September 2009 Archives

If you read the story on Mattel's new more authentic-appearing black Barbie, called So In Style. Here's some more information from the El Segundo-based toy company.

- The So In Style dolls are not the first black dolls from Mattel. The company has had black dolls since the 1960s.

- Barbie is represented in more than 50 nationalities.

- The So In Style Doll line had been in development for over 18 months.

This could be serious. Will this latest tanker contest result in yet another reversal?

Northrop: Boeing has 'unfair' edge in tanker deal

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Pentagon has given Boeing Co. an "unfair" advantage in the latest competition for a troubled $35 billion tanker contract, a Northrop Grumman Corp. executive said Tuesday.

The Pentagon shared Northrop's pricing data from its previous bid with Chicago-based Boeing, but did not reveal Boeing's cost estimates to Northrop.

"It is fundamentally unfair, and distorts any new competition, to provide such critical information to only one of the bidders," Paul Meyer, a Northrop Grumman vice president, said in a statement. "The company will continue to work with its customer to fully resolve this issue."

Read more on the tanker contest.

This tanker contest will be the most talked-about aerospace contract for the next year or so.

EADS, Northrop May Have To Tweak Tanker Bid

PARIS (Dow Jones)--European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co NV (EAD.FR) and its U.S. partner, Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC), may have to revise their proposal for a U.S. military airborne refuelling tanker to take into account new technical requirements from the Pentagon, EADS' chief executive officer said Monday.

EADS and Northrop Grumman have teamed up to try to win a $40 billion contract to supply 179 airborne refuelling tankers against U.S. rival Boeing Co (BA). The Pentagon issued a new request for proposals for a plane, provisionally dubbed the KC-X, to replace its ageing fleet of KC-135 tankers.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of an event, Louis Gallois said the new requirements involve the mission systems capability of the aircraft that will win the contest some time next year.

After last week's Business Casual column, people have asked me what the CubeGuard looks like. So here it is.

Offering two different planes provides added flexibility because of the varied missions the tanker would go on. But wouldn't that increase the cost since two aircraft would have to be modified instead of just one?

Boeing may offer US Air Force two tankers

(Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) said it might offer a choice of its aircraft against a rival Airbus model in a renewed trans-Atlantic tussle to build a multibillion-dollar refueling fleet for the U.S. Air Force.

The Chicago-based aerospace giant said on Friday it was deciding whether to stick with its modified 767 tanker, which lost a previous, canceled competition to an Airbus A330 model, or go with a larger 777-based tanker -- or offer both.

Read more on Boeing's tanker bid.

In this week's installment of Business Casual:

At the risk of sounding overly earnest, I at least sometimes strive to be more productive and efficient at work.

That is why I recently tried out a device called the CubeGuard.

Read the entire Business Casual column.

This builds on the whole Segway craze. Hit the link below to see a video.

Honda's U3-X unicycle really for robots

(CNET.COM) Honda on Wednesday unveiled the U3-X, a stool with a unique directional wheel system that allows it to travel diagonally, as well as right, left, forward, and backward.

It's basically a robotic unicycle.

The device is able to readjust itself so that instead of riders having to constantly balance themselves, the robotic unicycle does the compensating.

Learn more about Honda's U3-X.

A poll on embarrassing observations at work from CareerBuilder. Here's the study:

Nobody likes to point out potentially embarrassing situations, but when faced with them in the office, workers are more likely to address them with their peers than with co-workers in higher or lower positions. More than 4,400 workers participated in a nationwide survey from CareerBuilder in which they were asked, given the following embarrassing situations, which of your co-workers you would tell the following:

1. Your zipper is undone

a. Same level co-worker - 67 percent
b. Lower level co-worker - 62 percent
c. Higher level co-worker - 50 percent

2. You have something in your nose

a. Same level co-worker - 51 percent
b. Lower level co-worker - 46 percent
c. Higher level co-worker - 33 percent

3. You have food in your teeth or on your face

a. Same level co-worker - 66 percent
b. Lower level co-worker - 60 percent
c. Higher level co-worker - 49 percent

4. Your hair is messy

a. Same level co-worker - 33 percent
b. Lower level co-worker - 30 percent
c. Higher level co-worker - 13 percent

5. You have a stain on your clothes

a. Same level co-worker - 51 percent
b. Lower level co-worker - 47 percent
c. Higher level co-worker - 34 percent

6. You need a breath mint

a. Same level co-worker - 33 percent
b. Lower level co-worker - 29 percent
c. Higher level co-worker - 14 percent

7. You need a shower

a. Same level co-worker - 28 percent
b. Lower level co-worker - 28 percent
c. Higher level co-worker - 11 percent

8. Your apparel is not appropriate for the office

a. Same level co-worker - 32 percent
b. Lower level co-worker - 37 percent
c. Higher level co-worker - 10 percent

There's so much free porn on the Internet, it's a wonder porn stars can make much money.

Apple OKs first porn star apps for the iPhone

(CNET.COM) Apple has approved the first two iPhone apps dedicated to the careers of popular (or, ahem, so we're told) porn stars.

Developed by GrindHouse Mobile and the stars, the two apps mark the first time that Apple has allowed the porn industry into the store in such an obvious way.

While these apps may be more in-your-face than some of the apps showing bikini-clad women that are already on the App Store, the content of these apps is relatively tame. They appear to show no more than suggestive photos--the same as the apps that preceded them.

In other words, there is no nudity.

Read more on iPhone's porn apps.

The political momentum to keep this tax credit may make it permanent.

Economists say extending tax credit for first-time homebuyers is bad policy

No doubt, a big tax break for first-time homebuyers is good politics. ...

Although the politics are a surefire winner, especially here in Nevada, some economists across the political spectrum question whether the tax credit is good policy.

"It's terrible policy," says Mark Calabria of the libertarian Cato Institute.

"It's awful policy," says Andrew Jakabovics, associate director for housing and economics at the liberal Center for American Progress. "It's incredibly expensive. It's not well targeted."

Read more on the tax credit.

I love it, a company warning against "over-promising." Who would've thought the day would come...

Toyota Says Battery-Vehicle Hype May Hurt Technology, Sales

(Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp., the biggest seller of hybrid autos, said carmakers risk damaging the long- term reputation of battery-powered vehicles by over-promising on what the technology can deliver.

"Managing expectations is critical," Michael O'Brien, Toyota's U.S. corporate manager for advanced technology vehicle planning, said at a briefing in Sacramento, California, yesterday. "If consumers are disappointed, market adoption is not guaranteed and that can permanently harm the technology's image and future market potential."

Read more on Toyota.

The sad part is this contract may be decided based more on political rather than genuine security considerations.

Boeing backers eye adding trade to tanker contest

(Reuters) WASHINGTON - Lawmakers who back Boeing Co. said they were considering legislative action to ensure the Pentagon did not exempt Airbus parent EADS from U.S. export restrictions and other laws in a $35-billion refueling aircraft competition that resumes this week.

Representative Todd Tiahrt, a Republican from Kansas -- where Boeing has a big plant -- said on Tuesday he expected to see a draft request for proposals for the new competition on Thursday.

The Air Force's third attempt to begin replacing its aging KC-135 tankers is being closely watched by lawmakers supporting Boeing, and those backing a rival bid by Northrop Grumman Corp. and Europe's EADS.

Read more on the tanker competition.

This lawsuit will serve as a long, drawn out embarrassing episode for Toyota. The carmaker will want to settle this issue as quickly as possible.

Ex-Toyota Lawyer Amends Suit to Include Defamation Charge

(LAW.COM) It can be tricky when a company gets sued by a former insider. The company wants to respond, especially when it depends on selling products to consumers. But what it says can then provide the plaintiff with additional fodder.

Consider the amended complaint filed against Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., (TMS) on Sept. 17 by former in-house lawyer Dimitrios Biller. Citing Toyota's September 10 press release about his lawsuit, Biller added a new claim: defamation.

Read more on the Toyota lawsuit.

You may have heard that the Corolla was the top Cash for Clunkers seller. But the Civic came in a close second. Here's the list, courtesy of the Associated Press.

The government posted new data late Friday on the government's Cash for Clunkers rebate program. Here's a look at the top-selling new vehicles through the program when multiple engine options, flexible-fuel vehicles and hybrid versions are taken into account.

1. Toyota Corolla 29,488

2. Honda Civic 28,456

3. Toyota Camry 27,137

4. Ford Focus 22,388

5. Ford Escape 21,894

6. Honda CR-V 20,106

7. Hyundai Elantra 19,797

8. Chevrolet Silverado 16,330

9. Nissan Versa 16,300

10. Ford F150 16,263

11. Honda Accord 15,922

12. Nissan Altima 15,426

13. Toyota RAV4 15,255

14. Toyota Prius 15,013

15. Ford Fusion 13,415

16. Chevrolet Cobalt 13,335

17. Honda Fit 12,361

18. Nissan Sentra 12,158

19. Chevrolet Aveo 11,557

20. Toyota Tacoma 10,692

If it the information was all in the public domain already, how would sealing it now help Toyota?

Toyota's Request to Seal U.S. Racketeering Suit Denied by Judge

Sept. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp.'s request to seal a U.S. lawsuit by a former in-house attorney claiming the carmaker destroyed crash data was denied yesterday by a judge who said the suit was already "irreversibly" public.

The suit, filed in July by Dimitrios Biller, a former Toyota in-house lawyer, claims the world's largest automaker hid engineering and testing results in more than 300 car- rollover cases. The company is "disappointed" with the decision, said Mike Michels, a Toyota spokesman.

Read more on Toyota and the lawsuit.

Business Casual: Keeping the faith on the path to Hollywood fame

Two decades ago, Elisa Lane took a Greyhound bus to Los Angeles, leaving behind her loving yet skeptical parents in Cleveland in search of an ethereal Hollywood dream.

Read the entire column.

El Segundo-based Mattel Inc., the world's biggest toy maker, said Thursday that it will cut less than 80 positions worldwide in an effort to further streamline the company.

Mattel did not say where or in which positions the cuts would occur.

"Today's action means the net reduction of less than 80 positions worldwide through a combination of layoffs, the elimination of open requisitions, attrition and retirements," a Mattel statement said.

Mattel said it will offer its eligible employees severance benefits, outplacement services and "other transitional support."

Mattel employs about 1,600 people in El Segundo and 30,000 in 43 countries and territories.

In November of last year, the maker of Barbie, American Girl and Fisher-Price products announced it was cutting about 1,000 jobs in its worldwide operations, including 170 at its El Segundo headquarters.

That earlier downsizing came amid the backdrop of a worldwide economic downturn that saw a drop in toy sales.

This marketing effort will be run from Torrance, where Toyota's US sales and marketing headquarters is located.

(AP) NEW YORK -- Toyota Motor Corp. is pouring $1 billion into a U.S. marketing effort in the fourth quarter as the Japanese automaker bets on a recovery in the ailing auto market.

Spokesman Irv Miller says the sum is "more than we've spent before" in the period. The fourth quarter is typically a strong sales season for automakers including Toyota, which rolls out its "Toyotathon" marketing and sales blitz around the end of the year.

Miller says inventories of Toyota cars and trucks remain tight and additional production increases are planned for the coming months. Toyota, the world's largest automaker, was the top-selling automaker under the Cash for Clunkers program and has been left with short supply of some fuel-efficient vehicles as a result.

Get ready for a massive PR war between Boeing and Northrop over the Air Force's aerial refueling tanker contract.

Boeing launches tanker Web site

(LA Biz Journal) The Boeing Co. has launched a new Web site dedicated to its efforts to win the U.S. Air Forces' refueling tanker contract.

The aircraft manufacturer announced the new site, www.UnitedStatesTanker.com, Monday at the Air Force Association's 2009 Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition outside Washington, D.C.

Read more on Boeing's tanker efforts.

A reminder of why most Americans want to reform health care.

Survey Shows Cost of Health Benefits Expected to Rise

(Washington Post) Many Americans with health benefits face an erosion of coverage next year under the existing health-care system, as employers struggle with rising expenses, according to a new survey.

Read the whole health care article.

This is an unusual local story.

Most clients and bank officials who deal with Guillermo Serafin never see the opaque cataract film clouding his naturally blue eyes.

Read more.

Boeing is going with a bigger plane to match Northrop's previously winning bid for the $35 billion Air Force tanker contract.

Boeing Plans Aerial Refueling Tanker Bid Based on 767 or 777

(Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co. plans to offer either the 767 or larger 777 model in the Air Force refueling tanker competition, the planemaker's executives said.

The company said its entry will depend on whether the U.S. Air Force wants a larger capacity aircraft, Rick Lemaster, the company's head of tanker ocmpetition, said today in a briefing.

Read more on Boeing's tanker bid.

Sure, why not.

Toyota Prius reveal one-off green limo

(Limo Broker) The Toyota Prius is the original hybrid car introduced by the Japanese car manufacturer. It claims to incorporate some of the world's most advanced technology in its full hybrid efficient car. Now Toyota is going one step further by introducing the first eco-friendly limo under the Prius banner.

Read more on the Prius limo.

It's a grainy video, but still interesting.

Here's how Boeing describes the Aug. 10 Airborne Laser test:

A camera sensitive to infrared wavelengths was positioned on the Boeing 747 cockpit glare shield by the pilot. In the video, you see the bright missile plume moving left to right across the windshield. Note several small windshield reflections as the missile travels across the screen. The first laser beam that comes on is the tracking laser, followed by the atmospheric compensation laser, and finally the SHEL. The 36-foot-long Terrier Lynx/Black Brandt missile moves rapidly across the sky, showing the rapid timelines and clear advantage that speed-of-light, directed energy weapons deliver.

"It is a fascinating question - courtesy of a libertarian perspective."

Read the entire Business Casual column.

Good news for local Boeing suppliers.

Boeing says Asia Pacific region will need 8,960 new jets

(Seattepi.com) The Asia Pacific region will be the world's largest aviation market over the next two decades, requiring 8,960 new commercial jets, worth approximately $1.1 trillion, according to a forecast Boeing released Wednesday at the Asian Aerospace Expo in Hong Kong.

"Twenty years from now more than 40 percent of the world's airline traffic will begin, end or take place within the Asia Pacific region," Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in a news release. "That's a big leap for a region that was not even mentioned in our earliest Boeing market forecasts back in the 1950s."

Read more about Boeing.

Just when things seemed to be turning around for real estate.

Another Wave of Foreclosures Looms

(Washington Post) The housing market faces the prospect of a new round of foreclosures as hundreds of thousands of risky home loans known as option adjustable-rate mortgages reset to significantly higher payments that could force borrowers to fall behind, according to a report released Tuesday by Fitch Ratings.

About 70 percent of the $189 billion in outstanding option ARMs will reset by 2011, the report said, which would be another setback to a teetering housing market still struggling to recover from the mortgage meltdown that precipitated the financial crisis.

Read more on the coming foreclosure wave.

A dramatic move to claim a bigger share of the alternative-fuel vehicle market. What will be Toyota's reaction?

Honda to Sell Battery Car in U.S.

(WSJ) Honda Motor Co. will likely launch an all-electric car in the U.S. in a few years, according to executives familiar with the matter, as rising interest in fuel efficiency prompts increasing interest in battery-powered vehicles.

According to company executives, the Tokyo-based auto maker plans to make the foray cautiously, and is likely to limit the availability of the new car, perhaps to a region within the U.S. The specific time frame was unclear.

The executives said Honda is expected to display at next month's Tokyo auto show a prototype of the battery car it plans to launch in the U.S. The knowledgeable executives said Honda is also considering selling the all-electric battery car in Japan.

Frank Robinson, the president and founder of Robinson Helicopter, on Friday hailed his late wife Barbara for helping put the Torrance company on the map.

"She was primarily responsible for building up our dealer network," Frank Robinson said from his vacation home in Washington State. "She handled marketing, sales, all of that."

Barbara Robinson died Aug. 13 at the age of 53, after a 12-year battle with breast cancer. She was buried Aug. 17 in a private ceremony.

She joined the helicopter company in an administrative position in 1978, and married Frank Robinson in 1983.

She marketed the company's helicopters, including the R22, which the FAA certificated to fly in 1979. That R22 provided the company with a steady income and gave it credibility in the industry as it developed larger aircraft.

Thanks in part to her efforts, Robinson Helicopter grew to become the world's largest maker of civilian helicopters, employing more than 1,000 people today.

Barbara Robinson retired in 1995 to spend more time with her two children Mark and Cindy.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997, and eventually started raising money for researching the disease.

A few years ago, she separated from her husband and moved to Hermosa Beach.
Frank Robinson described her as having "a very, very nice personality."

"During most of the years of our marriage, we had a really good marriage, before the damn cancer became a primary factor," Frank Robinson said.

In this week's installment of the Business Casual column.

One thing I have noticed about sports is that it has parallels not just to war, but also to the building of war machines.

Read Business Casual.

A win for Boeing would be a bit of good news amid weak aircraft orders. But how will a Boeing win affect its chances of going on to win the Air Force's $35 billion aerial refueling tanker contract against the team of Northrop Grumman and Airbus parent EADS?

Boeing, U.S. Seen Winning WTO Case on European Aid to Airbus

(Bloomberg) Boeing Co. and the U.S. are set to win a case at the World Trade Organization over $15 billion in European government loans to Airbus SAS, the world's largest aircraft maker, U.S. trade lawyers and former officials said.

A panel of WTO judges is scheduled to rule Friday on a U.S. complaint over loans that the U.K., Spain, Germany and France provided Airbus over four decades. It will be a preliminary ruling in a five-year dispute over aid between Toulouse, France-based Airbus and Chicago-based Boeing.

"If it's a straightforward reading of the rules, the panel should find against Airbus," former U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said in an interview.

Read more on Boeing and Aibus.

This guy's responsibilities include Boeing's satellite facility in El Segundo and the C-17 line in Long Beach. Also, he's in charge of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, whose center and aft fuselage is built in El Segundo by Northrop Grumman.

New top gun here faces test

(ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH) New Boeing defense chief Dennis Muilenburg takes over at a turbulent time for the aerospace giant.

Boeing was hit especially hard by proposed Pentagon budget cutbacks this year. But Muilenburg, the new president and CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems in St. Louis, said Tuesday that the company has been bracing for the eventual flattening or decline of defense spending for a couple of years.

Read more on Boeing's new defense chief.

Wells Fargo & Co. opened a new Manhattan Beach branch, the bank's "greenest" branch companywide.

The building, at 1129 N. Sepulveda, is Wells Fargo's first branch to be Gold-certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, program, a green building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

"The construction of this store is part of a broader, companywide commitment to the environment - a commitment we know is shared by the residents of Manhattan Beach," David DiCristofaro, regional president for Wells Fargo's South Coast Community Bank, said in a statement.

Features of the new Manhattan Beach store include:

- Light harvesting system, which adjusts lighting according to available daylight helping to reduce energy usage by 20 percent

- Insulation made from recycled cotton, primarily denim

- Bike racks and preferred parking for low emission vehicles

- Fully recyclable carpet, window treatments and counter surfaces

- Use of water saving plumbing fixtures and control devices, which helps to cut water usage by 40 percent compared to conventional buildings of the same type.

This seems more convincing than the theory that when hemlines go up, the stock market will rise.

Blue Chip, White Cotton: What Underwear Says About the Economy

(WashPost) For one answer to the nation's most pressing economic question -- when will the recession end? -- just take a peek inside the American man's underwear drawer.

There may be some new pairs there, judging by recent reports from retailers and analysts, and that could mean better days ahead for everyone.

Here's the theory, briefly: Sales of men's underwear typically are stable because they rank as a necessity. But during times of severe financial strain, men will try to stretch the time between buying new pairs, causing underwear sales to dip.

Read more on underwear and the economy.

An interesting and unintended consequence of Cash for Clunkers.

Now Is Not a Good Time to Buy a Car, Edmunds.com CEO Says

In the market for a new car but your current set of wheels didn't qualify for the "cash for clunkers" program? Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl says hold off, if you can. His advice "would be to wait probably until November" when inventory levels normalize.

In an interesting market dynamic, the Clunkers program drove up demand so much, certain vehicles actually got more expensive. Prices "were up during the program and they're still up today because inventories are still very lean," he says.

Read more on car buying.

Space Exploration Technologies, the Hawthorne-based developer of low-cost rockets, said it delivered a communication device to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in preparation for launch on Space Shuttle Atlantis.

The company known as SpaceX developed the device, to be sent to the International Space Station, in order to allow for communication between the space station crew, SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft and ground-based mission control.

In a followup to allegations that Toyota withheld relevant documents in liability cases against it, here's a good New York Times piece on a court fining the automaker for withholding documents.

Court Fined Toyota for Nondisclosure in 2005

(NYT) Toyota has denied the claims of Dimitrios Biller, a former company lawyer, that it often withheld documents in product-liability suits filed against it, insisting "it works to uphold the highest professional and ethical standards." But in 2005, a California court found the company guilty of failing to turn over documents in a liability case.

Read more on Toyota.