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Good Day New York hosts Rosanna Scotto and Greg Kelly talked live with David Woodworth about RVing on Monday (April 19) on MYFOX New York.
The show’s hosts were impressed with the Fleetwood Discovery motorhome, with Kelly saying, “this is for a rock band!” Woodworth added, “I’d put this up against most flats in New York.”
The segment concluded with a montage of photographs of antique RVs from taken inside the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart, Ind.
Click here to watch the broadcast.
The writings of Wally Byam, founder of Airstream and legendary RV traveler who died in 1962, are being revived in this, the centennial year of the RV industry.
Rich Luhr, publisher of Airstream Life, has combined the popular works of Byam, “Fifth Avenue on Wheels” and “Trailer Travel Here and Abroad” in a single reprint titled “The Byam Books.”
The book can be obtained only through the Airstream Life online store at present: www.airstreamlife.com/store.
Dale “Pee Wee” Schwamborn, Byam’s cousin and frequent traveling companion, was invited to write the forward to the reprinted work.
Schwamborn, now 71 and living in Dewey, Ariz., told RV Business.com, “For too many years the writings of Wally Byam have been out of print. Wally conducted worldwide Caravans for Airstream owners. (Canada, Mexico, Central America, Cuba and Africa.) Airstream has become a legend, an icon, and the most recognized RV/trailer on the highways and byways of the world.”
His forward to the reprinted book follows (the photographs are from various archival collections of Byam memorabilia):
“To Pee Wee, who accompanied me on my First and Last Caravan. Wally Byam”
Wally wrote this in my first edition of “Trailer Travel Here and Abroad.”
In 1951, Wally gave me the nickname, “Pee Wee.” He also invited me to travel with him on his first Caravan to Mexico and Central America. Wally’s last Caravan was to Africa in 1959. The trek went from Cape Town, South Africa, to Alexandria, Egypt. I assisted Wally as the Advance Scout on this final Caravan. My nickname has endured since 1951, and is my personal synonym for Airstream, the Wally Byam Caravan Club, and having fun.
Wally Byam surrounded himself with affirmations. He did not just talk the talk, he truly walked the walk. When he was 21 years old (in 1917), he wrote this defining, prophetic statement:
“I am a man of extremes — either I will be a big boss, a rousing success, or a blank failure. In my heart I know I’ll be a great big glorious success, and that my name will go down in history.”
Wally Byam understood his personal power to achieve. He found his niche in the manufacturing of the Airstream trailer, the development of Caravans traveling the highways and byways of the world, and his 100% support of the Airstream owner’s club, the Wally Byam Caravan Club.
“Remember — if you want a thing bad enough you’ll get it, if you work hard enough.”
Wally’s path through his life was never easy. He did advertising work with his friend Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr. and the Los Angeles Times. When the radio was in its heyday, he published a trade publication glorifying the radio, and its manufacturers.
When our nation was in the Great Depression, Wally did the unimaginable: he formed a recreational vehicle company to manufacture travel trailers. Our Airstream trailers began in dire times. But Wally was a true Renaissance man, equal to the challenge. He was an entrepreneur, engineer, production line worker, salesman, lecturer, owner, supervisor, accountant, purchasing agent, friend, dancing partner, sailor, teacher, conservationist, historian, leader and husband.
No one ever worked harder to serve his employees, owners, and friends.
“I just hate the idea of being a business man or running a big mill or anything like that. I do not know whether to make myself like that kind of life or become a beachcomber, as in the play. One way gives me success, renown and prestige, and the other gives me happiness. Which shall I choose?”
Wally Byam became a manufacturing beachcomber. He made a product from his love for travel and camping. It allowed him to go when and where he wanted by giving him the freedom of a beachcomber. He willed this spirit to his Airstream owners. He did it through firsthand experience with many Wally Byam Caravans, and with the publications of “Fifth Avenue on Wheels” and “Trailer Travel Here and Abroad.”
At age 23, Wally wrote, “There is no use of me trying to be a world-beater for the simple reason that I don’t want to be a world-beater. Success is so futile, one strives for mountains and mountains of money and power, which, when attained makes the possessor no happier than before he began, except from the pleasure of doing his work. I do not get pleasure out of purely making money. So what’s the use of trying.”
Wally was never after a bank account. He wanted several things from his endeavors: financial freedom, the best product that could be made, good friends, steady employment for his workers, to be a good husband and, at the end of the day, to know that his work had contributed to these endeavors. Money was only a tool to accomplish his goals, not to create an empire.
Wally Byam had a knack of picking leaders for Airstream. In California, he selected Arthur (Art) Costello to first manage and then become Airstream’s President on the west coast. A good friend from his workdays at Lockheed during the Second World War, was Andrew (Andy) Charles. In 1952, Wally gave Andy the opportunity to go to Jackson Center, Ohio to start up a new Airstream Plant. Wally’s choices made Airstream the company we know today. Andy and Art were sterling leaders, not only for Airstream, but for the entire industry.
In 1955 Wally again had to make a decision. He and Stel (his wife) were going to Europe to scout the 1956 Wally Byam Caravan to Europe. Who could he tap to take over the Caravan to Eastern Canada? He selected his first cousin, Helen Byam Schwamborn, who was my mother. In 1953, Wally had sent Helen a post card. He told her that he would be taking care of her “itchy foot.”
Well, he did. Not only was she selected to lead the 1955 Eastern Canada Caravan, she was asked to work with the Airstream owners in forming a Club. The Airstreamers put together a Constitution, and a club was formed in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada in August 1955. She went home to Bakersfield California and opened the WBCC (later WBCCI) Headquarters in our home
Helen later wrote: “He was a man with an amazing understanding of people, their problems, their abilities, and, I might add, their endurance.
“He could throw out challenges faster than they could be picked up. He kept all of those associated with him working beyond their known capacity and accomplishing what they knew full well to be impossible. He had an uncanny way of giving confidence; when he said you could do it, you didn’t question him, you did it. He was an embodiment of the pioneer spirit which gave America its tough fiber.
“I have never worked so hard in my life as I have with Airstream. If I had had any idea of all that was entailed I would never have even dared to try my present job. But Wally said I was the one for the job and I didn’t question him. I guess I was completely brain-washed.
“Whatever happened, I have never had a job so rewarding in so many ways.”
Helen’s congeniality, work ethics, enthusiasm for travel, love for Airstream owners, writing skills, organizational talent, have been not lost to time either. Today her baby, the Wally Byam Caravan Club International, is 55 years old. She assisted Wally in the dream, their dream and yours.
The Wally Byam Creed
“In the heart of these words is an entire life’s dream. To those of you who find in the promise of these words your promise, I bequeath this creed… my dream belongs to you.”
“To place the great wide world at your doorstep for you who yearn to travel with all the comforts of home.
To provide a more satisfying, meaningful way of travel that offers complete travel independence, wherever and whenever you choose to go or stay.
To keep alive and make real an enduring promise of high adventure and faraway lands… of rediscovering old places and new interests.
To open a whole world of new experiences… a new dimension in enjoyment where travel adventure and good fellowship are your constant companions.
To encourage clubs and rallies that provide an endless source of friendships, travel fun and personal expressions.
To lead caravans wherever the four winds blow… over twinkling boulevards, across trackless deserts… to the traveled and untraveled corners of the earth.
To play some part in promoting international goodwill and understanding among the peoples of the world through person-to-person contact.
To refine and perfect our product by continuous travel-testing over the highways and byways of the world.
To strive endlessly to stir the venturesome spirit that moves you to follow a rainbow to its end… and thus make your travel dreams come true.”
NBC’s Weekend TODAY Show will interview RVIA spokesman and noted RV historian David Woodworth Saturday morning.
The segment will feature a 2010 Fleetwood Discovery and a 1916 Telescoping Apartment RV. The segment is scheduled to air live outside TODAY’s New York studios between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. EST, according to an alert from the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA).
During the segment, viewers will see and hear about the evolution of RVing over the past century. Woodworth will also convey key messages such as the value and benefits of RV ownership.
As this is a live news program, the segment could be pre-empted by breaking news. Check your local listings to confirm the time the Weekend TODAY Show airs in your area.
RVIA and its public relations agency, Barton Gilanelli & Associates, continue to generate positive national and local RV stories about the RV industry and its centennial celebration.
Resolutions declaring June 2010 as “RV Centennial Celebration Month” have been adopted by the state legislatures in Indiana, Iowa and Louisiana over the past several weeks, according to RVIA Today Express.
The Florida state senate has also introduced an RV Centennial resolution (FL S 2680), but it has yet to be voted on.
The Recreation Vehicle Indiana Council (RVIC) worked with the Indiana state Legislature to have that state’s resolution adopted, and Winnebago Industries Inc. worked closely with the Iowa Legislature for its adoption of a resolution “in support of the ideals and goals” of the RV Centennial. Maurice LeBlanc of Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park in Robert, La., worked with state Rep. Steve Pugh to get the resolution passed there.
RVIA Vice President of Government Affairs Dianne Farrell said, “We are pleased that Indiana, Iowa, and Louisiana have honored the RV industry on the occasion of its 100th Anniversary, and we expect additional proclamations to be issued by several Governors as we approach June.”
On the federal side, both chambers of Congress have introduced resolutions that would officially recognize June 2010 as RV Centennial Celebration Month.
The Senate resolution (S. Res. 410) was introduced by Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind. with Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., as an original cosponsor. It states “That the Senate supports and recognizes the goals and ideals of ‘RV Centennial Celebration Month’ to commemorate 100 years of enjoyment of recreation vehicles in the United States; and encourages the people of the United States to celebrate this anniversary by taking part in recreation vehicle vacations.”
In the House, Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., introduced H. Res. 1073 with Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., as an original cosponsor. The text of the House resolution is almost identical to the Senate resolution text. Each resolution includes the clause, “this homegrown industry, including recreation vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, and campgrounds, employs hundreds of thousands of people in the Nation in good-paying jobs across all 50 states.”
RVIA’s Government Affairs Department worked with House and Senate staffers to have the resolutions introduced and are now working to secure additional cosponsors to the resolutions, with the goal of having both chambers of Congress endorse the RV Centennial Celebration Month Resolution before June. RVIA encourages members to visit www.RVAct.org and send e-mail in support of a national declaration of RV Centennial Celebration Month. Go RVing is working to rally public support through its Facebook fan page and Twitter feed.
In celebration of the RV industry’s 100th anniversary, the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) will host the RV Centennial Celebration, a very special event taking place June 7 at the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart, Ind.
“This is going to be an energetic extravaganza with a fun-filled festival, reception and barbecue; a special one-hour program featuring entertaining videos and presentations saluting the industry’s history; and, a cake-cutting ceremony and rousing fireworks display to cap the evening,” according to a statement by Richard Coon, RVIA president.
Tickets are now available for the RV Centennial Celebration. The deadline to purchase tickets is May 21. However, tickets purchased on or before May 14 can be obtained at the discount rate of $25 per ticket. On May 15, the regular ticket cost will be $35 per ticket. “I strongly urge you to purchase your tickets now as we expect the event to reach capacity and sell out early. Walk-ups cannot be accommodated at the event. Tickets must be purchased in advance. You can buy tickets for anyone, including spouses, colleagues and co-workers, over the age of 18,” Coon noted.
Order forms for tickets were sent to RVIA members last week along with Committee Week materials. To get tickets, fill out an order form and mail it back, along with a check, to RVIA. To get an order form, contact Huyen (Wen) Dang or Doreen Cashion in RVIA’s Show Department. Contact Huyen at email@example.com or (703) 620-6003 ext. 305 and Doreen at firstname.lastname@example.org or (703) 620-6003 ext. 324.
A very important theme of the RV Centennial Celebration will be a “Salute to RV Workers” to honor the industry’s hard-working men and women who build the product and who are the heart and soul of our industry. This will include special recognition of those workers attending the event, a video salute from industry leaders, and the presentation of a commemorative plaque honoring the industry’s workers to the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum.
“Considering the “Salute to RV Workers” theme of the event, I encourage you to use the party as an incentive to recognize your company’s best and most valued hourly line workers,” Coon said. “By providing tickets to those you would like to single out for acknowledgment, they can be part of the special salute we have planned, which will include those workers in attendance standing for recognition.”
RV historian and collector David Woodworth today (April 12) kicked off RVIA’s RV Centennial media tour with 15 interviews conducted via satellite with local network affiliates from Boston to Yuma, as well as cable channels across the country. Woodworth’s interviews began airing live at 7:45 a.m. this morning and continued through the early afternoon, according to a news release.
“For a century, Americans have enjoyed exploring what’s over the next hill and around the bend,” Woodworth said during the morning’s interviews. “That pioneering spirit is still alive and well today.”
Woodworth will spend the next two weeks traveling to media markets across the country with a 1916 Telescoping Apartment RV and a modern 2010 Fleetwood Discovery, talking to reporters about the RV industry’s century of bringing families closer together. The tour will include a live appearance on NBC’s Weekend Today show on Saturday (April 17).
“For 100 years, Americans have enjoyed the freedom that RVs provide,” said Woodworth, widely recognized as a leading RV historian. He once owned the world’s largest collection of antique RVs, now on display at the RV Heritage Museum in Elkhart, Ind., and consults with the Smithsonian.
The roots of RVing are as old as pioneers and covered wagons. “The first mass-produced motorized campers were built in 1910,” says Woodworth, the preeminent collector of early RVs and RV camping memorabilia. “Before then, people camped in private rail cars that were pulled to sidings along train routes. 1910 brought a new freedom to people who didn’t want to be limited by the rail system. RVs allowed them to go where they wanted, when they wanted.”
Known as “auto campers” or “camping trailers,” these vehicles were the forerunners of today’s modern RVs.
“The first RVs offered minimal comforts compared to today’s homes-on-wheels,” says Woodworth. “But they did provide the freedom to travel anywhere, to get a good night’s sleep and enjoy home cooking. One notable exception to today’s RV was the bathroom. Back in 1910, it was usually either yonder tree or yonder bush.”
Today, RV travelers are able to enjoy all the comforts and conveniences of home while they’re on the road. RVs can come fully equipped with gourmet kitchens, baths and living rooms, and bedrooms that slide out at the push of a button to create extra space.
“We take great pride in our past and look forward to a bright future,” said RVIA President Richard Coon. “RVing has been able to thrive and grow because people still enjoy the fun and freedom it provides.”
Winnebago Industries Inc. recently accepted House Resolution 123 (No. 4) from the Iowa House of Representatives on behalf of the RV Centennial celebration, according to a news release.
Winnebago Industries’ Chairman, CEO and President Bob Olson, Vice President of Product Development Bill O’Leary and PR/IR Manager Sheila Davis were on hand for the presentation of the resolution at the Iowa State Capital on March 16.
Reps. Henry V. Rayhons, Marcella R. Frevert, David E. Heaton, Mark A. Kuhn, Brian J. Quirk, Sharon S. Steckman and Linda L. Upmeyer presented the resolution to the House of Representatives. The resolution supports and recognizes the goals and ideals of RV Centennial Celebration Month to commemorate 100 years of enjoyment of recreation vehicles in the United States.
The resolution cites the proud history of recreation vehicles, which has its origins in 1910. The resolution states, “The House of Representatives supports and recognizes the goals and ideals of ‘RV Centennial Celebration Month’ to commemorate 100 years of enjoyment of recreation vehicles in the United States and recognizes the contributions made by Iowa’s own John K. Hanson and Winnebago Industries’ employees to develop the RV industry. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Mr. Hanson and the Winnebago Industries team, the name ‘Winnebago’ is synonymous with RV travel and has brought prosperity to thousands of Iowans over the decades.”
As the spring retail show season shifts into high gear, RV industry members are celebrating the RV Centennial in a variety of unique ways, according to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA).
Multiple consumer RV shows are participating in Centennial Charlie’s Cross Country Caravan: 100 Days to Celebrate 100 Years of RVing by hosting the Official Ambassador of the 2010 RV Centennial – a 34-inch American black bear stuffed animal – on his road trip to honor the people who love RVing and the workers who are the heart and soul of the RV industry.
Centennial Charlie, who is inspired by the bear in Go RVing’s 2010 “Ambassadors of Affordability” ad campaign, is a popular draw at the consumer events, according to show promoters. Mark House reported from the 41st Annual RV Supershow in Oklahoma City that Centennial Charlie “was a hit with our crowd.” And Dave Kelly of the Florida RV trade Association (FRVTA) reported from the Jacksonville, Fla., RV Show, “several people wanted to take him home!”
Several RV manufacturers and suppliers are also planning to host Centennial Charlie, with many scheduling employee, dealer, and customer appreciation events around his visit. RV dealerships are also taking advantage of Centennial Charlie’s visits to include him in rallies and draw attention to the industry’s 100th anniversary. To date, Charlie has met thousands of consumers and RV industry employees across seven states, with many more to come.
During Centennial Charlie’s visits, staff of RV companies and consumer shows take photos of the bear with RV workers and showgoers to be included in a video chronicle of the mascot’s tour. The video will be shared with the RV industry at its June 7 celebration at the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum, and later will be posted on YouTube.
In other Centennial developments, the state governments of Iowa and Indiana have each adopted resolutions declaring June 2010 to be RV Centennial Celebration month. The Recreation Vehicle Indiana Council (RVIC) worked with the Indiana state legislature to have the resolution adopted, and Winnebago Industries Inc. worked closely with the Iowa legislature for its adoption of a resolution “in support of the ideals and goals” of the RV Centennial.
To commemorate the industry’s anniversary, the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum has produced patches embroidered with the RV Centennial logo and designed to attach to service uniforms. The full-color patches are available for purchase through the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum for $2 each by calling (800) 378-8694.
“The RV Centennial offers a terrific opportunity for our entire industry – including campgrounds and dealers – to take a moment to acknowledge our success, and to also thank the terrific employees and consumers who have contributed to create a hundred-year old industry that is focused on bringing families closer together,” said RVIA President Richard Coon.
Industry members are encouraged to make use of the message board at www.rvcentennial.org to discuss their Centennial Celebration plans. Message board participants have already posted terrific ideas for celebrating the industry’s 100th Anniversary, reporting on events they have planned, and unique ways to use the official RV Centennial logo on company websites, marketing materials and even on celebratory cakes.
Editor’s Note: From Gary La Bella, vice president and chief marketing officer for the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), comes this update on PR Committee activities and Committee Week:
In our last update to the Public Relations Committee following a successful Outlook and Louisville show, we reiterated our confidence that the sun would shine again on our industry in 2010. One quarter in, with Committee Week approaching, our Centennial year is off to a good start with positive news that the RV market is indeed recovering from the nation’s economic downturn. Shipments are trending higher, and Richard Curtin of the University of Michigan is now projecting that wholesale shipments will rise by 30% in 2010.
RV Recovery Is Big News
Because of our aggressive outreach to media, stories about the RV industry’s recovery are appearing in top national news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, The Chicago Tribune, The Detroit News, Fox Business, the Associated Press, Bloomberg radio and U.S. News & World Report. In addition, RV lifestyle and Centennial coverage has already appeared in outlets such as The New York Times and National Public Radio, with more coming up as spring and RV Centennial Celebration Month (June) near.
Current coverage echoes themes and storylines promoted by RVIA — that the RV industry is a leading economic indicator, that RVing has remained popular even through the downturn and that RVing is cost-effective and offers a great value.
RV Centennial Tour
RVIA PR is in the final planning stages for the RV Centennial Tour featuring RV historian David Woodworth. The tour will launch April 12 from the RV Museum and Hall of Fame in Elkhart, where David will be available for interview via satellite by media outlets around the country. After that, David will hit the road in a Discovery motorhome Fleetwood RV has generously offered in response to an invitation sent to manufacturer members. He’ll tow a 1916 Telescoping RV to highlight the old and the new in RVs and to promote our key messages.
Upcoming Vehicle Loan Opportunities
We’re also working with several major media outlets that have requested vehicle loans so they can write first-hand stories about the RV experience. This type of exposure is important in establishing a positive image with a large audience of potential buyers in our target demographic. Publications expressing interest include Redbook (an offering letter went out earlier this week), MotorWeek, Ser Padres and Parenting. You will receive offering letters for each of these opportunities as we’re able to confirm details.
RVIA Committee Week in Elkhart
Looking forward, Committee Week will take a different shape this year as the industry gathers to celebrate our centennial, tackle the work performed by RVIA’s many committees and hold the association’s annual membership meeting. To maximize attendance and lessen expenses for many members, Committee Week will be in Elkhart/South Bend instead of Washington, D.C. To accommodate all the activities planned for Committee Week, a shortened three-hour Public Relations Committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 8 from 2-5 p.m. at the Century Center in South Bend.
We hope you’re planning to attend the RV Centennial Celebration on the evening of Monday, June 7, at the RV Museum and Hall of Fame. It’s going to be an energetic festival, reception and barbecue with a special one-hour program featuring entertaining videos and presentations saluting the RV industry, a cake-cutting ceremony and fireworks display to cap the evening. The party will be themed to salute the industry’s workers who are its heart and soul. Committee Week registration materials will be mailed out during the first week of April. We look forward to seeing you all in Indiana this June.
As the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) prepares to roll out a series of events and related activities commemorating the industry’s 2010 Centennial, RVBusiness magazine and RVBUSINESS.com are setting up a special Centennial issue focusing among other things on the “75 Most Influential People” in the history of the U.S. RV industry.
“Talk about a tough job,” says RVB Publisher Sherman Goldenberg, in commenting on the upcoming selection process. “We sat down recently to start making a list of likely nominees and soon realized just how intimidating this process is going to be. I mean, when you get beyond the most obvious individuals like Winnebago’s John K. Hanson and Holiday Rambler’s Richard Klingler and Fleetwood’s John Crean and start looking at who else might be on that list, you begin to realize just how difficult this process can be.”
To help build a pool of names, RVBusiness is adding an application this morning (March 13) to the RVBUSINESS.com homepage, a click-through feature through which website visitors can nominate anyone they think ought to be on RVB’s list of the industry’s “75 Most Influential People.”
That list will be published in a June issue that includes an array of centennial coverage and will be released in sync with RVIA’s 100th Anniversary Party June 7 at the RV/MH Heritage Foundation Inc.’s Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart, Ind., during what has been designated as “RV Centennial Celebration Month.”
RVIA’s invitation-only industry party, one of several Centennial projects spearheaded by RVIA designed to lift the industry’s post-recessionary spirits, will feature a “Salute to RV Workers,” a live band, fireworks, centennial salutes from RVing celebrities and other VIPs and the unveiling of an RV-themed time capsule that will remain on display at the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum.
“We know there are many possible candidates who would likely qualify as having been among the ’75 Most Influential’ individuals in the industry’s history, both from the past and including people who are still working in the industry today,” said Goldenberg. “So, we’ve decided to open the doors on this project to the industry at large to make sure we don’t overlook a lot of people who ought to be mentioned on this list.
“In saying that, however, we realize full well that we will inevitably slip up and overlook some people whose contributions were clearly vital to their companies and to the industry at large because the universe of names over a century’s time is simply too large,” he added. “But we’re trying to keep those oversights to a minimum.”
As the RV industry celebrates its centennial in 2010, the nation’s oldest consumer RV ”club” is not too far behind.
Tin Can Tourists, an organization whose members primarily own vintage travel trailers and motorhomes, this year marks its 91st year — although with an asterisk because those years were not consecutive. Tin Can Tourists experienced a 20-year hiatus that ended in 1998 when Michigan high school teacher and coach Forest Bone and his wife, Jeri, resurrected the organization.
”It kind of evolved,” said Bone, 66, who spends his time between Bradenton, Fla., and Milford, Mich. ”We were charter members of the Vintage Airstream Club and I was president in 1998. We had begun formulating plans to have an all-makes-and-models club, and we’d known about the Tin Can Tourists, which hadn’t been active in a number of years.
”So, we went through all the trademark searches to make sure we weren’t infringing on an existing organization and we didn’t find anything.”
For the most part, the original Tin Can Tourists were minimalists who might, for instance, have driven a Model T Ford with a tent-like extension used as the sleeping area. ”There was one that even used the running board as a headrest,” Bone said.
Today, Tin Can Tourists typically own vintage units but they don’t have to. ”That’s a misconception,” Bone said. ”Anyone can be a member, and they can take part in anything the club can do.
Still, he said, 75% of Tin Can Tourist members own vintage trailers. Shasta, Serro Scotty and Airstream brands are popular. ”There are lots of ‘canned ham’ trailers that look like Shastas that were manufactured in the ’50s,” Bone said. ”A lot of our members own those.”
The cost of membership in Tin Can Tourists is minimal — only $20 a year. And more than 800 members are led regionally by seven representatives in North America and others in the United Kingdom and Japan who provide input to the organization and run Tin Can Tourists get-togethers.
The Tin Can Tourists originated from early ”RVers” who ate their meals out of tin cans while they traveled because of the lack of refrigeration.
Their formal objective was to ”unite fraternally all autocampers” with guiding principles being ”clean camps, friendliness among campers, decent behavior and clean (and) wholesome entertainment for those in camp.”
The club was formally organized in 1919 with Charles T. Falles, known as the ”Mayor of Easy Street,” the organization’s first Royal Sargent.”
A tin can later became a sign of distress — sort of like a road flair when hung from the radiator of a car. ”If somebody passed by and was a fellow Tin Can Tourist, they would stop to help,” Bone said. ”There was a Good Samaritan aspect to it. Flat tires were a huge problem in the early travel days and there were a lot of other problems.”
The journey from Michigan where the group held its summer reunions in the 1920s to Desoto Park in Tampa, Fla., where the Tourists headquartered in the early 1920s, might take three weeks.
At its height, the number of Tin Can Tourists numbered close to 100,000 and the New York Times published a feature story about the group in August 1926 and Life magazine a pictorial in January 1939.
As the number of Tin Can Tourists dwindled into the 1960s and 1970s, the original club’s last winter reunion took place in 1978 at Eustis RV Park, Eustis, Fla., according to a trove of historic files donated to the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee.
The reconstituted Tin Can Tourists’ first ”gathering” in 1998 in Milford, Mich., drew 21 units. The tourists’ 2010 Winter Convention Feb. 25-28 at Lake Manatee State Park east of Bradenton drew 50 RVs and about 120 people on a first-come first-serve basis due to site restrictions.
At the beginning of this year, the club had 834 remembers, down from just over 1,000 at the start of 2009. ”With the combination of gas prices and the economy, we took a pretty good hit on membership,” Bone said. ”But we are slowly returning.”
The Tin Can Tourists 12th Annual Gathering at Camp Dearborn in Milford, Mich., will be May 20-23, along with two other regional gatherings scheduled that same weekend in New York and New Mexico.
In addition, three other local gatherings will be staged this year in Michigan and three in Florida while regional rallies will take place in Canada, California, Washington, Arizona and New York.
John Culp, 84, who keeps a post office box in Clairmont, Fla., attended the new Tin Can Tourists first Florida ”gathering” in 2000.
Culp said he joined Tin Can Tourists after hearing that Bone had started the club again that he had heard of as a youth.
”I joined because of the people,” said Culp, who currently is a full-timer living in a 24-foot 1947 Westcraft travel trailer, a high-end all-aluminum brand favored by the Hollywood movie star crowd, that he and his parents bought new for $3,200.
”It’s pretty much the original,” Culp said of the 62-year-old trailer. ”They’ve stood the test of time. They don’t leak and they don’t deteriorate.”
Karen Campbell and her husband, Kenny, who founded the Southwest Vintage Camper Association in 2003 in Albuquerque, N.M., have been members of Tin Can Tourists since 2005. Karen Campbell currently is the organization’s Southwest Region representative and will host the 2nd Annual Tin Can Tourists Exchange Encampment May 20-23 at Rancho Sedona (Ariz.) RV Park.
”We’re a little more of a social group than traditional campers are,” said Karen Campbell, who has refurbished 29 vintage trailers since getting the vintage trailer bug in 2002, including Shastas, Boles Areos, Airstreams, Streamlines and Spartans.
”We fix them up slowly,” she said. ”It’s not really a business. It’s a joy.”
Vintage RVs appeal to women for reasons that are different than men, she said.
”From a woman’s point of view, we like them because we get to play house,” Karen Campbell offered. ”A lot of women ‘theme’ their trailers with curtains and fabrics and interior things. The thing that men enjoy about vintage trailers is that they are simpler to operate. You don’t have to worry about whether the slide is going to go out or whether the leveler will be working.”
To help bring attention to and celebrate the RV industry’s centennial year, the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) has kicked off “100 Days of RV History and Lifestyle” tweets on Go RVing’s Twitter account.
Each day for the 100 days leading up to June 7 and the all-industry RV Centennial celebration at the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum, RVIA will post a “tweet” about the RV lifestyle or the RV industry’s history on popular social networking site Twitter, the RVIA stated in a news release.
The tweets are intended to raise awareness among the more than 1,000 members of the media and consumers following Go RVing on Twitter of the reasons for RVing’s 100 years of popularity. Ranging from the factual to the funny, the tweets touch on interesting tidbits about RVing that will encourage Twitter followers to visit GoRVing.com or rvia.org.
Recent tweets have included, “8.2 million households own at least one RV. Curious? Find more industry facts @ RVIA.org” and “Pets have always loved to travel in RVs too. Not just dogs and cats — RVers take along birds and gerbils and fish – oh my!”
Each tweet is labeled with the RV Centennial hashtag, No. RV100, which allows Twitter users to follow discussions of particular subjects and to create groupings of tweets on the same topic.
To follow Go RVing on Twitter, sign up for a free account at www.Twitter.com.
Both chambers of Congress introduced resolutions this month that officially recognize June 2010 as RV Centennial Celebration Month, according to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA).
The Senate resolution (S. Res. 410), introduced Feb. 4 by Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., with fellow Hoosier GOP Sen. Richard Lugar as an original cosponsor, states “That the Senate supports and recognizes the goals and ideals of ‘RV Centennial Celebration Month’ to commemorate 100 years of enjoyment of recreation vehicles in the United States; and encourages the people of the United States to celebrate this anniversary by taking part in recreation vehicle vacations.”
In the House, Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., introduced H. Res. 1073 with Rep. Mark Souder , R-Ind., as an original cosponsor. The text of the House resolution is almost identical to the Senate resolution text. Each resolution includes the clause “this homegrown industry, including recreation vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, and campgrounds, employs hundreds of thousands of people in the Nation in good-paying jobs across all 50 states.”
RVIA’s Government Affairs Department worked with House and Senate staffers to have the resolutions introduced and are now working to secure additional cosponsors to the resolutions, with the goal of having both chambers of Congress endorse the RV Centennial Celebration Month Resolution before June.
As America’s RV industry revs up for a year’s worth of celebrations in recognition of its 2010 Centennial, RVIA is sending the Official Ambassador of the 2010 RV Centennial – a 34-inch American black bear stuffed animal – on a road trip to honor the people who love RVing and the workers who are the heart and soul of the RV industry.
Starting this month, RV companies and consumer shows participating in “Centennial Charlie’s Cross-Country Caravan” will host the 2010 RV Centennial mascot for a few days before sending him on to his next stop on the 100-day tour. Centennial Charlie, who is inspired by the bear in Go RVing’s 2010 “Ambassadors of Affordability” ad campaign, will bring the industry’s celebrations to RV enthusiasts and RV employees in a fun, unconventional way.
“Since a central theme of the Centennial Celebration is a ‘Salute to RV Workers,’ we wanted to be sure to reach out to those workers with our Centennial Ambassador,” said RVIA President Richard Coon. “We in the RV industry know that the hard-working men and women on the factory floors, in the offices and out in the field are the heart and soul of our industry.” On the occasion of its centennial anniversary, the RV industry will thank and honor its workers, whose commitment to creating quality RV products has helped bring American families closer together for a century.
During Charlie’s visits, staff of RV companies and consumer shows will take photos of the bear with RV workers and showgoers and, at the conclusion of Charlie’s journey, RVIA will produce a video chronicle of the mascot’s tour including photographs taken on his travels. The video will be shared with the RV industry at its June 7 celebration at the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum, and later will be posted on YouTube.
RVIA Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Gary LaBella said, “When Charlie comes to visit RVIA member companies and consumer shows, he will be our industry’s ambassador in honoring both its workers and enthusiasts, so they too can celebrate the RV Centennial in a novel, exciting way.”
The American Black Bear is native to North America, and resides throughout most of the United States. An American black bear named “Charlie” appeared in the 2006 – 2009 “What Will You Discover? Go RVing” television commercials. An animated American Black Bear appears in the Go RVing “Ambassadors of Affordability” commercials, set to launch Feb. 12.
Show promoters and RV industry companies interested in hosting Centennial Charlie should contact Bernadette Murphy at RVIA at email@example.com or (703) 620-6003 ext. 310.
Editor’s Note: The following column by Sue Bray, executive director of the Good Sam Club, discusses the RV centennial, which will be celebrated this year. Her column appears in the February issue of Highways magazine. Affinity Group Inc. is the parent company of the Good Sam Club and www.RVBUSINESS.com.
It was a much simpler world 100 years ago. But with so many technological advances just around the corner, 1910 must have been an exciting time to be alive. Like today’s world, in which the latest computer technologies open up new possibilities, the world of 1910 was opening up to motorized travel. Innovative horseless vehicles were embarking on new highways and byways across the continent.
The lure of the open road had enticed tourists prior to 1910. People traveled to camping spots by horse and wagon, but those trips were restricted by time and distance. A few wealthy excursionists had tent trailers custom-built so they could enjoy the outdoors in relative comfort. But in 1910, the adventure of travel on North America’s developing roads began to change as three manufacturers, led by Pierce Arrow, started building motorized campers. In 1914 towable tent trailers were introduced, and in 1917 the first fifth-wheel appeared on the horizon.
Fortunately, a handful of historians have preserved this past. David Woodworth, for one, has chronicled RV history for decades. In 1986, David arrived at the headquarters of the Good Sam Club driving a Model A and towing a Ziegelmeyer tent trailer. We began working together, and for years David toured the country on behalf of Good Sam, meeting with club chapters and other groups and displaying his ever-growing collection of vintage vehicles. He’s taken his amazing assortment of RVs and RV gear on media tours representing the RV industry. Today, much of his collection is on display at the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum in Elkhart, Ind.
David has a wealth of information on RVing’s early days. He even has a collection of collapsible coat hangers! He tells how auto pioneers Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone, both avid campers, made plans for RV manufacturing while on a train ride in 1915.
David’s also researched the evolution of campgrounds. In the 1800s, he relates, many towns built wagon yards where visitors could release their horses and store their wagons when they were passing through. By 1914, the now-obsolete wagon yards were converted into free municipal campgrounds. “After World War I,” says David, “cities started charging 25 cents a night to camp in their campgrounds, basically in an effort to weed out the undesirables.”
In 2010, the RV industry will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Events recognizing the milestone will be held at the Elkhart museum and various RV dealerships, shows and campgrounds around the country.
The Good Sam Club is sponsoring a special RV History Caraventure en route to the Louisville Rally, which runs July 22 through 25. Up to 100 RVs, both old and new, will meet at the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum in Elkhart, travel to Dearborn, Mich., to visit the Ford Museum, then drive on to the 2010 Rally in Louisville. Seminars held along the way will offer insights into today’s RVing experience and RV travel’s fascinating past. (Caraventure contact information is available at (800) 829-5140.)
At the Rally, we’ll have a special area for vintage RVs to park and display life as it was in the early days of RV travel.
For David Woodworth, RVing is here to stay: “It’s gone through World War I, the Depression, World War II, high gas prices and high interest rates and it’s still such a popular activity.”
We RVers know it’ll keep on going and we look forward to the next 100 years.


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Tesco has announced the closure of its Harlow food distribution centre where 800 people work.
The shop workers union has described the news as "devastating".
"This is absolutely devastating news for our members and their families. Usdaw will be entering into a 90 day consultation with Tesco to explore all possible options to reduce any job losses."
More top news
Outbreaks of rain will move south east overnight, mostly clearing tomorrow morning. In the afternoon, a mix of sunshine and showers.
The American actress Lyndsay Lohan gets invited to Kettering after she criticised the town for voting to leave the EU.
Many of our MPs have already revealed who they will be backing to become the next Prime Minister.

domain: news


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Over the weekend, Amazon lastly launched the extremely anticipated MMO Misplaced Ark within the West. In simply that brief period of time, the sport has seen unbelievable success. It has already labored its manner as much as quantity two within the all-time leaderboard of most concurrent gamers on Steam.
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Misplaced Ark has been round, no less than in some capability, for a few years already. The free-to-play, Diablo-like MMO launched in Korea again in 2019, and it grew to become an on the spot hit. The sport acquired six completely different awards on the 2019 Korea Sport Awards, together with the present’s “Presidential Prize.”
The sport’s builders teamed up with Amazon to lastly publish the sport within the Americas and Europe on February 11. Within the three days since its launch, Misplaced Ark has already bullied its manner up the Steam charts, reaching a whopping 1.3 million concurrent gamers.
That places the sport forward of such Steam classics like Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: World Offensive.
It’s nonetheless a good distance from the unbelievable peak of three.2 million concurrent viewers within the primary spot, which is held by PUBG: Battlegrounds. It might be a formidable feat if Misplaced Ark is ready to make its approach to that quantity.
Nonetheless, grabbing the quantity two spot in just some days is kind of wonderful. Once more, players have been anticipating this recreation for some time now. However that’s nonetheless a spectacular achievement.
This isn’t Amazon’s first journey close to the highest of the Steam charts both. The corporate’s debut MMO, New World, labored its manner up the quantity six within the all-time charts.
However Amazon Video games developed New World itself. It shortly fell off from its highly effective begin on the Steam charts, and now sits at proper round 20k concurrent gamers. Misplaced Ark is being developed by Smilegate RPG, so hopefully, it doesn’t see the identical destiny that New World noticed after the hype died down.
In case you are all in favour of making an attempt out the newest gaming sensation for your self, head on over to Steam or Amazon and begin downloading it. It’s free-to-play, so you don’t have anything to lose. And who is aware of, you may find yourself loving it.


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The Irish government has approved the drafting of anti-ticket touting legislation that would see penalties of up to €100,000 (£91,000/$117,000) and prison terms of two years for people reselling tickets above face value.
The drafting of the Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) Bill 2020 has been brought forward by Leo Varadkar, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and former Taoiseach.
Varadkar presented the legislation amid concern that reduced capacity at gigs, matches and events due to COVID-19 could lead to a surge in secondary ticket sales.
The bill will ban the resale of tickets to live events, matches and concerts in designated venues with a capacity of 1,000 or more, at inflated prices, though there is an exemption for amateur sports clubs and registered charities for fundraising purposes.
The Minister may designate a venue with a capacity of less than 1,000 if, after consultation with the venue operator, it is confirmed that the venue will hold one or more events which may give rise to the sale of tickets for a price exceeding the original sale price and that the designation of the venue would be in the public interest.
Primary ticket sellers will be required to provide information that a ticket or ticket package is for an event in a designated venue and that its sale for a price exceeding the original sale price is prohibited unless it comes within the act’s exemption for charitable organisations and amateur sports clubs.
Secondary ticket sellers selling or advertising tickets for events in designated venues will be required to provide information on the original sale price of the ticket or ticket package and the location of the seat or standing area to which the ticket or ticket package entitles the holder to gain admission. The operators of secondary ticket marketplaces will be required to ensure that this information is provided by secondary ticket sellers.
Varadkar said: “Touts and reselling websites ruin gigs and matches for everyone making it harder to get a ticket in the first place and driving up prices. This is about making sure people aren’t getting ripped off once live events, matches and concerts get up and running again, especially considering numbers are likely to be restricted to begin with.
“There is a specific provision in the Bill for the Euro 2020 championships next year, banning the unauthorised sale of tickets for matches. We want to make sure everyone gets a fair shot at getting tickets at face value.
“This legislation is also hopeful. We’re planning for the time when we can go to gigs, festivals and matches again.”
The bill has now been listed as a priority for the current Dail term, meaning it is expected to be published before the end of the year.
In 2017, an attempt to ban resale at above face value pricing was brought forward by Deputy Noel Rock and Deputy Stephen Donnelly and supported by the previous Government, provided for a ban on the above-cost resale of event tickets. It was supported by all parties during its Second Reading in Dáil Éireann in January and February 2019.
The legislation was criticised by Viagogo, which claimed that anti-touting legislation was unconstitutional. Ireland’s Minister for Business and Enterprise, Heather Humphreys rejected the claims.
The bill was submitted to the European Commission for assessment of their compatibility with EU law in February 2020. The Commission found no issue of incompatibility.


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New York’s two-billion-dollar marijuana industry is under fire for hawking child-friendly products such as candies and flavored vapes.
Experts today called for restrictions on selling locations and higher penalties for illegal shops, saying the situation is spiraling out of control and has become a ‘danger’ to communities.
A staggering 1,400 shops in New York City are selling cannabis products illegally, creating what legislators and anti-legalization activists have called the ‘Wild West.’
Products designed to look like Sour Patch Kids, Doritos, and other popular snacks have been able to remain on store shelves thanks to the state’s lackluster enforcement tools – creating a surge in accidental poisonings among children.
Edible marijuana products are often disguised at common snacks that appeal to kids – think gummies, chips, and chocolates. Anti-legalization advocates are slamming lax laws that keep these products on store shelves illegally
Luke Niforatos, Executive Vice President at the anti-cannabis legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana told DailyMail.com: ‘People hear about this wild west of literally thousands of different kinds of youth appealing products. And they think, well, let’s just write laws to regulate that. Well, every single state that’s legalized marijuana has in their law [that] companies cannot make products that appeal to youth and yet we have these products anyway.’
Mr Niforatos said the problem is not only a lack of comprehensive laws on the books. It’s politicians’ minimal wherewithal to confront the offending companies.
‘The state governments are not regulating the industry appropriately because they can’t or there’s not the political willpower to do it. And the industry is so well financed, they have the best lobbyists and the best lawyers who dance circles around what’s written in this legislation.’
Just one dispensary in New York City is operating with the proper licensing and authorities unable to do much more to shut down the rogue cannabis clubs.
Sheriff Anthony Miranda and other law enforcement officials complained about weak penalties at a City Council hearing on Wednesday, noting that existing laws make it difficult to immediately close illicit shops and often can issue only measly $250 fines for selling cannabis without a license.
Sheriff Miranda said: ‘There’s a lot of marketing that’s going to children. There’s a lot of public health issues, danger to the community. We want to make sure they’re in compliance.’
Child-friendly packaging is rampant in the US. A study out last year of 256 photos of cannabis-infused edibles packaging sold in 24 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico from May 2020 to August 2021 found that 15 percent of the packaging were knockoffs of brand-name products.
Features that would appeal to children such as characters and creatures, flavor images, and flavor text were present on 23 percent, 35 percent, and 91 percent of labels, respectively.
In New York, recreational marijuana was legalized in March 2021. The law included a provision that explicitly forbids marketing and advertising that ‘is designed in any way to appeal to children or other minors.’
Anti-marijuana legalization activists and health experts fear that youth use of marijuana, especially edibles and flavored vapes, is soon becoming a crisis similar to youth nicotine vaping
But the state’s Office of Cannabis Management has not enacted specific rules on labeling, packaging and advertising that could ban cartoons and neon colors, nor prohibited depictions of food, candy, soda, drinks, cookies or cereal on packaging.
This has left it struggling to keep up with the roughly 1,400 dispensaries in the city still selling these products without a license to operate.
Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, authorized a task force in November to try and stop the wave of makeshift marijuana sales, with a two-week sting seizing $4.1million from 53 locations and fining them up to $50,000.
‘The taskforce has continued,’ Sheriff Miranda said. ‘It did not stop after two weeks. We regrouped. We analyzed the information that we received, and now we’ll continue to go out.’
However, he added that the smoke shop owners were now creating a whisper network to warn people of raids.
The NYPD reported finding the most of the 1,321 illegal dispensaries in Brooklyn, with 428. There have been 373 located in Manhattan, 226 in Queens, 204 in the Bronx and 90 on Staten Island.
Dr Linda Richter, Vice President of Prevention Research and Analysis at the Partnership to End Addiction said: ‘While most state governments that have legalized marijuana have some provisions in their laws to protect kids from accessing and ingesting these products, most are vague and inadequate and, as we’re seeing in New York and other states that have legalized, rarely enforced.’
DailyMail.com contacted the New York Office of Cannabis Management for comment but did not receive a response.
Meanwhile, the legal cannabis industry is booming with a market size hovering around $11 billion. It is projected grow further as laws governing the drug’s use change. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have legalized the recreational use of cannabis in adults, a major shift in the legal landscape that has produced an explosion of marijuana retail shops.
The industry likely will not slow down any time soon, though activists are warning that if left unchecked, it could become a public health issue to rival the youth nicotine vaping epidemic. They are already seeing the signs that the marijuana industry is fomenting a new public health crisis of children using the drug as often as everyday.
Dr Richter said: ‘When it comes to flavored marijuana, all the same warning signs are there for those willing to see them… Accessing edibles and flavored marijuana vapes is easy for young people, as is hiding their marijuana use from adults, given the discreet nature of these products. The flavors confer a sense of harmlessness to young people and few have any sense of the dangerous potency of these products.’
Advertising of marijuana products should at least have the same restrictions as those imposed on cigarettes, Dr Richter said. This includes being banned near locations where young people often go as well as on entertainment, print, and social media outlets.
She added that colorful packaging, child oriented product names, attractive flavors, and edibles that resemble common snacks should also be banned across the board:
‘While proponents of legalization tend to put the burden on parents and schools to protect kids from commercialized addictive substances, and whereas parents and schools certainly do play an important role in prevention, the burden should rest on governments choosing to legalize marijuana to ensure that kids are not exposed to flavored, child-appealing products and that their access to these products is truly restricted.’


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Fossil acquires Misfit!
Late last week, it was announced that Fossil Group is planning to acquire one of our favourite wearables company’s, Misfit, for $260 million. The brand that first came to our attention with the Shine tracker will apparently be kept around, with Misfit founder and CEO Sonny Vu staying on as president and chief technology officer of connected devices at Fossil, an executive-level position.
Greg McKelvey, chief strategy and digital officer of Fossil Group, said: “We fundamentally believe consumers care about both technical functionality and fashionable design. In fact, one without the other is simply not enough. With the acquisition of Misfit, Fossil Group will be positioned to win with the connected consumer. Our world-class design and global distribution, combined with Misfit’s technology platform, creates a significantly advantaged, multi-brand and global wearable technology business poised to drive the convergence of fashion and technology.”
Sonny Abu added: “We are thrilled to join forces with Fossil Group to usher in the next era of wearables where elegance, beauty and long-lasting wearability are paramount. Together, we will introduce products that blend Misfit’s seamless, intuitive technology and user experience with the design, style and branding that is the hallmark of Fossil Group.”
We’ll have to wait and see how the combination of a watch making powerhouse and upstart wearable brand will be able to take on market leaders like Fitbit and the growing number of smartwatch brands.


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Trichy: Trichy-based MSMEs have identified 16 components of high import value for indigenous manufacturing from among the 66 put forward by the Union government as part of the self-reliant India scheme.
Deprived of orders in recent years, particularly after the lockdown, the companies have zeroed in on automobile components, plugs, sockets, tricycle toys, briefcases, valves and boiler shells among other things to be produced locally under the initiative.
The ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises had shared a list of components with the MSME associations across Tamil Nadu for local production. The constraints and capacity development needed to produce the components could be conveyed to the MSME ministry for solutions.
“Several MSMEs in Trichy are already into the business of producing automobile components. We have shared the list of components that can be produced locally with our members, interested MSMEs will be supported to avail orders,” N Kanagasabapathy, past president, Trichy District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association (Tiditssia), said.
Trichy MSMEs which are into engineering said the opportunity can be well-utilised provided financial support was made available to upgrade machinery and skillset. MSMEs here will convey their willingness to produce a certain number of components.
MSME Development Institute (DI), Chennai, the nodal agency, will subsequently update the ministry about the possibilities for indigenous production. The ministry will examine the possible scale of production and support required for the MSMEs.
While the MSMEs were lamenting the decline in orders, the government initiative was well received by entrepreneurs. “The import substitution scheme is envisioned for the long run. We are willing to support and guide MSMEs with the support schemes available,” S Dharmaselvan, deputy director, MSME DI, Chennai said.
Satinder Bajwa, senior vice president and Head of Sales and customer care, and Harish Lalchandani, VP, Marketing, Mahindra Automotive, have quit the organisation, three people aware of the matter informed ETAuto on condition of anonymity.


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Predictions 2018: 4 top trends shaping the cybersecurity landscape
From Deloitte to Equifax to Uber, it seemed that a week didn’t go by in 2017 where there wasn’t a major breach affecting millions of people. Businesses and consumers are eager to adopt new technologies, but they haven’t taken the time to make sure they have the proper security protocols in place. As a result, companies across the board are struggling to keep up with the evolving threat landscape.
Here’s what’s in store for 2018 and beyond:
1. Malware will incorporate artificial intelligence
Malware attacks, prevalent in 2017, will only get worse in 2018, as they begin to make use of artificial intelligence. To put it simply, malware will develop the capability to become more malicious through learning from previous attacks. Unfortunately, as the good guys look to AI to help prevent attacks, the bad guys will look to see how they can leverage that same technology.
2. The CISO role will become more critical
Over the next year, the CISO position will become more critical and move out of the CIO’s shadow. Eventually, the CISO role will become mandatory for all organizations that are doing business with the Federal Government. That may not happen in 2018, but there will be increasing momentum towards this type of regulation.
3. There will be increased regulation of IoT devices
As the Internet of Things becomes an integral part of people’s daily lives, more data will be collected from IoT devices and used to develop ever more detailed profiles of customers and their habits. In response, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will develop an IoT security control framework and mandate minimally-acceptable safeguards for deploying these devices.
4. Consumer’s lack of privacy will gain attention
Despite the torrent of data routinely collected on U.S. consumers, there are currently no regulations in place to safeguard their privacy—a situation that cybercriminals continue to exploit. In 2018, there will be mounting pressure to adopt privacy protections, as high-profile attacks continue to frustrate the public and jeopardize online commerce.
Security is more important than ever in today’s internet obsessed world, but we lack the necessary protocols to ensure everyone’s safety. So, we can be confident of two things in 2018: There will be even more high-profile cybercrime, and it will be accompanied by a wave of pushback to enact more safety measures.


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Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE: RCL) reported quarterly earnings of $2.54 per share, which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $2.45 by 3.67 percent. This is a 11.89 percent increase over earnings of $2.27 per share from the same period last year.
The company reported quarterly sales of $2.81 billion, which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $2.8 billion by 0.36 percent. This is a 20.19 percent increase over sales of $2.338 billion the same period last year.
"We are elated to see our brands executing so effectively, keeping our business in an exceptionally strong position," said Richard Fain, CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises. "Our strategic focus on destinations, technology and people is clearly paying off. And, our core products are doing exceptionally well, driven by a gratifyingly robust demand for the Caribbean."
Royal Caribbean Cruises shares were trading at $115.34 in Thursday’s pre-market session. The stock has a 52-week high of $133.60 and a 52-week low of $89.48.
Boeing Reports Q2 Earnings Miss
Caterpillar Falls After Q2 Earnings Miss
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© 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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Rhinos in Africa are slaughtered for their horns, which are smuggled into Asia where they are highly prized for traditional and medicinal purposes
JOHANNESBURG - A digital replica of a rhino horn sold at an auction in South Africa as conservationists tapped into the craze for NFTs to raise money to protect real rhinos.
Cape Town businessman Charl Jacobs paid R105,000 for the digital horn, which he said he plans to place into a trust for his children.
"If worst-case scenario, if rhinos go into complete disarray then I would still own a rhino horn, because the NFT is a token of the physical rhino horn," he told AFP.
Proceeds from the sale go to the private Black Rock Rhino conservancy, home to 200 rhinos that are able to breed while protected from poachers.
"We are doubling our population every four years. So it’s a really important conservation project," said conservationist Derek Lewitton.
"But it costs a fortune. If you don’t want to get poached, you have to spend a ton in terms of manpower and security infrastructure. and this a way to help us fund that."
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have made a huge splash among art collectors who have spent millions of dollars on digital drawings, music, and videos.
An NFT's authenticity is certified by block-chain technology, which is considered immutable, making the digital objects something that can be bought and sold.


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Posted: April 6th, 2015, 9:51am EDT
The contribution of CNG vehicles to total sales increased to 5.4% from 4.9 % in FY 2013-14.
Posted: April 6th, 2015, 9:26am EDT
Asking Indian industry to show "patience" over reforms and development, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said the government is "running", not walking, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Posted: April 6th, 2015, 9:03am EDT
Resisting cautious sentiments ahead of the RBI's monetary policy, the benchmark BSE Sensex on Monday rose by over 244 points to settle the day at 28,504.46, mainly led by surge in healthcare, FMCG and realty stocks.
Posted: April 6th, 2015, 8:07am EDT
State-run power equipment maker BHEL on Monday reported a 62 per cent decline in its net profit to Rs 1,314 crore in the just-concluded fiscal on the back of dip in turnover.
Posted: April 6th, 2015, 8:02am EDT
Disclosing plans to link the Railways to e-pantry with an aim to provide quality food to passengers, minister for railways Suresh Prabhu on Monday said passengers will soon be able to get the meal of their choice while travelling in trains.
Posted: April 6th, 2015, 7:52am EDT
While Hyundai is planning the ix25, Maruti Suzuki has been testing the YBA.
Posted: April 6th, 2015, 7:45am EDT
Regulator Sebi will soon put in place new norms for changes in constituents of the key stock market indices, including Sensex and Nifty.
Posted: April 6th, 2015, 7:31am EDT
State-run NTPC is looking at bringing its coal import bill to 'zero' in the next five years and will rely on the fossil fuel made available by Coal India and the company's own mines.
Posted: April 6th, 2015, 7:25am EDT
With a strong sales momentum throughout the year, Honda City registered 101,299 units of cumulative sales since its launch in January 2014.
Posted: April 6th, 2015, 7:12am EDT
Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) witnessed 23 per cent increase in sales of eco-friendly factory-fitted CNG vehicles in 2014-15 fiscal at 62,996 units.


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Toyota continues to hold car enthusiasts' attention with its GT 86 in Europe and its American Scion FR-S twin.
Read This Article
Pricing has leaked for the 2012 Scion iQ subcompact coupe that is currently having its media introduction in the U.S.
An eager crowd huddled tightly on an unusually windy and chilly night in Hollywood, happy to be in a studio awaiting Scion vice president Jack Hollis' introduction to the all-new FR-S.
Scion FR-S chief engineer Tetsuya Tada confirms Toyota will build a more powerful Scion FR-S.


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The dining scene in the Boise area appears to be making a comeback from the Great Recession, a tumultuous time when a dozen or so locally owned restaurants closed across the Valley.
To understand them it is good to review the basic economics of money.
One unanswered question is whether the Boise corporate office will grow or shrink. As of last summer, 73 of the 110 corporate employees serving Albertsons' Intermountain division were based in Boise.
F. Edward Osborne, a longtime Boise resident, served in the Idaho House and Senate after retiring from Ore-Ida Foods.
The CEO of California-based Safeway will lead the new, combined grocery chain. The effect on Boise's Albertsons headquarters is unknown.
In a surprising move after Russia flexed its military might in the Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine's new leadership has reached out to oligarchs for help — appointing them as governors in eastern regions where loyalties to Moscow are strong.
U.S. employers stepped up hiring in February despite a blast of harsh winter weather, renewing hopes that the economy could accelerate this year.
Dorian Prentice Satoshi Nakamoto said Thursday that he is not the creator of bitcoin, adding further mystery to the story of how the world's most popular digital currency came to be.
A website that offers Illinois consumers more information about insurance costs could help address widespread confusion about choosing a plan on the government sites that are a cornerstone of President Barack Obama's health care law.


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More turmoil for Yahoo: Chairman steps down
Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock is stepping down, the company announced Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 7).
In a letter to shareholders posted on the Yahoo corporate website, Bostock praises new CEO Scott Thompson and touts an ongoing strategic review by the company. But he writes that efforts to find new investors and partnerships have not been fruitful:
“The complexity and unique nature of these transactions is significant. While we continue to devote significant resources to these discussions, we are not in a position at this time to provide further detail or to provide assurance that any transaction will be achieved.”
There has been off-and-on speculation that Microsoft might buy Yahoo, or at least take a big stake in the giant search-engine company. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in October that his company was “lucky” Yahoo turned them down after a courtship in 2008 – a hint that because Yahoo's stock price had dropped since then, it was becoming a better bargain.
Three other board members have agreed not to seek re-election, according to Bostock's letter, and two new independent directors have been appointed. Bostock added that other new directors will be named.
“It has always been a privilege for me to serve as Chairman of Yahoo!," he writes. "The employees of Yahoo! remain the heart, soul, and future of the company. And with Scott Thompson leading them, they are the reason why I believe Yahoo! will create significant shareholder value over the coming years.”
Microsoft’s Bing provides the underlying technology used on the Bing and Yahoo sites under an agreement between the two tech companies. But despite the Yahoo-Bing partnership, Microsoft and Yahoo have not been able to topple rival Google from the top of the search heap.
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, the publisher of Ignites
, fetched quite a price when it was sold to U.K. media company Pearson
earlier this year.
In its annual report
for 2007, Pearson, which publishes the Financial Times
, disclosed it had acquired New York-based Money-Media for $64 million.
When the sale was first announced in early January, a source speculated that Money-Media could have sold for as much as as four times its $16.8 million in revenue.
Other Money-Media titles include Fund Fire
and Board IQ
Correction: A prior version of this story mislabeled a revenue figure as something else.
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UFP Technologies Inc., a thermoformer and fabricator of packaging and specialty products, has acquired Pacific Foam Inc. for an undisclosed amount, giving the Georgetown, Mass., firm its first West Coast operation.
Pacific Foam, which makes specialty foam products for the health and beauty industry, has annual sales of about $8 million.
``Pacific Foam gives us a strategic West Coast presence to complement our existing strength in the Eastern and Midwest markets,'' said R. Jeffrey Bailly, UFP's president and chief executive officer. ``The company has a strong position in an attractive niche that meshes well with our specialty foam growth strategy.''
Pacific Foam operates one plant in Ventura, Calif., and employs 100. Thermoforming constitutes less than 1 percent of its business. The majority business, fabricating, involves coating, four-color printing and laminating foam and plastic. The firm makes products such as abrasive nail files and anti-fatigue mats.
Like UFP, Pacific Foam is an authorized producer of Zotefoams products. Zotefoams plc, based in Croydon, England, claims to be the largest producer of polyethylene and polypropylene block cross-linked foams.
``Pacific Foam has similar technologies to us in their laminating, cutting and slicing,'' Bailly said in a telephone interview.
``One of our strategies is acquisition,'' he said. ``I think our industry is in the process of consolidation. Eventually, we want to have a national base of companies, sharing things such as technology, customers and purchasing power. About 50 percent of our growth will come through acquisition. We're looking for more companies just like [Pacific Foam].''
UFP runs about a dozen plants, mainly in the Midwest and on the East Coast. Nearly 80 percent of the firm's business is in the foam and plastic industries. The other 20 percent of UFP's 1997 sales of $45 million comes from its Moulded Fibre Technology division, which makes packaging products from 100 percent recycled paper.
UFP reported thermoforming sales of $7 million last year. The firm thermoforms all resins for the food packaging, medical, household-care packaging, personal-care packaging, electrical, agricultural, automotive, industrial and consumer products markets.


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Adoption is growing even though GDPR has had a nominal impact on business for brands in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K.
The platform's top 100 advertisers made up less than 20% of total ad revenue, indicating its advertiser base has diversified, according to COO Sheryl Sandberg.
The partnership underscores the enduring appeal of a TV show whose final episode aired six years ago yet remains one of the most popular offerings on Netflix today.
The privacy-focused browser launched an ad platform that shares revenue with users in the form of cryptocurrency reward points.
The chain's sales for the period were up nearly 10% thanks to rapid growth from its new loyalty program and mobile ordering capabilities.


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Everyone knows that Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 have one big problem on top of a bunch of a smaller, though not necessarily small, issues.
Namely, it’s unpopular. Very unpopular.
In fact, Windows 8 and 8.1 are so unpopular that, as of January, Net Marketshare, which tracks operating system usage statistics, pegs the combined market share of both Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 at just over 10.5 percent, well below Windows XP’s share of 29.3 percent, and in a completely different zipcode when compared with Windows 7’s share of 47.46 percent.
To combat this issue, Microsoft has employed a few tactics, including halting support for Windows XP in a little over a month from now. However, if this report is any indication, Microsoft may try something pretty drastic in order to boost Windows 8 and 8.1’s popularity; making it entirely free.
Wzor.net, a Russian site that has previously leaked screenshots of what were alleged to be the incoming update for Windows 8.1, recently leaked shots of something that appears to call itself “Windows 8.1 with Bing.”
Assuming this screenshot is legitimate, this could represent an effort on Microsoft’s part to experiment with different monetization models for Windows 8.1, says ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley. This perhaps could at some point lead to Microsoft offering the polarizing OS for free. Considering that Apple made Mac OS X Mavericks free for (most) Mac users, the cheap prices of notebooks running Google’s Chrome OS, and Windows 8.1’s intense unpopularity, this could be a move that Microsoft might have to make.
On the other hand, this begs the question: if people who are clinging to Windows XP and Windows 7 are resisting to update to Windows 8 and/or 8.1 so strongly now, will they want to give up on those operating systems even if Windows 8.1 was made completely free of charge? I have my doubts.
While some of those people are undoubtedly balking at the $100 price tag for Windows 8/8.1 only 4+ years after the release of Windows 7, if it was an OS that was well-liked and considered by most to be enjoyable to use, we’re willing to bet that many of those people would be willing to make the plunge and put down a benjamin to upgrade. This can’t be made more apparent than with the case of the “Facebook Phone,” which was initially priced at $99, dropped to 99 cents roughly one month after launch, and was still a massive failure after the price dropped to roughly what a can of coke costs here on the streets of NYC.
The moral of the story: people don’t want things they don’t like, and most PC users don’t like Windows 8/8.1, if market share numbers are any indication. That likely wouldn’t change even if Microsoft offered the OS for nothing.
What do you think? Sound off in the comments below.
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WEBB CITY, MO.--- Today at the Webb City Farmer's Market, vendors sold everything from tomatoes to garlic, even carrots. Many customers also picked up some last minute stocking stuffers like honey, cookies, and candies from local bakeries. Carol Potter says her sweet tooth got the best of her, but says her family is happy to support businesses in the community.
"We got coconut cake, we got a zucchini filled cake, we did buy a few healthy things like the tomatoes and the cauliflower," states Carol Potter, Holiday Market Shopper.
If you didn't make it out the the Webb City market today, local winter market vendors meet at the Clubhouse on 115 North Madison every Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. through April.


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Huawei on Thursday held a press conference in Munich, Germany to unveil its third flagship phone of the year — and it’s easily the most compelling one. Part of the Mate 30 series, the Mate 30 Pro is the best Huawei Android phone ever made, and it’s probably the best Android phones of the year. Or at least it would’ve been, if not for a major problem.
The successor of the Mate 20 Pro has quite a few interesting features, many of them not even available on competing devices, whether they’re iPhone or Android handsets. But unlike last year, the Mate 30 Pro has one massive drawback: it doesn’t come with Google’s Android apps built-in, and that’s all because of the ban the US imposed on the Chinese smartphone maker. In other words, even if you could purchase it in the US and Europe, you might not want to do it given that you’re not going to get the Android experience you expect.
All the Mate 30 series leaks we saw this week were accurate. We knew before the event what the phone would look like and what sort of specs it would deliver, and Huawei confirmed everything, further exploring the unique characteristics of the phone during the presentation.
The Mate 30 Pro and Mate 30 will share many core specs, although it’s the former that will get all the praise.
The Mate 30 Pro features a curved screen similar to the Mate 20 Pro and the Galaxy Note 10. But Huawei has been bolder than Samsung, giving its new phone more extreme curvature — that’s the “Horizon Display” with its 88-degree angle on the edges. For that reason, we only have one physical button on the phone for power, with the volume rockers being of the digital variety. Not only that, but you can adjust the volume on both sides of the phone. Moreover, the edge display also works as a camera shutter, which goes to show that you can do plenty of things with a design like this.
Powering the Mate 30 Series is the Kirin 990 chip that’s supposed to be even faster and more efficient than its predecessor. Also, it’s the first System-on-Chip to come with an embedded 5G processor. Add to that some 21 antennas, of which 14 handle 5G signal over multiple 5G bands, and you get 5G speeds of up to 1.5Gbps in real-life tests. That’s 50% higher than the Note 10. The phone can support two 5G SIM cards simultaneously, which is also a first for the industry.
Battery life will not have to suffer from 5G, with the Mate 30 Pro supposed to last more than 8 hours when used on 5G, which is 2 hours longer than the Note 10. The Mate 30 Pro packs a 4,500 mAh battery that should be lighter than competitors. The battery also supports 40W wired charging and 27W wireless charging.
On top of that, the Mate 30 Pro will easily stand out for its upgraded camera system that features four lenses on the back, as well as additional camera modes that outperform the competition, according to Huawei. We’re looking at improved night mode, up to 45x zoom, ultra slow-motion video recording (7,680 fps), and 4K Low-light Ultra-wide time-lapse video, to name just a few. Pulling it all together is a Leica-branded quad-camera placed in a round module on the back, featuring a 40-megapixel Cine Camera, 40-megapixel SuperSensing Camera, 8-megapixel Telephoto camera, and 3D depth-sensing camera.
On the front, there’s a 32-megapixel selfie camera as well as a more sophisticated 3D face recognition system that’s smaller than last year’s, though it’s only on the Mate 30 Pro. The phones also pack an in-screen fingerprint sensor.
The biggest problem surrounding the Mate 30 series concerns software. The phones may run EMUI 10 based on Android 10, but Google apps are nowhere to be found — including the Google Play store. That was clear from the moment Huawei showed its own App Gallery store during the presentation. Or when it failed to mention Android by name anywhere in the press release.
EMUI 10 comes with several features including always-on-display tech, dark mode support for the OS and apps, side-touch interaction, AI gesture control, HiCar smart travel, and multi-screen collaboration that’s basically Huawei’s version of Samsung DeX. In an unexpected move, Huawei’s Richard Yu confirmed that the ban forced Huawei to find other ways to bring apps to its mobile devices, with the exec introducing at the event Huawei’s Mobile Services ecosystem, complete with SDKs and an app store that should convince developers to adapt their apps for usage on Huawei’s version of open-source Android. The company is also investing $1 billion to help developers bring their apps to the App Gallery store.
The company also highlighted the various privacy and security features built into the phone, including support for 3D Face Unlock and in-screen fingerprint for improved security, end-to-end cloud data backup, and Face-protected messages.
No matter how impressive the hardware is, the Mate 30 Pro will only be as good as its software. Without Google apps, purchasing a Mate 30 Pro makes little sense in western markets unless you don’t care about operating systems in the first place.
The Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro will each be available in six colors, including Emerald Green, Space Silver, Cosmic Purple, Black, Forest Green (vegan leather) and Orange (vegan leather). Pricing has been announced for Europe, implying the phone will be sold in the region in spite of not running Google apps out of the box. Here’s what you’re looking at:
- 8GB/128GB Mate 30 4G – €799 ($884)
- 8GB/256GB Mate 30 Pro 4G – €1,099 ($1,216)
- 8GB/256GB Mate 30 Pro 5G – €1,199 ($1,327)
- 12GB/512GB Porsche Design Mate 30 RS – €2,095 ($2,318)
Actual launch dates should follow soon.


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(Reuters) - Men’s apparel retailer Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc JOSB.O rejected Men’s Wearhouse Inc’s MW.N revised takeover offer calling it inadequate, but said it was willing to talk with its larger rival about a higher bid.
Jos. A. Bank shares rose 3.8 percent in trading after the bell on Thursday, while Men’s Wearhouse shares rose 2.2 percent.
Men’s Wearhouse on Monday raised its cash tender offer to Jos. A. Bank shareholders to $63.50 per share from $57.50, and added it could increase the offer to $65 if it was able to conduct limited due diligence.
“Our board has authorized our meeting with you (Men’s Wearhouse) to establish a process that will enable you to advise our board as to the highest price you are prepared to pay in an acquisition of Jos. A. Bank,” the company said on Thursday.
Jos. A. Bank, which itself has offered to buy outdoor apparel retailer Eddie Bauer, said it was prepared to provide Men’s Wearhouse with a limited amount of due diligence information, under certain conditions.
Jos. A. Bank also said it would like to discuss the deal structure and the proposed stock component to its shareholders.
The company’s move is the latest in a saga that has played out since last October, when Jos. A Bank made an offer to buy out its larger rival. Men’s Wearhouse turned the tables with its own offer and then, in January, went hostile by taking its offer to its smaller rival’s shareholders.
Around that time, the merger efforts attracted the attention of the Federal Trade Commission who posed extra questions under a so-called “second request.”
Jos. A. Bank said on Thursday it would require certainty of closing a deal in light of the FTC’s pending second request.
In an effort to remain independent, Jos. A. Bank earlier this month offered to buy Eddie Bauer.
The tuxedo retailer said it believes the Eddie Bauer deal had “significant value,” and that the FTC has granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.
Jos. A. Bank shares were up 3.8 percent at $62.60 in trading after the bell after closing at $60.30 on Thursday on the Nasdaq.
Men’s Wearhouse shares were up 2.2 percent at $51.51 after closing at $50.42 on the New York Stock Exchange.
Reporting by Siddharth Cavale and Devika Krishna Kumar in Bangalore; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Lisa Shumaker


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at a Finnish shopping mall on Thursday, police said, in the country's third multiple shooting incident in as many years.
A 43-year-old suspect, Ibrahim Shkupolli, was still at large and considered armed and dangerous, they said in a statement. The victims of the attack, staged in the town of Espoo near Helsinki as shoppers stocked up for the New Year holiday, were three men and a woman, they added.
National newspaper reported on its website that a fifth victim, which it identified as the suspect's ex-wife, had been found dead in an Espoo apartment.
Finland was rocked by two school shootings in 2007 and 2008, after which it tightened gun control regulations.
A Reuters reporter at the Sello Mall in Espoo saw helicopters overhead and fire trucks around the entrances of the shopping center, which was now closed.
"When we were going out I heard sounds like shots from the third floor, and then I left," said a mall employee, who declined to give her name.
"I paid for my groceries and I wanted to go to my car when I was told that you cannot go there," shopper Jorma Romo told Reuters outside of the mall. "They were hurrying people out and people were asking (why)."
Ilta-Sanomat newspaper said on its website that at least seven shots were fired, but gave no source for the information.
(Additional reporting by Terhi Kinnunen)
(Reporting by Brett Young: editing by David Stamp)


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Micron and Crucial have launched a brand new range of SSDs this week carrying the name M500. Both companies are boasting of the M500 being the first terabyte-class drive (960GB) with a price tag below $600, but this new SSD has some other features worth mentioning, too.
You’ll typically pay between $350 and $500 for a 512GB SSD at the moment, so a 960GB drive for under $600 is certainly a step forward in bringing costs down. It’s still a lot of cash to invest in storage, though.
The M500 will be available in 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB models as well as the new near-terabyte drive, and they all take advantage of Micron’s 20nm MLC NAND flash and SATA 6Gb/s controller. You’ve also got a choice of two form factors: the 2.5-inch mSATA and M.2, meaning they are suited to use in very thin devices such as Ultrabooks and tablets. But it’s worth noting the M.2 form factor only seems to support up to 480GB.
Ultrabooks especially is one area where the M500 could prove popular. Performance of the drives is rated at 500MB/s reads and 400MB/s writes (for the 480GB and 960GB models). But they also ship with DEVSLP — a deep sleep mode that means power use rated below 5 milliwatts when sleeping. To give you some idea of how much of an improvement that is, Micron and Crucial claim a 93% power saving over the C400 SSD in the same state.
The size of these drives is also fairly impressive. Micron says the 480GB M500 is about the same size as a stick of gum at just 80 x 22mm using the M.2 form factor. Combined with improved thermal management, better power loss/error recovery systems, and hardware encryption as standard, it should find favor with laptop/Ultrabook manufacturers.
We can expect to see the M500 SSDs appearing inside devices and for purchase through Crucial in the second quarter of this year. And if you’re wondering how an SSD is manufactured, Crucial has put together this video explaining the process:
More at Micron


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PropertyHistory.us.org Announces Major Social Media Initiative
Stockton, CA, Feb 15, 2013 (PRWeb.com via COMTEX) --
PropertyHistory.us.org will be launching a massive social media and online customer service campaign in 2013, company officials said yesterday.
"We want to find as many ways to interact with our customers as possible," said company spokesman Josh Fraser. "Allowing them to contact us via social media points is essential in the current technological climate."
The company will start out by launching a customer service blog, Fraser said. The blog will give helpful advice on real estate related topics and keep people up to date on their ongoing customer service initiatives.
"Once we have that up and running, we will then enter the social media sphere through Facebook, Twitter and other sites that customers are comfortable interacting with," Fraser said. "This way, we are not just an anonymous call center. We are an interactive company that customers can communicate with at their convenience."
The company will also begin optimizing their site and customer service organization for smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices, Fraser said.
"We have to move away from a model based on people calling us on their phones or reaching out to us through their desktops," Fraser said. "That's not the way people deal with customer service or e-commerce companies in 2013. We have to advance our customer service initiatives with the times."
The social media, blog and mobile device roll-outs will take several weeks to become live, Fraser said.
"We'll make sure we've ironed out all the possible bugs and glitches before we are up and running," Fraser said. "We want this to be a flawless customer service upgrade."
PropertyHistory.us.org is a home history resource in which anyone can look up the background of a house. View previous owners, neighborhood stats, flood damage, mortgage calculations and more with this easy to use housing history website.
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/propertyhistoryusorg/social-media-initiative/prweb10434754.htm
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]


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An overwhelming 75% of British consumers say products have too much packaging and that they feel bombarded by the volume of wrapping and protective material, according to a survey out today.
More than half of shoppers complain that most packaging is too difficult to open. And only a third (35%) admit they bother to read details on labels, suggesting the impact of branding remains more important than even nutritional information. Older shoppers are more likely to be worried about packaging, with 84% of those aged 55-64 expressing this view, compared with 69% of under-24s.
British consumers rank with those from other European countries as the most concerned about excessive packaging, the poll reveals. The Germans and French admit to being most worried (76% expressed this view) closely followed by Sweden (75%), Britain (74%) and Australia (70%). Shoppers in the Czech Republic (20%) and Italy (16%) are least concerned. The survey was carried out online by Ipsos MORI among 1,000 adults per country aged 16-64.
The poll reflects growing consumer anxiety about excessive packaging, amid moves by manufacturers and retailers to reduce volume and use as much recyclable material as possible. Packaging has increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005, and accounts for one-third of an average household's total waste.


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What happens when a crypto meme-coin goes viral on social media’s hottest platform? This… [Sources linked below] Crypto finally hit the mainstream this week, thanks to a viral video on TikTok, which has pushed Dogecoin’s price up by around 62% (at time of writing). The video [https://www.
For the last few months most crypto chat has been about the Bitcoin halving. But now that’s been and gone, what now? Well, although the halving has dominated most crypto debate to date, there are still two upcoming events that I’m personally much more excited for. Neither of


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Most Massachusetts home sales in an October since 2004
Buyer activity remained consistently high through the summer and pushed home sales to their highest point in any October since 2004. The lack of inventory is continuing to drive prices up, which is good for sellers, but will become problematic for buyers as it will become difficult to keep up. One positive note on the inventory front and that is the number of new listings added to the market increased over last year. If we’re to get this market back to full recovery, we need homeowners who want to sell, but have been holding out, to put their homes on the market.
Highlights from the release:
- October single-family home sales – Up 12.2% over last year. Seventh straight months of increases.
- Most October closed sales since 2004
- October Single-family median prices were UP 12.3% to $320,000. Thirteen straight months of increases.
- September condo sales UP 8.8% and median prices UP 11.3% ($295,000)
- Inventory in October Down 19.96% to 20,716 and Condominium homes available Down 26.1% to 5,582
- SF listings added to the market in October UP 10.9% over last year. (5,975 from 5,387 in 2012)
- Condo listings added to the market up 17.7% over last year. (2,153 from 1,829 in 2012) Click here to Read: October News Release