By Evann Gastaldo 
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
Tag Archives: MIA
Soviet soldier 'missing' since 1980 found in Afghanistan
By BronxKnight
A former Red Army soldier who went missing in action (MIA) in 1980 during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan has been found alive almost 33 years after he was rescued by Afghan tribesmen.
Now living under the name of Sheikh Abdullah and working as a traditional healer in the Shinand District of Afghanistan, the former Soviet soldier Bakhredtin Khakimov, an ethnic Uzbek, was tracked down by a team from Warriors-Internationalists Affairs Committee, a nonprofit, Moscow-based organization that leads the search for the former Soviet Union’s MIAs in Afghanistan….
Source:
CNN
Source URL:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/06/world/asia/missing-russian-soldier-found-afghanistan/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
Date:
03-06-13
…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University
Tesla Test-Drives World Domination
By Tamara Rutter, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Surviving as a car manufacturer these days requires more than just strong domestic sales. Today, auto companies must be multinational powerhouses if they hope to stand a chance in the auto industry. Tesla Motors is no exception. If the electric-car maker wants a real shot at success, it needs to expand its global footprint.
The road less traveled
Tesla has gotten a lot of attention lately thanks to its disruptive retail strategy. Unlike traditional automakers, such as Ford and BMW, Tesla doesn’t distribute its cars through existing franchise dealerships. Rather, Tesla is opening stores in malls around the world to display its new zero-emissions Model S.
However, Tesla is discovering that changing the rules of retail for a century old industry won’t be easy. At the end of last year, auto-dealer groups in New York and Massachusetts smacked Tesla with lawsuits for violating so-called state franchise laws. Fortunately, for Tesla, a Massachusetts judge denied the dealers’ request to stop Tesla from operating its Boston location.
This was a big win for the EV maker as it gets ready to open new stores, not only in the United States but also worldwide.
Going global
The Silicon Valley-based company finished 2012 one step closer to its goal of worldwide distribution for the Tesla Model S. In December, Tesla pulled the curtain back on its new European Distribution Center in Tilburg, the Netherlands. The facility is now Tesla’s European service and distribution hub. According to a company press release, general production of European left-hand drive Model S cars is on schedule to begin this month.
As for retail locations in this region, Tesla currently has nine stores in major European cities, including Milan, Paris, and Frankfurt. In fact, international orders now make up about 25% of Tesla’s Model S reservations. Not to mention that Tesla plans to expand its operations in Asia this year. The company currently has just two stores up and running in the Asia-Pacific market, one in Hong Kong and the other in Tokyo.
Tesla should see strong sales of its gas-free cars abroad, helped in part by soaring gas prices and rich government incentives for drivers of electric cars. In the Netherlands for example, EV drivers benefit from a laundry list of local encouragements, including use of bus lanes, free parking and charging, no road tax, no BPM tax, 136% flexible corporate write-off, MIA-regulation — to name a few. Besides government incentives, Tesla’s awe-inspiring showroom stores shouldn’t have any trouble attracting visitors.
New market opportunities
One of the masterminds behind Tesla’s controversial retail strategy, George Blankenship, confirmed last month that Tesla will open its first store in China this spring. As the world’s largest market for auto sales, China is an important piece of the puzzle for Tesla.
If these new stores attract even a fraction of the attention they have in the U.S., it will be a success for Tesla. To that end, 1.6 million people …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Netflix Misses the Big Picture
By Alyce Lomax, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
So, “Argo” received the coveted Oscar for Best Picture. Hey, if you missed the flick while it was in theaters, you might want to check it out, right? Don’t look to Netflix‘s streaming service for it. I already looked — it isn’t there yet.
Fear not, if you’re desperate to see the movie. If you go to Amazon.com‘s Prime service, you can rent “Argo” via streaming for $3.99. If you’d rather use Apple‘s iTunes, you can rent it for $4.99.
Could investors, analysts, and other interested parties please acknowledge why the frequency in which Netflix’s entertainment options are simply MIA is a major problem for Netflix’s future?
Queuing up disappointments
I’m one of the subscribers signed up for Netflix’s streaming-only service, and I’m personally pretty frustrated. I hardly use the service anymore. Every time in recent memory that I have looked for some movie that’s relatively new that I’d really like to watch, I’ve ended up disappointed. I’ve ended up simply renting the movies and occasionally TV show seasons such as “Dexter” from Amazon.com (gasp).
Maybe I have quirky taste and my feeling here is way too anecdotal. However, I simply don’t believe I’m in a minority of frustrated Netflix subscribers. Add up the rental fees to instantly watch what you want to see now through other services, and there’s a point where the Netflix streaming service simply doesn’t make economic sense anymore, especially when there are so many other areas vying for our time and attention.
A giant queue of second-string programming sure isn’t going to help Netflix. What used to be a wonderful selection of high-quality and more obscure, artsier fare when Netflix was a DVD-rental giant has deteriorated into what feels like mostly a collection of antiques and also-rans.
What did Netflix recommend as a consolation prize for its lack of instant “Argo”? It offered up “House of Cards” (granted, putting out its own programming is one good idea the company has had). However, it also served up a variety of films that members are supposedly streaming instead of their first choice, “Argo:” “Barfi!,” “Heroine,” and “Seal Team Six.” I can’t say I have heard of any of those, and even if they’re perfectly fine, underrated sleeper movies they’re a far cry from the one that won Best Picture at the Oscars.
New Houses and Sesame Street aren’t enough
Netflix does have original programming such as “House of Cards” (which I have heard is good ). Netflix also recently penned agreements with Disney and, more recently, DreamWorks Animation , the latter of which will provide an exclusive show called “Turbo F.A.S.T.” Both of these agreements will probably make kids (and parents) happy and add some goodwill for Netflix, but I don’t buy that these are suitable grounds to believe Netflix’s day has been saved.
Take Amazon’s recent deal with CBS , through which it will offer episodes of “Under the Dome” mere days after broadcast. Talk about instant gratification.
Services from …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Guantanamo flight makes emergency landing at MIA
A flight headed from Guantanamo Naval Air force Base to Andrews Air Force Base made an emergency landing at Miami International Airport after a light indicator came on.
Airport spokesman Marc Henderson says the flight landed safely Friday just after noon with 144 on board, mostly U.S. soldiers. Henderson says the passengers are out of the gate and waiting for a later flight to the base in Maryland.
Messages left with federal aviation officials were not immediately returned. No further details have been released.
4 Quick Ways To Back Up Your Daily Business Data
By Young Entrepreneur Council, Contributor While Dropbox and iCloud won’t save your business from total disaster, they will keep your startup running when your devices go MIA or get damaged. Here’s how.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest