Tag Archives: Business news

Fakebook takes another misstep

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By GIANNA SANCHEZ

Instead of commercials and print advertisements, Facebook has found a new way to advertise for their company.

Facebook has allegedly paid The Daily Telegraph, a U.K. broadsheet, to write articles that defend Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The articles have been put under a collection called “Being human in the information age.” 26 stories have already been published in the last month under this umbrella.

Facebook has made this move because of the negative press it has been receiving in the last few months. By using articles to publish this positive information, it can manipulate the public. This is not a true article, but rather an advertisement through journalism. But this is not the same kind of advertising most companies are using.

This is the exact opposite sort of advertising Facebook should be doing right now. They are constantly under fire for the spread of “fake news” articles being posted on the platform. This is a form of fake news. It’s different if these types of articles were deemed commentaries or op-eds. If they are regularly posted in the newspaper, then this is misleading for the public. Many would consider Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg to be untrustworthy, why would I trust them after they pay for positive articles to be written about them?

The company spokesperson said this would help with marketing, but I think once more people find out about this, it will look like bad news for the company once again. Facebook should be working more on their security and fact checking rather than their marketing for a better Facebook.

Boeing loses large 737 Max order

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By OLIVER JIA

According to the CNN news, Indonesian airline has canceled its $4.9 billion order for the Boeing 737 Max.

“Boeing 737 Max has happened plane cash twice and caused death in less than five months,” said Indonesian airline Garuda. Indonesia lion air happened crashing in October 2018, killing all 189 people aboard. An Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max crashed earlier this month and 157 people were killed.

People are afraid to fly on a Boeing 737 Max. Passengers have lost their confidence in Boeing. The Indonesian airline ordered 50 planes in 2014. It has already taken one of the planes, but the airline stated that it no longer want to receive any other 737 Max planes.

According to the black box data and physical evidence, there were similarities in the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes. Boeing company has developed a software patch and pilot training program to solve this problem.

These incidents have been a blow to Boeing. The plane has been grounded worldwide and Boeing also lost money.


Airline cancels $4.9 billion Boeing order

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By LAUREN MAINGOT

Indonesia’s national airline Garuda cancelled a $4.9 billion order of Boeing 737 Max 8 passenger jets after the model suffered two fatal crashes in less than five months.

This move follows a worldwide grounding of Max 8s in response to the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, which killed all 157 people on board and Lion Air Flight 610, which killed all 189 people on board. Officials are investigating whether or not Boeing’s changes to the model’s flight control system played a role, according to CNN.

“Continuing the Max order does not benefit Garuda,” Garuda spokesperson, Ikhsan Rosan, told The New York Times. “Our passengers, psychologically, they don’t trust flying with Max anymore. They often asked during booking what type of aircraft they would be flying on.”

Garuda sent a letter to Boeing on March 14 requesting the withdrawal of their order, but acknowledges that it will be difficult to proceed since the agreement has already been signed. Garuda and Boeing executives plan to meet to discuss the cancellation request.

Boeing’s chief executive, Dennis A. Muilenburg, said in a statement this week that the company is working to update its software and “taking actions to fully ensure the safety of the 737 Max.”

The resonating effects of the two Max 8 crashes have been covered across media platforms, including stories regarding the families of the victims, the investigation on the cause of the crashes, and the minimal training given to pilots before flying the model. Recent coverage by The New York Times also revealed how some of Boeing’s safety features on the Max 8 are sold only as extras.

Plane crashes in Fort Lauderdale

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By SHANIKA ISAACS

A small banner plane crashed into a Fort Lauderdale condominium last Friday, killing the pilot and destroying a resident’s kitchen. No other people were hurt.

Derek Morgan, 28, was a resident of Washington state before moving six weeks ago to South Florida to accomplish more hours for his commercial pilot license. Many of his co-workers, friends and close-friends remembered him as someone jovial and warm to be around.

“It’s a tragedy. It’s a tragedy for the family. It’s a tragedy for all of us. He traveled across the country just to get here to do some flight hours,” said Patrick Phipps, one of Morgan’s friend.

According to witnesses they told the Sun Sentinel that the plane’s banner was caught on a nearby building which sent it hurtling into The Berkley South. It landed between the 16th and 17th floors before toppling onto the pool deck that was still undergoing construction.

The Piper PA-25 was registered to Ariel Banners Inc., which was based at North Perry Airport. After the crash all residents were evacuated from the building in fear for a gas leak. Once a fire threat was clear and further investigations were done they were not allotted back inside until it was safe to do so.

Brexit deadline fast approaching

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By EVAN SIEGEL

Prime Minister Theresa May and the European Union are continuing their standoff as the deadline for a deal in Brexit talks is nearly a month away. On March 29, the deadline for both sides to reach a deal regarding the circulation of goods and whether or not people may continue to move freely between countries in the United Kingdom. The prospects of not reaching a deal and installing a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland is an extremely dangerous proposition.

The IRA, or Irish Republican Army, infamously was behind hundreds of bombings and murders that was part of decades of sectarian violence in the region. Theresa May, who’s facing severe backlash from parliament and from the British news media, agreed with the European Union on a backstop, which means that instead of a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, there will be a hard border between Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. People in the United Kingdom were furious with both Prime Minister May and the rest of parliament for delegating the decision on whether or not to leave the European Union to the voters. In a 52-48 percent vote, the public voted to leave.

Polling however suggests that the public is not fully aware of the various ramifications of leaving the organization, specifically regarding the various deadlines and what they mean. March 29 is when the two sides enter a transition period, in which the United Kingdom and the EU will discuss their future relationship, and then six weeks later, they will separate entirely.

Britain is technically able to reverse course completely and re-enter the EU, although the organization is reluctant to let them back in, so as not to create a precedent and encourage other countries to leave knowing they can return at any time. Many have suggested a second referendum, however the earliest that a full vote can be organized at all is estimated to be 22 weeks, and there are roughly only five weeks left before the deadline.

Sinclair Group influence expands

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By EVAN SIEGEL

Sinclair Broadcast Group is becoming one of the most influential organizations in the country. The public broadcast firm has slowly begun to monopolize television markets across the country with the hopes of putting their thumb on the scale and skewing the content in a certain way. The broadcasting firm was founded in 1971, but in recent years has exploded in value and is drastically changing the local news industry.

The company has a total operating revenue value of a whopping $2.73 billion, making it one of the biggest digital media corporations in the world. The organization has slowly bought station after station all across the United States and, after some legal battle with Channel 7 in South Florida, their brand is becoming more and more known.

Recently, Sinclair Broadcast Group acquired Turner Media and its 42 television stations. Sinclair is known for forcing their anchors on television stations to air “must-runs,” which are scripted messages that lean noticeably conservative. Each station that Sinclair owned in 2018 ran a combined 92,000 must-runs, all of which used a familiar phrase.

“Unfortunately some members of the media use their own personal bias to promote their political agenda.” Over 100 stations across the country was forced into running a passage that started with that exact statement in 2018, but after Sinclair failed to purchase Fox’s Channel 7 in Miami, the company is beginning to see slow-downs in acquiring other news stations.

The firm also airs attack ads in commercial breaks, some as long as 20 minutes, detailing various controversies that have existed on the left as far back as the days of the Civil War. Sinclair recently has been rumored to be interested in buying out the gargantuan contract of Sean Hannity, Fox News’s evening news megastar.

Vietnam Airlines soon to fly to U.S.

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By HUY TRAN

Vietnam is all set to receive permission to fly directly to the U.S., and Vietnam Airlines plans to launch four flights a week.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has declared that Vietnam now complies with international safety standards, giving its airlines the opportunity to fly to the U.S. and codeshare with American carriers.

The FAA has awarded the country with the Category 1 (CAT 1) rating, which means air carriers from the country may initiate or continue services to the US and take part in reciprocal codeshare arrangements with US carriers.

Vietnam Airlines CEO Duong Tri Thanh told local news media that the carrier would begin with four flights a week to Los Angeles and later daily flights to the West Coast, which is home to a large Vietnamese community.

There are currently no direct flights between the two countries, in spite of a large market catering to tourism and trading. All passengers must transit in another country or territory such as Qatar, Korea or Japan, with a total travel time of 18 to 21 hours.

Vietnam’s aviation industry has seen increasing demand in recent years. According to the CAAV, Vietnam welcomed more than 100 million passengers passing through airports in the country in 2018.

The number of flights in the country grew by 16 percent on average between 2010 and 2018, according to official data.

But there are also concerns about possible losses. Thanh said it would take at least five years for the direct service to the U.S. to break even, and there could be an annual loss of $30 million in the first few years.

It would take at least five years for the national flag carrier to break even, he added.

Dinh Viet Thang, head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), said that local airlines would need to purchase larger airplanes as most of the existing fleet cannot manage such long flights.

U.S.-Huawei fight messing with 5G plans

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By OLIVER JIA

According to CNN, American’s fighting with Huawei is messing with the world’s 5G plans. 5G is a new technology that can bring high internet speed. Especially, it useful on self-driving cars and other high technology area. 

Huawei technology company has already built up such a strong lead in 5G technology. The United States is trying to persuade other countries do not let Huawei equipment and base stations into their countries, because the gear could be used by the Chinese government for spying. Huawei strongly denies the accusations. 

Some top international mobile operator stated that shutting Huawei out of 5G networks countries could have a risk on the undermining their own tech capabilities. Comparing the 4G network, 5G network was faster than 4G as much as 100 times. 

Australia’s government has decided to ban Huawei from providing 5G technology for network. The Vodafone’s (VOD) CEO Nick Read stated that complete ban on all Huawei gear would delay the variability of 5G.The United States and China are all big country in the world. They all have advanced technology, good economy in the world. So, the competition is always existed. If they cooperate each other. The 5G internet will be stronger. 

News media react to Super Bowl

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By RYAN GRILLE

As the championship game of the NFL, the Super Bowl is easily the biggest sports event of the year. Not surprisingly, this results in a massive amount of attention from news media outlets.

This year, the big game saw the New England Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3, making it the lowest scoring Super Bowl ever. Naturally, the sports media reported on the game and the athletes involved, especially Tom Brady. But, of course, there is more to the Super Bowl than just the game.

The halftime show sponsored by Pepsi saw pop band Maroon 5 performing alongside rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi. There was also a surprise appearance by the characters of SpongeBob SquarePants in memory of the show’s creator Stephen Hillenburg. The entertainment media widely reported on the performance, including several articles commenting on singer Adam Levine revealing his nipples on stage. Several articles also commented on the quality of this show, many discussing it in a negative light.

Most bizarrely, however, was the news media reporting on the various Super Bowl commercials. Several articles commented on the ads, including debating which ads they enjoyed and which ones did not work.

This may seem trivial, but there are reasons why the news media would want to report on both the halftime show and on the advertising. Not only are several news outlets connected to the corporations that provided the advertising, but these articles are also written with the awareness that these topics are of major interest to viewers.

Put it simply, the news outlets are simply writing these articles in order to generate revenue. While these topics may seem big now, they are soon quickly forgotten until next year’s Super Bowl and serve as nothing more than a distraction to bigger and more important issues.

Symphony of Seas calls Miami home

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By MATTHEW POWELL

Royal Caribbean’s newest and biggest ship, Symphony of the Seas, recently made its way from Spain to cruise out of Miami for the winter and spring season. Symphony, the largest ship in the world, marks an already changing tide in the Miami cruising industry that begun two years ago when Royal Caribbean broke ground on a new terminal.

Symphony of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, will be sailing from Miami to the eastern and western Caribbean. Popular destinations such as Cozumel, San Juan, Labadee and St. Maarten will all be visited by Royal Caribbean’s flagship.

The news media coverage of the inaugural sailing and naming ceremony was done extremely well. Royal Caribbean invited journalists from a variety of different outlets, some involved in the cruise industry and some not, to cover this historic event.

Symphony sailing from Miami is a great example of several cruise lines pushing their initiatives to make Miami the cruising capital of the world again. Along with Symphony of the seas comporting in Miami, Royal Caribbean will also have Mariner of the Seas and Allure of the Seas in the magic city.

Uber, Lyft popular in Boston area

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By IBRAHIM GRAY

Boston taxi companies have seen their business continue to plummet over the past few years, largely due to the rise of ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft.

Bostonians have lauded the apps for helping them move around the city for less money and in a shorter amount of time.

Jim O’Donnell, a Boston University professor of city planning and urban development, wrote how he believes Uber and Lyft have thrived in cities due to the innovative way they connect the same services taxis provide to one’s phone.

“When you get in a taxi cab, you don’t know what it’s going to cost, when you’re trying to hail a taxi cab, you don’t know when it’s going to come. I think that that has been a real inconvenience for a lot of people,” he stated. “Ride apps allow one to get all the information about their trip length, price and availability at their fingertips.”

Along with the taxi industry, public transportation has also taken a hit from the advent of ride-sharing. While residents might benefit from catching Ubers, a report from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council found that the city has been suffering from this switch. According to the report, the average ride-hailing trip represents 35 cents of lost revenue for the MBTA.

Efforts to combat these issues have been put in place by the Massachusetts government. Gov. Charlie Baker signed a law in 2016 issuing a charge of five cents per ride to be given to a taxi innovation fund.

MAPC has estimated that 15 percent of ride-hailing trips are taken during rush hour by people who would have otherwise used public transit. This has implications of traffic congestion, air pollution and dangerous emissions.

Mattress Firm’s business not so firm

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By ADAM SPECTOR

Mattress Firm has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last Friday. More than 200 stores are confirmed to close and up to 700 of its 3,230 stores could close.

The most common reason attributed to this news is that the business expanded too fast and that it had too many stores that were in close proximity to one another. As mentioned last week in this blog space, in one area of Austin, Texas, there are a reported six Mattress Firms within a square mile of one another. In High Point, N.C., there are two Mattress Firms within less than 250 feet of one another.

Nearly 43 percent of Mattress Firm stores are located within one mile of another one, according to financial data firm Thinknum.

As insane as this concept may sound, the idea of having many stores close together has worked for various chain restaurants, hotels, coffee shops and pharmacies. The difference between those businesses and Mattress Firm is that people don’t buy new mattresses as often as they frequent the other businesses.

“I think they’re humbled,” said Seth Basham, an analyst with Los Angeles-based Wedbush Securities in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. “They grew far too fast with ambitions to be a national retailer.”

Another attribution to Mattress Firm’s bankruptcy other than its insane number of stores is rising number of online mattress retailers such as Purple, Casper and Leesa. The selling point of many of these online retailers is that they are able to sell mattresses of supposedly similar quality to name brands found in stores for lower prices than those found at stores because they are being sold directly by the manufacturer.

Even though plenty of news sources are now explaining how Mattress Firm’s strategy of having a store in every corner is what led to its bankruptcy and shutting down of stores, the media never questioned their improbable plan in the past. As mentioned last week, very few people actually buy a new mattress every five to seven years as retailers recommend. Buying a mattress is a significant purchase for most people that happens less than twice each decade.

If someone is planning on buying a mattress, would they really mind driving an extra mile if there was one less mattress store?

Roy Williams’ needs to be questioned

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By NICOLAS IPARRAGUIRRE

During the University of North Carolina’s news media day for its basketball team, Coach Roy Williams was asked about the ongoing FBI investigation concerning players receiving improper benefits. When discussing the investigation, Williams said, “It’s a massive thing that’s still going on, and I’m just dumbfounded.”

Williams was adamant that he had no knowledge of players receiving money from shoe executives in order to play for certain universities. Williams’ claim that he had no idea what has been going on in college basketball recruiting is, at its best, ignorance and, at its worst, an outright lie.

For reference, here’s Notre Dame Coach Mike Brey when asked a similar question, “We’ve had this underworld as part of the fabric [of college basketball] for a long, long time,” Brey told the Indianapolis Star. “A long, long time.”

Another issue with Williams’ claim is that he was indirectly involved in a similar incident back in 2000. Back then, AAU Coach Myron Piggie had been indicted on charges that he had funneled money to recruits to play for Nike schools. One of these recruits was JaRon Rush, who was at the time committed to Kansas when Williams was coach there. While Kansas was not involved in the payments to Rush, for Williams to claim he had no idea what was going on in college basketball recruiting is a bit of stretch.

While not a reliable source of information, in response to Williams’ press conference, Piggie told Yahoo Sports, “Well, that [expletive], I mean, come on. Come on. You know Roy knew. He was in the mix. He knew what was going on. Roy’s got amnesia.”

When a massive figure in college basketball makes such a definitive statement, one that on the surface seems untrue, college basketball sportswriters have a duty to question Williams’ statement.

Unfortunately, outside of Yahoo Sports, most major news media figures have not even mentioned Williams’ statement. Currently, ESPN has not written a single story on the comments and the sports two biggest media figures, Jay Bilas and Jeff Goodman, have made no mention of them.

While most in the news media have no issue broadly claiming corruption in college basketball exists, they were hesitant to criticize the coach at one of college basketball’s most popular teams. Until members of the news media are willing to question those at the top, don’t expect the corruption to end any time soon.

Kors buys Versace for $2.12 billion

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By MIRIAM RUIZ

While many believe that the two fashion houses, Michael Kors and Versace do not have much in common, it seems that Michael Kors plans to take their brand to another level of luxury and prestige.

Fashion followers were mostly surprised when discovering that Versace was sold to Michael Kors. Many changes are occurring within the brand after this purchase and the growth they have planned as a company is major. Michael Kors is changing its name to Capri Holdings.

According to an article by Jessica Tyler, published by Business Insider, “The company says it aims to grow Versace’s revenue from about $808 million to $2 billion, expand its footprint from 200 stores to about 300 stores, and increase the amount of shoes and accessories it sells” (https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-kors-buys-versace-brand-history-2018-9).

In the business world of fashion this news is important and the combination of Michael Kors, Versace, and Jimmy Choo, which Michael Kors acquired in 2017 for $1.2 billion, could be a major force in the industry.

Donatella Versace released a statement that answered the most-asked question when this information became public: she promised to remain in complete control of the collections and believes that this is a positive step for the brand.

Crimson Tide and Coke reach a deal

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By IBRAHIM GRAY

The University of Alabama and Coca-Cola signed a 10-year contract in July, which made Coca-Cola the exclusive beverage provider at the university. It is the first time in 20 years that a single beverage provider will work for both campus and the athletics programs.

For $2 million a year for 10 years, students will find new vending machines on campus, new beverage options at dining halls and more opportunities to purchase Coca-Cola products on campus. The new vending machines will have a variety of payment options.

“We’ve added over 300 pieces of vending, 40 pieces of fountain equipment, added new products at dining halls, and added coolers to different areas throughout campus,” said Kevin Horton, sales center manager at Coca-Cola.

In addition to beverages, Coca-Cola will also be providing students with new academic and career opportunities. A student ambassador was hired at the university to connect with other students and inform them of new opportunities through Coca-Cola. In addition, Coca-Cola will also offer a summer internship, a speaker series on campus and an annual scholarship.

Once it was awarded the contract, Coca-Cola created five new job titles at the university.

Miami airport gets a furry flyer

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By JENNIFER HUDAK

Miami International Airport unrolled a new plan to relieve stressed travelers. The new therapy dog program, the Miami Hound Machine, began service on Sept. 24.

Located in Concourse D, five trained therapy dogs — Abbey, Belle, Dash, Donovan and Pico — will be available to passengers. This new plan unfolds as the busiest travel time of the year approaches.

Airline officials hope this will impact travelers’ decisions to bring their own therapy pets onto flights during the holiday season. In recent years, many airports and airlines have seen an influx of travelers bringing emotional support animals on flights. After numerous complaints, companies like Delta, Southwest and United Airlines have followed through with an overhaul to their pet policy.

“Therapy dogs are a no-brainer for airport customer service. If a passenger is having a bad day or under stress, what’s better than a loving, happy dog to put you at ease? They’re known as man’s best friend for a reason,” Miami-Dade Aviation spokesman Greg Chin said in a statement to the Miami Herald.

The Miami Hound Machine program will be using dogs through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, a separate program that works internationally to certify and train K-9’s to become therapy dogs.

Amazon entering mattress business

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By ADAM SPECTOR

Despite the seemingly infinite number of mattress brands, Amazon has just released its own mattress, creatively named “AmazonBasics Memory Foam Mattress.”

The newly released mattresses are currently sold exclusively by Amazon. The selling point is their impressively low prices, making them some of the least expensive memory foam mattresses on the market. Costs range from $130 to $350 depending on size.

In addition to there being countless mattress brands, there is a strangely large number of mattress retailers in the United States. In one area of Austin, for example, there are a reported six Mattress firms within a square mile of one another. In High Point N.C., there are two Mattress firms within less than 250 feet of one another.

If that’s not enough for you, there’s been a rising number of online mattress retailers such as Purple, Casper and Leesa. The selling point of many of these online retailers is that they are able to sell them for lower prices than those found at stores because they are being sold directly by the manufacturer.

While many of these online mattress retailers have lower prices than better-known brands, AmazonBasics prices are even lower.

Amazon is covered on the news on a near-daily basis. Even though Amazon is billions in debt, its stock price remains high and news coverage is almost always positive. Amazon has changed their perception of an online department store to a maker of everything in the last few years. Very few appear to be worried that Amazon seems to be putting everything out of business.

Very few news and review sources seem to mention that a negative aspect of buying a mattress online is that buyers cannot simply lie down on several mattress and pick out their favorite, they have to buy one without trying it and hope for the best. There’s a return policy, but it’s still a much more binding decision than lying down on a store sample for several seconds.

To add to this, very few news organizations have attempted to explain how all of these mattress retailers stay in business. Very few people actually buy a new mattress every five years as retailers recommend. Who is buying all of these mattresses? Are there mattress connoisseurs that buy new mattresses every week? There have been many conspiracy theories, but no definitive answers as to how they stay in business.

Tesla getting attention, but not all good

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By ADAM SPECTOR

Tesla is a company that is covered on what seems like daily basis. Whenever Tesla announces a new car, the release date gets pushed several times and the company’s business model is often questioned.

The most talked about car from Tesla is the Model 3, which was announced in 2016. The thing about the car that caught most people’s attention was its $35,000 starting price, which is less than half the price of Model S.

The Model 3 had even more delays than expected and Tesla is still unable to meet demand.

Even though the Tesla Model 3’s lower-priced version generated a lot public interest, this version is still yet to be released. The car manufacturer is aiming to start production in early 2019, nearly three years after its initial announcement.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also received criticism for his somewhat erratic style of leadership.

Tesla’s stock value decreased a full five percent when he was criticized for smoking marijuana during an interview on the “Joe Rogan Show.”

Musk’s use of Twitter has also created problems for him and his company.

“I am considering taking Tesla private at $420,” Musk said on Twitter. “Funding secured.”

The SEC has filed a lawsuit against Musk for fraud because they said he did not actually secure the funding.

Many news sources seem to be eager to label Tesla as a failing company. Even though it’s widely reported that the company is losing money, it is not widely reported that the company has expanded from a little-known manufacturer of niche sports cars into a household name in only 15 years.

Forbes released sales figures that show the Tesla Model easily outsold all of its competitors in July and August. To illustrate this, the Tesla Model 3 alone outsold the total combined sales of the BMW 2, 3, 4 and 5 Series.

In addition to receiving much negative coverage recently, many news media outlets are not giving Tesla credit for its impact on the automobile industry. The company has undoubtedly played a major role in shifting the public perception of electric cars from being lackluster vehicles to cars that can be compared to some of the most respected on the market.

Not only is Tesla responsible for making electric cars “cool” and “fancy,” many well-known car companies are suddenly making aggressive pushes into the electric automobile industry. These companies include Porsche, Jaguar, Audi and BMW, just to name a few. This shift is better for the consumer and the environment.

Tesla is far from a failing company, but much of the negative coverage will undoubtedly hurt the companies value with consumers and investors. If Tesla fails, other major car manufacturers might be led to believe that electric cars are not a worthwhile investment. When Tesla becomes more stable, news media coverage of it will become less negative, as the company has already had a major impact on the automobile industry.

Negative news coverage hurts Tesla

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By CAROLINA PEREZ

Tesla, a very well-known luxury vehicle company, has been exposed by the news media in much negative light the last few days. Apparently, a Tesla employee confessed to sabotaging the company by disclosing confidential information as well as making changes to the computer code of the company’s manufacturing operating system.

After reading this story, I decided to Google search more information about Tesla and the company only to find many reports of these cars catching on fire— specifically the new Model 3. These stories can be traced all the way back to January.

These fires are allegedly caused from the new model’s battery. According to an article on Digital Trends, employees claim some workers, who lack training, routinely install the lithium-ion cells in the battery pack too close to each other, which could cause the battery to short out or catch fire.

Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, sent Digital Trends an e-mail denying the allegations. On the other hand, Tesla’s projected manufacturing goal for September was 1,500 new Model 3 cars. In October, they were only able to produce 260. It is my opinion that this projection led Musk to do whatever he could to speed up the production process in order to reach the goal, but like most things in life, taking shortcuts will get you nowhere.

Now Musk is bashing journalists about their recent coverage even though Tesla admits most of its sales have come from the news media. After everything is said and done, this coverage has changed many people’s view on Tesla and their vehicles. Some on waiting lists have pulled out their investments and the companies shares dropped five percent on Tuesday.

These reports show the type of impact the news media has on a businesses success. Businesses rely heavily on news coverage of their products for sales and Tesla is currently suffering from its bad press.

Hank and Harry’s opens new location

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By DREW COHEN

Today, I had the pleasure of dining at Hank and Harry’s newest location. Right on the corner of U.S. 1 (South Dixie Highway) and SW 73rd Street, Hank and Harry’s offers a wide array of New York-inspired Italian and Jewish Cuisine.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by Buzzy Sklar, co-owner of the up-and-coming delicatessen. He handed me a menu, gave me some information about the grand opening, which took place just yesterday, April 3, and shared what the deli’s goals were for the next month.

The deli slash restaurant had a very modern look to it with vintage oak wood finishing along the walls. The black and white checkered floor with the cage light-bulb holders gave the place a modern setting. The 3,000 square foot space contains a generous sized sit down area with booth seating available.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Sklar to talk about the deli’s future plans. He said he hopes to launch a new app in the next two weeks so that customers can place pickup or delivery orders. He also says that franchising and expansion will occur sometime this year.

When I first heard about this place, I felt such a rush of joy. My mouth watered as soon as I found out that there would finally be a New York deli opening up by me. Coming from New York, bagels and deli food is a huge staple in my diet, and not being able to have that down here has been tough, but Hank and Harry’s has fixed that. When I first took a bite into the bacon, egg and cheese on a poppy seed bagel, I immediately felt like I was home.

Their menu, which is nothing shy of huge, temped me to get a few dishes to sample, and then take the rest home. I tried their bagels, pastrami, Italian cold cut sandwich, and matzo ball soup. All of them didn’t disappoint. I will definitely be back in the future, and look forward to bringing myself home without traveling more than 10 minutes.