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"We" meant the girls and I. When my husband gets home, it's pretty much glued to his hand...after we find it.
We spend twice as much time looking for the remote than it would've taken to just change the channel on the tv.
I've heard that they have tv's now that have a "remote finder" button (like a cordless phone) but we don't have one.
Peanut butter recall.
FDA Warns Consumers Not to Eat Certain Jars of Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value Peanut Butter
Product May be Contaminated With Salmonella
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to eat certain jars of Peter Pan peanut butter or Great Value peanut butter due to risk of contamination with Salmonella Tennessee (a bacterium that causes foodborne illness). The affected jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter have a product code located on the lid of the jar that begins with the number "2111." Both the Peter Pan and Great Value brands are manufactured in a single facility in Georgia by ConAgra. Great Value peanut butter made by other manufacturers is not affected.
If consumers have any of this Peter Pan or Great Value brand peanut butter in their home that has been purchased since May 2006, they should discard it.
Symptoms of foodborne illness caused by Salmonella include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. In persons with poor underlying health or weakened immune systems, Salmonella can invade the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infections. Individuals who have recently eaten Peter Pan and Great Value brand peanut butter beginning with product code 2111 and have experienced any of these symptoms should contact their doctor or health care provider immediately. Any such illnesses should be reported to state or local health authorities.
FDA's warning is based on a just-completed epidemiological study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the states and local health agencies, which links 288 cases of foodborne illness in 39 states to consumption of varying types of Peter Pan peanut butter. This report was provided to FDA on February 13.
The outbreak appears to be ongoing and the first consumer may have become ill in August 2006. The cause of foodborne illnesses can be difficult to identify. As a result of extensive epidemiological testing and recent case control studies, CDC was recently able to identify Peter Pan peanut butter as the likely cause of illness. Great Value brand peanut butter beginning with product code 2111 is manufactured in the same plant as Peter Pan peanut butter and, thus, is believed to be at similar risk of contamination.
ConAgra is recalling all Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter beginning with product code 2111 that already was distributed. The company also is destroying all affected products in their possession. The company will cease production until the exact cause of contamination can be identified and eliminated. ConAgra will advise consumers to destroy any Peter Pan and Great Value brand peanut butter beginning with product code 2111 in their possession. To assist in this endeavor, FDA has sent investigators to ConAgra's processing plant in Sylvester, Georgia where the products are made to review records, collect product samples and conduct tests for Salmonella Tennessee.
Semi-ot: There have been a lot of questions re: what a buyin would mean to the shareprice if the shares weren't bought on the open market. Here's a company that recently experienced this. There are so many variables that may or may not be similar (if any sort of buyin for ERHC occurs) but this is an illustration of what could happen and thought some might find it interesting.
Here's pr:
http://sev.prnewswire.com/banking-financial-services/20070122/NYM21622012007-1.html
Here are historical quotes listing volume/price:
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/quotes.asp?ticker=opbl&qm_page=65204&qm_symbol=OPBL
Here are terms:
Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement
On January 22, 2007, Optionable, Inc. (the "Company"), Mark Nordlicht, its Chairman of the Board, Kevin Cassidy, its Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Edward O'Connor, its President (collectively, the "Founding Stockholders"), and NYMEX Holdings, Inc. (the "Investor") entered into a binding term sheet (the "Term Sheet") pursuant to which Messrs. Nordlicht, Cassidy and O'Connor have agreed to sell 7,000,000,
1,491,448 and 1,800,000 shares, respectively, of common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (the "Common Stock"), to the Investor. This aggregate of 10,291,448 shares (the "Purchased Shares") represents nineteen percent (19%) of the currently outstanding shares of Common Stock on a fully diluted basis (without giving effect to the warrant discussed below). The purchase price to be paid by the Investor for the Purchased Shares is $2.69 per share. Pursuant to the Term Sheet, the Company has agreed to issue the warrant described below to the Investor, in consideration of the Investor's agreement to engage in certain joint marketing and cobranding activities and to provide hosting of Company servers and assistance in joint technology development. In addition, the Investor and the Company agreed to certain arrangements with
respect to OTC products which the Company clears through the clearport system.
The warrant to be issued by the Company (the "Warrant") will permit the Investor to purchase a number of shares of Common Stock sufficient to increase the Investor's ownership of the Company's Common Stock to an amount not to exceed 40% of the Company's then outstanding Common Stock on a fully diluted basis, based on the assumption that the Investor has
retained ownership of the Purchased Shares. The Warrant will be
exercisable from time to time for a period of 18 months from the closing date of the transactions contemplated by the Term Sheet at an exercise price per share equal to $4.30 (the "Exercise Price"). The Warrant will not contain a cashless exercise feature. The Exercise Price will be subject to certain customary adjustments to protect against dilution.
That's beautiful, smokintek! Thanks for sharing!
you have to understand that it doesn't take much to get me "passionate" about anything!
That's what makes reading your posts such fun!!
I think the "passion" for my husband is the saving money part. Even though he spends a fortune when he goes, he feels like he's getting really good deals so therefore saving money in the long run. And, yes, I think a $100/week is reasonable especially when you're buying staples needed for the week.
(Although, my husband thinks he's doing that, too, but he has no concept of grocery shopping for our family as I usually do it. He'll come home with a box of plums that even if we all ate 2/day we'd never be able to finish before they went bad. PLUS, he'll buy 3 other kinds of fruits in bulk!)
Have a great day, OU!!!
It's been amazing to me reading you guys raving about Costco. My husband loves it, too, and he, seriously, can't go more than once a month - we'd be broke otherwise.
I rarely go with him on his excursions and he ends up bringing home the oddest things that he "got a great deal on", or a year's supply of, well, almost every non-perishable food he buys.
Edit: Don't get me wrong, I like Costco, too, just not quite as passionate about it. :))
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, ALL!
Semi-ot: There's been much discussion whether ERHE or shareholders will ever know if the DOJ or SEC investigation goes nowhere. Apparently, in at least some cases, the SEC does notify companies when the investigation is terminated.
"Gradient made public Wednesday a letter from SEC enforcement official Marc Fagel informing Gradient's attorneys that the investigation had been terminated without any enforcement action being recommended by the agency staff."
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=17063597
Guess what I got for Valentine's Day? Roses delivered from COSTCO!!!!
There were 3 dozen and when I told my husband he spent way too much - one dozen would've been just as nice - he said "from Costco 3 dozen were cheaper than a dozen from the florist" - LOL!
(To be fair to florists out there, these are not as nice of flowers as you would get from a professional. But, they are still beautiful, there's a lot of them and they will probably last just as long!!!!)
Fwiw, just checked Pacer and still nothing new.
I sent a pm to Meatloaf earlier explaining what Dan was referring to and he said he now understands. This is the gist of it:
When you are reading a message that was posted back in July 2006, and want to see the messages around that one, it's cumbersome to "read 100". You have to read all of the posts in either the "previous 100" or the "next 100". If there was a way to go to the "message list" surrounding that message you could scan the list without having to read all of the posts. On Investor Village, it's set up so that from the message (let's say #1000 out of 9999 total messages), you can either select "Message List" which takes you to the list surrounding that message (i.e. #950 - #1050) or "Return to Message Board" (i.e. posts #9949 - #9999). It just makes it much easier if you are trying to find something posted earlier without having to wade through all the "noise" posts of "LOL!", etc.
Ohhhhh, that sounds like fun, too...Illinois has such good fans! What part of Illinois did you visit?
Edit, And btw, supposed to be another beautiful day here!
We had a great time! It was soooooo cold and wet, though. Even with the loss, the first 5 minutes of the game made it all worth it.
The prices, though, were unbelievable to me. A bottle of water was $5 and a beer was $10/bottle. I had to buy a hat to try to keep the rain off - $33. AND, they ran out of Miller Lite (in the Bears section at least) before halftime.
We were there a couple hours before the game as recommended. In the stadium on the big screens, the had a show about the 1985 Bears. McMahon, Ditka and Singletary were interviewed extensively about the team and it was probably an hour long. It really took you back to that time and what a fun, crazy season that was for Chicago. And, then to have Prince at half time (which fit into that time period)...it was very nostalgic.
A couple of weeks ago my husband and I stayed at the Biltmore Inn on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. The place was great!
Not sure where you are in NC, but if you get a chance - it's a really nice getaway. The room was very nice, the food was delicious and the service was outstanding. I'd highly recommend it.
I understood it and agree that it would be a helpful tool.
Harvard names woman as president
Drew Gilpin Faust ends Lawrence Summers' stormy 5-year tenure
The Associated Press
Updated: 6:49 p.m. ET Feb 11, 2007
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Harvard University on Sunday named historian Drew Gilpin Faust as its first female president, ending a lengthy and secretive search to find a successor to Lawrence Summers and his tumultuous five-year tenure.
The seven-member Harvard Corporation elected Faust, a noted scholar of the American South and dean of Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, as the university’s 28th president. The 30-member board of overseers ratified the selection.
Faust, 59, recognized the significance of her appointment.
“I hope that my own appointment can be one symbol of an opening of opportunities that would have been inconceivable even a generation ago,” Faust said at a news conference on campus. But she also added, “I’m not the woman president of Harvard, I’m the president of Harvard.”
With Faust’s appointment, half of the eight Ivy League schools will have a woman as president. Her selection is noteworthy given the uproar over Summers’ comments that genetic differences between the sexes might help explain the dearth of women in top science jobs, comments which sparked debates about equality at Harvard and nationwide.
Formed gender diversity panels
Faust oversaw the creation of two faculty task forces, formed in the aftermath of Summers’ remarks, to examine gender diversity at Harvard. She has been dean of Radcliffe since 2001, two years after the former women’s college was merged into the university as a research center with a mission to study gender issues.
“This is a great day, and a historic day, for Harvard,” said James R. Houghton, chairman of the presidential search committee.
Some professors have quietly groused that — despite the growing centrality of scientific research to Harvard’s budget — the 371-year-old university is appointing a fifth consecutive president who is not a scientist. No scientist has had the top job since James Bryant Conant retired in 1953; its last four have come the fields of classics, law, literature and economics.
Has no Harvard degree
Faust is the first Harvard president who did not receive an undergraduate or graduate degree from the university since Charles Chauncy, an alumnus of Cambridge University in England, who died in office in 1672. She attended Bryn Mawr College and the University of Pennsylvania, where she was also a professor of history.
Faust pivots from managing Radcliffe, a think-tank with 87 employees and a $17 million budget, to presiding over Harvard’s 11 schools and colleges, 24,000 employees and a budget of $3 billion. The Harvard presidency is perhaps the most prestigious job in higher education, offering a pulpit where remarks resonate throughout academic circles and unparalleled resources, including a university endowment valued at nearly $30 billion.
“Faculty turned to her constantly as someone whose opinion is to be trusted,” said Sheldon Hackney, a former president of The University of Pennsylvania and southern historian who worked closely with Faust. “She’s very clear, well-organized. She has a sense of humor, but she’s very even-keeled. You come to trust in her because she’s so solid.”
In Faust, Harvard not only has its first female leader, but a president who has candidly discussed her feminist ideals in a memoir, “Shapers of Southern History: Autobiographical Reflections.”
Conversation with the handyman
Born Catherine Gilpin in the Jim Crow era, to a privileged family in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Faust wrote that a conversation at age 9 with the family’s black handyman and driver inspired her to send a letter to President Eisenhower pleading for desegregation.
She then began to question the rigid Southern conventions where girls wore “scratchy organdy dresses” and white children addressed black adults by their first names.
“I was the rebel who did not just march for civil rights and against the Vietnam War but who fought endlessly with my mother, refusing to accept her insistence that ’this is a man’s world, sweetie, and the sooner you learn that, the better off you’ll be,”’ she writes.
Faust joins an exclusive roster of former Harvard presidents that have included colonial clergymen, Bay State patricians and a cabinet secretary. Former President Derek Bok has been leading the university this academic year on an interim basis.
While the presidential search was marked by disciplined secrecy — committee members met behind closed doors in a Georgian mansion and were quietly ushered away in idling Lincoln Town Cars — it also revealed an embarrassing trend: several top-tier candidates said they weren’t interested.
In January, Thomas R. Cech, head of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a Nobel prize winner, asked the search committee to remove him from consideration. The presidents of Columbia, Brown and Princeton all said they did not want the job.
Hey, Tina and Irish! It's been awhile since I stopped by - love all the additions to the Ibox.
And, just wanted to let you know, the link for Tips for Kids isn't working. Here's one that should work:
http://www.tipsforkids.com/
Hope y'all are having a great 2007!!
OT: Loki, there's a board here on Ihub that has some great info on investing for kids. If you're going to set up an account somewhere, you may want to look at some of these inexpensive brokerage sites. Especially, if you're going to involve him in the process, there are some very "kid friendly" sites that have tools for kids to take an active part.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=6480
Advanced Cell Technology Acquires Intellectual Property Assets of Infigen, Inc.
Landmark Merger of Embryonic Stem Cell Patent Estates
ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (OTCBB: ACTC) announced today that it has acquired the intellectual property assets of its former competitor Infigen, Inc. relating to somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), parthenogenesis, and other related technologies. A total of 26 issued patents and numerous pending patent applications were acquired for a combination of cash and shares of common stock. The acquisition provides ACTC with exclusive ownership rights to critical technologies in regenerative medicine and the merger of assets is expected to strengthen ACTC’s intellectual property position in the drive towards commercialization of embryonic stem cell and SCNT technology.
“This tactical acquisition is a part of our long-term plan to become one of the leading companies in the field of regenerative medicine,” said William M. Caldwell, IV, Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Cell Technology. “We intend to use these technologies to further our product development and use the exclusive rights under these patents to protect the company and, as appropriate, leverage these patents through licensing transactions with potential strategic partners.”
Dennis McCormick, Chairman of Infigen, Inc., commented, “We are pleased to complete this transaction and believe Advanced Cell Technology is one of the preeminent stem cell companies with the ability to commercialize this technology.”
Infigen, Inc. heavily invested in its intellectual property portfolio relating to animal cloning and filed some of the earliest and most strategic patents in fundamental steps related to SCNT. One such critical step in SCNT is the activation of oocytes – a process designated “parthenogenetic activation”. Egg cells must be activated for SCNT to be successful. In a previous royalty-bearing cross license, ACTC acquired freedom to operate under the Infigen patents in the field of human cell therapy. However, with this acquisition, royalty obligations are removed and ACTC owns the patents exclusively for building its business in regenerative medicine and for use in licensing animal applications.
“We believe the Infigen intellectual property, when merged with our existing proprietary technologies, creates an impressive patent estate. The patents include fundamental technologies useful in the production of any type of cell or tissue matched to the patient through the process of SCNT,” said Dr. Michael West, ACTC’s President and Chief Scientific Officer. “In addition, in our experience, we believe that this portfolio provides us with a dominant patent position in the production of human embryonic stem cells by parthenogenesis wherein stem cells are made from an egg cell without fertilization or SCNT.
Dr. West continued, “Combining these patents under one roof should simplify the regenerative medicine patent landscape. We will license out the animal applications for use in agriculture and animal science and use the human technologies for our internal programs including applications in the retina, vascular system, and dermatology.”
Impart Media Group Expands Into Europe With Interactive Merchandising Signage for Microsoft's Vista Product Release
Company Has Received Large Orders for the Smaller Display, Touch Screen Integrated, Impart IQ mini(TM) System
SEATTLE, WA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 02/08/2007 -- Impart™ Media Group, Inc. (OTCBB: IMMG), a provider of end-to-end networked digital media solutions for the enhanced delivery of information, merchandising, brand marketing, and advertising, announced today expansion into Europe, as a supplier to the Interpublic Group's Momentum Worldwide subsidiary. Impart is providing an integrated, interactive merchandising shelf signage solution with 8.4" LCD touch screen, custom enclosure, Impart IQ mini™ player, dual solid state flash memory storage for both the media and Windows embedded operating system, plus USB future upgrade accommodations for Wi-Fi connectivity.
According to Impart's co-founder and Chief Sales Officer, Laird Laabs, "In retail, major brands such as Microsoft seek to create immediate awareness and influence at the very desirable, consumer point-of-decision. With Momentum's innovative retail marketing and media design capabilities, coupled with strategic, in-store product placement with our Impart IQ mini™ interactive signage system, the results are dramatically reflected at the store's cash register."
Mr. Laabs continues, "The European design was uniquely different to what we provided to Microsoft for their ZUNE product launch in the U.S., as the interactive Impart IQ mini™ display was rotated from poster to landscape and optimally blended inline with the merchandising product shelving."
Um, well, I don't think "active" is quite the word, but I do post news when I see it. Glty. :)
Advanced Cell Technology Senior Scientist Dr. Robert Lanza Awarded for Outstanding Contributions to Biology by Brown University Biotech Group
Feb 2 2007, 7:33 AM EST
Business Wire
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (OTCBB:ACTC), applying proprietary human embryonic stem (ES) cell technology to the emerging field of regenerative medicine, has announced that Dr. Robert Lanza, the Company's Vice President of Research and Scientific Development, has been recognized for his groundbreaking research and contributions in stem cell science and biology with a special award from Brown University's Biotechnology Interest Group.
The Brown University biotech group made the award for "Outstanding Contribution in Contemporary Biology" to Dr. Lanza at the organization's 5th Annual Biotech Expo, held February 1, 2007, at Brown's Providence, R.I., campus. Dr. Lanza also delivered a keynote address at the conference.
Dr. Lanza is a noted pioneer in the field of stem cell science, with more than 25 years' experience in the application of stem cells in regenerative medicine. He has published several hundred papers, patents and innovations relating to stem cell science, among them ACTC's Single Cell Blastomere method to derive human embryonic stem cells without harming the donor embryos' potential for life.
"This award helps bring additional notice to the stem cell industry at a point when the field is entering an exciting period of clinical development," said Dr. Lanza. "At ACTC and at institutions around the world, we are focused on the development of powerful new products that have the potential to revolutionize treatment for a growing number of serious diseases and injuries."
Advanced Cell Technology Announces Collaboration with the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health and Science University
Feb 6 2007, 7:33 AM EST
Business Wire
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (OTCBB:ACTC) today announced that it has entered into a sponsored research agreement with Oregon Health and Science University. The Company is collaborating with Dr. Raymond Lund, Dr. Richard Weleber and Dr. Peter Francis at the Casey Eye Institute to conduct preclinical studies for its Retinal Pigment Epithelium ("RPE") Program. Specifically, the research team is conducting a dosage study utilizing the Company's RPE cells in the Royal College of Surgeons ("RCS") rat model and plans to conduct similar studies in other rodent models of retinal degenerative disease. The Company is also in discussions with the Oregon Health and Science University team in regard to future plans for a Phase I human clinical trial.
Dr. Peter Francis, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmic Genetics and Co-Director of the Oregon Retinal Degeneration Center at the Casey Eye Institute said, "We are very excited to be working with Advanced Cell Technology. This area or research shows great promise for the treatment of a number of blinding conditions."
Mr. William Caldwell, IV, Chairman and CEO of Advanced Cell Technology responded, "We are very excited to be working with the entire team at the Casey Eye Institute. Drs. Lund, Weleber and Francis bring a wealth of experience to our program in the area of retinal degenerative disease. We are also honored to enter into our first collaboration with Oregon Health and Science University, which has clearly distinguished itself as a leader in biomedical research."
Impart Media Group Releases Operational Update
Company Exceeds 2006 Q4 Revenue Forecast with Estimated $2.34 Million, 2006
Revenues Total $6.65 Million; Forecasting 2007 Revenues of $18 to $21
Million
SEATTLE, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Impart Media Group, Inc. (OTC
Bulletin Board: IMMG), a provider of end-to-end networked digital media
solutions for the enhanced delivery of information, merchandising, brand
marketing, and advertising, announced today an operational update to its
shareholders including business strategy. In addition, the company has
announced preliminary unaudited revenue results for the Fourth Quarter of
$2.34 Million, representing a 42% increase over Third Quarter revenues.
Joe F. Martinez, Chairman & CEO and Principal Financial Officer of
Impart Media Group, issued a letter to shareholders to provide an
operational overview and progress report.
________________________
Dear fellow shareholders:
At the last Operational Update in October 2006, I outlined several
objectives for our company:
* Immediately focus our company and streamline our business in preparation
for a significant and successful 2007.
* Reduce operating costs by eliminating all non-core business absorbed in
recent mergers and acquisitions.
* Replace our CAPEX network-owned revenue model with the implementation of
the strategic 'ImPartner' program.
* Prioritize and expedite all sales efforts to targeted key customers,
with major rollout potential, and integrate multi-tier, product
variations of Impart IQ(TM).
* Capitalize on the E&M (Impart Media Advertising) direct response
advertising business unit potential by year-end.
* Accelerate progress to cash flow positive as soon as possible.
I am very happy to announce that we have accomplished most of those
objectives in the past three months:
* We made tremendous strides in our finance department with the hiring of
Stephen Wilson. Under his leadership, we have streamlined our financial
reporting process and the full integration of our E&M Advertising
(Impart Media Advertising) subsidiary into our core business. Our
comprehensive reporting and audit procedures are in place and we have
eliminated all of the legacy legal issues and accounting challenges that
Impart inherited by its recent acquisitions.
* Business units that were no longer core to our revamped business mission
were closed.
* We repositioned our CAPEX business model by strategically aligning
ourselves with a name brand, out-of-home space partner that will provide
the capital requirements for equipment capital expenditures and fulfils
the advertising placement needs. Impart will continue to provide the
content and management of the systems that are installed. We plan to
announce this partnership in March, when the proper client and partner
approvals are in place and we expand our airport deployment efforts.
* The company's top-to-bottom product offerings were augmented with the
addition of the Impart IQ mini(TM), which was designed with small,
integrated touch screen display form factor, Debian Linux or Microsoft
Windows embedded operating system options, solid state flash storage,
network or standalone configurations -- and an expedited development and
manufacturing cycle, with aggressive cost and pricing economies.
* We experienced a very enthusiastic market acceptance of the Impart IQ
mini(TM). Microsoft Corporation is utilizing the Impart IQ mini(TM) for
a merchandising application showcasing their Zune, Vista, and Office
2007 product roll outs with mass market retailers, globally in 2007.
* We also continued to expand our comprehensive product line with
important features and technical functionality, via the platform
additions of Impart IQ Interactive(TM), Impart IQ Live(TM), and Impart
IQ Streams(TM).
* The company continues to deliver complete turnkey systems, equipment and
subscription services to clients such as RediClinic, MediPlay, AT&T,
Bell Canada, Dole Foods, and others as we expand their digital media
networks.
* Significantly, I am pleased to announce that the company surpassed the
1,000 mark of sold units for the Impart IQ(TM) platform by year-end 2006
-- a significant milestone considering the Impart IQ(TM) product line
did not start shipping in quantity until June 2006.
* Our E&M (IMA) business unit experienced its best quarter in twenty years
in Q4 2006, with an array of new clients and increased margin
performance, tied to well-received creative campaigns in direct response
advertising.
From a financial perspective, we would have been cash flow positive in
early Q1 2007, however, due to product shipment and installation delays (a
result of UL approvals and customer deployment strategies), we now
anticipate to become cash flow positive in Q2 2007. Becoming cash flow
positive is predicated on product delivery schedules to Europe, client's
real-estate negotiations and other factors, however as we expand, we also
diversify our client pipeline.
Significantly, based on our impressive business turnaround in Q4 2006,
the company will not require additional equity funding, but will rely on
less dilutive credit lines and small strategic investments. This approach,
along with our strategic relationships in place or in the process of
formation, will assist the company with our capital requirements for the
foreseeable future.
So even though 2006 was a very challenging and business transitional
year, we feel that our management team made considerable progress and we
now look forward in 2007 to showcasing exciting product innovation,
increased market penetration, and major revenue growth.
Our objectives for 2007 are:
* Reach cash flow positive by the end of second quarter.
* Meet or exceed our revenue forecast of $18 to $21 million by December
2007.
* Continue to strengthen our financial reporting capabilities to
accommodate the timely reporting requirements as the company grows in
complexity and ramps up revenue recognition from various markets.
* Accelerate mass deployment of our Impart IQ(TM) product line to our key
customers such as AT&T, Microsoft, RediClinic, Dole Foods, etc.
* Install and monetize Detroit and Dallas-Fort Worth airports, in concert
with our new strategic CAPEX partner to be announced soon.
* Enhance our recurring revenue model by increasing our creative and
content development department.
* Continue to integrate the E&M business unit into Impart, with the launch
of Impart IQ Ads(TM) in third quarter.
* Continue to seek 'ImPartner' relationships for market reach,
deliverables, and scalability and make strategic and accretive (to
earnings) acquisitions.
* Expand efforts internationally with product distribution and
representation efforts in mainland China, Mexico, Russia, and the UK.
* Continue to build the Impart Leadership Team, as the best in the Digital
Signage sector.
* Put in place a more formal and timely communications process with our
shareholders.
We feel strongly that if we focus on the core fundamentals of the
business and meet our revenue projections, continue to deliver the best
service in the industry to our clients, and maintain and nurture key
strategic relationships, the company, and its shareholders will be rewarded
with a stock price that begins to reflect our very promising future. We
fully realize that there are no short cuts to building revenue and net
income, it has to be accomplished on the basic fundamentals of hard work,
timing and execution. In doing so we continue to innovate with our
technology platforms, expand our market reach globally, and hire and retain
the best and brightest people in the industry.
In conclusion, let me quickly review the state of the digital signage
industry from my perspective. I have voiced in the past that the industry
has an identity crisis with no real handle on what the delivery of digital
media really means or how confusing it can be for clients as they evaluate
the multitude of options available. With over 24 years in the business, the
principals at Impart have seen the vast confusion. At the low end of the
spectrum we have a traditional AV (audio-visual) dealer that hangs a
display screen and considers himself a Digital Signage expert and a player
in the digital media business. On the other end are the "alphabet
broadcast" networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) which are struggling to keep their
commercial advertisements viewable and relevant, as more and more people
opt-out by means of DVR's (Digital Video Recorders), DVD's,
Video-On-Demand, and the Internet -- bypassing most, if not all,
advertising. In the middle of the spectrum is the highly successful Google
that delivers targeted and relevant advertising on the Internet, using
their "Search Engine" as the means to attract eyeballs. Also in the fight
for advertising awareness and mass audiences is the out-of- home sector
(i.e. the bill board companies) with their CPM (cost per thousand ad
impressions) model, who, despite high PE (price earnings) multiples, are
fighting a battle of attrition with more and more visual road side
pollution obstacles and stagnating ad revenues due to boring static
content. To add video or digital content to road side billboard advertising
is not only expensive and technically challenging, it is also facing
challenges from safety experts and governmental regulators who are just now
beginning to cope with the safety concerns of cell phone usage, GPS visual
directional devices, and personal audio or video (i.e., iPod), along with
all the other distractions that are confronting and preoccupying the
attention of the driving public.
What does this all mean to Impart? We would call it the "perfect storm"
where traditional media is being completely disrupted and transformed by
technology, due to an inattentive & mobile audience, fluid demographics and
other psychosocial phenomena that are permanently changing the way brands
and merchandisers have traditionally sought to advertise or promote their
products. Adding "chaos theory" to the equation, some of these changes are
U.S.-centric, while other rules are somewhat varied in Europe, Asia, and
Africa (just now receiving the first semblance of media in the form of cell
phones, television, the Internet, and, in some cases, even radio). In some
areas of connectivity, many parts of the world are more advanced because of
their embrace of a single cell phone standard operating system and
government subsidized broadband connectivity, in contrast to the U.S. that
has numerous competing and market driven systems -- still -- what drives
advertising is media content, an area that the U.S. still dominates.
To fully understand why the Impart solution is different from all of
the other competitors that are in the delivery of some form of digital data
to a display screen in the out-of-home sector, one needs to first dissect
the business model. Some of the competing business models are software
packaged (i.e. CD), others are hardware component "box sellers", and a few
are offline, media based (e.g. DVD's and flash memory sticks/cards). So the
word "media" is confusing and that is exactly where the problem with many
business and revenue generating models exists. The purpose of this
operational review is not to make the reader technically expert in the
delivery of digital media, but to emphasize the primary differentiator as
to why we at Impart are confident in our future success and why the market
entrance of Cisco and Google only serve to validate what we have been
stating for many years.
The founders of Impart: Steve Corey, Laird Laabs, and Tom Muniz (who in
the early days led the burgeoning industry by defining the required
components of display, multimedia PC, and connectivity -- matched to
relevant, real-time and future web based content), recognized that with the
advent of the Internet, similar to the early days of radio and television,
an infrastructure needed to be built so that an IP-based network could
deliver content fast, accurately, reliably, and securely. The founders of
Impart utilized many variations of software being offered at the time and
developed a sophisticated network backend, adept operational processes, and
a scalable deliverables architecture that modularly integrates with a
universal multitude of products, services, and data interfaces essential in
the mass deployment of digital signage. For the most part, many of the
early digital signage networks did not scale adequately and efficiently and
were dependent on advertising for survival. Some networks were off target
in their messaging and audience, time wasting in their environment, pilot
or proof-of-concept sinkholes, and others ended up dying in the hands of
the Fortune 500 IT departments, who thought they could internally replicate
and deliver on the marketing promise of digital signage. Under the new
leadership and broad vision of Impart CTO Todd Weaver, complemented with
the application expertise of Lars Jensen, the Impart IQ(TM) product line
has innovatively evolved by taking the mystery and cost out of the "media
server". When you factor in the "iTunes and YouTube on steroids" potential
of Impart IQ Streams(TM) and Impart IQ Ads(TM), we believe the industry, as
we know it today, will be forever changed and will become one of the
largest media opportunities for the foreseeable future.
So does not the Impart IQ(TM) product line alone change the industry?
Not necessarily ... at the end of the day, if products don't work or if the
service is poor, success will not be the happy end result. I had the
opportunity in my prior career to have worked with IBM, ROLM, and N.E.T, --
all very sophisticated companies that were responsible for the delivery of
mission critical information to Fortune 500 companies, such as Rockwell
International, American Honda, American Airlines, Federal Express, and Bear
Stearns to name just a few. These companies relied on the products that I
sold to run their businesses. It is my contention that up to now digital
signage had not yet arrived to the mission critical stage, akin to a
mandatory, public utility service (i.e. water, electricity, phone, cable,
Internet etc.). However, as more advertising budgets are being diverted to
the out-of-home sector, digital signage networks and their consequent
content delivery are fast becoming business critical, if not mission
imperative. For example, if a one-minute ad does not run properly during
the Super Bowl, millions of dollars and the millions of captive viewing
audience are wasted and the broadcast network is required to "make good".
The same is true if a 250 screen, digital signage network running ads, goes
"dark" for any length of time due to service interruption. When it comes to
relevant, late breaking, or time sensitive content, in the case of our
airport kiosk deployments that are pending major expansion, if there is a
security breach at the airport, our system has the capability of alerting
every display screen (or targeting specific terminal screens) in the
airport of the security breach and guiding people into a safety zone or
diverting only those affected. If the alert happens to be a genuine threat
-- such as a bombing, biological/terrorist attack, fire, or even an Amber
Alert to signify that a child has gone missing -- one could effectively
make the case that digital signage is now indeed mission critical and a
utility service required. Why then would owners or deployers of digital
signage networks -- requiring these type of business critical communication
scenarios -- rely and take the risk of installing shrink-wrap software,
hardware "box seller", or sneaker net (offline) solutions, with
off-the-shelf commodity PCs, consumer grade displays, and cheap Internet
connectivity supported by a mix bag of vendors and service providers and
all pointing the finger at one another, when mission critical media
delivery has failed?
This is the case-in-point and foundation of market and business
differentiation for Impart. We take end-to-end responsibility, from the
design concept and communication goals of the network, fixture design in
POS (point-of-sale), POP (point-of-purchase) environments, kiosk
enclosure/fabrication, content development/management, network/site
monitoring, data/web server hosting, business grade connectivity
provisioning, installation, customer support, and onsite service dispatch.
We also collaborate with our certified "ImPartners" to fill any of the
voids that might be present in any network or media service delivery, such
as programming, creative design, and advertising placement. This is an
important statement, because from the presentation layer, which is the ad
or content placed on the display screen, through the media player, the
router, Internet connection, and all the way back to Impart's NOC (Network
Operation Center - with our proprietary data storage and data mining
system), we are responsible for the entire delivery, security, and
maintenance of the network, plus the creative development or repurposing of
the content. We are also responsible to the insertion of the ads (when our
Impart IQ Ads(TM) portal is activated in the next few months). We don't
farm it out, we do it all ourselves, as a turnkey solution provider. The
digital signage network or media property owner only makes one call.
This represents only a small facet of the ultimate reason why we are
looking forward to a very successful 2007. However, it is setting the stage
for even better things to come as deployment of out-of-home digital media
crosses over, en masse, to the millions of display screens that today we
call cell phones or mobile media. After many years of jump starts, the
Digital Signage sector is set to explode, as can be witnessed firsthand
with the significant evolution of Focus Media in China, now approaching a
$4.5 billion market capitalization, to the recent market announcements of
infrastructure giant, Cisco, and the omnipresent Google, with their
targeted advertising and search engine. Such companies are clearly
legitimizing the sector and we welcome their entry and even their
collective success in our space. Needless to say, these same companies will
create more opportunities for Impart by validating our pioneering industry
development efforts and attaching tangible valuation to our wealth of
market experience and industry knowledgebase. Impart intends to capitalize
on its near first-to-market leadership position -- that up to now has
increased its market share by word-of-mouth and reputation in the industry
-- by securing projects that only make financial and technical sense.
We appreciate our shareholders patience during this past year and look
forward to a very rewarding 2007.
Sincerely,
Joe F. Martinez
Chairman & CEO, Impart Media Group, Inc.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-06-2007/0004521313&...
I never knew that - learn something new everyday.
When I lived there, I ate at Lou's on Wells at least once a week...never got sick of it.
Gotta run...packing for the SUPERBOWL!!!!!!
GOOOOOOO BEARS!!!!!!!
LOL! That's great!!
It's funny you should mention Lou's...since we left Chicago, our anniversary dinner is mail order Lou Malnati's! Our 15th was on Monday and we just finished the leftovers last night. Hands down, best pizza created!!!!
I didn't listen. However, the stock had a nice run after he was on CNBC so not sure that his public speaking skills are the cause of this decline.
My guess is that it has more to do with the dilution than anything else.
Posted by: originunknown
In reply to: None Date:1/29/2007 8:41:42 PM
Post #of 6207
ACTC - (SB-2) 13,516,367 shares 1/26/07
http://www.pinksheets.com/quote/filings.jsp?symbol=actc
For those unfamiliar with Chicago's Italian Beef Sandwiches, here's more info from Wikipedia.
The Italian beef sandwich is a dish associated with Chicago. It is difficult to obtain outside the Chicago area. Italian Beef sandwiches can be found at most hot dog stands and small Italian-American restaurants throughout the city and its suburbs. Most Chicago hotdog-stand-style Italian Beef retailers purchase pre-seasoned, pre-cooked, and pre-sliced Italian Beef with separate cooking broth ("au jus"), and then heat and serve, while other retailers purchase the raw beef cuts and prepare it themselves. Chicago's favorite, highly-rated, or "famed" Italian Beef places typically prepare the beef themselves on their own premises according to their own recipes. Some produce their own homemade "hot giardiniera" too, but this is more rare.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_beef
I hear ya...I have no idea if these codes are true or not. Sometimes I think it's one more of the conspiracy theories that abound on the boards. And then I see wacky stuff going on and have to wonder if there's any shred of truth to it. :)
We no longer live in Chicago and were having friends and family over, who also used to live there, to watch the playoffs with the Bears. So, Chicago style Italian Beef sandwiches were perfect as you can't get them here. And, it was so easy because everything was done that morning and then everyone helped themselves as they got hungry throughout the afternoon.
I bet it would be a great pot roast, too, though.
Saw this on another board this morning:
Posted by: tr8dervic
In reply to: Knowledge is King who wrote msg# 63840 Date: 1/31/2007 2:00:38 PM
Post #
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=16522312&txt2find=mm+signals+
Repost - MM SIGNALS
Post #85091 (from jrod)....
BKMP / MM SIGNALS for 6/16: (re-post)
300 > bring the price down at least 30%
600 > provide resistance
900 > let the stock float.
MM SIGNALS
100 > I need shares
200 > I need shares badly but dont take it down to get em
300 > Take the price down to get shares....
400 > Trade it sideways based on Supply and Demand
500 > Gap one way or the other, usually to the direction
Here's a great Chicago Italian Beef Recipe. We made it for some friends during the last playoff game with the Bears. It was YUMMMMY.
Note: we used just 1 teaspoon of the red pepper flakes and it was still a little too spicy for me. (copied from a website)
3-4 lb. Beef (Chuck or cheap, I've used roasts)
2 or 3 Garlic cloves, sliced thin and poked into the meat (pierce with paring knife to create holes in meat)
1 T Red Pepper flakes (less if it'll freak you out)
1 T Oregano
1 T Salt
1 T Black Pepper
Water to cover meat in Roaster or Crock
I throw that bad boy in a crock pot and let it cook for the day while at work. When I return I can shred the meat with a fork, the au jus is spicy and perfect for dipping your sammie. You'll need Giardiniera to complete the experience. You can do roasted sweet peppers too!
And, just checked, nothing new on Pacer.
Look at volume and pps for last 3 days...hmmmmmm....will be interesting to see if there's news in the next few days. :)
It was being discussed at the time it happened - way back in November. I guess it shows who is paying attention! :)
(And, it certainly isn't me, as I didn't read it until Spec posted it again in January.)
Posted by: Art2004
In reply to: slacker42 who wrote msg# 79302 Date:11/1/2006 7:44:08 PM
Post #of 89860
The slides for todays presentation are available on the ADDAX Website under Investor Relations, then Management Presentations.
I really appreciate you posting what you did! It was even more confirmation that unless you figure out the source and can get info directly from there, all info on these "informational sites" cannot necessarily be viewed as fact.
Have a good one!
Thanks, Plasti. And, that actually illustrates my point. This site shows the COB as having 230M shares where the CNBC shows 307.7M.