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allenmendezsr · 5 years ago

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The Chattel Report

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The Chattel Report

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The Chattel Report 12 WEEKS TO FREEDOMWhat this information represents is how one man was able to ditch his job, and live a life of pure freedom – and to not only live but thrive, by buying and selling personal property, also known as chattel.

Wouldn’t you like to do the same too? To find out how… READ ON!

COULD THIS BE THE PERFECT BUSINESS FOR YOU?

Small investment, start with only 100 bucks, which means:

NO loans from banks or investors.

NO borrowing from relatives.

NO hassles.

No overhead. Work at home.

No equipment to buy or lease.

No office or store to go to.

NO ROAD RAGE in rush hour traffic.

No LATCH KEY kids in your house.

REALISTIC AND DOABLE.

NO skills. No special talents. NO education required.

NO BOSS. Hey let’s repeat this one: NO BOSS!

NO customers, clients or pain in the neck EMPLOYEES.

Unlimited Potential.

PRIVATE– NO one even needs to know you do it.

And it is so SIMPLE, even my 11 year old does it.

DOES WHAT?

Buying and selling of CHATTEL. Personal property. It is a MULTI BILLION dollar industry that is available to everyone. Many have learned how to do it and have made a great living – with no boss! You could do it part-time or full-time – whatever fits your lifestyle!

Any extra cash be used for anything a person wants to do. For example…

Pay off ALL the bills, and live totally debt free.

Start a DREAM BUSINESS…

Build a dream CASTLE. Become the KING or QUEEN of the world – Your world that is.

Take a VACATION anywhere in the world!

Here’s a FACT. Living your dreams is often dependent on how much MONEY you earn. And that is why you may be looking into money making opportunities. That’s how you came to this site, right?

Maybe you are tired of not making enough money to fulfill all of your dreams.

Perhaps you have a JERK for a boss. Or you have a long drive on smog covered expressways full of angry people ready to shoot you at the push of a break pedal.

Whatever the reason, there is a good chance that you are NOT making enough MONEY to do what you really want to. But of course, you may not even know what you want to do.

Here is what I believe to be a truth. If you had ENOUGH MONEY, to take the daily pressures off, then you could spend some TIME to find out what would really make you happy.

But as my old friend Joe Karbo used to say:

“Most people are too busy earning a living to make any money.”

And it was Joe that taught me about the “world’s most exciting business” the DIRECT RESPONSE BUSINESS. Some call it Mail Order. Or Remote Direct Marketing. And I have been involved in this business, it seems, forever.

But it was ALSO Joe who taught me about CHATTEL. And how buying and selling of chattel could get me the START-UP capital for any type of business. At the time I was a student at Golden West Community College in Huntington Beach, California. I think I was taking Surfing 101 as I remember it. Mostly just hanging out. And Joe was at Sunset Beach when I first ‘bumped’ into him, literally. Well, anyhow, that story is not important.

Here’s What’s Important…

Joe told me about how he made money BUYING & SELLING surplus boxes after he got out of the Service. (We were kindered spirits, he was a Pharmacists Mate, I was a Commissaryman).

And that is the money he used to buy a brand new car (with CASH), moved into a handsome apartment, and put over $10,000 in the bank, all through BUYING & SELLING.

Joe also BOUGHT a boat (which is CHATTEL) for a fraction of what the owner had paid. And when Joe sold that boat, he made a very substantial PROFIT.

Joe Karbo is considered by many to be a marketing genius. And I agree with that. What most people don’t know about Joe, he was “accessible” and helpful to people and he gave this young college student more than the time of day. He gave me a way to make money, anywhere, anytime I needed to.

Are you too busy earning a living that you don’t have the time to make any money?

Let me introduce you to what I affectionately call Joe’s OTHER direct response business: the BUYING & SELLING of CHATTEL. And as I mentioned, it is so simple my 11 year old does it.

You probably DO IT too. Or have. Have you EVER bought anything from some other person? At a garage sale? Or yard sale? Or swap meet or flea market? Or from the classified section in the newspaper?

Almost EVERYONE has bought and sold some of their PERSONAL PROPERTY at one time or another.

But have you ever considered it as a way to MAKE MONEY?

A way to: RAISE INSTANT CASH?

Well I have. After one of the greatest marketing minds the world has ever known OPENED MY EYES to buying and selling. And if was good enough for Joe Karbo, friends, it is good enough for me.

Now I also, like Joe did, develop products and do Direct Response Marketing. That is what I’m doing right now. I’m trying to sell you a product that I have created, just like Joe taught me.

I want to sell my special report to YOU, directly. And I’m adding an element I learned from one of my other mentors, Benjamin D. Suarez. I’m doing it REMOTELY.

Ben Suarez owns a debt free 100 Million dollar international direct response company. He employs nearly 1000 people here in Northeast Ohio. And Ben personally recruited me from a seminar audience to come and work for him. Based upon what I had learned from Joe Karbo, and Melvin Powers and a few other “mentors”.

And although I did take a position with Ben’s company, (he made an offer I couldn’t refuse), I CONTINUED to work my little operation of BUYING & SELLING of CHATTEL. And made more in one fifth of the time than I did working for someone else.

It’s Time To Reveal My Secrets!

So I thought it was time to share my secrets with those of you that might be ready to get out of the rat race, and into the CHIPS. ARE YOU READY?

BUT FIRST, let me get this off my chest. CHATTEL may NOT be the way for you to make money on a PERMANENT basis. It takes time and effort. I personally don’t believe in FREE lunches. I don’t like people that sit around their kitchen table in their underwear and tell people how they can “get rich” doing practically nothing. And then have the gall to sell you a 500.00 “course” in doing what they did. This really peeves me.

But, WHATEVER! I mention this because I’m not going to sell you a course. I will however sell you a brief report that I put together, with the help of my teenagers, based on what I KNOW and DO. A report on CHATTEL. And how buying and selling chattel can make you money. OH, I am going to be making some money from selling you this report. Do you mind? I hope not, after all YOU are going to learn how to make money.

But don’t you judge information by volurme or weight. If you want lots of pages, I’ll send you a phonebook? OK? This report is around 60 pages. It contains everything you need to get started. REAL LIFE information like:

The BREAD & BUTTER of chattel.

MY personal areas I avoid. (You’ll be surprised).

How to build NETWORKS of cash laden buyers.

The PSYCHOLOGY behind this billion dollar industry.

You get the information you really NEED to get started. In fact, you will be doing exercises within the first hour that teach you how to find UNDERVALUED chattel, and WHERE you should sell it.

And even if you don’t do it on a REGULAR basis, it still can give you ALL THE CASH you need to start a business you really want to do. Perhaps a REMOTE DIRECT RESPONSE BUSINESS. (Hey maybe I can help you with that one also, AFTER you have raised some money, because in “mail order” it takes money to make money, and I don’t care what anyone tells you to the contrary).

So, PLEASE don’t BUY THIS report, if you are not seriously interested in doing something about your current financial situation. This is NOT a magic wand that eliminates your problems. But it CAN help you make money.

I have written this report with the average person in mind.

Because I consider myself to be VERY average and ordinary.

So this little money maker:

Does not take BRAINS. Hey I was 760 in my high school class. Out of only 900+ people. I’m a long way from brainy. (Although I do have some pretty good common sense.)

Requires NO education. Did I mention I went to college mostly to meet the ladies? Nothing wrong with that is there?

Can be started for 100 dollars. I think most AVERAGE people like myself can come up with 100 bucks to get started.

Builds step-by-step on the profits you make from the previous TRANSACTION.

See, I designed this report for those people that have been burned. Or scammed. Or had their dreams stolen by the unscrupulous. Or had their hard earned money taken by some fast talking swindler. And FRIENDS, there are plenty of them on the internet.

I (and my teenagers) put this report together so that anyone with the ability to read can understand it.

I hold you by the hand, and teach you how to crawl. How to invest that 100 bucks, so that you get a SUBSTANTIAL return on your investment.

I encourage YOU to go as slow OR AS FAST AS YOU DESIRE. I’m not about to limit anyone. Want to go faster, skip ahead a few weeks. I set up the GROW-PLAN to have you do ONE transaction a week for 12 weeks. But, feel free to do it at your own speed and comfort. Just keep going, and you’ll make it!

If you have never done anything like this before, then I teach you to CRAWL. Then in week 3 to TODDLE. Then in week 8 to walk. And in week 12 you can RUN AT BREAKNECK SPEED, if you so desire. Run all the way to the bank.

I call this THE G-PLAN. G stands for GROW. The grow as you go plan.

My teenager calls it the 12 STEP PLAN. 12 weekly, easy to follow steps, buying and selling. And re-investing your profits each week, until you reach YOUR GOALS.

And I say your goals, because maybe $1.000.00 a week from some part time effort does nothing for you. So set YOUR GOALS higher. Make as much as you want, or take the money you make from THE PLAN and invest it in something else. Hey it is YOUR LIFE. DO AS YOU PLEASE.

Now to receive this special report on CHATTEL, simply click on the link below. It costs just $47. It’s a digital download, so shipping is free!

Keep the report for 60 days. If you don’t make money, or it is not for you. Simply let my friend Dien Rice know, and he’ll give you a full refund.

And for those of you that do not know me, if this is our first encounter, and you are concerned about the fly-by-nighters, I don’t blame you, there are plenty of people to worry about taking your money in this world. PLENTY. But I’m not one of them.

Lived in Cuyahoga Falls since 1960. Graduated ’68. (Yea 760th in my class). After the service, and travelling and going to school in CA, I have chosen to live here today (hey maybe I am a little crazy?). I’m not going anywhere except on a few vacations every year. You can find me at the GOLF COURSE or the Natatorium or down at the new family aquatic center floating in an inner tube around the lazy river, gleefully splashing my kids.

If that does not ease your mind a little, then please don’t order the report. And don’t ask for details about my business or my private life. You won’t get them. So there. Hope you’re not offended. Hey, I trust YOU enough to be honest with me about the report. OK?

Just Like Joe Karbo said to me many years ago; “TRY IT. AND JUDGE FOR YOURSELF.”

If you have questions, e-mail me via my buddy Dien at [email protected]. We talk often, he’ll let me know of any questions he can’t handle.

NO QUESTIONS? Then go ahead and click on the order link! You’re only a few short steps away from a lifetime of FREEDOM.

Thanks for your time and attention.

Get THE CHATTEL REPORT – 12 WEEKS TO FREEDOM here…

Gordon (Mr. CHATTEL) Alexander

P.S. The price is 47 dollars U.S. You can download it immediately (it’s in PDF format), so there’s no shipping charge!

I reserve the right to remove this offer at any time. And if you DO know me, then you know I will.

I guarantee you’ll make moolah – or else you can use the no conditions 60-day money back guarantee.

P.P.S. My buddy Dien Rice bought one of my original reports – and he’s been successfully “chatteling” for years now. I’ve asked him to add a few pages at the end of the report on how to do it – quickly and easily – using the internet. With this “twist,” the profits are now easier to come by than ever before!

P.P.P.S. There’s also a special new section about how one of the world’s richest men – an American multi-BILLIONAIRE – got started, just by doing this. You’ll find out who he is – and how he did it! What are you waiting for?

Get it Now

Contacting Dien Rice and the Chattel Report. Email: [email protected]. Telephone: +61 4 1955 0447. Address: P.O. Box 1323, Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia.

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nosy-talk · 6 years ago

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Shady secrets McDonald’s doesn’t want you to know

For a company that specializes in food, folks, and fun, it’s pretty amazing how shady McDonald’s actually is. You might think it’s no big deal to walk in, order a burger, get it in two minutes, and then leave. But apparently such a thing can only be accomplished by bending (or outright breaking) every rule in the book. Some genuine sociopathy from the people in charge helps too, as you’re about to find out.

They once got (and still might get) their nuggets from lethally abused chickens

Obviously, to enjoy meat of any kind, some animal had to sacrifice its life. But it’s always refreshing to know the animal lived peacefully and died in its slumber. But, according to summer 2015 footage released by activist group Mercy For Animals, McDonald’s cares not one iota for that, working with farms that openly, brazenly, and possibly gleefully abuse their chickens before murdering them into almost-food. The farm that Mercy For Animals targeted, T&S Farm, was recorded beating chickens to death with spiked clubs, with the occasional curb-stomping for variety’s sake. The workers knew full well what they were doing, with one outright asking the cameraman, “you don’t work for PETA, do you?” like a kid caught with his hand in an extremely bloody cookie jar.

Since the video, McDonald’s has disavowed the chicken-killing farm, giving the usual PR responses to assuage as many disgusted customers as humanly possible. But not even the slickest press release can answer three burning questions: how long has this happened, why did it take this video for a major company to realize bludgeoning food to death for fun is evil, and since it’s been a year already, are they secretly working with that farm again?

They won’t pay workers overtime for working major holidays

For a long time, McDonald’s understood what Thanksgiving and Christmas meant, and so they allowed their workers to enjoy both the holiday and all the turkey they can stomach. But money cares not for our arcane traditions and emotions, and so in 2012 McDonald’s started opening on the holidays. This was always a thing company-owned stores did, but now they were “urging” (or, really, forcing) franchisees to do the same. Apparently, doing so rakes in thousands per restaurant, which is all that matters anymore. And yes, if you’ve hit McDonald’s either of these days, you’re officially part of the problem. Commence feeling bad…now.

That’s pretty sucky of them, but at least franchise owners can pay holiday overtime. Workers at the company-owned stores, unfortunately, are fresh out of luck—McD’s flat-out refuses to pay them extra for working on a day that, as far as many are concerned, should only be worked by those who deal in emergencies. (No, Big Mac withdrawal doesn’t count.) They hide under the excuse that, because workers volunteer to work those days, they’re not entitled to overtime pay. Because when you’re dirt-broke, struggling to raise a family, and living from minimum-wage paycheck to minimum-wage paycheck, you definitely have the option of not volunteering to get paid for something.

Like so many other thieving rich folk, McDonald’s has apparently devolved into filthy, leeching tax cheats. According to the wonderfully titled Golden Dodges: How McDonald’s Avoids Paying Its Fair Share of Tax, between 2009 and 2013, McDonald’s avoided paying over $1.8 billion in taxes. The company used a series of barely legal (and something not even that) loopholes and cleverly shifting profits from whatever country they earned them in, to low-tax havens in countries they didn’t. This seems to especially be true overseas, where McDonald’s is looking at charges that they stole a billion euros ($1.1 billion American) from the European Union by sending their profits through Luxembourg, a country barely big enough to physically store all that money. Australia claims McDonald’s did the same thing there, sending their profits through Singapore and magically pocketing about a half billion in would-be taxes.

Even Brazil has a McBone to pick with the company, claiming they regularly bribe tax officials for minor favors like, oh, ignoring all laws so suddenly the company pays fewer taxes with no issues. But hey, they might have to charge ten extra cents per box of nuggets if they can’t deprive the world’s schools and hospitals of much-needed funding, and we can’t have that.

For some reason, enough people hit McDonald’s with their health in mind for the company to make mad bank selling food meant to trim your waistline on the cheap. That sounds great, except that it’s wrong in every conceivable way. The chicken kale Caesar salad, for example, clocks in at a cool 730 calories, 53 grams of fat, and 1,400 milligrams of sodium—numbers that absolutely should not be attached to a bunch of leaves. For comparison’s sake, a Double Big Mac has 680 calories and 1,340 mgs of sodium, meaning they’re touting a healthy salad that’s unhealthier than their unhealthiest hunk of cow. But don’t worry, you can skip the dressing, eat a plain dry salad, and save 200 calories, so now it’s only unhealthier than a single Big Mac. Small victories are still victories.

For the breakfast crowd, McDonald’s oatmeal has got you covered, and hornswoggled. Thanks to “fun” additives like cream, “natural flavor,” and sugar, the McOatmeal clocks in at 290 calories, with 32 sugar grams. You would literally do better with candy for breakfast—a regular-size Snickers bar, for example, only has 280 calories and 30 grams of sugar. Plus, Snickers doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not. You can trust a Snickers bar, unlike anything Ronald McDonald touts as good for your abs.

They’ll sue anyone with the gall to run a business with ‘Mc’ or ‘Mac’ in its name

Once you get greedy enough, any threat to even a dime of your profit must be fought tooth-and-nail, even if it means losing more money to lawyers than you ever would’ve to the “competition.” It’s the principle that counts. In this case, we have McDonald’s going after literally any small business that uses “Mc” or “Mac,” because that’s their thing, and they don’t customers getting confused by seeing it anywhere else. The customer is apparently both always right, and the dumbest people on the planet.

Sometimes, they sue fast food joints, like McJoy in the Philippines or Mac Dooglas in Colombia (which was destroying McDonald’s bottom line with three whole restaurants in a tiny village no one outside the tiny village had even heard of.) But other times they just get petty, like when they sued a coffee shop called McCoffee—which had that name for 17 years—until they finally agreed to change their name and stop leeching tens of dollars from poor little McDonald’s. Though probably the stupidest case was when they went after a hot dog stand called McAllan. Like, a single hot dog stand, which is a product McDonald’s doesn’t even serve. That’s like Budweiser suing some kid’s lemonade stand. They lost that case, after the judge returned with a verdict of “really?” But usually, McDonald’s wins hands-down, valiantly beating back the evil little guy with the almighty power of Unlimited Wealth.

McDonald’s would rather use self-serve kiosks than pay employees a higher wage

Does McDonald’s food actually taste good? Who cares? It’s cheap! One of the primary ways that McDonald’s pulls that off is by paying the majority of its employees the least that it’s legally allowed to do so. In most places, that’s right at, or close to, the federal standard of just $7.25 an hour, an amount economic experts prefer to as “a complete tease.”

However, many cities and states have recently opted to raise their local minimum wages, in the hopes that workers can finally afford more than a closet inside a studio apartment. In Arizona and Colorado, it’s set to rise to $12 an hour, Washington’s will soon be $13.50 per hour, and Los Angeles workers will get a minimum of 15 bucks an hour. These states that have the audacity to pay workers a living wage could severely cut into McDonald’s bottom line, so the company has responded by threatening to replace its employees with robots: specifically, self-service kiosks. Robots work for free! At least, until the Uprising.

Here’s how it works: Customers come into a McDonald’s, enter their order on a touchscreen, the company CEO buys another 500-foot yacht and vacations in Bermuda. RoboClerk then sends the order to the kitchen, where an actual human (for now) puts the food together. Yes, they do have to pay somebody for that job (for now), but it does mean McDonald’s no longer has to staff a person at the counter—a great savings to the company, even at minimum wage.

They’ll roll these kiosks out nationally and internationally, if they prove to be efficient and cost-effective in test runs. What a golden time the future will be, when a screen instead of a human will ask “do you want fries with that?”

Their burgers don’t decompose

Burgers taste best when they’re hot and freshly prepared, but if you order those things at Mickey D’s and for some reason can’t get to them for a while, like say, a few months, don’t worry about it, they’re still “fine.” Or at least, they look fine. Eerily, McDonald’s small hamburgers don’t seem to rot at a regular pace. Or much at all, really.

In 2008, a health blogger named Karen Hanrahan posted a photo of a McDonald’s hamburger … that she’d bought in 1996 and saved, just to see what would happen. What happened is that, after twelve years, it looked the same as it looked in 1996, and it also looked the same as a brand-new McDonald’s hamburger.

Hanrahan argued that the immortality of the burger must be due to the vast array of preservatives in the burger, which rendered it “chemical food” that lacked any sort of natural nutrition. But according to food scientist J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, writing for Serious Eats, regular McDonald’s hamburgers don’t decompose normally because they don’t — and can’t — dry out. A typical McBurger is a non-perishable food on the level of dried beans, saltines, and other pantry staples. Paranoid of the apocalypse? Building a fallout shelter? Install a McDonald’s. Wasteland be damned, you’ll never starve.

How is this possible, though? Simple — there’s nothing to dry. A small McDonald’s hamburger is thin but flat, making for a high surface area-to-volume ratio. Then, it’s cooked until well-done on a hot grill, sucking out all the tasty, delicious, mortal moisture. No moisture means no bacteria—decaying agents—can propagate. Ever. And thus, the food lasts forever. Basically, you’re eating a mummy.

The company receives hundreds of millions in government cheese

The 2015 launch of all-day breakfast at McDonald’s led to two things: the meaningless of time, with regards to breakfast being a morning thing, and increased sales at McDonald’s nationwide. During the last quarter of that year, the company raked in a whopping $6.22 billion, attributable largely to the novelty of being served an English muffin with eggs on it just in time for Jeopardy!

That being said, it’s much easier for a company to rake in the profits if they’re getting free money from the government so it can play with its menu and experiment with late-evening hash browns. And they do — between 2003 and 2013, McDonald’s got subsidies from 42 state and city governments totaling nearly $4 million. McDonald’s even got a piece of the big federal “bailout” package in 2008 and 2009: a $203 million piece to be exact. McDonald’s: Too big to fail, and as long as government fatcats get literally fat off of midnight snack McGriddles, it never, ever will.

There’s a whole herd of cattle in that one burger

McDonald’s store signs claim “billions and billions served,” which means the number of burgers sold as much as it does the customers who have eaten those burgers. To serve that many burgers, McDonald’s has to slaughter and prepare an incredibly high volume of cattle in incredibly large and sophisticated meat-processing facilities. McDonald’s calls this burger creation the “blending process,” and it somehow gets more appetizing when you learn the step-by-step process.

In a nutshell, just so, so many cows are slaughtered. Their meat gets mixed together, and then formed into patties, but it’s done so haphazardly that a single beef patty may contain the meat of up to 100 different cows. A Bessie is a Bessie is a Bessie, apparently. But hey, even if you eat nothing but McDonald’s burgers, you’re still eating a wide variety of food from all over the globe.

The truth behind the “hot coffee” lawsuit

It’s the case most associated with “frivolous lawsuits” or an overly litigious society: the woman who successfully sued McDonald’s after she went and spilled a cup of their coffee on herself. The reality of the case, however, is quite complex, and, frankly, horrifying.

In 1992, 79-year-old Stella Liebeck went through a McDonald’s drive-through and pulled up on the lid to put in some cream—which, you know, cools it down—and wound up dumping it all over her sweatpants-covered lower half. But coffee, especially McDonald’s coffee, is hot: Even with clothes on, the brown stuff caused third-degree burns on over 16 percent of Liebeck’s body, including her thighs and genitals, burning the skin away completely in some places. During her eight-day hospitalization Liebeck underwent painful skin graft surgery.

Liebeck sued McDonald’s, initially wanting just $20,000 to cover medical costs and lost income during her recovery. That’s not so bad, but as we’ve made perfectly clear thus far, McDonald’s is both cheap and petty. The company offered $800 (roughly 800 cups of McDonald’s coffee), which was so insulting, Liebeck’s lawyers took them to court. Ultimately, she was awarded about $3 million by a jury who did find her partially responsible, because she pulled up on the lid too hard, but McDonald’s mostly responsible, for serving coffee way too hot for human consumption and/or handling.

Among the information that came out in the trial: McDonald’s required its restaurants to serve coffee at around 185 degrees, which is way hotter than what Mr. Coffee produces. In fact, a thermodynamics expert testified a liquid that temperature can burn through human skin in as little as two seconds. Even more shocking: In the decade before the Liebeck case, McDonald’s had received more than 700 complaints from people who had burned themselves on the coffee—and yet the company still refused to lower the temperature. They could’ve lost no money, then could’ve lost just 20 K, then lost 3 million, all because they were stubborn. Food, folks, and fantastic stupidity.

The weird history of Ronald McDonald

It is seemingly impossible to escape the lure of McDonald’s. Much like Jason Voorhees, run as hard as you want, but everywhere you turn, there it is, staring at you with its golden arches. Resistance is futile. At the center of the McDonald’s universe, holding it all together for generations, is the cherry-red smile of the infamous Ronald McDonald. While the mere mention of McDonald’s invokes images of pure Americana, Ronald’s white face-paint, carrot-top hair and peering smile masks a more oddball history. Grab your fries, kids.

Ronald was a replacement

Let the truth be told: Ronald started life as a scab.

In the Washington, D.C., area, Bozo the Clown, a children’s TV character that was franchised locally and played by different performers in different markets, was used to help promote the local McDonald’s franchise, owned by Oscar Goldstein and John Gibson. When Bozo went off the air in the D.C. marketplace, “Ronald McDonald, the Hamburger-Happy Clown” appeared faster than The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air could recast Aunt Viv. One second, Bozo was there, then Ronald burst upon the scene. Gullible children were none the wiser, and they continued to gobble burgers.

Clad in a yellow jumpsuit and striped shirt, early Ronald wore a paper cup for a nose and a tray for a hat while a complete McDonald’s meal hung from his belt buckle. Today, the Fashion Police would be blasting sirens, but the 1960s were a more colorful and accepting time. At least for clowns.

While Bozo faded into the past as a warmly-regarded nostalgia act, Ronald began to build his empire upon the foundation his predecessor had left behind. After just three local D.C. commercials, the clown was plucked from obscurity to star in national commercials. A star was born, but poor Bozo would never be publicly credited as Ronald’s forefather. Pie to the face for you, Bozo!

His creator was ignored for decades!

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While credited by McDonald’s as the first performer to portray Ronald McDonald, the fast food kings have been less than forthcoming with the role famous television weatherman Willard Scott had in creating Ronald. They never told you the truth, Ronald. He is your father.

In his 1982 book Joy of Living, Scott wrote that the owners of the local Washington, D.C., McDonald’s franchise hired him to come up with the burger-boosting replacement for Bozo the Clown. A local radio personality at the time, Scott took center stage in a trio of McDonald’s commercials as the clown, including one ensuring the flower power generation was indeed aware of Stranger Danger.

Ray Kroc, responsible for the franchise’s expansion nationally and beyond, sensed potential, promoting Ronald to national mascot. Scott, however, was cast aside, and the role was recast. Much as Kroc left the McDonald brothers in the dust, Ronald abandoned Scott, who was uncredited for the role he originated, without as much as an Extra Value Meal to show for it.

Scott famously had a decades-long run as an NBC weatherman, but even he couldn’t forecast that after he went public with his claims, McDonald’s would remain silent, beyond a brief acknowledgement Scott was the first to portray Ronald. Brrrr. Talk about a cold front. Even more insulting, the official credit for Ronald’s creation went to Oscar Goldstein, one of the franchise owners that tapped Scott to create Ronald to begin with.

Scott’s role would continue to be ignored until March 2000, when NBC’s Today Show aired a tribute to Scott that featured Henry Gonzalez, at the time President of McDonald’s Northeast Division, finally thanking Scott for his role in creating Ronald. Scott would retire from television in 2015, but had he received royalties for siring Ronald, certainly he’d have been long gone, lounging on some giant tropical island and basking in all his creative glory.

His best friend was evil

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Everyone loves Grimace. He’s Ronald’s best friend, that jovial blob who popularized purple decades before Prince was singing about rain. However, it’s been a deep-harbored secret that Grimace was not always as fun-loving — he used to be straight-up evil.

Evil Grimace, as he was originally coined, debuted as a four-armed thief out to steal milkshakes and sodas, only to be thwarted by Ronald, who tricked him into leaving all of the stolen goods behind by pretending to be a mailman delivering a fake invitation for a McDonald’s beauty contest. Yes, this is how they sold burgers in the ’70s. Groovy, man.

While Grimace may have been the scourge of McDonaldland when he debuted back in 1971, his reign of terror did not last long. After a few appearances, he was retconned into the dim-witted, happy right-hand man for Ronald we know today. They even cut off two of his arms.

Exactly how this happened in-universe has never been revealed. Was Evil Grimace apprehended and reprogrammed, A Clockwork Orange-style? McDonald’s isn’t talking, but it’s possible. Such treatment might kill a mere mortal, for as we know, nothing can kill the Grimace.

He lived in a psychedelic nightmare

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Everyone needs a place to hang their hat, right? Spokesclowns are no different, and in trippy days of the 1970s, his home, McDonaldland, was revealed. Featuring anthropomorphic characters designed to espouse the enrichment of the world through fast food, McDonaldland was complete sensory overload to children, with bright, colorful characters that looked as if they escaped Disney purgatory. Even better, you didn’t need to go on vacation to see them — they were broadcast right to you, originally in a memorable series of commercials, before evolving into VHS adventures that McDonald’s used to enrapture guests at children’s birthday parties, along with some of the trippiest playgrounds of all time.

Presided over by Mayor McCheese, a politician who remains so beloved he was actually endorsed in the 2016 Presidential Election, McDonaldland was a fantastic fever dream, filled with apple pie trees and thick shake volcanoes — the magical place where Ronald and Grimace foiled the sinister plots of Hamburglar and others who sought to swipe McDonald’s meals for themselves. These colossal battles of good vs. evil deftly balanced delivering moral lessons to kids while also accomplishing their true task: They Live-style subliminal advertising that McDonald’s is yummy and awesome and kids should ask for it all the time. Indoctrinating the young is the key to repeat business. Ask the WWE.

Like Atlantis before it, McDonaldland was lost to time and the ever-changing whims of corporate America. Modern campaigns put the gang out to pasture. Still, future civilizations may one day come across the ruins of McDonaldland and assume we worshiped at the altar of a crazy clown in a yellow jumpsuit. Stranger things, indeed.

He was sued by H.R. Pufnstuf

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When the McDonaldland ad campaign was launched, the colorful characters starring in madcap adventures certainly delighted thousands of children, but there was one family it didn’t delight — The Kroffts. Brothers Sid and Marty Krofft ruled over their own magical puppet kingdom, and were at the height of their popularity at the time. They were the kings of the psychedelic ’70s Saturday morning genre, so it was hardly a surprise when they were approached by McDonald’s ad agency Needham, Harper and Steers and asked to sprinkle some of that unbridled creativity over Ronald’s head. The two sides came to terms, but the agency soon yanked those plans.

So imagine The Kroffts’ surprise when McDonaldland debuted and Mayor McCheese bore a striking resemblance to their own top creation, H.R. Pufnstuf. To make matters worse, the Krofft brothers later learned some of their former employees had also worked on the campaign, and the Ice Capades later declined to renew the usage of Kroft characters, in favor of the McDonaldland copycats. Faster than you can say Freddy the Flute, a lawsuit was launched from the Land of the Lost, with all parties soon sitting before a magical jury that was to decree whether The Kroffts’ copyrights had been infringed.

The jury agreed with the Kroffts, but only awarded $50,000 in damages. Both sides flew like Birdie the Early Bird to an appeals court — The Kroffts, to get more of that Fry Guy cash, while McDonald’s, like Captain Crook, wanted to escape scot-free. Testimony indicated that representatives of Needham had toured Krofft HQ even after they had opted not to go with the family, leaving McDonald’s in quite the bind, legally. In the end, it was decided that The Kroffts were indeed owed some of that McDough, to the tune of $1,044,000. On top of that, McDonaldland commercials were shuttered. The Hamburglar did not escape this time, folks.

Moral of the story, kids? Who’s your friend when things get rough? Lawyers, that’s who.

McDonald’s tried to put a real-life Ronald McDonald out of business

McDonald’s is extremely protective and litigious over their brand. Just open any business that features a “Mc” and watch McLawyers descend upon you for a McBeating. So, it probably came as no surprise when McDonald’s attempted to legally smack down Fairbury, Illinois, eatery McDonald’s Family Restaurant over the use of the McDonald’s name.

What was unique was that the owner and proprietor was one Ronald McDonald. No kidding. Ronald McDonald opened his 240-seat eatery in 1956. When corporate McDonalds became aware of this establishment, it began firing off legal letters and phone calls, warning the McDonald family that they were trading on McDonald’s good name. In response, the family slightly changed the title, removing the possessive “s” from their name.

Not good enough for McDonald’s: it then descended upon Fairbury and opened its own outlet, seeking to plant a flag and become the dominant local McDonald’s. It was McDavid vs. McGoliath, for the hearts and stomachs of fair Fairbury.

The battle lasted three years, and, despite their corporate might, McDonald’s found itself unable to uproot Ronald. They finally tapped out, shutting down their location. This led Ronald to snark, “Most of our customers tried it once and never went back. They say they don’t miss it and they are glad we won out.” A McDonald’s spokesperson gave it their best spin, noting, “Closings rarely happen, because we are normally very good at site evaluation.” Hey, Mike Tyson was great at knocking people out, too, but then he met Buster Douglas.

Victorious, Ronald even kicked a little dirt on his clownish cousin post-victory, adding the possessive “s” right back to the name of his own eatery, where it has remained to this very day. Fairbury remains McNugget-free for two decades and counting.

The Hamburglar is real

Debuting in 1971, the Hamburglar joined the Ronald’s rogue’s gallery, attempting, over and over, to commit grand theft burger and hoard McDonaldland’s finest all for himself, but falling short every time. He’s received a few makeovers over the years, going from red-headed stepchild to his most recent incarnation, where he came to life and swapped his trademark bush hat for a Twitter-trending fedora, until dropping off the radar again. Or did he?

In April 2016, international headlines were made when a mysterious hat-wearing suspect broke into a Five Guys restaurant in the Washington, D.C., area and promptly cooked himself a meal. Despite calls to the public for help in identifying this hardened criminal, authorities were unable to apprehend this menace to society. Officer Big Mac, asleep on the job. Robble robble!

The McMarketing may have gotten out of hand

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Ronald and McDonaldland were specifically designed to market McDonald’s to children, and in that regard, it did gangbuster business, not only in keeping registers ringing across the country, but in getting the characters out of the restaurants and into the hands of children as tangible playthings. There were action figures, plush dolls, McWrist Wallets, novelty records, McDonaldland playsets, VHS tapes, and playgrounds, some of which as dangerous as they were colorful.

In the late-’80s and early-’90s, that weirdness spread to the world of videogames. There was 1993’s McDonald’s Treasure Land Adventure for the Sega Genesis, where Ronald fights off pirates en route to tracking down a treasure map so they could return home via an intergalactic rainbow. Or, 1992’s multi-platform MC Kids, where our heroes chase down Ronald’s magic bag after it was stolen by the Hamburglar. Does Felix the Cat know about this?

All of this madness pales in comparison to the insanity of 1988’s Japanese Famicom-only title Donald Land, where Ronald has to rescue all of his kidnapped friends from an evil clown named Gumon, fighting his own brainwashed friends and evil animals along the way. How did corporate approve this?

The licensing of Ronald across the board was all over the place, to be sure, but hey, it doesn’t matter what we think. He’s enshrined in the National Museum of American History — at least in doll form — forever, and we’re not. So there.

He’s a failed actor

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While he’s starred in countless commercials and home videos designed to build upon McDonald’s propaganda, Ronald is also a failed film actor, with just one lone credit to his name. Box office bomb Mac & Me was released in 1988 as an attempt to cash-in on the hot alien craze that followed the release of Spielberg classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. One can almost smell Hollywood deal-making in the air as the film unspools, taking the E.T. plot point that used Reese’s Pieces to forge a bond between E.T. and Elliot, only attempting to Xerox that strategy to the umpteenth degree, throwing in any and all product placement the producers could force-feed the audience.

None of these attempts are more traumatizing than an entire sequence that takes place at a mythical McDonald’s, where local children have congregated outside to break-dance. Ronald himself is there as the master of ceremonies for a children’s birthday party that our hero, Eric, attends, secretly bringing his alien pal Mac along for the ride. With Mac safely hidden inside the skin of a teddy bear, this fever dream of a sequence leads to a huge dance number, because, well, it’s the ’80s.

Ronald was heavily involved in promoting the film, but, in the end, it’s become a forgotten relic of the era, sucking the life out of viewers and Ronald’s cinematic dreams alike. The Flashdance reboot will have to wait. Until that day, Ronald will have to settle for motivational speaking gigs.

There have been calls for his retirement

Ronald has been around for generations, a welcoming face to wave families in the door before they scarf down their McNuggets. In recent years, however, his once rock-solid show of support has slipped. As Aaron Eckhart famously said in The Dark Knight, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” To some, Ronald has become the sneaky villain, tricking generations into making terrible choices, like that last shot at closing time.

“This clown is no friend to our children or their health,” proclaimed Corporate Accountability International, who called for Ronald’s unceremonious retirement in 2010, bemoaning him as the key ingredient in the secret sauce of obesity. To some, Ronald, not irresponsible parenting, was the root cause of a fast food nation brimming with health issues.

While McDonald’s did blink, in some regard, adding healthier fare on their menu, and introducing a slightly more grown-up hipster Ronald, in the end, the Southwest Salad and dialing down the kid-friendliness did little to change a nation’s craving for a late night Big Mac. Pass the diabetes.

Creepy clowns almost did him in

Every Superman has his kryptonite. In 2016, it appears that Ronald McDonald’s was discovered: creepy clowns. For inexplicable reasons, a plethora of creepy clowns descended upon planet Earth, popping up in major metropolitan cities and quiet towns alike.

Although there was no evidence that Ronald was culpable in this rising army of sinister clowns, he still shouldered some of the blame, since, for the first time, McDonald’s decided it was going to distance itself. Admitting it was “mindful of the current climate around clown sightings in communities,” the company opted to downplay Ronald’s appearances in the company’s many community and charity events. Although innocent, he was a persecuted clown.

Eventually, the sightings diminished, yet Ronald remains relegated to the shadows, his commercial run apparently far behind him. Until the tides change, one envisions him quietly waiting for the day when he gets to hold court while championing Big Macs yet again. Until then, tears of a clown. An innocent clown. Or was he?

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ivy72376 · 4 years ago

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TRUE FRIEND - August 18, 2020

It seems that everywhere I turn to these days, whether at home or in the office, or even in church and with colleagues and former classmates, everybody is selling something. And because I am a great believer and supporter in the power of domestic consumption, I cannot help but buy and patronize those that I like and need. After all, almost everybody is selling some food I love (which is virtually everything edible, tasty and clean), or something I usually need, or ‘especially need’ because of the new normal during this pandemic.

I really wonder at the ingenuity and talent of these friends of mine, and friends of friends too, because unlike a generation ago when if ever one has an inkling of entrepreneurial spirit and struggles to start a business, with even the first five years given by international accounting standards as reasonable period wherein a startup may incur losses, the new business people I meet during this season seem to know exactly what to sell, whom to sell to, how much to price, and how to reach their market. And I cannot help but feel that they are actually earning a profit too, no matter how small the margin.

I guess the longer this crisis drags on, one thing gets proven stronger—that we Filipinos are a very creative, imaginative and ingenious lot. We always survive, even with job losses, and thrive amidst the economic difficulties we face. Though it is sad and never a source of joy how a certain high-ranking official was ‘glad’ only 45% became jobless. 45% is a HUGE number, if our 110 million+ population, with let us just say for illustration purposes 50% employed, and 45% of that 50% is still almost 25 million people out of work, with no steady source of income, and at least 25 million people more who were supported by these employees who will go hungry. So the 45% jobless actually translates to 50% or more of our total population experiencing hunger, economic insecurity, despair and misery.

That is why it is such a thankful thing that our people are industrious by heart. We know how to get by with so little, we can always improvise, we are by nature a generally hygienic and sanitation-loving people, and we can look for ways to maximize however little the circumstances and resources are available to us.

And it is a fitting real-life illustration of the Word today, in the book of Psalms chapter 41.

Here King David expressed blessing on the person who considers the poor and needy, and this includes the literal unemployed, homeless, those in their senior years with no means to support them, children who are unable to go to school because of a lack of resources and means, single parents struggling to juggle family chores with working from home or working on reduced days and hours and reduced pay, and even the small and micro business owners struggling to open word-of-mouth or online businesses and earn income. Good thing the tax bureau was shamed into pursuing imposing taxes on the latter people, otherwise, let me declare this too, with their envy, greed and oppression, and their favoring large tax evaders over and exploiting or squeezing dry the small-time yet vulnerable, helpless and gullible micro-entrepreneurs and ordinary employees, they will never get to partake of the blessings invoked by the great king in verses 1 to 3.

On a more personal level, it is sad that there are also people like what the tax bureau has poised out to be. I witness friends who were short-changed in their selling, like by unscrupulous customers who order something and when the hard-working seller comes up with the product, either do not push through, or bargain hard to pay less than what was initially agreed upon, or worse, badmouthing the product and the seller themselves. They are like the people mentioned by the Psalmist in verses 3 to 9. Yes, he admits that he made a mistake, he may have some shortcomings or errors, and yet, these people worsen the situation by destroying his morale and reputation, spreading lies about him and planning evil against him. I am reminded of a cliché (though I’m not sure if this is the right word) of somebody who keeps eating something made and/or given by somebody else, and when he has finished the whole lot, has the gall to say that it is not delicious. I mean, yes, it is a marketing strategy, but taste tests are only that, they will never be the full serving, and they are only free on the first bite, but one has the responsible obligation to pay if one wants to eat more. And so even with friends, if we are given a taste test, let it not be heard from us how a certain slice or serving is small or not delicious, and spread it abroad. The worst part is when we say that something is too expensive. I mean, let’s wake up folks, everybody is by default, selling on SRP because it is the nature of the law of supply and demand, and if you like it and you can afford it, just buy it. Otherwise, just shut up and don’t let us hear you complain about the price, because what we are actually hearing is, you are just jealous and sour-graping because you cannot afford to pay, and you lack the credibility to be given credit or granted extended installment payments.

But we need not struggle so hard and so despairingly in our efforts to live a better life, because in verses 10 to 13, the Psalmist declared what each of us—particularly the oppressed, the abused, the betrayed, the shortchanged—needs to hear: we have a merciful GOD who raises us up, and puts us above those who trample on us. Because He favors us and blesses our earnest and faithful efforts in everything that we set our hearts to do, He makes us triumph over our enemies. He upholds our integrity so that no matter how disgraceful the backbiting or slanderous the accusations hurled on us by those who are envious of our efforts and our courage to face life’s many challenges, He will set us before His face forever, meaning He will always look on us, keep watch over us, and guide us in our affairs. Because we have an everlasting GOD who never fails, He will always cause people to come our way, either to patronize our products, pay on time completely and faithfully, support our work, and give us encouragement to go on. If we just continue to hold on in faith, work diligently and judiciously, He will surely send others our way who are much like Him, who will become our loyal supporters and customers, and our true friends.

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flauntpage · 7 years ago

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Demetrious Johnson Is Staging a Goddamn Revolution

There comes a point in the career of a transformative athlete when he's presented with the opportunity to increase his size and scope and perspective and his sense of self and re-evaluate his place in the world, a time when has ask to ask himself: Will his achievements exist entirely within the confines of his sport—those 48 minutes, those five sets, those five rounds—or will he allow himself to contemplate a world outside those lines, a world of his own making?

In the last couple of weeks UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson has been allowing himself to do just that, standing strong in the face of increasing pressure from UFC matchmakers and President Dana White to fight bantamweight contender TJ Dillashaw against his will, signaling a new resolve from the longtime UFC company-man to use his considerable leverage to impose his reasonable demands and flip the way things are done.

Yesterday, in an act of unprecedented and wonderful gall, Johnson released a statement decrying what he called the UFC's "mistreatment and bullying" during recent fight negotiations, attacking executives, particularly the infamously brash and demanding White, for tarnishing Johnson's "values and character as a person and a fighter," and accepting his role as a possible impetus for "other fighters to band together to start getting fair treatment"—which, if I weren't so cynical, I might take to be that long-awaited, mythic endorsement of a fighter's union from an A-level champion fighter.

Johnson's statement is a veritable Iliad of mistreatment and disrespect on the part of the UFC—including "tyrannical" matchmaking demands, unfair contract stipulations, dismissive attitudes about Johnson's monetary value, attempts by White to bully Johnson in both private and public, and the slandering of Johnson's reputation in the media—culminating in a supposed threat, relayed through UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard, from the UFC that if Johnson doesn't take the Dillashaw fight, the promotion will shut down the flyweight division.

It wasn't long ago that threats far less terrifying that those would have cowed any UFC fighter, much less one as uncontroversial and amenable as Johnson. But the days of absolute authority in the UFC seem to be on the wane, and there's no doubt something has happened to Johnson in recent weeks, transforming him from a loyal company-man into a shrewd and forceful advocate for himself. Yesterday on The MMA Hour, Johnson answered the UFC's threats directly, telling them, "Close the motherfucking division then. Because if somebody is willing to do that, that just shows you that they have no interest whatsoever of working with the champion. I never missed weight, always showed up on time, did all of my interviews on fight week, traveled to Australia in coach two times for the flyweight division. I've done a lot."

Where did this new, huge, vast Demetrious Johnson come from, this empowered civilian Johnson who now matches the temerity and self-actualization of the in-cage fighter we all know and love? Was it simply born out of the realization that he had tied the record for most UFC title fights a few months prior and was therefore in a negotiating position reserved for only the best and the brightest? No, Demetrious Johnson's come-to-Jesus moment didn't come in the quiet of the post-fight locker room or at home with his wife or on a mountaintop in India. Johnson's rebirth was much more ironic than that.

It seems Johnson was inspired to rethink his relationship to the UFC and his approach to negotiating at the UFC's own Athlete Retreat last month, an event put on by the promotion's new owners, Hollywood talent agent WME|IMG, and which featured presentations from, in their words, "a wide variety of experts across sports, entertainment, and business." Which is just where WME fucked up. Here they thought they would hire a bunch of big names from other sports to inspire their new employees (the fighters) to view their careers as opportunities for brand synergy and cross-promotional marketing integration, thereby benefitting the UFC brand and WME, and what they did instead was inspire their best employee to view his career as an opportunity for brand synergy and cross-promotional marketing integration, thereby benefitting himself. All those rich athletes on stage convinced Demetrious Johnson of one thing: to do whatever he can to become one of those athletes, which means being an athlete beyond the control of your promotion.

According to Johnson, those speakers—in particular former NBA star Kobe Bryant, former NFL player Michael Strahan, and current NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall—convinced the flyweight champion that the most important thing for an athlete is "finding your purpose, sticking to your principles, and don't back down from what you believe in. Seeing these big sports figures preach to us about that. Nobody out there is looking out for the best Demetrious Johnson. There's only one person doing that and that's me. … That's where I gained my backbone. Kobe and Brandon Marshal are like, 'You can't let your sport define you. You have to make sure you stick to your principles and what you believe in.'" I hope WME sees the irony here.

Photo by Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC

Since Johnson released his bombshell yesterday White and other UFC spokesmen have been quiet, though TJ Dillashaw, the bantamweight fighter whose desire to skip the line at flyweight and fight Johnson inspired all this mess in the first place, somehow managed to miss the point altogether. Taking Johnson's refusal to be bullied into fighting him as a personal slight, Dillashaw called out the champion on Instagram for being "afraid" and complained to ESPN, "Trying to say that I don't really deserve a title shot which I think is complete bullcrap. I don't think there's anybody in his weight class right now to push him and I'm healthy, I'm in shape, I'm already in the process—because Dana told me that's who I'm fighting—of dropping the weight class. I'm waking up at 143 pounds in the morning so that's a very, very reachable goal. … And it's kind of embarrassing to have him go and call himself the GOAT, to be the greatest of all time and turning down fights because he's scared to fight. He can say whatever he wants to say about all his other issues he has and being bullied—which, I don't understand how the greatest of all time gets bullied—but it all comes down to him being scared of me beating him."

Which is just the kind of small thinking Demetrious Johnson has recently liberated himself from (and, one could argue, just the kind of thinking the UFC wants their fighters engaged in: myopic, fighter-on-fighter, paying no attention to the man behind the curtain): seeing every action of a fighter through a fighting lens, refusing to acknowledge the world outside the cage, failing to understand how a person who fights for a living could possibly be bullied by the corporation he works for, not understanding just how perilous a situation Johnson just put himself into, refusing to look at the bravery of one fighter as potential liberation for all fighters. It's small-time thinking, free of the scope and breadth and depth and light and air and enlightenment of the new and improved Demetrious Johnson. Long may he reign.

Demetrious Johnson Is Staging a Goddamn Revolution published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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stephaniefchase · 8 years ago

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Bajan Newscap 2/5/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is your daily news cap for Sunday 5th February 2017. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT) or by purchasing a Sunday Sun Newspaper (SS).

BANK BOARD FED UP WITH WORRELL – A row of cataclysmic proportion has erupted at the Central Bank of Barbados. The SUNDAY SUN has been informed by highly placed officials that the board of directors of the Central Bank is seething with Governor and board chairman Dr DeLisle Worrell over the way he was running the institution; and some of them have gone as far as to call for his head, or they are prepared to quit. And, in an unprecedented move, some members of the board, so incensed by Worrell’s unyielding management style, which they said is carried over into the boardroom, met in his absence with Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler last Friday and made a case for his removal as Governor. (SS)

FLAT WINTER SEASON BAD NEWS – So much for coming in from the cold in 2016. Instead, the country’s leading economic sector tourism has been rocked by a flat winter season from last year. And the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association (BHTA) is now scratching its head in an attempt to boost bookings for this year, after the very disappointing start to the 2016 winter season. New chief executive officer of the BHTA, Rudy Grant, is bemoaning a serious drop in occupancy, along with a significant dip in visitor spending last November and December. And he isn’t expecting things to improve. (SS)

BARBADOS TO HOST LEADERSHIP SUMMIT - Business leaders and employees are being encouraged to participate in the inaugural Global Leadership Summit to be held at the Empower Complex from March 3-4. Ronnie Quimby, chairman of Leadership Summit Barbados, told the launch that the aim is to equip local leaders with the necessary skills to develop themselves and those around them. “Once you are engaged in leadership, we believe that you owe it to yourself first and to the people that you lead to get better as a person and as a leader,” he said. The summit, which will comprise of 10 global leaders including Bishop T.D. Jakes, John Maxwell and Melinda Gates, is expected to draw a crowd of approximately 650 persons. Quimby said families, businesses and the general public would benefit from the seminar, which is being hosted by the Willow Creek Association. Quimby also addressed the concerns of the lack of productivity in Barbadian work places. (BT)

FINANCIAL ISSUES IN SUGAR INDUSTRY – Financial constraints are crippling the production of the sugar cane in Barbados, a scientist said. Unit head of the Agronomy Research Variety Testing Unit Sandra Bellamy spoke after an agricultural management workshop on Friday at the unit’s home at Groves, St George. Bellamy said the financial situation was dire and some of the farmers have not been paid in full from last year’s harvest. She also said that sugar producers were being blamed for the state of the industry when other factors had contributed to the situation. “You always hear people say the cane varieties of today are no good, well they obviously don’t look very good but it is not the variety at blame if other issues at play,” she said. (SS)

BIPA:DELAY MAY NOT BE BAD THING – The Barbados Investors and Policyholders Alliance (BIPA) is still waiting for its day in court. Chairperson of the alliance, June Fowler, said the matter involving the $56 million settlement for CLICO and British American Insurance Company (BAICO) policyholders was scheduled to be called before the High Court on January 30, but on arrival, the matter was not listed in the court’s registry. “Right now we are waiting on another date, but hopefully we hear something this week and our attorney will get back to us and let us know then,” she told the SUNDAY SUN in a telephone interview yesterday. Last December, High Court judge Justice William Chandler approved a transfer agreement between CLICO International Life Insurance Ltd, New Life Investment Company and Resolution Life Insurance which was set to take effect on December 30. (SS)

UWI OBJECTS TO INTERNSHIP BID – The UWI’S Cave Hill Campus is closely monitoring reported attempts by the American University of Barbados (AUB) Medical School to get the green light to have its students attend training classes at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, even though the school is not yet accredited. The UWI’s medical faculty is the only institution that has accreditation to teach medicine here, and has an established affiliation with the QEH. AUB set up school in Barbados five years ago and while it is registered it cannot receive accreditation until students have graduated. However, medical sources reported that in recent times the AUB, located at Silver Sands, Christ Church, had been making a serious push to have its students involved in the QEH clinical clerkship programme because many of them from India and Nigeria had no visas to do internships at affiliate hospitals in the United States. (SS)

AG BENT ON MAKING WARDERS HAPPY – Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite has stoutly denied that morale among prison officers at Her Majesty’s Prisons Dodds has sunk to an all-time low under his watch. But he said that when he does deal with any issues currently facing the country’s prison officers, he would do so by meeting with the entire fraternity, and not just the outspoken president of their association, Trevor Browne. Brathwaite said that was the only way to avoid more finger-pointing at the island’s lone penal institution. “I have a prison advisory board, and they have not advised me that there is a morale problem. The previous president did not say that to me either. The management, Colonel Nurse [superintendent] and Mr [Cedric] Moore [head of custody] have not said to me, ‘We have any serious morale issues’,” Brathwaite told the SUNDAY SUN. (SS)

WORK BEGINS AT JOES RIVER - St Joseph MP Dale Marshall has hailed the commencement of work in Joes River for a temporary bypass, which will allow for much needed repair work to be undertaken on Joes River bridge. Residents of the area have been complaining of the deterioration of the bridge for some time now. Marshall posted photos of the ongoing work on his Facebook page today, and said that the Ministry of Transport and Works started work two days ago. According to him, it is moving along “at a nice rate” and the bypass should be done in another week. “I think that constituents will remember the last time a bypass road was cut through that area and the challenges navigating it when the slightest rain fell. I am assured that this time, the road, though temporary, will be finished with an asphalt surface. “I have no indication yet of when the bridge repair will commence, but this is a good start, I think,” Marshall said. He said the work mars the natural beauty of the Joes River forest, but it is for a good cause. “I hope that someday soon the Joes River forest itself will be restored to a place of significance to all of Barbados. For the moment, the safety of the users of the bridge take precedence,” Marshall said. (BT)

NUPW GENDER AFFAIRS ARM SUPPORTS FAMILY OF DECEASED TEEN - The Gender Affairs Committee of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) today extended sympathies to the family of 16-year-old Chante Yarde, who was found hanging from a rafter at her Brittons Hill home last night. Police say the teen’s body was reportedly discovered by her mother. “At this time our prayers are with the Family, that God Almighty with strengthen them during their time of grief,” NUPW Gender Affairs chairwoman, Makala Beckles-Jordan said in a statement. According Beckles-Jordan, the issue of child/teen suicide is one of great concern, as the youth are in need of high levels of guidance and positive contributors in their lives at all times. She noted that Barbados has introduced a number of suicide prevention initiatives, including school programmes, crisis centre hotlines, and screening programmes that seek to identify at-risk adolescents. There are also media guidelines which include suicide prevention strategies that involve educating professionals across the country, hosted by the Psychiatric Hospital. She also encouraged parents, teachers and guardians to take the time to listen to their children, give the child a chance to speak without fear, and be active in the child’s life as much as possible. (BT)

OWNERS CAN BE CHARGED – Any pet owner in Barbados whose animal causes the death of a human being can be charged with manslaughter, based on common law. In addition, the estate of the deceased person can commence a civil lawsuit seeking damages from the owner of the animal involved. This revelation has come from the country’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Charles Leacock, QC. “The law with respect to dogs in particular is governed by the common law, and secondly by the Dogs Licensing And Control Act, Chapter 177. This became effective on March 1, 1982, so it is quite dated,” Leacock revealed in an interview with the SUNDAY SUN. (SS)

TWO INJURED IN ACCIDENT - Two individuals are nursing injuries from an accident which occurred along Bridge Road, Carrington Village St Michael around 1:00 p.m. yesterday. The three-vehicle collision involved 50-year-old Lennox Bowen of Hillside Terrace, Gall Hill Christ Church, 59-year-old Ezra Maynard of Husband Heights St James, and Winslow Small of Sergeant Village Christ Church. The vehicle driven by Bowen was extensively damaged, while minor damage was done to the other two. Bowen, who was seen at the scene laying on the sidewalk, complained of neck pain and his wife Vanessa Bowen, complained of pain to her shoulders. They were transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for medical attention. Police are currently continuing investigations. (BT)

ACCIDENT ON SEARLES ROAD – Two drivers were taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital this evening following a collision on Searles Road. The driver of the silver vehicle exited the minor road unto the main road and collided with the white van. (BT)

BAIL & JAIL FOR TWO DRUG ACCUSED – Two men, including a Trinidadian fisherman, were remanded to prison on drugs charges this morning, while their two co-accused were granted bail. Barbadians Mark Antonio Powers, 44, of Peat Bay Road, Merricks, St Phillip, Justin Selman, 47, of Woodbourne, St Philip, 31-year-old Dwayne Jamal Lewis of St Lawrence, Christ Church, and Trinidadian 24-year-old Darius Conrad Peters were arrested on Wednesday on Light House Road, Ragged Point, St Philip, and Marley Vale Road, St Philip. Acting on information received, police officers went to the area where they encountered the men in vehicles on Light House Road and Marley Vale Road. The men were arrested after police discovered the drugs during a search of their vehicles. They all appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant in the District C Magistrate Court today. Powers and Peters were jointly charged with possession of cannabis, trafficking of cannabis and possession with intent to supply. The offences were committed along Light House Road. The drugs weighed 170.1 kilos with a street value of $680,400. Peter was charged separately with importation of cannabis, disembarking other than a port of entry, and entering the island other than at a port of entry. Selman and Lewis, meanwhile, were jointly charged with possession of cannabis, possession with intent to supply, and trafficking in cannabis. The offences were committed on Marley Vale Road, St Philip. The total weight of the cannabis is 53 kilos, with an estimated street value of $233,000. Powers and Peters were remanded to her Majesty Prisons Dodds, while Selman and Lewis were bailed in the sum of $120,000 with one surety. All four men are due to reappear in the District C Magistrates Court on February 10. (BT)

CHANGE THE SUPER 50 FORMAT – Formats and tournaments structures, like rules and regulations, conditions of play and the laws of cricket, should never remain constant. Changes, especially for improvement, should always be embraced, particularly in a technological age and modern environment where an attractive package is essential. Even when you reckon you have arrived at the best structure, there is always room for a little tweaking. For the second straight year, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is playing its Regional Super50 Tournament under a double round zonal format. The ten teams have been divided into two groups of five with each team playing the other twice in a round-robin competition. The top two teams in each group with the most points will then advance to the semi-finals, with the winners contesting the final for championship glory. (SS)

POWERFUL POWELL - Kieran Powell is back with a bang. Appearing in his first full season following an unsuccessful attempt to play Major League Baseball, the Leeward Islands Hurricanes captain yesterday completed his third century of the WICB Regional Super50. The left-handed Powell made 106 that lifted the hosts to a challenging 275 for nine against English county Kent Spitfires in their day/night match at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. The knock followed scores of 105 against West Indies Under-19 and 135 against Windward Islands Volcanoes and took him to a tournament high aggregate of 429 runs at an average of 85.80. (SS)

BAJANS ONE WIN AWAY – Barbados look right at home, abroad. The country’s Davis Cup team is now just one win away from winning its first overseas tie after capturing yesterday’s doubles rubber to take an all-important 2-1 lead in Paraguay heading into today’s reverse singles at the Rakiura Resort. With world No.142 Darian King pairing with seasoned campaigner Haydn Lewis, the visiting Bajans put themselves on the brink of history with a big 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(5) straight-sets win over Ayed Zatar and Bruno Britez. It was an impressive performance, giving Barbados two bites at the cherry today to earn their first Davis Cup victory away from home since being promoted to Group II in 2012. (SS)

ST. JAMES CHURCH HARVEST TALK OF THE TOWN – It was the most attractive thing on the platinum west coast yesterday. The St James Parish Church’s annual harvest and garden party attracted a large crowd of locals and visitors on the church grounds in Holetown. Governor General Sir Elliott Belgrave was among the audience, who were entertained by the Royal Barbados Police Force Band, and a steel pan orchestra. Art enthusiasts were treated to a number of beautiful pieces of work, and colourful flower bouquets. (SS)

CHINESE AND BAJANS CELEBRATE IN CITY – Xnnián kuàilè – that means Happy New Year in Chinese. Yesterday, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Barbados and the Central Bank of Barbados celebrated the beginning of the Chinese New Year at Church Village Greens in The City. The New Year, which is also known as the Spring Festival, is marked by the lunisolar Chinese calendar, and this year is the Year Of The Rooster. The event, which was entitled the Fish & Dragon Festival, attracted hundreds of people, both locals and visitors, who soaked up the fusion of local and foreign cultures in Bridgetown. The festival started with a joint blessing of a lion and dragon by Governor of the Central Bank, Dr DeLisle Worrel and Chinese Ambassador Wang Ke. (SS)

A TREAT FOR GIRLFRIENDS – The highly-anticipated Girlfriend’s Expo and Arts Festival officially got underway today at the Barbados Concorde Experience. Women of all ages came out for the first day of the expo to explore the various booths on display. Some of the booths featured were Make Up Doll Cosmetics, Badge Kingz, La Rosa, Neutrogena, Cooke’s Finest, Sun General and Stoli. The ladies were also treated to seminars and entertainment including fashion shows and live music.From manicures and makeovers to cake tasting and wine sampling, the girlfriends were given a full beauty and relaxing experience. Some of the women who attended told Barbados TODAY they noticed fewer numbers of booths at the expo this year compared to previous years. Others said that this year’s Italian theme “La Dolce Vita” was not fully portrayed in all of the showcases. Nevertheless, those who attended were pleased with the atmosphere and overall organisation of the expo. (BT)

Well that’s all for today folks. There are 330 days left in the year ;) Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

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