Tesla Announces Major Upgrade To Original Roadster

Perhaps Tesla CEO Elon Musk fancies himself a Santa Claus.

On Friday, the electric carmaker announced highly anticipated upgrades to its original battery-powered sports car, dramatically improving its travel range on a single charge.

The Roadster, introduced in 2008, will be able to cruise up the coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco with the new longer-range battery, the company said in a blog post. The upgrade also includes new parts to bolster the aerodynamic design of the car, and tires with less rolling resistance.

The update is expected to increase the Roadster’s range by up to 50 percent when the car is driven at moderate speeds and on flat terrain.

“There is a set of speeds and driving conditions where we can confidently drive the Roadster 3.0 over 400 miles,” the company said, referring to the latest model of the car.

Tesla will begin demonstrating road tests of the upgrades in the next few weeks.

This doesn’t meant that buyers can once again purchase a new Roadster; the car, which started at $110,000, was discontinued in 2011. There are no plans to begin manufacturing and selling them again, a Tesla spokeswoman told The Huffington Post.

For now, the upgrade only applies to the Roadster. In a tweet on Thursday night, Musk said such improvements will eventually come to the Model S, the company’s flagship sedan and the only car it currently sells.

Should mention that a battery pack upgrade is not coming soon for the Model S, but it obviously *will* happen long-term.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 26, 2014

Taco Bell Responds To 'Leaked' Gay Commercial

Earlier this month a gay-themed television commercial attributed to Taco Bell featuring two men cuddling and a same-sex wedding leaked onto the Internet.

In the clip, which can be seen above, two buddies stop at the fast food chain for a "breakfast pitstop" and then one of them ponders aloud, "I wonder what else we could fit in before work."

Among the activities the guys manage to check off on their joint to-do list: finding pirate treasure, riding jet skis, spooning on a picnic blanket and getting married.

Little information is provided on the video's YouTube landing page but the high quality of the ad had many believing that the clip was legitimately produced by Taco Bell.

After the video began going viral on Internet blogs late last week, Taco Bell sent the following statement to Mediaite.com on Friday night:

“We didn’t create this ad, but we can see the people who did share the same Live Mas passion for our brand -- and our breakfast—as we do. Although we cannot condone unauthorized use of our intellectual property, we are impressed with their work and would be open to meeting with them.”

In recent years companies have often chosen gay themes and plots for a variety of reasons from the comedic to the inspirational. In 2014 Honey Maid graham crackers and Cheerios both featured queer representations in advertisements for their products.

(h/t Towleroad)

Minimum Wage Hikes Force Walmart To Raise Pay At More Than 1,400 Stores

By Nathan Layne

CHICAGO, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Minimum wage increases across the United States will prompt Wal-Mart Stores Inc to adjust base salaries at 1,434 stores, impacting about a third of its U.S. locations, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters.

The memo, which was sent to store managers earlier this month, offers insight into the impact of minimum wage hikes in 21 states due to come into effect on or around Jan. 1, 2015.

These are adjustments that Wal-Mart and other employers have to make each year, but growing attention to the issue has expanded the scope of the change. Thirteen U.S. states lifted the minimum wage in 2014, up from 10 in 2013 and 8 in 2012.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan said the company was making the changes to "ensure our stores in the 21 states comply with the law."

For Wal-Mart, the biggest private employer in the United States with 1.3 million workers, minimum wage legislation is not a small thing. Its operating model is built on keeping costs under close control as it attracts consumers with low prices and operates on tight margins.

In recent years, it has been struggling to grow sales after many lower-income Americans lost jobs or income in the financial crisis.

The Wal-Mart memo shows that there will be changes to its pay structure, including a narrowing of the gap in the minimum premium paid to those in higher skilled positions, such as deli associates and department supervisors, over lower grade jobs.

Wal-Mart will also combine its lowest three pay grades, which include cashiers, cart pushers and maintenance, into one base rate.

The changes appear in part to be an effort to offset the anticipated upswing in labor costs, according to a manager who was implementing the changes at his store.

"Essentially that wage compression at the upper level of the hourly associate is going to help absorb that cost of the wage increase at the lower level," said the manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity.


MORE CHANGE TO COME?

Wal-Mart's critics - including a group of its workers backed by labor unions - say the retailer pays its hourly workers too little, forcing some to seek government assistance that effectively provides the company with an indirect taxpayer subsidy. Labor groups have been calling for Wal-Mart, other retailers and fast-food chains to pay at least $15 an hour.

Wal-Mart has indicated it may make more changes to its compensation structure in 2015. Chief Executive Doug McMillon recently said the company would improve opportunities for workers, including getting the roughly 6,000 people who make the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour at its stores off that rate.

"In the world there is a debate over inequity, and sometimes we get caught up in that," he told TV presenter Charlie Rose in an interview this month. McMillon said he would take steps to ensure the company is "a meritocracy, an opportunity for people to do more."

The state minimum wage changes range from a 17 percent increase in South Dakota to $8.50 to a modest rise of 2 percent to $8.05 in Arizona. They will also impact many of Wal-Mart's big retail rivals, such as Target Corp, and fast-food chains like McDonald's Corp.

A Target spokeswoman said she could not provide details on how many employees might be impacted by the changes on Jan. 1. McDonald's could not be immediately reached for comment.

Wal-Mart estimates its average full-time hourly wage is $12.92, and says that it pays competitive wages and offers its employees ample opportunity for advancement.

Edward Jones analyst Brian Yarbrough said it is tough to estimate the cost impact of the minimum wage changes without knowing the number of Wal-Mart employees affected. While many employees might start out at the minimum rate, they advance to higher pay rates over time, he noted.

Wal-Mart said last month that investment in wages and higher health care costs drove a 3.5 percent increase in operating expenses in its most recent quarter. Wal-Mart is unlikely to cut staff or reduce hours to keep those costs in check, given that it has made a renewed push to improve service in its stores, Yarbrough said. (Reporting by Nathan Layne; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Martin Howell)

Madoff Victims' Payout Nears $7.2 Billion, Trustee Says

By Joseph Ax

NEW YORK, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Victims of Bernard Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme will get a fresh $322 million payout if a U.S. judge approves the request by the trustee liquidating the convicted fraudster's firm, bringing the recovery total to more than $7 billion.

The trustee, Irving Picard, said on Monday he would seek permission from a U.S. bankruptcy judge in New York to begin the fifth interim distribution of payments, which would average $299,900 and range from just under $400 to more than $60 million.

The announcement came five weeks after Picard said he had reached three settlements with various defendants, totaling more than $642 million.

All told, Picard has recouped about $10.5 billion, roughly 60 percent of the $17.5 billion of principal he estimated was lost by Madoff customers in the Ponzi scheme, which was revealed in December 2008.

Picard has allowed 2,547 claims related to 2,213 accounts that victims held at Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC. Once the fifth interim distribution is complete, he said, 1,154 accounts will be fully satisfied.

A court hearing to consider approving the payout has been scheduled for Jan. 15.

Madoff, 76, is serving a 150-year prison term after pleading guilty in March 2009.

Five former Madoff employees were sentenced to prison terms of two to 10 years earlier this month, following their conviction in March of fraud and other charges for helping Madoff conceal his fraud for decades.

Fifteen people, including Madoff himself, have been convicted at trial or pleaded guilty in connection with the Ponzi scheme. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Richard Chang)

Staples Data Breach May Have Affected Over 1 Million Payment Cards

Dec 19 (Reuters) - Office equipment supplier Staples Inc said the investigation of a data security breach showed that malware may have affected about 1.16 million payment cards.

The breach at 115 of the company's 1,400 stores was announced in October.

Staples said it has since eradicated the malware. (Reporting By Yashaswini Swamynathan in Bengaluru; Editing by Joyjeet Das)

'Serial' Fans Are Flocking To The Best Buy At Center Of Murder

SPOILER ALERT: This story reveals details from as recent as episode 9 of "Serial."

A Maryland Best Buy has become a destination for people seeking a fairly obsolete piece of technology: a pay phone.

They're looking for one pay phone in particular, the one that plays a key role in the wildly popular podcast "Serial," which chronicles a reporter's investigation into the 1999 murder of Baltimore-area teenager Hae Min Lee.

Adnan Syed, the victim's ex-boyfriend who is serving a life sentence after being convicted of first-degree murder in Lee's death, claims he didn't do it. As avid fans of the show (like this writer) know, the state's case against Syed relies heavily on a pay phone that was once allegedly at a Best Buy on Security Boulevard in Windsor Mill, Maryland, outside of Baltimore.

The state's star witness -- referred to on the podcast only by his first name, Jay -- claimed Syed used the phone to call him to ask for a ride, shortly after allegedly murdering Lee in the Best Buy parking lot.

The problem is, it's possible the pay phone never existed. Sarah Koenig, the host of "Serial," hasn't found conclusive evidence confirming that there was a pay phone in the Best Buy parking lot at the time of the murder.

Now fans are apparently coming to the store location to see for themselves, Jeff Shelman, a Best Buy spokesman, told The Huffington Post. So many people have inquired about the phone that the general manager of the store, who hadn't heard of "Serial" until people started coming in to ask about it, has started listening, Shelman said.

The top review on a Yelp page for the Best Buy location is simply a reference to the show: "Parking lot is secluded enough, but I couldn't find the pay phone." A recent post on Reddit called "There WAS a pay phone at Best Buy" has generated 344 comments.

In the show's ninth episode, a friend of Syed and Jay's tells Koenig that there was never a pay phone at the Best Buy. She says she's certain of this because she used to shoplift from the store and was thus hyperaware of her surroundings. Koenig says of the pay phone, "We did a lot of research on this, where it was, whether it was, and we could not account for this phone booth."

Neither can Baltimore native Robert Hunt, who, inspired by the Reddit post, went to the Best Buy on one of the busiest shopping days of the year to look for evidence.

"It always occurred to me that there would be, at least in 1999, pay phones at a store like that," said Hunt, who has listened to each episode of the show several times. "It certainly made a difference to me, and I felt compelled even on Black Friday to go out there and check it out."

The patch of carpet Hunt found at the Maryland Best Buy.

Standing in the middle of a "stampede," Hunt said he found a patch of carpet in the vestibule of the store that looks as if it's covering up a stand or a pedestal. On the wall nearby is an area where it appears something was attached to the wall. All of this he takes as evidence that there was once a pay phone at Best Buy, though not in the parking lot, where the state's star witness, Jay, claims it was.

Jay's map of Best Buy and its surroundings. According to the "Serial" website, the rectangle to the right of the word "Ahnand" is the Best Buy store and the pay phone is in the corner of the parking lot right outside the store.

Hunt's photo of the pay phone's location, according to Jay's map. Hunt says the McDonald's (marked as "M.D." on Jay's map) is behind him. "It is about 30 to 35 yards from the front door. It does not seem like a logical place to have pay phones. I could not see any evidence or residual proof that there were ever pay phones at that spot," Hunt wrote in an email.

The area of the parking lot where Jay claims the murder took place was quiet, even on Black Friday, which fits Jay's description, Hunt said. Still, he wasn't necessarily convinced it was the scene of a murder.

"It would have been a good place to go and smoke weed or fool around. I can't see murdering anybody there," he said. "But I've never murdered anybody."

Hunt's photo of the Best Buy parking lot on Black Friday.

It's hard to tell whether the Best Buy brand in general has gotten any lift from "Serial," according to Shelman. Listeners are certainly hearing the name more, given how frequently it is mentioned on the show. The first sentence listeners hear in the recap before episode 10 centers on the pay phone at Best Buy, for example. And that is a lot of listeners: "Serial" has been downloaded and streamed more than 5 million times, setting a record for the speed with which it hit that mark.

Twitter users have even joked that the entire show is an ad for Best Buy.

Tweets about @serial, visualized. cc: @ilovecharts pic.twitter.com/Y5CWWEwlmq

-- This American Chart (@ThisAmerChart) November 14, 2014

The chain could use the help, especially during the holiday shopping season, which is crucial for retailers. The company's most recent earnings report was encouraging, but Best Buy has struggled in recent years as shoppers increasingly buy electronics online.

Even though the show links the Best Buy parking lot to a grisly crime, it may actually boost sales by bringing more fans to the store, said Jeff Greenfield, the co-founder of media analytics firm C3 Metrics.

"Any mention of them, especially this time of year, is going to be to their advantage," Greenfield said.

Costco Had A Great Month In November Despite Staying Closed On Thanksgiving

ISSAQUAH, Wash. (AP) — Sales from the established stores of warehouse club operator Costco climbed 5 percent last month to top Wall Street expectations.

Analysts expected 3.7 percent growth, on average, according to Thomson Reuters.

The strong results come even though Costco stayed closed on Thanksgiving -- unlike many other retailers. Increasing competition for Black Friday shoppers has led many stores in recent years to start their holiday "doorbusters" a day early.

"Our employees work especially hard during the holiday season, and we simply believe that they deserve the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with their families," Paul Latham, a spokesman for Costco, told The Huffington Post last year.

The Issaquah, Washington, company said Thursday that same-store sales from its U.S. locations climbed 7 percent, while they fell 1 percent internationally.

Sales at stores open at least a year is a key gauge of a retailer's health because it excludes the volatility from stores recently opened or closed.

The company said the Midwest Southeast and San Diego areas led U.S. results. Mexico, Taiwan and Canada were strong internationally.

Excluding lower gasoline prices and foreign currency fluctuations, sales at stores open at least a year increased 8 percent for the company, 9 percent in the United States and 7 percent internationally.

Costco's total November sales rose 7 percent to $9.43 billion, and revenue for its first quarter, which ended Nov. 23, also climbed 7 percent to $26.28 billion.

The company runs 671 warehouses, including 474 in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Shares climbed 81 cents to $143.50 Thursday before markets opened. The stock had climbed about 20 percent so far this year, as of Wednesday's market close.