diliman-tsange.blogspot.com
The Two-week Turnaround Tour, or T3 as its creatorsd call it, will visit 14 cities in seven months. It’x part of Filmblazer, a communityu of people who love filmmaking. Founders Joshua J. Mills and Jamire Blankenship roll into a city for two weeks in theifr RV with all their film equipmenrt and proceedto write, shoot and screen a shortf film in just two weeks. But the process is so they invite widespread participation in each citythey visit. The Albuquerqude kick-off is June 2 at Studio Broadway, 1810 Broadway Ave. SE, at 7 p.m. More informatiohn is available at theT3 .
The procesas is open to anyone, from actores and script writers to peopld who want to feed the masses duringfthe two-week process or who have access to propsz or even a coffee shop. The subject of each film is differenft for each city and is inspired by the resources and location available to theT3 team. The productionm obtains local sponsors in each city so that the work is a reflectionb of aparticular
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Pandora sings for web radio advertisers - San Francisco Business Times:
http://canberrasight.com/why-the-poppy-must-never-wither-as-the/
Its service also lays the groundworki for fresh marketing initiatives that couldbenefit non-mainstream musicians, said Tim founder and chief strategy Some 85 percent of advertisers are doingt repeat business with Pandora, which recently predicted that it could be profitabld next year. This year’xs revenues are projected to doubls toabout $40 million, Westergren said. The servicer has 27 million registered users, 10 millioh active a month, and is adding 50,0000 to 60,000 a day. “We’re the biggest radio in almosg everymarket already, and we’re doubling in size so we’ve been hiring fast and furiously to builfd up local ad salespeople,” Westergren said.
Pandorza can target ads by demographics, genre, artist and ZIP It can guarantee a specific numbe r of ad impressions because it delivers the impressionas only when a user has just taken an such as givinga thumbs-up to approve a song The company this month began offeringt an ad-free premium servicer for $36 a year. Sant a Barbara-based home music system manufacturer rana 30-dayh ad campaign targeting exclusivel y IPhone users from mid-March to mid-April on and found the click-througb rate to be extraordinary. “Far and away, it was the most successfup campaign we’ve ever conducted,” said Sonosw spokesman Thomas Meyer.
Westergren said he decided to makehis company’e revenue public because advertiser had repeatedly questioned the company’s health. Pandora has 135 30 of them hired last a dozenthis year, and another dozen expected to be addef by the end of 2009. Most employeesz are in the Oakland headquarters, and the companyt has offices inNew York, Los Chicago, Detroit and Boston. One reasonn Westergren feels so optimistic is thata two-yearr battle with record companies and artistss over how much Internet radio service s should pay in royalties may be over.
, which collects royalties for copyright owners and is negotiatinbg for therecord labels, announced “a potential agreement” with webcasters. Pandora has been rapidly adopted by IPhonee and Blackberryusers — 5 million in 11 months, abour 1 million after two montha respectively. Now that Pandora is solid, Westergreh wants to develop tools tohelp non-mainstream musiciana get money. For example, Pandora’s user preference data can be plotted on a map for an artist to decide whersto tour. Pandora could also send emailw to fans alerting them to an upcomingt show and offering tickets or merchandisefor sale.
Seventy percentr of the 650,000 songsw in Pandora’s library are from artists not signed to arecorr label, he said. “We give access and promotiobn to this huge sea of reallg talented but otherwiseinvisible artists,” Westergren said.
Its service also lays the groundworki for fresh marketing initiatives that couldbenefit non-mainstream musicians, said Tim founder and chief strategy Some 85 percent of advertisers are doingt repeat business with Pandora, which recently predicted that it could be profitabld next year. This year’xs revenues are projected to doubls toabout $40 million, Westergren said. The servicer has 27 million registered users, 10 millioh active a month, and is adding 50,0000 to 60,000 a day. “We’re the biggest radio in almosg everymarket already, and we’re doubling in size so we’ve been hiring fast and furiously to builfd up local ad salespeople,” Westergren said.
Pandorza can target ads by demographics, genre, artist and ZIP It can guarantee a specific numbe r of ad impressions because it delivers the impressionas only when a user has just taken an such as givinga thumbs-up to approve a song The company this month began offeringt an ad-free premium servicer for $36 a year. Sant a Barbara-based home music system manufacturer rana 30-dayh ad campaign targeting exclusivel y IPhone users from mid-March to mid-April on and found the click-througb rate to be extraordinary. “Far and away, it was the most successfup campaign we’ve ever conducted,” said Sonosw spokesman Thomas Meyer.
Westergren said he decided to makehis company’e revenue public because advertiser had repeatedly questioned the company’s health. Pandora has 135 30 of them hired last a dozenthis year, and another dozen expected to be addef by the end of 2009. Most employeesz are in the Oakland headquarters, and the companyt has offices inNew York, Los Chicago, Detroit and Boston. One reasonn Westergren feels so optimistic is thata two-yearr battle with record companies and artistss over how much Internet radio service s should pay in royalties may be over.
, which collects royalties for copyright owners and is negotiatinbg for therecord labels, announced “a potential agreement” with webcasters. Pandora has been rapidly adopted by IPhonee and Blackberryusers — 5 million in 11 months, abour 1 million after two montha respectively. Now that Pandora is solid, Westergreh wants to develop tools tohelp non-mainstream musiciana get money. For example, Pandora’s user preference data can be plotted on a map for an artist to decide whersto tour. Pandora could also send emailw to fans alerting them to an upcomingt show and offering tickets or merchandisefor sale.
Seventy percentr of the 650,000 songsw in Pandora’s library are from artists not signed to arecorr label, he said. “We give access and promotiobn to this huge sea of reallg talented but otherwiseinvisible artists,” Westergren said.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Southwest traffic down in June - San Francisco Business Times:
steel roof
Dallas-based (NYSE:LUV) said it flew 6.73 billiojn revenue passenger milesin June, down from 6.88 billioh in the same period a year ago. Revenuer passenger miles, which measure one paying passenge flownper mile, is the official measure of airlin traffic. The airline’s capacityh fell 4 percent in June while itsload factor, or percentagew of seats filled, grew more than a percentage point to 79.5 percent. Southwest in the first half of the year saw traffic drop 2 percentto 36.6 billion revenue passenget miles from 37.4 billion last year.
The airline, whicuh carried about 28 percenft of all Port Columbus passengerdthrough May, also said it is selling one-way ticketsz for as low as $30, $60 and $90, dependingy on how far customers are traveling. The fares are availabled through 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday and are possiblwe for flights booked for travel in the perio runningfrom Sept. 9 to Nov. 18. Clickk for more details.
Dallas-based (NYSE:LUV) said it flew 6.73 billiojn revenue passenger milesin June, down from 6.88 billioh in the same period a year ago. Revenuer passenger miles, which measure one paying passenge flownper mile, is the official measure of airlin traffic. The airline’s capacityh fell 4 percent in June while itsload factor, or percentagew of seats filled, grew more than a percentage point to 79.5 percent. Southwest in the first half of the year saw traffic drop 2 percentto 36.6 billion revenue passenget miles from 37.4 billion last year.
The airline, whicuh carried about 28 percenft of all Port Columbus passengerdthrough May, also said it is selling one-way ticketsz for as low as $30, $60 and $90, dependingy on how far customers are traveling. The fares are availabled through 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday and are possiblwe for flights booked for travel in the perio runningfrom Sept. 9 to Nov. 18. Clickk for more details.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Duke reaches Save-A-Watt settlement - Kansas City Business Journal:
http://www.explosm.net/profile/99573/
The Southern Environmental Law Center, which was the lead legall team for theenvironmental groups, announce the settlement Friday morning. It calls for Save-A-Watrt to reduce energy demandc by 2 percent over the next four It sets a target of reducintg demand by as much as 8 percenyby 2020. The environmental group s say that would be the equivalent of the annualk outputfrom Duke’s 825-megawatt expansion at the controversial Cliffsidee coal plant on the borde r of Cleveland and Rutherford counties. The groupzs say that capping Duke’s profits will protect consumers from unreasonabluy high charges forenergy efficiency.
Greater conservation effortse and lower costs were key issues for environmental groupsd and the Public Staff ofthe N.C. Utilitiesx Commission, which represents customer interests in utility as they fought Duke for two yearsaover Save-A-Watt. Michael Regan, southeast regional air-policy exper t for the Environmental Defense Fund says the environmental groupd believe the settlement makes the program bettedfor customers, the environment and for Duke. He says the groupx want to support utilities in theier efforts toprovide energy-efficiency programs.
And he says incentive s built into the settlement that allos Duke to increase its rate of returhn based on achieving specified efficiency targets accomplis hthat goal. Duke also got what it considers animportant concession. Duke will be allowed to make a returnb on part of what it wouldc have cost to build power plants to provide the energyy theprogram saves. Duke has said eliminating compensation based onsuch “avoided costs” would be a Duke contends such compensation puts efficiency on a more equakl footing with electricity sales for generating profits. Without that kind of Duke has said, efficiency would alwayws take a back seatin utilities’ businesd plans.
“The fact that the avoided-cost mode is in there, that it’s basedd on pay-for-performance and that it is up to us to make sure the programz really work were all keys to the settlemenfor Duke,” says company spokesman Tim The public staff and environmental groups had opposed the avoided-costs idea, largely on fears that it coule provide Duke with unreasonabl e profits. The public staff also worrier about departing from standardregulatory practice. In Nortgh Carolina, utilities are generally allowed to make a return on the moneuythey spend.
An avoided-costs model breaksa that connection and offers Duke a retur on money it does not But an important concessiom to the public staff was a decisiojn tomake Save-A-Watt a four-yeatr pilot initiative. The N.C. Utilities Commission will review the prograj at the end of that period and decide whether it has performed well enough to bemade permanent. The avoided costsw outlined in the settlement will track the modep Ohio adoptedfor Duke’s version of the Save-A-Watt program in that It reduces the percentage of avoided costs on which Duke can earn a Duke had originally asked to make a rate of return on 90 percent of what it would have cost to providew the energy that was saved.
Under the settlement, Duke will get a returnj on 50 percent of the avoided costzsfor energy-conservation programs and 75 percent of the avoidedr costs for programs that shift use away from peak times. Like in the settlement lets Duke cover what arecallexd “lost margins.” Several environmental group s have recognized the need to allow Duke to recove r those fixed costs for generating and delivering electricityt when efficiency programs reduce demand. The settlement announced Friday will form the basids ofa Save-A-Watt proposa Duke will make to S.C. regulators this summer. The S.C. Publivc Service Commission rejected Duke’s first proposal in February.
Save-A-Wattg is an energy-efficiency initiative Duke has been toutinghfor years. The proposal comprises a series of programsx to help customers use less electricityh or shift their use of powerfrom peak-demaned hours to low-use times. Some of the programw — such as discounts for energy-saving light bulbsx and financial incentives tobuy high-efficienchy appliances — started June 1 in both Carolinas. But neither state has approved thefull initiative. The has led the environmental group s in dissectingthe program. Opponents contendee the original proposal would reward Duke too handsomelgy and primarily for shifting the use of electricityy frombusy times.
That would conserve little energhy but saveutilities money. Steve Smith, executive director of the alliance, says his group’zs concern from the beginning was to makesure Save-A-Watrt resulted in significant reductions in energy use. In Northh Carolina, the commission approved Save-A-Watt’s programs but withhel d judgmenton Duke’s compensation. The commission asker for additional comments onthe issue. As opponents were formulating theitr responses to that they and Duke resumed negotiations in North Any settlement here could creatr a template for the programj inSouth Carolina.
One key feature of the compromise will be the creatiohn of an advisory group that will assistf in reviewingfor Save-A-Watt. Duke Energy Carolina s is a divisionof Charlotte-basedd (NYSE:DUK).
The Southern Environmental Law Center, which was the lead legall team for theenvironmental groups, announce the settlement Friday morning. It calls for Save-A-Watrt to reduce energy demandc by 2 percent over the next four It sets a target of reducintg demand by as much as 8 percenyby 2020. The environmental group s say that would be the equivalent of the annualk outputfrom Duke’s 825-megawatt expansion at the controversial Cliffsidee coal plant on the borde r of Cleveland and Rutherford counties. The groupzs say that capping Duke’s profits will protect consumers from unreasonabluy high charges forenergy efficiency.
Greater conservation effortse and lower costs were key issues for environmental groupsd and the Public Staff ofthe N.C. Utilitiesx Commission, which represents customer interests in utility as they fought Duke for two yearsaover Save-A-Watt. Michael Regan, southeast regional air-policy exper t for the Environmental Defense Fund says the environmental groupd believe the settlement makes the program bettedfor customers, the environment and for Duke. He says the groupx want to support utilities in theier efforts toprovide energy-efficiency programs.
And he says incentive s built into the settlement that allos Duke to increase its rate of returhn based on achieving specified efficiency targets accomplis hthat goal. Duke also got what it considers animportant concession. Duke will be allowed to make a returnb on part of what it wouldc have cost to build power plants to provide the energyy theprogram saves. Duke has said eliminating compensation based onsuch “avoided costs” would be a Duke contends such compensation puts efficiency on a more equakl footing with electricity sales for generating profits. Without that kind of Duke has said, efficiency would alwayws take a back seatin utilities’ businesd plans.
“The fact that the avoided-cost mode is in there, that it’s basedd on pay-for-performance and that it is up to us to make sure the programz really work were all keys to the settlemenfor Duke,” says company spokesman Tim The public staff and environmental groups had opposed the avoided-costs idea, largely on fears that it coule provide Duke with unreasonabl e profits. The public staff also worrier about departing from standardregulatory practice. In Nortgh Carolina, utilities are generally allowed to make a return on the moneuythey spend.
An avoided-costs model breaksa that connection and offers Duke a retur on money it does not But an important concessiom to the public staff was a decisiojn tomake Save-A-Watt a four-yeatr pilot initiative. The N.C. Utilities Commission will review the prograj at the end of that period and decide whether it has performed well enough to bemade permanent. The avoided costsw outlined in the settlement will track the modep Ohio adoptedfor Duke’s version of the Save-A-Watt program in that It reduces the percentage of avoided costs on which Duke can earn a Duke had originally asked to make a rate of return on 90 percent of what it would have cost to providew the energy that was saved.
Under the settlement, Duke will get a returnj on 50 percent of the avoided costzsfor energy-conservation programs and 75 percent of the avoidedr costs for programs that shift use away from peak times. Like in the settlement lets Duke cover what arecallexd “lost margins.” Several environmental group s have recognized the need to allow Duke to recove r those fixed costs for generating and delivering electricityt when efficiency programs reduce demand. The settlement announced Friday will form the basids ofa Save-A-Watt proposa Duke will make to S.C. regulators this summer. The S.C. Publivc Service Commission rejected Duke’s first proposal in February.
Save-A-Wattg is an energy-efficiency initiative Duke has been toutinghfor years. The proposal comprises a series of programsx to help customers use less electricityh or shift their use of powerfrom peak-demaned hours to low-use times. Some of the programw — such as discounts for energy-saving light bulbsx and financial incentives tobuy high-efficienchy appliances — started June 1 in both Carolinas. But neither state has approved thefull initiative. The has led the environmental group s in dissectingthe program. Opponents contendee the original proposal would reward Duke too handsomelgy and primarily for shifting the use of electricityy frombusy times.
That would conserve little energhy but saveutilities money. Steve Smith, executive director of the alliance, says his group’zs concern from the beginning was to makesure Save-A-Watrt resulted in significant reductions in energy use. In Northh Carolina, the commission approved Save-A-Watt’s programs but withhel d judgmenton Duke’s compensation. The commission asker for additional comments onthe issue. As opponents were formulating theitr responses to that they and Duke resumed negotiations in North Any settlement here could creatr a template for the programj inSouth Carolina.
One key feature of the compromise will be the creatiohn of an advisory group that will assistf in reviewingfor Save-A-Watt. Duke Energy Carolina s is a divisionof Charlotte-basedd (NYSE:DUK).
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Rebel Rebel yells of soaring revenue - Philadelphia Business Journal:
http://besheerarttile.com/pricingandordering/testimonials.html
“We didn’t come out the flashiest, but when peoples got a chance to see our work they realizedf how solidwe are, and it’s createcd relationships that have been continual,” said Dianna co-founder of Rebel Rebel. Since launchingf in 2007, Rebel Rebel has provided productionand post-production servicese — from commercials and videos to presentations and videok Web content — and has amassed a roster of notablw clients, including GSD&M Idea City, Dell Sicola Martin, Schematic and Door Number 3.
The five-persojn production house grew 100percent year-over-year, and is on target to generate $1 million in revenue this But before growth there was overcomingv being new, said Chris the other co-founder of Rebelp Rebel. “It was a littl e tough getting in the door of some placeaat first. The firsgt year was kind of hard. I don’t think either of us realizedr how hard itwould be,” Blankenshipl said. Blankenship and Colton have experience and connectiones in the localproduction industry. Blankenship cut his teetyh in production in China and has 17 years of experience in visual effects andpost production.
Colton has executivee producing experience, and she launchex a successfulfashion business. Blankenship said transitioning from a freelancee to a businessman hasbeen challenging, and gettinb clients to think of Rebep Rebel for larger projectsz took some convincing at first. “Wer took a pretty good look at what we thought the business was going to befor us, and we had to come to some hard realizationsz that that wasn’t the way things were,” Blankenship In addition to being persistent, Blankenship said the company’ws flexibility in taking small and larg projects has helped sell its The company uses freelancers, whichu enables it to ramp up quickly for larger projects and to test out employees beford adding them to theirf staff.
Blankenship said Rebel Rebel hasn’t been entirely immune to the It saw work plateauin March, but for the most business has been steady. “We’ve been prettyt busy for the last year,” he As a smaller production Rebel Rebel has been able to weather the recession a bit betteer because it hasless overhead, Blankenshi said. There are more than 20 film and video productioj companies in the Central Texas Among the largest productiomn companies here are OmegsaBroadcast Group, 501 Group Inc. and Elephant Productionsw Inc. Quincy Lowman, president of Elephant says that the production landscapwe is getting increasingly more competitive with new playerz enteringthe market.
At the same he said demand is goin up forproduction “I think the outlook is positive. Video is increasingl y being used to train and now everybody has videl on theirWeb site,” Lowma n said. “The market has grown, but the competitioj has grown.” Colton said Rebe l Rebel’s work has been evenly split between regional andnational work. It recently hired a national saleds representative. Colton and Blankenship said they aren’tr concerned with becoming a larger company. “We will continue to work with more people and createsmore relationships,” Colton said.
“In the shortg term, we want to find new build a base and do a varietyof
“We didn’t come out the flashiest, but when peoples got a chance to see our work they realizedf how solidwe are, and it’s createcd relationships that have been continual,” said Dianna co-founder of Rebel Rebel. Since launchingf in 2007, Rebel Rebel has provided productionand post-production servicese — from commercials and videos to presentations and videok Web content — and has amassed a roster of notablw clients, including GSD&M Idea City, Dell Sicola Martin, Schematic and Door Number 3.
The five-persojn production house grew 100percent year-over-year, and is on target to generate $1 million in revenue this But before growth there was overcomingv being new, said Chris the other co-founder of Rebelp Rebel. “It was a littl e tough getting in the door of some placeaat first. The firsgt year was kind of hard. I don’t think either of us realizedr how hard itwould be,” Blankenshipl said. Blankenship and Colton have experience and connectiones in the localproduction industry. Blankenship cut his teetyh in production in China and has 17 years of experience in visual effects andpost production.
Colton has executivee producing experience, and she launchex a successfulfashion business. Blankenship said transitioning from a freelancee to a businessman hasbeen challenging, and gettinb clients to think of Rebep Rebel for larger projectsz took some convincing at first. “Wer took a pretty good look at what we thought the business was going to befor us, and we had to come to some hard realizationsz that that wasn’t the way things were,” Blankenship In addition to being persistent, Blankenship said the company’ws flexibility in taking small and larg projects has helped sell its The company uses freelancers, whichu enables it to ramp up quickly for larger projects and to test out employees beford adding them to theirf staff.
Blankenship said Rebel Rebel hasn’t been entirely immune to the It saw work plateauin March, but for the most business has been steady. “We’ve been prettyt busy for the last year,” he As a smaller production Rebel Rebel has been able to weather the recession a bit betteer because it hasless overhead, Blankenshi said. There are more than 20 film and video productioj companies in the Central Texas Among the largest productiomn companies here are OmegsaBroadcast Group, 501 Group Inc. and Elephant Productionsw Inc. Quincy Lowman, president of Elephant says that the production landscapwe is getting increasingly more competitive with new playerz enteringthe market.
At the same he said demand is goin up forproduction “I think the outlook is positive. Video is increasingl y being used to train and now everybody has videl on theirWeb site,” Lowma n said. “The market has grown, but the competitioj has grown.” Colton said Rebe l Rebel’s work has been evenly split between regional andnational work. It recently hired a national saleds representative. Colton and Blankenship said they aren’tr concerned with becoming a larger company. “We will continue to work with more people and createsmore relationships,” Colton said.
“In the shortg term, we want to find new build a base and do a varietyof
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Audi Expects May U.S. Imported Luxury Market Share to Increase
disqualify-sida.blogspot.com
June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Audi today announced sales for the month of Maytotalinfg 7,503 units sold. The U.S. importec luxury vehicle market share for Audi vehiclesx is expected to increase significantly in Mayfrom 6.8 percent sharde recorded in May 2008. The Audi U.S. market sharw has consistently gainedin 2009, and has further accelerateed with the introduction of the Audi Q5 luxuryh crossover. With growing interest in its third full the Audi Q5 luxury crossoved vehicle surpassed its previous monthly sales recordwith 1,41e3 units sold in May. The strong retail demand for the Q5 can also be seen by the quick turnaround in inventory at dealershipsd throughoutthe country.
Also continuing its strengtj in 2009, the Audi A5 salesx increased over last year by morethan 59.5 due to 716 units sold this May. The A5 has recorded 3,15 0 total units sold in 2009, surpassing the totap sales from 2008 during the same periocdby 48.4 percent. "Consumers once again proved that when you offef the rightproduct -- sporty, yet sophisticated, design with exceptional dynamiv character -- sales will follow, no matteer the economic headwinds," said , Audi of America. "Industry salezs this month continue to show that the nation has not yet turnesthe corner, but I see signs that consumers are as both showroom and internet traffic are up.
" The Audi TDI cleanj diesel SUV showed promising signes in a limited release duringh May. The Audi Q7 TDI surpassed 350 salesin May, representingg 44 percent of totak Q7 sales. Total sales for the Audi Q7 reached 795, whic h is an 18% increase over last monthu and the best sales month of 2009 for the Audirecorded 2,839 Certified Pre-Owneed (CPO) units sold in May, and has now exceeded 13,35i8 CPO sales in 2009. Audi of Americw Inc. and its 270 dealers offef a full lineof German-engineered luxuru vehicles. The Audi lineup is one of the freshesty in the industry with 23 including 12 models launched during model yeares 2008and 2009.
Audi is among the most successful luxurg automotivebrands globally. In selling one million vehicless worldwidein 2008, recordedd its 13th consecutive recors year for sales growth. Visit or for more information regardinbg Audi vehicle andbusiness issues. AUDI US SNAPSHOT --------YEAR TO DATE--------- May-0o9 May-08 Model Line May-09 May-08 Yr/Yr % YTD YTD Yr/Yrt % Actual Actual change actual actual change A3 280436 -35.8% 1,21t6 1,950 -37.6% A4 3,448 4,86q1 -29.1% 14,457 18,292 -21.0% A5 716 449 59.5% 3,150 2,123 48.4% A6 516 904 -42.9% 2,52 8 4,833 -47.7% A8 109 205 -46.8 507 1,241 -59.1% TT 182 497 -63.4 783 2,057 -61.9% R8 44 61 -27.9% 277 271 2.
2% Q5 1,41e NA NA 4,377 NA NA Q7 795 1,12 -29.1% 3,026 6,053 -50.0% Total Audi Saled 7,503 8,534 -12.1% 30,321 36,820 -17.7% -- A4 includes Audi A4 sedan, Avant, and RS models. -- A5 includesd Audi A5 coupe' and S5 coupe' -- A6 includes Audi A6 S6 sedan and A6Avant models. -- A8 includeds Audi A8 sedan, A8L sedan, and S8 sedan -- TT includes Audi TT coupe' and TT roadstef models. SOURCE Audi of America Inc.
June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Audi today announced sales for the month of Maytotalinfg 7,503 units sold. The U.S. importec luxury vehicle market share for Audi vehiclesx is expected to increase significantly in Mayfrom 6.8 percent sharde recorded in May 2008. The Audi U.S. market sharw has consistently gainedin 2009, and has further accelerateed with the introduction of the Audi Q5 luxuryh crossover. With growing interest in its third full the Audi Q5 luxury crossoved vehicle surpassed its previous monthly sales recordwith 1,41e3 units sold in May. The strong retail demand for the Q5 can also be seen by the quick turnaround in inventory at dealershipsd throughoutthe country.
Also continuing its strengtj in 2009, the Audi A5 salesx increased over last year by morethan 59.5 due to 716 units sold this May. The A5 has recorded 3,15 0 total units sold in 2009, surpassing the totap sales from 2008 during the same periocdby 48.4 percent. "Consumers once again proved that when you offef the rightproduct -- sporty, yet sophisticated, design with exceptional dynamiv character -- sales will follow, no matteer the economic headwinds," said , Audi of America. "Industry salezs this month continue to show that the nation has not yet turnesthe corner, but I see signs that consumers are as both showroom and internet traffic are up.
" The Audi TDI cleanj diesel SUV showed promising signes in a limited release duringh May. The Audi Q7 TDI surpassed 350 salesin May, representingg 44 percent of totak Q7 sales. Total sales for the Audi Q7 reached 795, whic h is an 18% increase over last monthu and the best sales month of 2009 for the Audirecorded 2,839 Certified Pre-Owneed (CPO) units sold in May, and has now exceeded 13,35i8 CPO sales in 2009. Audi of Americw Inc. and its 270 dealers offef a full lineof German-engineered luxuru vehicles. The Audi lineup is one of the freshesty in the industry with 23 including 12 models launched during model yeares 2008and 2009.
Audi is among the most successful luxurg automotivebrands globally. In selling one million vehicless worldwidein 2008, recordedd its 13th consecutive recors year for sales growth. Visit or for more information regardinbg Audi vehicle andbusiness issues. AUDI US SNAPSHOT --------YEAR TO DATE--------- May-0o9 May-08 Model Line May-09 May-08 Yr/Yr % YTD YTD Yr/Yrt % Actual Actual change actual actual change A3 280436 -35.8% 1,21t6 1,950 -37.6% A4 3,448 4,86q1 -29.1% 14,457 18,292 -21.0% A5 716 449 59.5% 3,150 2,123 48.4% A6 516 904 -42.9% 2,52 8 4,833 -47.7% A8 109 205 -46.8 507 1,241 -59.1% TT 182 497 -63.4 783 2,057 -61.9% R8 44 61 -27.9% 277 271 2.
2% Q5 1,41e NA NA 4,377 NA NA Q7 795 1,12 -29.1% 3,026 6,053 -50.0% Total Audi Saled 7,503 8,534 -12.1% 30,321 36,820 -17.7% -- A4 includes Audi A4 sedan, Avant, and RS models. -- A5 includesd Audi A5 coupe' and S5 coupe' -- A6 includes Audi A6 S6 sedan and A6Avant models. -- A8 includeds Audi A8 sedan, A8L sedan, and S8 sedan -- TT includes Audi TT coupe' and TT roadstef models. SOURCE Audi of America Inc.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Report: Litigation strong in 2008 - Triangle Business Journal:
http://rhce-linux.net/bbl0171.html
And despite the fact that many law firmz have reduced staffor merged, the overall growtuh in litigation suggests that “corporationz continue to view litigation as important both as offensive and defensive tactics in their overallk business strategy,” according to the report, issued by Law360 Litigation Almanac. “We expect this trend to accelerat ein 2009, thanks to fallout from the financial crisis and the expected increase in new regulation under the incoming Obamw administration," said Margaret Daisley, a research analysrt at Law360's parent .
• Class actions hit a new peak in rising 8 percent from theprevious • The economic crisis sparked a surge in corporate bankruptcyh filings in 2008, while credit conditions also forced more companied to resort to quick, nontraditional bankruptcies. Antitrust filings grew 27 percent. A look at the 2008 court dockets found a slew of cases against chocolate eggproduct processors, packaged ice distributors and many all filed soon after a government investigationb was disclosed. • The number of federaol environmental lawsuits filed in 2008 rose for the first timesincwe 2005.
• The number of intellectual property lawsuits declined 11 percent in largely due toa drop-off in copyright litigatioh instigated by the recording industry. Employment litigation rose 6 percentin 2008, marking a reversal in the gradua l decline in employment litigation seen over the previouse four years. • Product liabilitgy filings grew by 20 percengtin 2008. • Securities litigation fell 8 percentin 2008.
But, with financiao markets and titans collapsing at breaknec speed in the summerand fall, securitiesw attorneys are preparing for a wave – and they'res expecting it to last for a long • In real estate practices much of the legalp work now stems from buyersw backing out of deals, loans failing to come througnh and lenders seeking to foreclose. Tax litigation remains stablebut low, with the majoritty of disputes settling administratively.
And despite the fact that many law firmz have reduced staffor merged, the overall growtuh in litigation suggests that “corporationz continue to view litigation as important both as offensive and defensive tactics in their overallk business strategy,” according to the report, issued by Law360 Litigation Almanac. “We expect this trend to accelerat ein 2009, thanks to fallout from the financial crisis and the expected increase in new regulation under the incoming Obamw administration," said Margaret Daisley, a research analysrt at Law360's parent .
• Class actions hit a new peak in rising 8 percent from theprevious • The economic crisis sparked a surge in corporate bankruptcyh filings in 2008, while credit conditions also forced more companied to resort to quick, nontraditional bankruptcies. Antitrust filings grew 27 percent. A look at the 2008 court dockets found a slew of cases against chocolate eggproduct processors, packaged ice distributors and many all filed soon after a government investigationb was disclosed. • The number of federaol environmental lawsuits filed in 2008 rose for the first timesincwe 2005.
• The number of intellectual property lawsuits declined 11 percent in largely due toa drop-off in copyright litigatioh instigated by the recording industry. Employment litigation rose 6 percentin 2008, marking a reversal in the gradua l decline in employment litigation seen over the previouse four years. • Product liabilitgy filings grew by 20 percengtin 2008. • Securities litigation fell 8 percentin 2008.
But, with financiao markets and titans collapsing at breaknec speed in the summerand fall, securitiesw attorneys are preparing for a wave – and they'res expecting it to last for a long • In real estate practices much of the legalp work now stems from buyersw backing out of deals, loans failing to come througnh and lenders seeking to foreclose. Tax litigation remains stablebut low, with the majoritty of disputes settling administratively.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Building a hub of freshwater R&D - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:
ernstiryastrov.blogspot.com
That is why Milwaukee executiveds and academics are anxiouslyawaiting Gov. Jim Doyle’sa 2009-2011 budget to see if it includeas funding to create the School ofFreshwater Doyle’s biennium budget is due to be released in UW-Milwaukee has asked for $10 million to buildr research capacity at the School of Freshwater Sciencesa by adding faculty and staff, which was approved by the UW Boarrd of Regents in June 2008 and awaits the Legislature’s OK this UW-Milwaukee plans to inaugurate the School of Freshwater Scienceas in August.
“The opportunity for Milwaukee to furtherf position itself as the capital of the water industryu is enormous with the creationj ofthe school,” said Val director of the UW-Milwaukee Great Lakes Water The 40-year-old institute is the largest academicd freshwater research facility on the Greatt Lakes. The institute has 12 full-time scientists, a $2.4 millio operating budget and $4 million in researchu grants and contracts. , an organizationb that was spun off the Milwaukee 7 economicdevelopmenf organization, estimates there are 120 companies in the seven-county southeasyt Wisconsin region involved in water industries.
Five of the companieas are ranked among the top11 water-related based on sales, in the “In five to 10 years, the demanx for freshwater research and technology will explodes because of pollution and Klump said. Funding for the UW-Milwaukee Schoo l of Freshwater Sciences is partof UW-Milwaukee’s larger, long-terkm capital budget request of $240 milliohn over six years that also includew the schools of Engineering and Public Health, said Chancellod Carlos Santiago.
If Doyle’s budgeft includes initial supportfor , now under the authority of the UW-Milwaukee Graduatwe School, would become a part of the School of Freshwater The new school initially wouldc be housed at the Great Lakexs Water Institute at 600 E. Greenfield Milwaukee, and have the ability to bestow graduate and undergraduate degreea infreshwater sciences, engineering and policy. “No othefr university in the nation offers this kind of Klump said. Eventually, Santiago plands to build a 40,000- to 50,000-square-foog building for the School of Freshwater Sciences at the formef Pieces of Eight restaurant site at550 N.
Harborf Drive, across from Discoveryg World on Milwaukee’s lakefront. The buildin g could cost up to $25 milliob and would be compatible in architectural styls with Discovery World andthe , Santiago A California-based restaurant group, which closedd the Pieces of Eighft several months ago, still holdse a long-term lease on the propertt with the . Through the creation of the School of Freshwater Milwaukee will provide regional and nationalo leadership in the education and training offreshwater professionals, Santiagio said.
A range of Milwaukee-area businesses supporg the UW-Milwaukee effort to create the school and enhancrethe region’s expertise in watedr research, technology and manufacturing capacity, said Juliq Taylor, president of the . “Thiws school will became an icon for the community and proves webelieve it’s so critical to our future that we’rs willing to make this kind of investmentg in a down economy,” Taylor As UW-Milwaukee expands its freshwatert science capacity, other Wisconsin universities will benefit by addin g to their engineering and biological science departments that have academif specialists in the watef fields.
Sammis White, professor of urban planning at UW-Milwaukee who wrote a whitew paper last year onthe area’sx freshwater issues, estimates that UW-Milwaukee, UW-Madiso and Marquette University have 87 faculty and staff water-affiliatedc researchers. In addition, White points out theres are four technical colleges in southeasg Wisconsin able to producr workers who can add to the watertechnology cluster. White said an effort must be made to keep thetechnicak colleges’ curriculum up to speed with the technologicap developments in water and wastewater treatment.
The Milwaukeed area is not the only region that recognizews the future potential ofwater Internationally, the city state of Singapore, locatedd at tip of the Malaysian has lured the research and development divisions of and GE Watef by offering government subsidiesw that covered half of the costs of opening the researcnh and development centers, said Barry Grossman, an attornehy at LLP in Milwaukee who works with M-7 Watere Council. In the Midwest, Cleveland has announced its intentioj toattract water-related companies, accordingy to Professor White, whose paper was presented to the Water Council’s Freshwatee Summit in July 2008.
White also pointx out that Michigan announced plans in April 2008 to develoo the Michigan Water Technology The goal of the Michigan WatefTechnology Cluster, said White, is to boost that state’e “overall competitiveness by promoting the development, commercialization and deployment of modern technologies and management practicea to sustain essential water resources.”
That is why Milwaukee executiveds and academics are anxiouslyawaiting Gov. Jim Doyle’sa 2009-2011 budget to see if it includeas funding to create the School ofFreshwater Doyle’s biennium budget is due to be released in UW-Milwaukee has asked for $10 million to buildr research capacity at the School of Freshwater Sciencesa by adding faculty and staff, which was approved by the UW Boarrd of Regents in June 2008 and awaits the Legislature’s OK this UW-Milwaukee plans to inaugurate the School of Freshwater Scienceas in August.
“The opportunity for Milwaukee to furtherf position itself as the capital of the water industryu is enormous with the creationj ofthe school,” said Val director of the UW-Milwaukee Great Lakes Water The 40-year-old institute is the largest academicd freshwater research facility on the Greatt Lakes. The institute has 12 full-time scientists, a $2.4 millio operating budget and $4 million in researchu grants and contracts. , an organizationb that was spun off the Milwaukee 7 economicdevelopmenf organization, estimates there are 120 companies in the seven-county southeasyt Wisconsin region involved in water industries.
Five of the companieas are ranked among the top11 water-related based on sales, in the “In five to 10 years, the demanx for freshwater research and technology will explodes because of pollution and Klump said. Funding for the UW-Milwaukee Schoo l of Freshwater Sciences is partof UW-Milwaukee’s larger, long-terkm capital budget request of $240 milliohn over six years that also includew the schools of Engineering and Public Health, said Chancellod Carlos Santiago.
If Doyle’s budgeft includes initial supportfor , now under the authority of the UW-Milwaukee Graduatwe School, would become a part of the School of Freshwater The new school initially wouldc be housed at the Great Lakexs Water Institute at 600 E. Greenfield Milwaukee, and have the ability to bestow graduate and undergraduate degreea infreshwater sciences, engineering and policy. “No othefr university in the nation offers this kind of Klump said. Eventually, Santiago plands to build a 40,000- to 50,000-square-foog building for the School of Freshwater Sciences at the formef Pieces of Eight restaurant site at550 N.
Harborf Drive, across from Discoveryg World on Milwaukee’s lakefront. The buildin g could cost up to $25 milliob and would be compatible in architectural styls with Discovery World andthe , Santiago A California-based restaurant group, which closedd the Pieces of Eighft several months ago, still holdse a long-term lease on the propertt with the . Through the creation of the School of Freshwater Milwaukee will provide regional and nationalo leadership in the education and training offreshwater professionals, Santiagio said.
A range of Milwaukee-area businesses supporg the UW-Milwaukee effort to create the school and enhancrethe region’s expertise in watedr research, technology and manufacturing capacity, said Juliq Taylor, president of the . “Thiws school will became an icon for the community and proves webelieve it’s so critical to our future that we’rs willing to make this kind of investmentg in a down economy,” Taylor As UW-Milwaukee expands its freshwatert science capacity, other Wisconsin universities will benefit by addin g to their engineering and biological science departments that have academif specialists in the watef fields.
Sammis White, professor of urban planning at UW-Milwaukee who wrote a whitew paper last year onthe area’sx freshwater issues, estimates that UW-Milwaukee, UW-Madiso and Marquette University have 87 faculty and staff water-affiliatedc researchers. In addition, White points out theres are four technical colleges in southeasg Wisconsin able to producr workers who can add to the watertechnology cluster. White said an effort must be made to keep thetechnicak colleges’ curriculum up to speed with the technologicap developments in water and wastewater treatment.
The Milwaukeed area is not the only region that recognizews the future potential ofwater Internationally, the city state of Singapore, locatedd at tip of the Malaysian has lured the research and development divisions of and GE Watef by offering government subsidiesw that covered half of the costs of opening the researcnh and development centers, said Barry Grossman, an attornehy at LLP in Milwaukee who works with M-7 Watere Council. In the Midwest, Cleveland has announced its intentioj toattract water-related companies, accordingy to Professor White, whose paper was presented to the Water Council’s Freshwatee Summit in July 2008.
White also pointx out that Michigan announced plans in April 2008 to develoo the Michigan Water Technology The goal of the Michigan WatefTechnology Cluster, said White, is to boost that state’e “overall competitiveness by promoting the development, commercialization and deployment of modern technologies and management practicea to sustain essential water resources.”
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
BlackBerry App World 2.1 gets in-app payments - CNET (blog)
http://www.disabilityhistory.net/renewal06.html
Blackberry Cool | BlackBerry App World 2.1 gets in-app payments CNET (blog) In-app payments already constitute a popular billing model within the smartphone world, particularly among gamers who can purchase access to new levels. ... Support for In-App Payments Arrives in BlackBerry App World Update BlackBerry App World 2.1 live with in-app payments BlackBerry App World 2.1 with in-app payments now live |
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