near the Taylors Ferry intersection with Hwy. 43 next week to prepare for a U-turn detour that will be needed later due to construction phasing. In 2014 westbound bridge traffic will be prohibited from turning left (south) onto Hwy. 43. Southbound traffic will be diverted northbound on Hwy. 43 to the U-turn at Taylors Ferry. There traffic can safely turn around to resume southbound travel.
Trees will be removed this month near the trail at Stephens Creek in preparation for construction of a new culvert over the creek. There will be intermittent closures of the trail with flaggers to assist cyclists and pedestrians.
Several trees will be removed on the south side of the bridge this month for a construction entrance.
Trees will be replanted in all these locations at the end of the project.
East Side Work
Work Bridge – Constructing the east work bridge and its land approach continues. The contractor drove pile today for the span above the river bank. Next week the contractor will install horizontal structural steel for this span. The east and west work bridges will be used as platforms to build the new bridge.
Sellwood Harbor – Work at the north end of the condominium complex south of the bridge is wrapping up this month, as the contractor completes final punch list items.
Construction Work Hours
Normal weekday work hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Work hours for eastside condominiums are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.


text:
All photos via the artist's Flickr photostream.
Mia Nolting.
All photos via the artist's Flickr photostream.
14 comments:
- Hannah Brandt said...
I love this! Especially the list of cliches that are true... So true. Thank you for sharing!
- March 13, 2012 at 2:17 AM
- BIKBIK AND RORO said...
and dessert! and pets! and Gary Oldman!
such a cute, and strangely poignant, post :)
- March 13, 2012 at 2:19 AM
- la vie quotidienne said...
Yeahh great pics and notes! Interessant!
xoxo from München
La Vie Quotidienne
- March 13, 2012 at 5:17 AM
- firstname.lastname@example.com said...
Love this. Especially the Cliches that are true.
Lovely blog!
- March 13, 2012 at 1:57 PM
- megan said...
love this! thanks for sharing, shoko.
- March 13, 2012 at 2:44 PM
- Bekka said...
Love it, I should start making lists, I just need good prompts like she has.
- March 13, 2012 at 4:21 PM
Hi! I am from Brazil and I love your blog! Congratulations!
- March 13, 2012 at 4:56 PM
- Nina said...
I love lists, too, and this is just fabulous! Thanks so much for sharing, Shoko! :)
- March 13, 2012 at 6:38 PM
- Shoko said...
So glad you guys enjoyed this as much as I did!
- March 13, 2012 at 7:03 PM
- Shoko said...
Oh, and Christiane, thank you so much - I'm so glad you stopped by!
- March 13, 2012 at 7:04 PM
- Lisa said...
Being a big fan of lists myself, I loved getting to peek at someone else's. These are so much fun and inspire me to get more creative with my lists, too! Thanks so much for sharing!
- March 13, 2012 at 8:47 PM
- April said...
I especially love that second one, too.
- March 13, 2012 at 11:55 PM
- Chessa! said...
this is awesome. As a list addict myself I'm happy to see that these are thoughtful and not related to only "things to do" like mine typically are. I especially love that she listed out cliches that are true...I rarely speak in them but sometimes you just can't help it bc they just fit and make sense. I mean, OBVIOUSLY time heals all wound (anyone who has either had a broken bone or a broken heart know this):) x
- March 14, 2012 at 10:12 PM
- Fräulein Katie said...
Love this!Definitely bookmarking Mia's page. ;-)
- February 22, 2013 at 11:10 AM


text:
Lady Gaga: Three-Layer Cake Dress!
Lady Gaga wears a white triple-tiered dress on the red carpet at The Brit Awards at Earls Court on Tuesday (February 16) in London, England.
The 23-year-old singer topped off her look with a towering headpiece and a lace mask.
WHAT DO YOU THINK of Lady Gaga's red carpet outfit — HOT or NOT? Is she keeping fashion fun or has it become all about costuming?
10+ pictures inside of Lady Gaga looking like a three-layer cake…


text:
Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez Back Together in Instagram Pic!
Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez's relationship is looking more and more likely that it is back to the on-again status in this new photo shared to his Instagram page.
"Love the way you look at me," the 19-year-old "All That Matters" singer wrote as the caption on the photo posted late Friday evening (January 3).
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Selena Gomez
Justin and Selena were spotted the day before going for a ride around his neighborhood on his segways, sparking the rumors that they are back together.
Also pictured inside: Justin in the studio working on some new music with Kid Cudi that same night.


text:
Big 12 Campus Correspondent
For most athletes, a chance to compete in the Olympics is one they would just be happy to seize, but for Kansas sophomore Diamond Dixon, that chance is merely the first step on her path to the prestigious Olympic podium.
"I can't just be satisfied with being there," the soon-to-be 20-year old explained. "Somebody who is just happy with being at the Olympics might not do as well, so if I make it to the finals and place in the top three, then I will be satisfied."
For Dixon, this determination to be the best started when she first stepped foot on KU's campus, while she was still only in high school.
"On my visit here, I walked through the hall of fame (at the Booth Family Hall of Athletics), and I thought to myself, I am going to be on that wall one day."
While the Houston, Texas native still has more to accomplish before she can make that dream come true, one person who is not surprised by her drive and determination is Kansas track and field coach, Stanley Redwine.
"We can't coach that inner drive that the athletes have to succeed," Redwine explained of his student-athlete. "When she (Dixon) steps on the line, she wants to accomplish the goal (of winning) and that is something you just cannot coach."
While the standout sophomore hopes to blaze a storied chapter of her own in KU track and field lore, she already boasts some lofty accomplishments. During her freshman campaign, Dixon was named an All-American on both the indoor and outdoor track and field teams by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Association.
During her sophomore indoor season, the 5-6 sprinter earned the exact same individual distinction as her team captured second place at the NCAA Championships.
"It was pretty amazing," the newly crowned national female track athlete of the year said. "I was very proud of everyone's effort because there is just a lot of great competition, so being able to do that my sophomore year is just crazy."
Dixon played a pivotal role in her team's indoor success last month in Idaho at the Championships, as she finished first with a time of 51.78 in the 400 meters and the NCAA title to go along with it.
"She did a phenomenal job in the 400 and went in with the purpose of winning," Redwine recalled. "I think nothing else would have been acceptable to her."
As to where her success comes from, the upstart sprinter points to a very specific thought she has each time gets set in the starting blocks.
"Before a race I am thinking, 'you don't like to lose, so you better not lose," she reiterated. "I also think about how hard I have worked and how I do not want all of those workouts go to waste, because if I don't score, I will feel like I did all that for nothing."
While those thoughts run through Dixon's mind before the gun goes off, others around her are busy thinking about how they are going to beat the flash of Crimson and Blue. With all of Dixon's accolades comes a sizeable target on her back and some of her competitors be sure to let her know.
"At Nationals there was a girl who, after prelims, said to me, 'I'm coming to get you,' she recalled. "So I said, 'alright, we will see how this goes,' and she was the one who got second, so that just lets me know that people are really out to get me."
While Dixon gets accustomed to that newly placed bullseye on her back, she also has some definite goals for herself as the outdoor season gets into full swing.
"I want to get a lot stronger because I am trying to run 49-open in the 400," she explained. "If I do not get 49 (seconds), I at least want to hit 50.0 twice, so I can go to Olympic trials."
"I think if she continues to do the things that she is on track to do, then it is definitely possible," Redwine said of his sprinter's 49 mark. "I can't name the date (when it will happen), but I think it is possible because she has the tools to get it done."
What else can Dixon get done this year? Her coach thinks the Olympics are attainable, but knows his prized sprinter will have to be at the top of her game to get a chance to represent the red, white and blue in London.
"I believe that she can make the Olympic team because her strong desire to win is going to help her," Redwine explained. "To make the U.S. team in the 400, you have to do well at the trials and be in the top three. There is some real stiff competition for that, so you have to be really good on that day."
Dixon is confident she will be ready come the Trials in late June, because, after all, that 'one day' is something she has been working toward for some time now.
"After seeing the last Olympics (2008 in Beijing), I thought, 'okay, I can do that,' she recalled. "Making the Olympics would be such an honor and I want to be able to do that really, really bad."
If Dixon's past is any indication of her future, then KU track and field fans should be on the look-out for her in London. After all, the sophomore has grown accustomed to that bullseye on her back and knows all too well the hard work and dedication she has put in along the way. It's those thoughts that will be in the back of her mind as she toes the line at Nationals this spring, using it as motivation to send her across the Atlantic this summer.


text:
Seahawks: Head Coach Pete Carroll rules out possible David Garrard In A Seahawks Uniform
Remember when David Garrard used to tell everyone that he was "as good as Michael Vick" during his days in Jacksonville backing up Byron Leftwich?
He always had an inflated opinion of himself.
However, based on the fallout after the Jags cut him yesterday, maybe the rest of the NFL likes Garrard just as much as he does.
Garrard had enjoyed four straight pseudo-productive seasons as the Jags' starting quarterback, throwing for at least 2,500 yards and 15 touchdowns each time.
He was thought to be back in 2011 to keep the seat warm for eventual starter Blaine Gabbert. But Jack Del Rio suddenly brought the axe down and released the veteran signalcaller yesterday.
The Jags will roll with Luke McCown as their temporary starter rather than paying an extra $9 million this season.
Low and behold, teams are supposedly lining up for Garrard's services. He had offers from three teams within hours of becoming a free agent. The three names most commonly mentioned: Dolphins, 49ers…and Seahawks.
Tarvaris Jackson struggled mightily this preseason and Charlie Whitehurst is still just a glorified backup.
Seahawks fans immediately started clamoring for Garrard to take over and give the team a stable, veteran presence under center.
But the rumor turned out to be just that: a rumor. When asked today if the Seahawks would make a quarterback upgrade, Pete Carroll said: "No. There will be none."
"Carl Smith coached him for a long time," Carroll said of Garrard. "We know him really well and he's a really good football player and I have a lot for respect for him, but we're very set with what we're doing at quarterback."
The Seahawks are stuck with Jackson. To me, the decision isn't a vote of confidence for Jackson.
It's a vote of confidence for Andrew Luck. I sincerely wonder if the Seahawks have assessed their roster, decided they won't be competitive this year, and are already hoping to land Luck first overall in 2012.
Garrard would probably help them win a couple extra games if he joined the team and could knock Seattle out of the top draft position.
If I'm a betting man (Oh Guess What – I am), I'm watching the Dolphins and 49ers as the actual destination. The crazy darkhorse: the Indianapolis Colts, depending on how badly hurt Peyton Manning is.


text:
This latest Call of Duty Map Pack is one of the latest and most awaited map pack for Modern Warfare 2 gamers this month. The Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package is scheduled to be released on March 30, 2010.
As we all know, the Stimulus Package consists of 5 Map Packs and it costs $15.00 USD.
If you don't have an idea what are the new maps in the Stimulus Package, they are Bailout, Salvage, and Storm. So what are these maps? Bailout is a wide map set in an overrun apartment complex with long sight lines, this map is perfect for snipers. Salvage is a small snowy map in a junkyard. And last but not the least Storm, Storm is a map of abandoned warehouses in the midst of a thunderstorm.
There are 5 maps isn't it? Here's two more: Crash and Overgrown. These maps are from COD4 and they are just revived because it's one of the best and most favorite maps of all time. Crash is an urban map with a downed helicopter, while Overgrown is a wide open map suitable for snipers.
There's no official announcement yet of the release time, but we think that the release time will be at exactly 12:00 AM EST on March 30, 2010.
UPDATE 2:26 AM EST: Based on our inside sources from Infinity Ward, the release time will be no later than 7:00 PM EST 03/30/2010. Let's just sleep now and wake up later tonight to download the package, ok?
Here's the Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package Trailer from YouTube:
We'll be posting more updates about this cool MW2 Package.


text:
It's beginning to feel frothy in Silicon Valley. Here are a few numbers:
On the first day of its initial public offering LinkedIn was valued at nearly $9 billion; today the social networking site is worth more than $10 billion. Instagram, a company with no profits, no revenue and no plan to make money, was just bought for a cool billion. The buyer was Facebook, a firm in the process of going public.
And those values are nothing compared with what Facebook may be worth itself. That company is expected to be valued at between $80 billion and $100 billion after its IPO later this spring.
But is this a bubble? Is the considerable exuberance in this part of the world irrational?
Here in Silicon Valley you hear some version of this statement all the time: "This is different. I was here in the 1990s and these companies are not Pets.com."
Investors and entrepreneurs have been saying this to each other for years, in part because it is true. Facebook generated $1 billion in profit last year. It's still almost doubling its revenue and profit year to year and it's doing all of that with a relatively small workforce.
Instagram created a social network of 30 million people with just over a dozen employees. These companies have created ways to connect millions and build enormous audiences incredibly efficiently. That is worth something. The question is, what?
Jean-Paul Rodrigue, a professor at Hofstra University, published an influential chart just before the financial bubble burst in 2008. He broke bubbles down into four stages:
Steve Blank is a serial entrepreneur in Silicon Valley and an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School. He says we have sailed through the stealth phase of the current technology investment cycle. We are past the point where big investors are aware of the opportunities in mobile and social companies and we're rapidly entering into a period of manic excitement of the next wave of Internet companies.
But Blank says not all bubbles are created equal — not all bubbles are bad. "Bubbles built the railroads," he says. "Bubbles built the steel industry." He believes many of the technologies that are attracting so much excitement right now have the potential to change the way we live and how the economy works.
That may be. But prices are high enough now that many wonder whether companies like Facebook can justify their own hype. When investors talk about bubbles, typically they end up comparing a company's profits with its share price. The price-to-earnings ratio is a staple of evaluating a stock. ExxonMobil's P/E ratio hovers around 10. That means the company is valued at something like 10 times its annual profit.
Apple has a P/E ratio of 17. That's high compared with historical averages, but Apple's earnings have been growing incredibly fast and the company is sitting on $100 billion in cash. And its stock looks positively cheap in comparison with the latest crop of social media companies that are going public.
If after Facebook's initial public offering it's valued at more than $100 billion it will have a P/E ratio of 100 to 1. And that's a bargain compared with LinkedIn, which is trading at a ratio of between 800 and 900 to 1. These are bubblicious prices.
To justify its projected IPO price to more conventional investors, Facebook will need to double its earnings every year for the next three or four years. Those who sell now may realize windfalls and those who buy have to hope for years of exceptional growth or they will be left holding the bag.
But Blank says this may not be bad news for the economy as a whole.
"Unlike other bubbles — housing bubbles and financial bubbles — nerds don't buy yachts. They seem to reinvest in their own domain," he says.
Technology entrepreneurs who strike it rich often end up pouring a significant amount of their wealth back into new companies founded by friends and colleagues.
The most famous example is the PayPal mafia. The original investors and founders of PayPal have helped launch dozens of companies, seeding them with money and expertise. Those firms included LinkedIn, Zynga, Facebook, SpaceX and Tesla, to name just a few.
Younger generations of entrepreneurs reinvest this way as well. Rather than turning over their newfound fortunes to Goldman Sachs, entrepreneurs here tend to look around for other technology ideas that seem clever and entrepreneurs who remind them of themselves.
Take Aaron Patzer. He founded Mint.com in his early 20s and sold it to Intuit a few years later for $170 million. Patzer then invested a bit of his windfall in Milo, whose founder, Jack Abraham, was also young and hungry. Within months Abraham sold his business to eBay for $75 million. Abraham then invested in Pinterest, which now is one of the hottest social startups in the country.
Stories like this repeat again and again and again. And Blank believes that makes a tech bubble — at least this tech bubble — more productive than others where investors in effect take their winnings off the table. Each new windfall leads to a new round of investment. Maybe some firms are sold for too much, but in the end much of the money is reinvested in innovation.
"The last 10 years have taught us a ton about what the next 10 years are going to be," Blank says. "We are much smarter, much better, much more efficient at building early-stage ventures."
As more technology entrepreneurs experience big paydays, Blank is optimistic about what the next wave of investment could bring.
"We actually think we have found a way to take the most advanced research in our labs and insert it into our economy," he says.
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish and it's time now for All Tech Considered.
This week, we wrestle with a question that could have big implications for the U.S. economy. Are we in the middle of the next tech bubble? First, a few numbers. On the first day of its initial public offering, LinkedIn is valued at nearly $9 billion. And that's nothing compared to Instagram; Facebook dropped a billion dollars to buy that company last week, even though the tiny photo-sharing start-up brings in no money at all.
Then again, with Facebook's own value drawing estimates of 75, even $100 billion, what's a billion here or there? Well, to some, these dollar signs are warning signs.
For more, we're joined by NPR technology reporter Steve Henn. Welcome, Steve.
STEVE HENN, BYLINE: Hi.
CORNISH: And we're also joined by Steve Blank, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and now adjunct professor at Columbia Business School.
Hi there, Steve Blank.
STEVE BLANK: Hi, great to be here.
CORNISH: So, let's start with some ground rules here. Steve Henn, exactly what is the definition of a tech bubble? I understand there at least four stages.
HENN: Yeah, I think most people think of bubbles as investment manias that are formed by irrational exuberance. But a professor at Hofstra, Jean-Paul Rodrigue, outlined how a bubble gets started, how it grows, and then how it bursts. And it's become pretty popular to talk about the four stages of bubbles, starting with the stealth stage, where really smart investors recognize a really big opportunity and start pouring money in. And then, slowly, awareness of that opportunity builds and institutional investors start investing, as well.
And then the bubble really starts to inflate in what folks talk about as the mania phase, where the media - like us - start talking about it and the public starts investing. And this, it begins with the smart money, this might be the dumb money phase, where people are investing based on the momentum and the excitement around this perceived opportunity. And then the last, which unfortunately, we're all very familiar with, which is when the bubble pops.
CORNISH: So, Professor Steve Blank, by those stages do you think we're in a bubble?
BLANK: Oh, I think we're in a bubble big-time. I think it's one of the most exciting times in Silicon Valley in the last 20 years.
CORNISH: So you're excited, but the part I remember about the four stages that Steve Henn just described, is the crash after. So, I mean tell us, what are we in for here as this, as you believe, is a tech bubble?
BLANK: Well, I think will have a crash. But unlike other bubbles, there's something unique about a technology bubble that actually is great for the country and great for innovation.
CORNISH: What is that?
BLANK: Unlike other bubbles, like financial bubbles and housing bubbles, you know, nerds don't seem to buy yachts. They seem to reinvest in their own domain. And one of the interesting phenomena about this bubble, it's based on the money that was made in the last bubble. And that's coupled with something else that's very exciting about this bubble, as well.
CORNISH: Well, before we get to that, I mean I want to go back to Steve Henn for second. I feel like we were all reporting on Pets.com and, you know, the graveyard of other tech companies that didn't survive.
BLANK: Yeah, not too long ago.
CORNISH: I mean, am I just too sensitive here to the news?
HENN: Well, maybe. You know, I think at this point at least, this enthusiasm in the technology market is different from sort of the Pets.com era. I mean, if you look at the four biggest technology companies in the country - Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon - three of the four have, you know, stock prices that are relatively sanely priced. And I think where we're seeing the kind of irrational excitement is at a much earlier stage.
You're seeing investors in Silicon Valley get so excited about potential opportunities that they're valuing really small, unproven companies at really crazy amounts. It's not like Pets.com where your grandmother was investing in the stock.
CORNISH: So, Professor Steve Blank, is really the difference here the fact that the public doesn't have access and can't make that bubble bigger?
BLANK: Well, there are a couple of real interesting distinctions between this bubble and the one in the turn-of-the-century. Let me say it again, I still believe we're in a bubble, but I actually think this one is good and probably much better than the last one. The last bubble, if you remember, you didn't even have to have revenue to go public. You would just have to have an e-, or Internet, or wireless or something, and people were buying it. It was a greater fool theory. And it was not only...
CORNISH: Was this just different from Instagram then?
BLANK: Yeah, and that's a great distinction. And there's two key ideas here. One is this bubble is pretty narrow. What we're seeing are inflated values for Internet apps. And the reason why is pretty spectacular. It's that for the first time, we can imagine companies having not tens of millions, not hundreds of a millions, but Facebook is approaching a billion customers - a billion people using the same application. And so, Instagram didn't have revenue but they had 30 million users in two years.
CORNISH: So, Steve Blank, you seem to be rosy, basically, about the idea of there being a bubble. But bubbles burst and that's usually a bad thing, right?
BLANK: You know, it's a bad thing if you're the greater fool at the end of the game of Musical Chairs at the...
CORNISH: Right, which is a lot of us, you know, say, if you look at the housing bubble.
BLANK: But I think we're going to look back at this decade as the beginning of an economic revolution, as is important as anything in the 16th century or in the Industrial Revolution. And it's really going to change the quality of life across the entire planet. And if that sounds like a lot for just Facebook and Instagram, you ain't seen anything yet. I think...
CORNISH: No, I get what you're saying but it's just like, is this the internal combustion engine or is this Instagram? Like, are these really things that are going to fundamentally change the way we live? Or are you just saying that these are going to build a kind of infrastructure to our economy that will be different?
BLANK: I think looking at any one of these you could laugh hysterically and say, you know, this is it. I think it's the sum of these and the amount of capital that it will return into the entrepreneurial engine. But why it's great for the country is this is how things get built. The railroads were built in a bubble. Oil was built in a bubble. But it's returned capital to something that made this country dramatically transformed and we're going to see that again.
CORNISH: So, Steve Henn, one last thing on that list of four stages, one of the stages is rationalization, right? Everyone basically saying all the reasons why this bubble is different or this bubble doesn't exist...
HENN: Yeah, that's right.
CORNISH: What do you think of that? Do you hear a lot of rationalizing going on for what's happening in the industry?
HENN: Yeah, I think you do hear a certain amount of rationalizing going on. That's not to say that these underlying technologies won't really pan-out for many people and many companies. But I think also, there will be lots of failures along the way, and lots of investors who lose money as these changes play out in our economy.
CORNISH: That's NPR technology reporter, Steve Henn. Thanks so much, Steve.
HENN: Sure thing.
CORNISH: And Professor Steve Blank, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and now adjunct professor at Columbia Business School. Professor Blank, thank you for talking with us.
BLANK: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
Elkhart 100BH Student Baritone Horn
Elkhart 100BH Student Baritone HornDetails
This Student Baritone Horn is a fantastic instrument for any beginner looking to start playing the instrument. Its great build quality and appealing price make the Elkhart Baritone Horn fantastic value for money that is suitable for schools and brass bands alike.
Product Ref: 36190View Full Description
Buy on finance from £8.99 per month Finance from £8.99 per month
Please note: This is only available where all items in the order are dispatched in a single delivery.
To make it as easy as possible for you to get the gear you want, we offer a range of instant finance options. If you spend £50 or more online, you can choose to pay over 48, 36, 24 or 12 months. The majority of decisions are given instantly, so you could get your new gear sooner than you thought!
Representative Example
To help you understand how our finance options work, the examples below are based on a total order value of £50:
|Deposit to Pay
|Total Payable
|48 months
|No Deposit
|48 months: £1.41Final Payment: £1.41No settlement fee
|36 months
|No Deposit
|36 months: £1.78Final Payment: £1.78No settlement fee
|24 months
|No Deposit
|24 months: £2.57Final Payment: £2.57No settlement fee
|12 months
|No Deposit
|12 months: £4.69Final Payment: £4.69No settlement fee
How to Apply
Applying for finance couldn't be easier - if your order totals £50 or more, simply proceed through the checkout as normal, then select Pay by Klarna Finance on the payment page, then click the orange PLACE ORDER USING FINANCE button. This will start your application with Klarna Retail Finance, our finance partner, and completing this form should take approximately 10 minutes.
You should get an instant answer on whether your application has been successful, though in some rare cases Klarna may need to look at the application in more detail.
Please note: This is only available on orders placed via the website consisting of a single delivery, and is not available in store or via phone currently.
Full DescriptionView Full Description
Rose Lead Pipe and Cupronikel Slides
The Elkhart Baritone Horn has a rose lead pipe which gives a mellow tone straight from the mouthpiece. This combined with the medium bore, gives a mellow sounding instrument but with plenty of character and expression. The cupronickel slides are used to extend the lifetime of the instrument and to prevent corrosion to the instrument.
Perfect for Beginners
The Elkhart 100BH is the perfect instrument to begin learning a brass instrument. Its easy playability and accurate intonation make it an ideal instrument without a huge price tag. The valve and slide layout make The Elkhart 100BH a free instrument to play with minimal effort and resistance needed to get a range of volumes.
Included Accessories
Included with the Elkhart 100BH Baritone is a lightweight case with shoulder straps, making transportation of the instrument to rehearsals and concerts very easy. the instrument also includes an Elkhart mouthpiece which is specifically designed for this range of Baritone Horns.
- Body Material: Yellow Brass
- Leadpipe Material: Rose Brass
- Finish: Clear Lacquer Finish
- Valves: 3 Stainless Steel Piston Valves
- Key: Bb
Included Accessories
- Case: Lightweight Moulded Case with shoulder strap
- Mouthpiece: Elkhart Baritone Horn Mouthpiece
The product price includes 6 years' warranty and 180 day money back guarantee.
However, the Gear4music extended warranty scheme provides an enhanced service, and is designed to offer a higher level of protection than many 'free' warranties offered by some retailers and manufacturers.
The highlights of this enhanced warranty service are:
- Warranty is extended to 6 years from the date of delivery.
- Our Money Back guarantee is extended from 30 days to 180 days (terms apply after 30 days)
- Collection and delivery costs are included for the first 2 years
- Claim 50% cash back on the cost of the policy after 6 years if it has not been used!
- Warranty is transferable if the item is re-sold
- Loan or replacement equipment will be provided if the product isn't repaired within 30 days
- If an item can not be repaired, a similar alternative product or cash discount (as defined in this policy) will be offered
- The policy can be cancelled within 30 days, and at any time after that for a pro-rata discount
Please note that this extended warranty is currently only available on products sold within the EU or EEA, and is subject to the terms and conditions as detailed on the extended warranty certificate provided.
For customers in outlying areas of the country, the price of the Extended Warranty may be marginally higher, due to the potential for higher collection and redelivery transport costs.
This enhanced warranty is in addition to the standard Gear4music and manufacturer warranty policies, and the Gear4music terms and conditions of trade. No statement or condition of sale contained within these terms affects or restricts your statutory rights as defined under the Consumer Contracts Regulation 2014.
Once the product is delivered, you have 180 days to decide that you definitely want to keep it. If you decide it is not suitable for any reason, you can return it back to us for replacement or full refund, including standard delivery charges.
All Products are new unless stated, and include a minimum of 2 years warranty.
Some items are only eligible for money back guarantee if they are returned to us unused and sealed in the original packaging, and in the case of software, unregistered. These items include:
- Software
- CDs & DVDs
- In-ear Monitors
- Earplugs and Ear Protection
- Mouthpieces, Reeds etc… for Woodwind and Brass instruments
- Mouth / Lip Care Products
We are unable to accept returns of any custom made items designed to work together as a unique package, such as computer system built to a customer's personal specifications. Exceptions may only be possible with prior agreement of the vendor, and may be subject to a cancellation fee.
If you also purchase items that do not qualify for free delivery, some delivery charges may be applied to your order which will be shown in your shopping basket.


text:
Market Research Jobs from Spalding Goobey Associates
We work with leading market research companies and recruit for permanent and freelance positions across a range of roles within the research, consumer insights and marketing information fields. These include, but are not limited to:
- market research
- consumer insight
- business, market and competitor analysis
- continuous and category analysis
- strategic planning and innovation
- data and media analysis
- statistical modelling
Search our market research jobs today, or send us your CV and benefit from our specialist knowledge of the market research recruitment marketplace and friendly, personal approach.
If you're looking to recruit market research talent, learn more about our expertise in market research recruitment.


text:
Deutsche Telekom's deal would leave MetroPCS investors with 26 percent of the new entity and $1.5 billion in cash. The ultimate value would hinge on how much synergy the two sides can realize.
Sprint may have an edge because it uses the same kind of network standard as MetroPCS: code division multiple access, or CDMA. T-Mobile relies on the global system for mobile communications, or GSM. All the companies are moving toward a new standard called long-term evolution, or LTE. Still, having different networks may cause headaches in the interim, making a Sprint-MetroPCS tie-up more palatable, Larsen said.
"A merger of these two would be able to attain synergies faster and have less network integration risk," he said.
Sprint also is No. 3 in the industry, with more than 56 million customers at the end of June, while T-Mobile is a distant fourth. By absorbing MetroPCS's 9.3 million customers, Sprint would close the gap with AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless. T-Mobile had 33 million customers at the end of June, so it would remain No. 4 after a merger with MetroPCS.
Stock Rebound
MetroPCS's stock was unchanged at $12.69 at 10:32 a.m. in New York. The shares have advanced after Bloomberg News reported that Sprint was considering an offer, rebounding 18 percent from an intraday low of $10.96 yesterday. Sprint shares rose 3.1 percent to $5.25.
A challenge for either buyer would be hanging on to MetroPCS's customers, who are prepaid users without long-term contracts. The carrier offers a pay-as-you-go service that appeals to young people and consumers with poor credit. That makes it a difficult business, Larsen said.
Another potential obstacle to a counteroffer is the breakup fee, said one of the people familiar with the discussions. MetroPCS would pay $150 million if it backs out of its current deal. The reverse breakup fee for T-Mobile is $250 million.
Deutsche Telekom is prepared for a counterbid from Sprint and would consider better terms if necessary, according to another person familiar with the matter.
Previous Talks
When Sprint abandoned plans earlier this year to buy MetroPCS, the deal was expected to cost as much as $8 billion, including debt, the people familiar with the plan said. Since then, Sprint's stock has outpaced shares of the acquisition target. MetroPCS currently has a market value of $4.61 billion, while Sprint is valued at about $15.3 billion.
The wireless industry has considered other ways to consolidate. Sprint has held talks with Deutsche Telekom about a deal with T-Mobile, and the German company has considered buying another prepaid carrier, Leap Wireless International Inc., people familiar with the discussions said. Greg Lund, a Leap spokesman, declined to comment on those talks.
AT&T had sought to buy T-Mobile for $39 billion last year, though it walked away from the deal after regulators objected. Soon after, Deutsche Telekom started talking with MetroPCS and other potential partners, people with knowledge of the negotiations said. The talks with MetroPCS accelerated after it reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings on July 26, they said.
"Sprint might be in a position to offer PCS shareholders a more favorable deal," Wells Fargo's Fritzsche said.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


text:
Nov 26, 2006 at 8:27 pm
sup man? sweet stang
Oct 29, 2006 at 10:53 pm
Hey, glad you got the stang up and running again. I think I remember hearing something about that kind of setup before, but all the cost involved probably isn't the hp gain you'd see, especially since it probably wouldn't be THAT much cheaper than using the tried and true Nitrous method. But, that's just speculation, I'd have to see more info on it to be sure.
Oct 24, 2006 at 11:48 pm
Wow... that sucks about the A/C. Good luck w/ that.


text:
What will I find in this section?
Technical terms, unfortunately, cannot always be avoided – particularly when it comes to complex topics such as monetary policy. This is why we have compiled a glossary with a wide range of terms, arranged in alphabetical order and each with a short explanation.
- ABCP (Asset-backed commercial paper)
- ABS (Asset-backed security)
- ABSPP (Asset-Backed Securities Purchase Programme)
- Account
- Account information service (AIS)
- Act to Modernise Accounting Law (BilMoG)
- AnaCredit
- Annuity loan
- APP (Asset purchase programme)
- Appreciation
- Arbitrage
- Asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP)
- Asset-Backed Securities Purchase Programme (ABSPP)
- Asset-backed security (ABS)
- Asset purchase programme (APP)
- Automatic stabilisers
- Autonomous factors


text:
SkyDancers International Inc. is the world leader in active motion promotional inflatables for promotions, events and set design. SkyDancers products have been installed at major events and in amusement parks around the world including several Disney parks; Universal parks; Six Flags parks; Opryland and others. SkyDancers have also been featured in movies; in music videos; and on television, including the internationally viewed programs such as the Superbowl; the Grammys; and the World Cup, just to name a few. SkyDancers are used by major recording artists on stage and on tour. SkyDancers International Inc. is headquartered in Northridge, California with dealers located around the world.
LAS VEGAS, NV SkyDancers International Inc., the technology leader in animated promotional inflatables, announced today that Chris Austin, SkyDancers International Inc. CEO has been named President of the Inflatable Advertising Dealers Association (IADA) for a 2nd two year term.
At its annual convention in Las Vegas, NV this year, the Board of Directors of the Inflatable Advertising Dealers Association unanimously elected Chris Austin as its returning president. In his leadership role, Austin will be responsible for moving the organization forward to achieve its goals and objectives. A key priority for 2012 includes increasing unity among professionals that sell, rent and support inflatables for promotions and events.
According to Austin, I look forward to serving a second term as IADA president and serving the organization. I have in the last two years made many positive changes to the organization. These include improvement of the online brand; enhanced member education; increased global membership and increasing industry awareness about the benefits of inflatable advertising. Over the next many months, we hope to grow IADA membership and continue the education of our members to support continued adoption of advertising inflatables.
Chris Austin is the founder and CEO of SkyDancers International Inc., an award-winning leader in animated promotional inflatables for promotions, events and set design. Austin has been in the inflatable business for over 15 years and brings with him a vast knowledge of the difficulties that inflatable dealers face in working with government organizations.
As a thought leader and one of the most creative and vocal members in the inflatable industry, Chris Austin is an excellent choice that will help take the organization to the next level, New IADA Board Member and Vice President, Leo Schnell of Inflatable Images commented. We look forward to having Chris once again represent the membership as the organization operates in support of advertising inflatable dealers worldwide. For more information on Chris Austin and SkyDancers International Inc., visit http://www.skydancersintl.com/home.php.
About IADA
The IADA (Inflatable Advertising Dealers Association) is the voice of the advertising inflatable industry. It's comprised of associate members. The IADA Promotes a better understanding of the functions of inflatable advertising and its values; Applies the skills, creativity and energy of the inflatable advertising industry to advance the standards of inflatable advertising; Educates its members in the areas of marketing; promotion; sales, as well as government regulations affecting the inflatable advertising industry; Lobbies governmental organizations to ensure fair and equitable treatment of inflatable advertising businesses; and Supports voluntary self-regulation.
For more information on the Inflatable Advertising Dealers Association, visit http://www.inflatableads.org.
All news
Featured products
20' Airpuppet Football player
IADA President
H - St. Patricks Day
Contact us
Puppet Care
Fabric Info
SkyDancers 101
Site Map
Copyright © 1995-2018 SkyDancers International - Manufacturer of World-Famous SkyDancer Active Inflatables


text:
Trainer: Nina Chukes
Tuition: $4997.00
Dates: December 07 - December 09, 2018
Location: Washington DC, United States
As a World Microblading student, you get Unlimited Lifetime Support from Irina Chen and our team of master trainers. You'll get access to a private Facebook group where you can ask them any questions you have and get answers within 48 hours. This will be extremely useful when you start working with clients as they can recommend you which colors to use on your clients, the appropriate technique to use in each situation and get tips on how to improve your technique.
In the first day of training, you will receive Irina Chen's Microblading Professional Kit (a $1,000 value).
When you pay a deposit of $997 today to reserve your spot, you'll be eligible to apply for low-cost financing through our financing partners. They can offer qualified students up to 12-month payment plans to help fund your education. Pay a deposit of $997 today and reach out to our reps at 888-508-8303, and they will walk you through your financing options.