Saturday night movie dates change over the years

 On Saturday nights in the 1940s, we looked forward to taking the Sun Valley bus from Scottsdale to Phoenix to go to the movies. You either found a buddy to tag along or, when you got your driver’s license, you borrowed the family pickup truck and asked a girl to go.

The Fox, Orpheum, Rialto, Strand, Studio and Phoenix drive-in theaters usually screened a new show each week. Later, the Vista and the Palms theaters offered more choices.

The shows ran continuously. You entered the theater whenever you arrived and stayed until you got to the place in the film when you first sat down. Movies were shorter, and most were double features. The theaters also ran 10- to 12-minute newsreels and a cartoon. These were placed between the main features.

The newsreels gave us insights into national and world events — insights that we now try to get from television news. I say “try” because today’s TV newscasters only present limited footage to accompany their stories. The newsreel cameramen had more time to ply their craft because they were subject to fewer deadline pressures.
No foul language

There were other differences from today. For example, we didn’t have to listen to foul language, and the actors kept their clothes on. The shows were still thrilling, but the elements that make it necessary to rate today’s movies PG, PG-13, R or NC-17 were left out.

Those kinds of things have never added to a good script. They only appeal to the darker side of a small minority of viewers and the greed of the studios that go to obscene lengths to squeeze every last dollar out of every picture. I imagine these movies lose more folks than they attract. Who’s going to take their family to an R- or NC-17 rated film?

Today, my wife, Cora, and I can only find five to eight movies a year that we hear are worth watching and minus the filth. We still enjoy a good mystery, a musical, a comedy or an old-time cowboy picture.
After the theater

Back in the ‘40s, if we rode the bus to a theater, we had to leave the movie by 9 p.m. to catch the last Sun Valley bus back to Scottsdale. However, if we had our own wheels, we loved to take our dates to a drive-in restaurant or soda fountain, particularly in the summer.

One, the Polar Bar, featured “Zombies” and “Sissy Zombies.” A Zombie had 10 big dips of ice cream. The Sissy Zombie had fewer.

I can’t imagine tackling one of those things today, particularly after eating popcorn and drinking a soda at a movie. But, back in those days, we each ordered a Zombie of one kind or another. And, I don’t remember sending that great big glass goblet back with any ice cream left in it.

Saturday nights were special then and they remain so today. Time permitting, we still rent a good picture and make some popcorn. Or, when we can find a good picture, we get off the sofa and go to the show.

Paul Messinger was raised in Scottsdale and founded Messinger Mortuaries in 1959.  Reach him at 480-860-2300 or 480-945-9521.

Resource : http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/scottsdale-history/2017/02/23/scottsdale-saturday-night-movie-dates-change-over-years/98215764/

You can teach an old dog new tricks

At 72, while all her friends have long retired, Yehudit Bar runs an online furniture store, after closing all her chain's physical stores.

Yehudit Bar works around the clock. She decided to give up on coffee with friends, on picking up her grandchildren from school and particularly, she gave up on the comfortable pension she could receive. At the age of 72, while all her friends were still talking about what Facebook is and how WhatsApp is used, Bar decided to turn her company, "Hafatzim", into an online furniture store.

"When you're young, it is easier to adapt to technological changes, but I decided that I should maintain the young spirit of a growing company and chose to focus on the online stores only. Now, two years later, I think that I did the right thing", says Bar.

International research, conducted by PayPal, showed that in 2016, Israeli customers purchased products and services worth NIS 11.8 billion online, up 18% from 2015. Statistics on leading Israeli websites match the international data, with growth of 100% in the number of online buyers in the last four years. According to the research, from the humble beginnings of purchasing gadgets and electronics, the online shopping of today encompasses all areas of life, from fashion and cosmetics to shoes and toys, and of course, furniture and kitchen accessories.

Bar realized that unless she starts speaking the language of Generation Y and turns her company into a profitable online store, she might find herself out of the game. "I decided to close all my stores across Israel at once and launch an online store", says Bar. "I realized that risk is involved, but I kept up with innovations all my life, so now, in my advanced age, I am not planning to stay behind."

Didn't you want to retire?

"I believe that if you are able to work - you should work, it gives me the strength to get up every morning. I am 72 years old and at the peak of my career, pension is a term that does not exist in my lexicon. Pension is just another pattern, which is irrelevant to so many people. In 2017 you can see many examples, from A to Z, many people who should ostensibly retire, discover a new beginning. Here is a current example – US President Donald Trump is a pensioner, as are many senior executives, doctors, etc.".

Who buys furniture online? It is known that Israelis mostly buy clothes online

"If you buy clothes that are often especially designed and should fit perfectly, it is much easier to buy furniture. We offer only the daily used items - from teaspoon to a bed, furniture, textiles, housewares and accessories. The website provides effective solutions to a wide range of home needs. Our extensive experience indicates that people from various socioeconomic backgrounds have been shopping at "Hafatzim" for years. Nowadays, thanks to technology, I don't have to pay rent for expensive real estate in city centers. As a result, all the prices of all products have been reduced. This is also the reason why the company started operating on the Internet - consumers are looking for more value in a competitive world and if I can offer a better price, the customer is the one who will benefit from it, rather than various institutions, and for me it is the most important thing".

What are your future plans for the website?

"The next step is to expand the website that will serve as a platform for trading both in Israel and abroad, while striving to maintain company's approach to offer products that fit perfectly and serve as a solution, rather than just being prestigious. We plan to collaborate with a leading commercial website in China. We offer the format of the "Hafatzim" website, on which both the content and visual appearance are unique. I know the value of social media when it comes to business promotion, therefore, I started using such social networks, as Facebook and Instagram, and I plan to keep up with innovations in this field."

How do you attract people to buy a sofa online? A sofa is something a customer would like to sit on and check physically.

"A customer buys a sofa online if he finds the model and price attractive. In rare cases, when a customer wanted to replace the products, we made a quick home delivery. These customers were amazed by the efficiency of our service. Customers will order a sofa that cannot be checked physically only if they trust the brand. Significant traffic also comes from word of mouth and not only from web search. I suppose that customers have become accustomed to buying everything online, even a sofa".

Resource : http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-you-can-teach-an-old-dog-new-tricks-1001178401

Russell Center owner accused of renting unsafe apartments

Russell Industrial Center owner Dennis Kefallinos is no stranger to building-code violations.

More than 50 current and former loft tenants claim in a long-running lawsuit that Kefallinos rented out unsafe apartments that had never passed city inspection.

This week, Kefallinos was ordered to close  the sprawling Russell Industrial Center at 1600 Clay in Detroit after city building inspectors said he had failed to fix numerous safety violations. The abrupt notice from the city had tenants scrambling for new spaces and hoping Kefallinos could work something out with the city.


In the lofts lawsuit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court in 2014, current and former tenants claim Kefallinos and his companies, Boydell Development and Ivory Properties, rented out apartments in places like Greektown Lofts, Brooklyn Lofts in Corktown, Grand Lofts near Mexicantown and the River Park Lofts off the Detroit River without ever receiving certificates of occupancy from the city.

The tenants "have been unfairly deceived into leasing ... unsafe and uncertified properties and paying rent they had no legal obligation to pay," the lawsuit claims.

There was no response to a request for comment from Bodell Development. Kefallinos' lawyer on the case, Matthew Consolo, did not return a message seeking comment on the lawsuit.

One former tenant, Chryssa Hunlock, rented a loft in the Hudson on Fort near the Ambassador Bridge. The building formerly served as a warehouse for the Hudson's department store chain. Its sweeping views of the Detroit skyline and the river hooked her, but she said the building quickly became a nightmare.

Hunlock said there was no working elevator, no hot water in the winter and that in the summer, temperatures rose so high that the apartment became uninhabitable. Strangers had access to the building and used its rooftop to launch fireworks, Hunlock said. The building's fire alarms sounded almost every night, sometimes for hours on end.

"It was completely unsafe," Hunlock said. "There was nothing safe or secure. It was the Wild West in there."

Hunlock began withholding rent in 2014, escrowing it in hopes that the owner would get some hot water flowing to her apartment, but she moved after taking a job in Portland, Ore. She said she's one of the plaintiffs in the suit because she wants the landlord to make things right.


"I'm less interested in the money," she said. "I'd love my security deposit back from those jerks, but it's more about justice."

Mike Byrd has lived in the John R Apartments, another Kefallinos building north of Comerica Park, for a little over three years and has similar complaints.

"There is no working elevator," said Byrd, who lives on the fourth floor. "This building is not ADA-compliant."

An elderly neighbor died of a heart attack recently, Byrd said, after climbing several flights of stairs to his apartment. Many neighbors have moved out, but Byrd said he'd have to carry his furniture down four flights of stairs, and besides, he wants to stay and fight.

"The answer to a problem isn't to run away," he said. He hopes to recover some of the $20,000 in rent he has paid.

Adam Miller, a lawyer with the Oliver Law Firm in Southfield, which is suing on behalf of the tenants, said one of Kefallinos' buildings, the Universal Lofts on Lincoln in Detroit, was condemned at one point because of so many violations.

"I don't see how they ever rationalized how they'd get away with ignoring the occupancy laws of Michigan on a wholesale basis," Miller said. "They are relying on the people they rent to not enforcing their rights."

The case has dragged on for two years, but progress is being made. Miller said about half of the violations have been addressed, but many others remain.

Bodell officials are trying to remedy the violations at the Russell Industrial Center, said Eric Novak, senior project manager there. Crews have added lighted exit signs, fire extinguishers and other safety items, and have worked on repairs to the sprinkler system and elevators, he said.

"If they don't keep our doors open, I'm really concerned about hundreds of people being put out of work," Novak said.

The Russell Industrial Center is more than 100 years old. Buildings of that era typically include lots of concrete and steel construction, which make them naturally fire-resistant, said Elizabeth Knibbe, principal with Quinn Evans Architects.

She couldn't speak directly to Russell because she hasn't been inside recently, but she said she has worked in similar buildings and there are a lot of ways to bring them up to code.

“There’s room for having inexpensive space and still have it safe,” she said. “The bones of the building are so good, it’s just a matter of follow the rules. And the rules are set up to keep people safe.”

Putting in the right building systems such as electrical, plumbing and fire suppression can be the same as installing them in a new building.

"You just have to work in the envelope of the old building,” Knibbe said.

Contact John Wisely: 313-222-6825 or jwisely@freepress.com. Staff writer Robert Allen contributed.

Resource : http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2017/02/23/russell-industrial-center-owner-faces-more-complaints/98292612/

Valuable Tips For Furniture On Rent In Gurgaon

No matter whether you’re moving for a short or long stay in Gurgaon, relocating with furniture can be a nerve-wracking task. Also, it will be time consuming and expensive as well. So, why to go through the hassles when you can avoid them by renting furniture? However, you need to be careful when you’re taking furniture on rent in Gurgaon as there are many companies claiming to offer the best.

You need to consider the options that are available for you. So you need to determine your needs and accordingly select from the best available options.

Before you select a company and sign the contract, you need to go through the fine print and ask question if in doubt. It is important for you to understand your responsibilities in case the furniture you hire is damaged. Also, go through the clauses that the company has if you have to move to some other apartment.

Before you select a particular rental company, you need to find out for how long it has been in the industry. It is important to do so, because gaining adequate experience in the industry will help the company to understand and meet your needs and requirements. They will have the knowledge of the ins and outs of the furniture business.

Renting furniture will include upfront fees and monthly payments. After you pay your upfront fees, there is the monthly payment that you’ll have to pay every month throughout your contract. Therefore, you need to ensure that you get the best deal from the best company.

Remember, renting certain types of furniture will cost you more than some others. The amount you pay for furniture On Rent In Delhi will depend on the type you rent. To make sure that you select the right rental company, you can compare the prices as well. Also, before you sign on the dotted line, ask if the company is offering any discounts.

Whether you’re looking for furniture on rent in Gurgaon or Delhi, the above discussed points will help you select the right rental company. You can look for a renowned company that is known for providing beautiful furniture on rent that are in good condition.

Resource : https://furniturerentalnews.wordpress.com/2017/02/14/valuable-tips-for-furniture-on-rent-in-gurgaon/

China’s medical robots take on foreign rivals

 SURGEON TIAN WEI came across one of the most challenging orthopaedic surgeries in his 30-year career in 2015.

 A 43-year-old patient had complained of progressive numbness in the limbs on his right side for 14 months, caused by a deformity in his upper cervical vertebrae.

The patient was in dire need of surgery to implant a screw to help support his neck bone, but the operation was risky. Any minor mistake could lead to paralysis or a life-threatening haemorrhage. Many hospitals were unwilling to treat him.

But Tian, who also is president of Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, decided to do the surgery – with a little help from another “surgeon”.
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The operation was completed in an hour with help of Phecda, a surgical robot with a three-dimensional high-definition visual system that can “see” the internal orthopaedic structure and a “hand” that can guide medical tools to the proper location within 0.8 millimetre.

Developed by Beijing Tinavi Medical Technology Co with the help of Jishuitan Hospital, Phecda is part of the broad effort by Chinese companies to out-compete foreign rivals just as the country’s use of medical robots is set to take off, motivated in part by an ageing population.

Medical robots are highlighted in the country’s “Made in China 2025” strategy, which was designed to promote high-end manufacturing.

“That was the world’s first robot-assisted surgery on upper cervical vertebrae,” Tian said, describing the 2015 clinical trial. “Phecda is more precise than foreign products and its cost is lower.”

Phecda, which is the third-generation surgery robot developed by Tinavi, is ready to be commercialised this year after obtaining approval from China’s Food and Drug Administration last July.

Chinese medical-robot makers like Tinavi are working hard to outshine foreign companies in both price and quality as they benefit from ample demand, strong policy support and manufacturing prowess, company executives and experts have said.

By 2050, more than 400 million Chinese will be over 60 years old, accounting for more than 30 per cent of the population, up from about 16.1 per cent in 2015, official data show.

“The growing number of senior citizens will offer a sizeable quantity of clinical cases, and enterprises can leverage a huge database to accelerate R&D,” or research and development, said Zhang Songgen, chairman of Tinavi.

Last April, China unveiled its plan to sell more than 30 billion yuan (Bt154 billion) worth of domestic service robots by 2020. Medical robots are an important part of the ambitious goal, Zhang said.

In 2016, China’s medical-robotics market was valued at 791 million yuan, up 34.4 per cent from |2015, according to a report by the Beijing-based research company GCiS.

“From surgery, rehabilitation, drug delivery to home care, robots are set to transform China’s healthcare industry, ” GCiS predicted.

In addition to Tinavi, whose robots have completed around 2,000 surgeries since 2010, there are many new players.

One of them is Chongqing Jinshan Science and Technology. The company started as a maker |of capsule endoscopes, or pill-sized cameras that record images of the digestive tract. Its products, approved by US medical authorities in 2008, are available in more than 60 countries.

Jinshan has become partners with the well-regarded Harbin Institute of Technology on China’s first minimally invasive surgical robot for thoracic and celiac diseases. It is scheduled to go into clinical testing soon.

“China’s medical-robot sector is still in its infancy. But home-grown enterprises and universities are more united than ever in the R&D of core technologies. They are narrowing the gap with foreign leaders such as US company Intuitive Surgical’s Da Vinci surgery robot,” said Guo Xuan, deputy director of Beijing-based Yizhuang Smart Robotics Industry Research Institute. Strong policy support has helped, Guo said.

Yu Shaoyu, a government official in charge of attracting high-tech enterprises to Wuxi, Jiangsu province, said: “We have set up an industry fund to encourage medical-robot makers, and will offer them a slate of preferential policies, including rent rebates and help in intellectual-property applications.”

Public hospitals are also encouraged to play an active part. China PLA Navy General Hospital has developed the neurosurgical robot Remebot through a partnership with Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

“It is very important to win support from hospitals because they are the buyers of most medical robots and know exactly what is needed,” said Luo Jun, chief executive of the International Robotics and Intelligent Equipment Industry Alliance.

The field is so promising that Midea Group, a major Chinese home-appliances maker, also has joined in. It set up a joint venture in 2015 with Yaskawa Electric Corp, a Japanese robot maker, to develop nursing-care and rehabilitation robots. “Our manufacturing prowess in consumer electronics will help to rapidly bring rehabilitation robots to people’s homes,” said Zhen Shaoqiang, general manager of Midea’s robotics business.

Resource : http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/business/corporate/30306283

This landlord is having no trouble finding people to rent 5 tiny cottages he's restoring in Orange

Hugh Siler took the biggest risk of his life on a small project.

He spent $1.62 million in April to buy a block of five early-1900s homes in Orange, sinking thousands more to restore the properties.

His risk is already paying off: Though both are less than 500 square feet, the first two finished homes rented out at blinding speed, with tenants paying $1,850 and $1,960 to live in the cottages.

“To get a block of homes in Old Towne Orange is maybe a once-in-a-hundred-years opportunity” Siler said. “I literally put everything I have on the line to make this happen.”

The smallest cottage in Siler’s Historic Home Row at Palmyra Avenue and Orange Street is 375 square feet and the largest tops out at 1,450.

Siler, 53 of Costa Mesa, is a landlord and preservationist who is restoring the homes back to their historic style.

Siler made his money in marketing, but said he has discovered a passion for real estate – especially fixing up worn-down properties. He’s restored more than 20 homes at this point, most of them in Orange. His efforts earned him a special merit award from the Old Towne Preservation Association in 2015.

Every day, so long as it’s not raining, Siler can be found at his project coordinating with his small team to revitalize the historic row. Staying true to Old Towne’s spirit of preservation, Siler is bringing these homes into the modern age while carefully maintaining their original looks.

“This is what 1910 looks like in 2017,” Siler said, opening the door to the first home on the block he finished restoring.

The home has a sitting area just inside the door, a kitchen and dining area near the back, a modest back yard and a bedroom and bathroom.

The row homes may be compact, but there is a nostalgic air about them. Early 1900s light fixtures, Douglas Fir flooring and barn wood dining tables harken back to when the homes were built. The appliances are modeled after the smaller versions used in the 1920s – a mix of aesthetics and practicality, Siler said.

Careful preservation of these homes, Siler said, is a commitment to the community and a chance for history to live on.

“Knowing it’s going to be here long after I’m here and gone, that’s a really cool feeling,” he said.

The first home was rented out before Siler could put a sign up and one particularly excited pair, Ryan Sandburg and his girlfriend, Brianna Rojas, couldn’t wait and had their move-in day in the rain.

The couple said they had their first date in Old Towne Orange and fell in love with the area. The two have experience with backpacking, so moving in to a smaller home and taking just the essentials had a certain appeal, Sandburg, 30, said. The biggest appeal, however, was the historic feel of the house, he said.

“It already had some great character and style to it, we didn’t have to do much to it,” Sandburg said. “We can’t wait to come home each night and be in our cozy little house.”

Contact the writer: jwinslow@scng.com

Resource : http://www.ocregister.com/articles/siler-743910-homes-home.html

So you want to help a refugee family

With the Trump administration’s Muslim travel ban currently on hold, refugee families—and those organizations aiming to help them resettle in the United States—can return to planning the next steps for a new life.

Many people are asking how they can help. Settling a refugee family into your community is not a task to be taken alone; more likely, it’s done by a group such as a faith community working with a local agency that assists refugees. This is one reason why so many churches have gotten involved.

When the travel ban was announced on Jan. 27, many refugee families already were at airports waiting to board planes. Their trips were abruptly stopped and their visas canceled, only to resume again a week later, when senior federal Judge James Robart of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington issued a temporary restraining order against the ban. Before being named to the federal bench by President George W. Bush (he was approved 99-0 in the Senate in 2004), Robart was in private practice for 30 years. The man Donald Trump called a “so-called judge” also did pro bono work representing refugees.

A three-judge panel from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments for and against the Muslim ban and ruled 3-0 against the Trump administration. The issue may end up in the U.S. Supreme Court—or the executive order may be redrawn. But for now, it’s legal for refugee families to resume their journeys.

During the resumption of travel, one Syrian refugee family was finally able to fly to Chicago. Members of a sponsoring church were waiting to greet them. Let’s see how they all fared so far.



Epiphany United Church of Christ on Chicago’s north side worked as a co-sponsor with Refugee One, which helps to oversee refugee families coming to Illinois. Groups wishing to be co-sponsors have a big job ahead of them which includes:

    Raise at least $6,000 to $8,000 for expenses. The average cost is usually $8,500.
    Meet the family when they land at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.
    Set up and furnish an apartment.
    Stock the apartment with food and have ready a welcoming meal.
    Visit them weekly for six months to help them practice English skills.

Other duties are suggested for co-sponsors and mentors, including tutoring children and helping adults find jobs. Refugee One staff is on hand to guide co-sponsors every step of the way. They provide lists of all needed items for the apartment, including furniture, kitchen supplies, linens, and personal care items, and specify what items need to be new, such as bedding and linens, and what can be used, such as furniture.

The agency also helps the refugee families get integrated into American life. It tries to get each employable adult into a job within three months, and steers families toward English language classes, health care, and vocational training.

Epiphany worked for about nine months to get ready for a family of two parents and two boys, a 10-year-old and an older teenager. The apartment was ready with furniture, beds, and a stocked pantry, only to have the family stopped before boarding the plane. In the lull, a Congolese refugee family moved into the apartment temporarily but left before the Syrian family arrived. The Syrian family moved in after spending one night at a hotel.

The Rev. Kevin McLemore is the pastor at Epiphany. He said two congregation members led the effort to sponsor the family, with about 20-25 on the refugee care team. Some 15 people went to greet them at the airport.

After selling their belongings and paying for their own plane tickets, refugees receive a one-time payment from the U.S. government of $1,125 per family member to help with initial expenses (despite false right-wing media reports that refugees get that amount per month—they don’t). That money goes mostly for six months of apartment rent, along with other settlement costs. After six months, the family becomes responsible for their own rent. Refugee One finds the apartments in neighborhoods with affordable housing that also are near public transportation, making it easier for family members to travel to work and school.

McLemore said the fear is that the Trump administration and the GOP Congress might cut those refugee funds to zero. That’s one of the reasons Refugee One recommends a high initial amount of funds from the co-sponsor.

“My other fear is that if there’s a sustained action against feelings about refugees in this country, some of the agencies that help them, like Refugee One, might shut down,” McLemore said. “If the numbers of refugees are brought down, the organizations that do resettlements won’t have enough clients. And then there won’t be enough people around to help them when they do come.”

The members of the Epiphany refugee care team plan to visit their family once or twice a week to help them learn about the city and to offer any needed practical help, such as teaching them how to use passes to take public transportation and showing them where the nearest laundromat is. “The plan is to have them move forward as quickly as they can as well as to give them their privacy,” McLemore said. “Right now, they don’t know any English, but they’ll learn soon enough.”

The family helped by Epiphany fled Syria in 2013 to Turkey, where they spent the next few years. They completed the two-year vetting process and received their visa just recently. At their request, there is no photo of the refugee family. Back home in Syria, relatives of other refugee families who made it to the United States faced harassment when photos of smiling refugee family members showed up on social media and in the news.

The family also will be introduced to members of the Syrian Community Network, a Chicago nonprofit group made up of former Syrians who help with Syrian refugee resettlement. The group will work with the family to connect them with community resources and to ease the transition to a new country.

Taking on the responsibility of accepting a refugee family is a huge undertaking. Besides churches, other groups tackling the process include businesses, neighborhoods, and groups of like-minded friends. Groups like Refugee One will gladly accept donations, as will national groups such as the International Rescue Committee, which supports newly arrived refugees with immediate aid; UNHCR, the United Nations’ refugee agency; the White Helmets, a volunteer Syrian Civil Defense group; Heartland Alliance, which works with immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees, and others; World Vision, a Christian group that works mostly with children; and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to name just a few. Nine national nonprofit agencies handle refugee resettlement in the U.S.

Refugee families come from countries other than just Syria. These agencies work with families from Burma, Burundi, Colombia, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Somalia, Yemen, and many other places.

A personal note: My own church is in the beginning steps of helping a refugee family. So far, two people have stepped forward to lead the effort, although it’s going to take work by people throughout the church to raise funds and to help with all of the tasks.

At the church’s recent annual meeting, one of those two volunteers stood up to address the congregation about co-sponsoring a refugee family. This was the same weekend that the Muslim travel ban had been issued and then stopped partway due to a series of lawsuits.

“Before, I was excited about this project,” the volunteer said. “Now, I’m on fire.”

Resource : http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/2/12/1631024/-So-you-want-to-help-a-refugee-family

Benghazinos going home face mines and booby traps

The brother of a famed demining expert, the late Tariq Al-Saiti is reported to have been been injured in an explosion clearing a house in Ganfouda. Tariq was killed by a boobytrap in Sabri last July. His unnamed brother was hurt yesterday when he was trying to remove a mine.

Not far away, two men, thought to be brothers, were killed outright when they triggered a booby trap left in their home.

The challenge of defusing and making safe large numbers of properties once occupied by terrorists is putting considerable pressure on deminers from the Libyan National Army and the interior ministry’s mine-clearance teams. Tariq Al-Saiti had worked with the latter.

Residents returning to homes  once caught up in the fighting are often finding extensive damage.

“The outside wall has been destroyed, the furniture littered with bullet marks and many of my possessions stolen or broken beyond repair,” despaired Mohamed Ali, a 38-year-old teacher.

He had been renting a flat in Barkah with his family  but financial constraints forced his return to Garyounis this week.  “I just can’t afford the 800 dinars a month I’ve been paying,” he told the Libya Herald.

His case is not uncommon. Two years ago Majdi, 31, fled Garaounis with his pregnant wife and mother. Now he is back home and with a young child, because he too can no longer afford the rent of an apartment, in his case  in Sharah Al-Nasr.  Large parts of his property have been damaged. But he is pragmatic.

“I’ve started to fix up the apartment and my family have moved back in. Tomorrow I’m handing back the keys  to the owner of the flat I’ve been renting ” he said.

Ayhab, a 37-year-old bookshop owner, moved his large family back last week. On his little farm he has two homes. His parents and brothers live in one and his wife and two children in the other. Despite his home being “severely damaged” he too has begun to pick up the pieces of his former life, after staying in Kish for two years.

“We’ve started rebuilding the homes. In all honesty, they are not so bad that we couldn’t move back in” he said.

But going home is  not so easy for everyone. Mohamed, a 21-year-old medical student, said his family couldn’t move back to Gwarsha because someone had been killed in their  home and they were fearful it was now haunted.

Resource :https://www.libyaherald.com/2017/02/06/benghazinos-going-home-face-mines-and-booby-traps/

Stock Highlights: Rent-A-Center, Inc. (NASDAQ:RCII)

Rent-A-Center, Inc. (NASDAQ:RCII) traded with the volume of 1.5 Million in the previous trading session. The Stock opened its session at $8.8 and closed at $8.74 by showing increase of 0.58 percent. Rent-A-Center, Inc. has 1 year price target of $9.67. The stock gained a consensus recommendation of 3 on Zacks Investment Research where the scale runs from 1 to 5, 1 representing Strong buy and 5 showing Strong Sell.  The company reported its last quarter on Sep 16.


On Sep 16 Rent-A-Center, Inc. (NASDAQ:RCII) reported its EPS in the last quarter as $0.11/Share beating the analyst estimate of $0.09/Share by the difference of $0.02. This showed the surprise of 22.2% in the last quarter earnings. For the Current Quarter, 7 analysts are projecting the mean EPS to be $0.16/share. According to their observations and findings, the stock could provide a high EPS of $0.29/share and a Low EPS of $-0.02/share.

The 5 analysts offering 12-month price forecasts for Rent-A-Center Inc have a median target of 10.00, with a high estimate of 12.00 and a low estimate of 8.00. The median estimate represents a +14.42% increase from the last price of 8.74. (CNN MONEY)

Many Analysts provided their foresight on Revenue Estimates of Rent-A-Center, Inc. where they believe that the company has the potential to earn average revenue of $686.47 Million for the current quarter. According to their predictions High & Low revenue estimates are 700.67 Million and 667 Million respectively.

Rent-A-Center, Inc. (NASDAQ:RCII) topped its 52-week high price of $16.37 on Mar 21, 2016 and 52-Week Low Price of $7.76 on Jan 27, 2017. The Stock currently has the market capitalization of $461.91 Million, P/E (price to earnings ttm) of 0 and Weekly volatility of 6.06% and monthly volatility of 5.84% respectively.

Rent-A-Center, Inc. is currently showing -60.6% EPS growth this year. The Next Year EPS growth is -8.8%, Long term annual growth estimate of 5%, Annual EPS growth past 5 years of -17.77 percent. The Company currently has Insider ownership of 2.66 Percent and Institutional Ownership of 0 Percent. The Return on Assets stands at -47.9%, Return on Equity shows -176.6% and Return on Investment value is -57.3%.

Rent-A-Center, Inc. Gross Margin percentage stands at 65.7% while its Operating Margin for trailing twelve month is -33.5 percent and Profit margin (ttm) is -28.4 Percent. The stock is currently moving above its 20-Day Simple Moving Average of -18.82% with the 50-Day Simple Moving Average of -18.82 percent. Currently, the company has SMA200 (200-day simple moving average) of -25.73 Percent. The Stock has YTD (year to date) performance of -21.75 percent.

Many research firms have provided their ratings on Rent-A-Center, Inc. (NASDAQ:RCII) where Loop Capital provided Hold rating on the stock on 13-Dec-16. Other firms include Raymond James giving Mkt Perform rating on 6-Dec-16.

In the past 6 months, 1 Insider purchases and 2 Insider Sales were made in which 5000 shares were traded as Insider purchases and 162510 shares were exchanged as Insider Sales.

Company Profile:

Rent-A-Center operates company owned rent-to-own stores which offer high-quality, durable goods such as consumer electronics, appliances, furniture and accessories to consumers under flexible rental purchase arrangements that allow the customer to obtain ownership of the merchandise at the conclusion of an agreed-upon rental period. ColorTyme, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, is a national franchisor of rent-to-own stores,  which operate under the trade name of “ColorTyme,” and under the “Rent-A-Center” name. (Press Release)

Resource :https://topchronicle.com/stock-highlights-rent-a-center-inc-nasdaqrcii/

Home Appliances Are Now Available On Rent

With modern times, the basic amenities that play an undeniably important role in our hectic lifestyles have widened to include refrigerators, washing machines and air coolers. Surviving in a city without these appliances is not something one should choose to try out, even after taking a vow to live a simple life. New and improved versions of all the technologies keep on coming into the market and the temptation to replace our old things with these newest versions is unavoidable. 

Now comes the other side of the coin; each and every one of these appliances would cost a significant amount at the time of buying. Add to that the fact that you live in a rented house, buying these appliances can turn out to be a rather expensive proposition. Further, Let us provide you a perspective – You’ll either buy all these appliances, to pay an expensive monthly EMI for the purchase, or you shall go for these appliances one by one, depriving yourself of the others.

Here’s an easier alternative. Home appliances are now available on rent. By taking home appliances for rent, you end up saving a lot of money which would otherwise be spent on buying all these appliances. With flexible options, convenient renewals, a range of brands to choose from and high quality assurance, you just can’t go wrong with taking appliances on rent from a furniture and Home Appliances On Rent company. With the facility of flexible rental agreement for the best quality and most advanced products renting home appliances and furniture has become the best way to sort your house and work space

Resource :  https://furniturerentalnews.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/home-appliances-are-now-available-on-rent/