#mission: recondition franchise

[fadingtimetravelqueen]

Vancouver Whitecaps Earn a Point with Late Penalty in Draw against Kansas

 Ryan Gauld's goal secures a 1-1 draw for the Whitecaps in MLS clash

Date: June 4, 2023

In an exciting Major League Soccer (MLS) matchup on Saturday night, the Vancouver Whitecaps fought back to claim a point against Sporting Kansas City with a(more)

[lj-writes]

What is, in your opinion, the biggest battle (Republic v. Mandalore, Republic v. Separatist, Rebellion v. Empire, Resistance V. First Order) in the entire Star Wars franchise, and how would you try to top all of them in your version of IX?

What an excellent question, and it really helped me focus my Episode IX feels. I’d say the Battle of Endor from RotJ was the biggest with significant resources thrown in on both sides with a ground battle element, though the Battles of Scarif and Yavin were IMO better written with higher emotional stakes.

My Episode IX could roll all those elements together and bring the trio of trilogies full circle to… the Second Battle of Tatooine! The existence and plans of the Galactic Union have been revealed, and while it has failed to take Coruscant the worlds loyal to the Union have declared their allegiance. The Republic is split in two and turning on itself, while Mandalore faces an impossible dilemma: Must it fight its own stolen children? See also my alternate Episodes VII (link) and VIII (link).

The action would be divided into three parts: space battle over Tatooine, ground battle on Tatooine, and an uprising plot with Finn turning the Union’s Crusaders. The newly reinstated Chancellor Leia Organa together with Admiral Ackbar leads the Republic forces to Tatooine and Geonosis space, where the Galactic Union had been hiding a large part of its fleet and personnel now ready to deploy and take Naboo, Takodana, Jakku, Hosnia and more.

Leia implores Boba Fett for help, but the Mandalorians have their own problems. The part of the Republic now loyal to the Union is continuing the assault against the Mandalorians, tying them down.  The Mandalorians are also hesitant to fight the main body of the Galactic Union and the Crusaders who were revealed to be Mandalorians stolen as children. Unable to count on Mandalorian help Leia nevertheless continues to Tatooine, Lando’s fleet from Bespin joining hers. Poe and Black Squadron have scouted the area and report back that the Union fleet are close to deploying. Luke has already been on his home planet a while, brokering a peace treaty between the Republic and the various factions on Tatooine with the help of C3PO (link).

Rey is on a separate mission looking for Finn. Finn himself, imprisoned and being reconditioned, tries desperately to hang onto his sense of self. Rey senses his pain and resolve, and dives into a dangerous defunct hyperspace route in search of him. She makes it through a hyperspace storm that she barely steers the Falcon through before finding herself in a regular hyperspace route alongside the Union flagship. They drop into normal space and so does she, and is tractored on board. Taken prisoner and facing Kylo Ren with the Knights of Ren arrayed around him, she finds Finn–standing guard next to Kylo, staring straight ahead, not seeming to hear her pleas. Ren offers her a place in the Union and she refuses. Ren then orders Finn to fight Rey, and during the fight reveals to her that Finn’s father killed her parents. Rey realizes he’s telling the truth and fights back in hate and rage until she realizes she is falling to the Dark Side and, remembering her love for Finn, throws down her saber.

Ren orders Finn to kill Rey and he marches forward, seemingly about to strike her down before he turns his attack on Phasma. He had been repeating a phrase drilled into him, a Mandalorian motto that the Union had stolen and twisted around, and held onto it while he was being reconditioned. Now, with the revelation of his heritage by Ren, his memories rush back and he remembers his fathers, his sense of belonging, Mandalore in whose ways he had been brought up all along though in a way that was twisted to serve his kidnappers. He rallies the Crusaders, reminding them that they are Mandalorians even though they were stolen and bred as weapons. They are not weapons, however, they are warriors. Some of the Crusaders rally to him, others turn on them, and there is enough confusion for Finn and Rey to escape with the freed Mandalorians and damage the flagship in the process.

Back on Tatooine the Tatooine Alliance of Hutts, Jawas, Tuskens, and farmers attack the Union ships and supplies, destroying a significant number of ships before they can launch. Luke is in the thick of the fray, with C3PO complaining about how disorderly everything is and also directing a droids for espionage and sabotage.

In the space above Tatooine Leia and Lando’s fleet shoot down the Union fleet while Ackbar blocks off the perimeter with mines and bombers. The Union fleet is still an enormous force and are wearing down the Republic fleet. They need help and have nowhere to expect it from.

On Mandalore, the warriors are defending the home world from Union forces while a Union dreadnought moves into position for bombardment from orbit, a move that would wipe out all life on the surface. At that desperate hour more Union ships emerge from hyperspace and it looks like all is lost–but these are the free Mandalorian warriors led by Finn and they fall on the Dreadnought, destroying it! Finn informs the Mandalorians by comm of what happened. Watching this brave young man, Idrian Fett and Teros Kryze are gripped by the strangest feeling of recognition while telling themselves it can’t be. The Mandalorians together send the Union fleet into a route.

The Mandalorians must now decide whether to stay and protect their homeworld or go to Leia and the Republic’s aid. Finn argues that they must save the Republic’s fleet. The Union’s entire strategy consisted of sowing dissension between the Republic and the Mandalorians, and it is only together that they can win the day. Idrian, thinking of the long-ago tragedy his own anger caused, backs him up, convincing the Mandalore.

Over Tatooine Lando personally shoots down a number of ships at the head of the Bespin fleet. Leia crashes enemy starships together using the Force. Ackbar’s defense never wavers, despite great sacrifices. Droid-piloted ships crash into the enemy, leaving holes in their lines. Poe and Black Squadron bring down a capital ship. If the Republic is to fall here, they will make every death count to at least give a fighting chance to the rest of the galaxy.

That is when new Union ships arrive, alongside Mandalorian ships! There is confusion for a moment before they realize the Mandalorian cavalry is here, and the day seems to be theirs.

Meanwhile, the Tatooine Alliance back on the surface of the planet discover among the captured Union equipment some kind of regulator that is connected to one of Tatooine’s suns. Luke is stunned when he realizes that, essentially, the suns of Tatooine have been turned into bombs. The Union must have been waiting for their enemies to gather in one place and one of the suns will engulf the entire system in twenty minutes, setting off the other in a chain reaction.

Luke warns Leia to get the fleet out of harm’s way while he attempts to evacuate the planet, but when none of the ships can jump into hyperspace they realize that the Union has blocked off hyperspace travel in the area.

Then Kylo Ren’s Union flagship bursts into normal space. Ren informs his mother by comm that this system is about to be destroyed and he will take her away, installing her as the political head of the new Union to rule the galaxy as she sees fit–as she deserves to, as their family deserves to after all it has done for the universe. Leia flat-out refuses, saying she won’t be a puppet front for a mass murdering regime. She urges her son to stop the bomb and Kylo is angry with her, berating her for her ingratitude when he has paid such a high price for her. He tries to tractor and drag her ship into hyperspace, but she orders thrusters reversed and holds fast.

Ren, now panicked at the thought of losing his mother as well as his father, leads a boarding party to her ship to extract her. When the hatch opens he is greeted by Finn and his Mandalorian warriors who jump into battle with Ren and his Knights.

Meanwhile Rey is on the Falcon, having hit on a plan with Luke over the comm to try and open a hyperspace route to divert the solar flare from the first sun before it hits Tatooine and reaches the other sun in the system. Luke, with no time to join her physically, goes into Force meditation on Tatooine.

Finn and Ren have a rematch and it looks like Finn is done for when Ren disarms him. But Finn takes Ren’s lightsaber to replace his own, wins the fight, then pulls a T’Challa and captures Ren before he can kill himself. Ren needs to face a tribunal–and worse, his mother–for his crimes.

Together Rey and Luke manage to open a route into hyperspace and Rey disappears into it ahead of the flare, trapping it in hyperspace. Back on Tatooine Luke disappears in the light of the binary sunset, too much of his essence poured into the Force. Finn and the others watch and wait for Rey to emerge into normal space and contact them, but she doesn’t.

The battle won, the captured Union database gives the freed Mandalorians information of their origins and Finn reunites in an emotional scene with Idrian and Teros. Leia, unsmiling, tells an arrested Ben that he is grounded for life. A memorial is held for those lost in battle, and Rey’s name is among them.

After a time skip Finn is proclaiming the creation of a new joint force between the Republic and Mandalore to keep peace in the Outer Rim and root out slavery. At that moment a ship jumps out of hyperspace, its hull red-hot and visibly falling apart, and a giant gout of flame follows in its wake. Finn recognizes the Falcon and tells Rey through the Force to eject, which she does just before the Falcon is consumed by the flames and blows up. Told you my version of Finn solves far too many problems by ejecting people into space Finn blasts into space to catch her and they bring her in, burned, frostbitten, and barely conscious but clinging to Finn as she tells him she followed him home, his light burns so bright.

When Rey comes to she is safe and in treatment. Her right hand was damaged and had to replaced with a mechanical prosthesis. She is, little by little, introduced to the new reality and we learn it through her. The Galactic Union is in disarray, and Republic and Mandalorian forces are hunting them throughout space. Leia is working to pull the Republic back together and bring the pro-Union leaders to justice. Hearings are beginning on Ben’s trial. Rey talks about her own ordeal, how she was lost in space and time and thought she was going to die, how she found Finn’s Force signature in the maeltrom and made her way out.

Hesitantly Finn introduces Rey to his fathers, and Rey hears from Idrian himself what happened. She learns that her mother is alive, though comatose, and goes to see her in the same hospital. When Rey stands over her mother’s bed she and Finn both feel Irena trying to wake up and reach out to her daughter, and they clasp hands to join their Force powers and bring Irena back. You see glimpses of Force ghosts around the bed, Qui-Gonn, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Anakin, and Luke, helping them. Irena opens her eyes and, without a moment’s hesitation, calls her daughter’s name. They hug, camera pans out, credits.

[ramajmedia]

Star Wars: How The Empire Recruited Stormtroopers (They're Not Clones)

Stormtroopers have been a mainstay of the Star Wars franchise from the very beginning, but how were they recruited? First appearing in A New Hope, the white armored soldiers served the Empire and the commands of Darth Vader and The Emperor. They've developed a reputation for their terrible aim, despite rigorous training with their E-11 blaster rifles.

The Stormtroopers are part of the Imperial Army and were the next evolution of Sheev Palpatine's plans to reign over the galaxy. He originally had a mass army of Clone troopers under his command and used them to execute the Jedi as part of Order 66, which helped him seize control of the galaxy. While they served their purposes, the Clone troopers were slowly phased out of operation by the Emperor. Instead of using the clones of Django Fett to do his bidding, Palpatine opted to recruit cadets to serve him instead. But how did one become a Stormtrooper?

Related: Why Stormtroopers Originally Had Lightsabers In Concept Art

The only way to become a Stormtrooper was by going through the Imperial Academy. These academies became the training center for Imperial cadets, who are individuals who were recruited to join the Empire. Cadets could be recruited by fellow members of the Empire or simply go to the academy when they were of age. All cadets went through various training programs designed to ensure their commitment to the Empire's cause. Since there were many roles to fill in the Empire, not every cadet became a Stormtrooper.

If someone was selected to be a Stormtrooper, then they underwent another set of training. This additional reconditioning further stripped cadets of their identities as they swore allegiance to the Empire. It was during this time that cadets were dehumanized by no longer going by their birth name and instead only being distinguished by their operating numbers. Stormtrooper cadets also continued training, which sometimes simulated combat missions. In rarer instances, Stormtrooper cadets were put into active use to gain further experience. There were also specialized units of Stormtroopers that could require even more training.

The Stormtroopers were present for every major battle that came during the Empire's reign. They fought on Scarif, but couldn't stop the Rebels in time. Stormtroopers were also present for the Battle of Yavin but did not have that large of a role to play. Meanwhile, they were front and center during the Battle of Hoth and the Battle of Endor. Once the Empire fell, though, the New Republic made further recruitment and action by the Stormtroopers illegal. However, the ending of their work did not happen immediately and eventually saw the remnants of the Empire retreat to the Unknown Regions to begin crafting the First Order.

The First Order took a different approach in finding their Stormtroopers. They bypassed the recruitment and loyalty stages by starting Project Resurrection, which sees the First Order take kids away from their families at a very young age and raise them with the mindset of the First Order. They are trained from a very young age to be Stormtroopers and don't remember much of anything beyond their loyalty to the First Order. This has not been a full-proof process, though, as FN-2187 aka Finn (John Boyega) is one of the known defectors from this program. Oddly enough, the Empire's recruitment process of finding Stormtroopers is now a lot more humane than what Star Wars has done since.

MORE: Star Wars 9: How Kylo Ren's Sith Troopers Connect To The Real Sith

source https://screenrant.com/star-wars-stormtroopers-empire-recruit-clones/

[warrantech]

The CPO Playbook

How do you build a top-tier certified pre-owned marketing program in your independent operation? 

You build it from the ground up. 

That means you start with the basics – a good partner to help you with your program and train everyone on their role in the process.

 When Peyton Manning was quarterback of the Denver Broncos, he would yell “Omaha” as he waited for the snap.

 Manning’s voice made the entire stadium tense up in anticipation of what was coming. Most important, his teammates snapped to a state of mental preparedness. When the snap came, they could react without thinking. 

 The offense has the advantage over the defense – the offense knows what’s about to happen.

 Every player knows his responsibilities and if any of them fail to carry out their assignment the play won’t work. Because they have a plan, the team moves in unison, beginning at the sound of the quarterback’s voice.

 That can happen in your store. You can make is so everyone knows what to do when you call the play. 

 When your staff knows which part of the playbook is being used and what everybody’s assignments are, the store becomes a team. 

Manning was able to get buy-in from his teammates because they all knew the situation. Some plays are designed to get one tough yard and some are after a big gain.  

When everyone knows the situation and the goal of the play, they can carry out their duties with a more dedicated commitment.

 So why are you calling the play for a CPO program? 

Even if you know the answer to that question it might not be obvious to your employees.

 The answer, really, is easy – to keep up with the competition.

 The popularity of certified pre-owned is not showing any signs of slowing down. In fact, CPO sales set records for six consecutive years, and when the final numbers are tallied for 2017, they’re expected to break the record again. 

Certified pre-owned vehicles are becoming more desirable even though fewer than half of all customers know what CPO entails. 

 According to Autotrader’s 2014 CPO research study, 60 percent of car buyers said they’d like to look at a CPO unit while making a used car selection, but only 48 percent actually knew what it means for a vehicle to be certified. 

 Those customers most likely don’t know the difference between warranties that come with a vehicle and extended service contracts that are purchased.

 That leads to several conclusions about how to maximize the value of a CPO program. Customers have heard of CPO and feel it is a better option. They also know it’s usually backed by a warranty for some period. 

 The statistics tell us that to get the full value of a CPO program dealers should not rely on what customers think they know about certified pre-owned. A full presentation and explanation allows salespeople to create a need for the program.

 For example, at Auction Direct USA, one of the nation’s most successful CPO dealerships, salespeople walk customers past an education wall that teaches them about Auction Direct, NIADA and their partnership in the NIADA Certified Pre-Owned program.

  Sales is about giving enough information to allow customers to arrive at the conclusion you want them to. That definition requires your salespeople to have knowledge of what the dealership’s program includes. 

With that knowledge your salespeople can provide customers information that allows them to consider the value of the CPO program when weighing your dealership’s vehicles against the competition’s.

  The economy continues to grow, allowing more people to be able to buy a vehicle. That alone is going to create a spike in business. 

To capture more than their share of that market, independent dealers must be ready to compete for every deal. 

 Analysts agree a majority of used vehicle buyers are interested in at least learning about CPO. That means if you do not have a CPO program, you are left fighting for the scraps among the minority of customers who don’t know about or are not interested in CPO.

 And it allows new car franchises and sophisticated independents to dine on the more lucrative segment of customers who are searching for certified pre-owned vehicles. 

 You need to let your team know why the CPO play was called. The people who represent your programs to the public need to know it will allow the store to stay competitive and will make marketing to the entire spectrum of the used car business viable. 

 Once the people who will make your program a success know why you are setting up a CPO program, the next question to answer is, “Why that one?”

 So how do you choose which program to bring into your dealership family? 

Factory programs are fantastic – but they’re not an option for independent dealers. OEMs only certify their branded vehicles exclusively through franchise stores.

 Even if independents could get in on the factory CPO programs, they have their issues.

 Just a few years ago, for example, the margin for CPO vehicles was as much as $2,500 more than for other inventory. Today, according to research by iseecars.com, it’s more in the $750-$1,200 range. 

That’s still a good return, but when you add in the average price of reconditioning a used vehicle to factory CPO specifications – including expensive items such as factory floor mats and four matching tires – most of that profit for OEM programs goes to expenses that don’t increase the customer’s satisfaction with the vehicle.

 Indeed, factory programs are so stringent with their qualifications that they only certify their brand at a factory store. Which is why some new vehicle franchises have begun to use independent programs to certify their non-factory inventory. 

 Without a factory program what are you left with? 

There are three main ways to certify a vehicle. OEM programs are one. Independents can also self-certify through a service contract company. 

 Or they can find an independent organization willing to certify the dealer’s CPO process.

 The best-known national certified pre-owned program for independent dealers in the NIADA Certified Pre-Owned program, sponsored by NIADA – an organization with more than 70 years of history whose mission includes promoting ethics in the used car industry.  

When NIADA wanted to bring its reputation and expertise to the CPO world it looked for a partner with the ability to certify pre-owned vehicles as well as experience and financial wherewithal to back those vehicles with a strong warranty.  

The exhaustive search for a program administrator led to AmTrust Financial Services and its wholly owned subsidiary, Warrantech.

 “The best thing about that is it’s the same administrator General Motors and Mazda use for their extended service contracts and CPO, giving independent dealers’ customers the same service a new vehicle franchise would give,” said Warrantech’s Natalie Suarez, director of NIADA Certified. 

 As a result of NIADA’s partnership with AmTrust, Suarez said, “we are able to provide a high-level, complete marketing program for independent dealers.” 

 NIADA’s program, Suarez said, “is designed to give customers the kind of service in the event of a breakdown that’s usually reserved for new car dealerships, elevating the independent dealer in the customer’s eyes.

 “And the more repeat and referral business dealers can generate, the less they spend on conquesting new customers.” 

One of the first car salespeople in America was a man named Eddie Rickenbacker, who was best known as America’s most decorated flying ace, earning the Medal of Honor in World War I. He also raced in the Indianapolis 500, helped design a vehicle that bore his name and founded Eastern Airlines.

  Rickenbacker always said he learned while selling cars that you had to find your advantage and move continually towards that advantage, a philosophy that allowed him to survive countless dogfights over France.

  “The one thing I know for a fact is every lot has the same vehicles and the prices are pretty much the same, so if you want to differentiate yourself from the pack, you better provide something no one else does,” longtime auto dealer and advertising pioneer Bob Catterson once said. “If you can’t do something special the only other choice is price, and price prohibits sales, not makes them.

” Calling the NIADA CPO play for your store creates that competitive advantage over other independent dealers – and it allows you to compete with new car franchises for their used vehicle customers. 

NIADA adds to that advantage with CPO partners that include some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Carfax, eBay Motors and SiriusXM Radio, adding credibility with customers and making your inventory more visible on search engines. 

Not to mention AmTrust, which has earned an A rating on A.M. Best’s rating system as one of the most stable companies in America and an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.  

Once all the people in the store know their part in running the play, it is important for everyone to flawlessly execute his or her assignment.

 As legendary coach Vince Lombardi once said, “You can’t coach a player who hasn’t been trained.” Before they can execute the plan, your staff must be trained. 

 Whoever is responsible for certifying vehicles must understand how important it is to properly communicate the condition of each vehicle to management.

 If it costs too much to bring the car up to CPO standards, management needs to know. And the certifying technician needs to know that not certifying a vehicle also has a cost to the dealership.

  The technicians who inspect the vehicles need to be shown the deeper importance of their work to the sales process. In the CPO process, credibility is extremely important. Customers must believe in the concept of the inspection process. 

If customers do not believe there has been an actual technician touching the car, they will doubt the value of the warranty and that will negate any certification advantage. 

 Sales must use the NIADA certification checklist in the sales process.

  The sales department should leave a copy of the checklist in the glove compartment of the certified vehicle. The salesperson will pull the checklist out during the walkaround or demo ride and go over how the inspection affects the customer’s ownership experience. 

 The tech’s role is to check every box individually to give validity to the checklist. He or she can help sales even more by adding extra details, such as writing the actual numbers for tire tread and brake pad width. 

  When the behind-the-scenes people who help sell vehicles realize how much the little things they do help the profitability of the store, their work ethic is increased.

 Salespeople have the job of being enthusiastic about the program.

 W. Clement Stone once said, “A positive attitude increases the likelihood of a good outcome.” That means being committed to the belief that what the store is providing the customer has value helps accomplish the task – in this case, the task is maximizing profit and sales volume.

How did Peyton Manning always perform at a high level and get his teams to perform with him when he called his plays?

 The team started from the ground up, making sure everyone knew the play, their role in the play and the goal the play was meant to accomplish.

 If everyone does their job, from the inspection process to sales and finance, having a great CPO option allows independent dealers not only to keep up with the local competition but to be competitive with dealers across the country via the Internet. 

Article Source: https://warrantech.com/blog/january-2018/the-cpo-playbook/