Dust Off Your Monster Magnet....It's A Collector's Item Now.

SAN FRANCISCO - Wham-O Inc., the maker of vintage toys like the Frisbee, Slip'N Slide and Hula Hoop, has been sold to a Hong Kong distributor that's trying to build a one-stop shop for outdoor fun.
Financial terms weren't disclosed, but Cornerstone Overseas Investment Limited is paying less than the $80 million price that Wham-O's previous owners, the Charterhouse Group, sought when it put the toy maker on the sales block in 2004, said James Rybakoff, an investment banker representing Cornerstone.
The deal closed last week, but wasn't announced until Thursday.
Charterhouse paid $20 million to acquire Emeryville, Calif.-based Wham-O in 1997 and hired new management to revive a venerable toy line that had been neglected during the three years the company was owned by industry giant Mattel Inc.
The turnaround boosted Wham-O's annual sales from $18 million eight years ago to an estimated $80 million in 2005, but Cornerstone believes there's room for plenty more growth.
"We are going to give (Wham-O) the octane that it has never had," said Rybakoff, who represented Cornerstone in the negotiations. "Wham-O is a fantastic international name, but it hasn't really been sold overseas a lot."
Cornerstone plans to change that by expanding into new markets like Brazil and South Africa.
As part of the international expansion, Cornerstone is currently negotiating to buy two other toy makers specializing in outdoor recreation, Rybakoff said. He declined to identify the acquisition candidates.
The new owners own or control five Chinese factories with a total of 20,000 to 25,000 workers, providing ample manpower to increase production of Wham-O's toys, which also include Superball, Boogie Board, Hacky Sack, Silly String and Water Wiggle.
"Our brands aren't considered hot because they are so old, but they are still cool," said Mojde Esfandiari, Wham-O's president. She hopes to double Wham-O's sales during the next two to three years under Cornerstone's ownership.
This marks the fourth change in Wham-O's ownership since Rich Knerr and Spud Melin founded the company in 1948. Wham-O became ingrained in pop culture a few years later when it bought the rights to the Pipco Flying Saucer, which was later named the Pluto Platter before finally landing on the Frisbee brand in 1958.

If Just One Person Pays, The Scheme Will Have Worked. (Or, NIPSCO's Not As Bad As I Thought.)

From the BBC.

An electricty firm has apologised to a Nottinghamshire woman who received an electricity bill for more than £202m ($250 million US.)
Lisa Crossley, from Arnold, Nottingham, had problems with her meter and raised the issue with Powergen.
But after having a new meter fitted at her two-bedroomed terraced house she was staggered to see the huge bill, which arrived on 12 January.
Powergen spokesman Nick Lakin said the mistake was down to human error and Miss Crossley would get a revised bill.
She first contacted the company because she was concerned she was not paying enough after realising her meter was faulty. She requested a new meter and asked for a revised reading.
But she was amazed to the receive a quarterly bill for £202,020,052.47.
It's a genuine error on our behalf - we've obviously rectified it now
Nick Lakin
She said: "It does seem a bit unusual. It's only a two-bedroomed terrace house.
"You'd think there would be some computer check, or person check or something that they could do that would identify bills of this size.
"There was no way I could have paid that and when I phoned up they did tell me not to pay it. But that was never an option - it was not going to get paid."
Powergen spokesman Nick Larkin said: "It was a small error on our side but it produced a very big number and the first thing I would like to do is apologise to Miss Crossley for what happened.
"It's a genuine error on our behalf - we've obviously rectified it now. She'll be receiving a new bill later this week and hopefully that sets it at rest."
Powergen has had to contact 86 other customers, who also received multi-million pound bills, to reassure them and apologise.
The company has asked anyone who does have billing problems to contact them.

Makes the two hundred bucks I had to send to NIPSCO this month look reasonably good by comparison......

Holiday Greetings. (Or, I Checked The Mailbox Anyway.)

Sorry....Took a day off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Hopefully more later today.

Interesting weekend.....sorry, Colts fans.

A recap of recent festivities soon.