by The Editors on December 9, 2008
The City of Carlsbad has thrown in the towel on plans to help NRG find a different location for their proposed powerplant, according to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
In a letter to NRG Vice President Tim Hemig, Carlsbad municipal projects manager Joe Garuba wrote: “Carlsbad believes that our coastline is a precious resource and it is not an appropriate location for industrial land uses.” . . . Without NRG’s cooperation, “the city recognizes that its individual efforts (to find an alternative site) are meaningless,” Garuba added. . . A copy of the letter, dated Dec. 1, was sent to the state energy commission.
Seems the industrialization of the lagoon will continue, sadly.
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on December 1, 2008
A week after reports of a $350,000 re-branding campaign by the Carlsbad Tourism Business Improvement District surfaced, the Director of Carlsbad’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, Kurt Burkhart has announced that he is leaving Carlsbadistan to take a job in his home state of Virginia, according to a Barbara Henry story in the North County Times.
I don’t think there’s anybody that could put their heart and soul in (to the job) like Kurt did,” bureau board Chairwoman Nancy Nayudu as she discussed the many tourism-related boards and commissions that Burkhart has served on in his eight years as the bureau’s leader.
We’d say we were going to miss Kurt, but we’ve never really noticed anything he or the Convention and Visitor Bureau has ever done.
[Link: North County Times]
by The Editors on December 1, 2008
Carlsbadistan surfboard shaper David Barr was featured on the Surfing Magazine site as part of their Month of the Shaper in conjunction with their annual surfboards issue. Nice to see local surf craftsman getting a little global play in the surf media (even if his shop is in Oside). Here’s a little of what he had to say:
The custom board is what keeps me afloat, my clientele come to me for conceptually sound advice and much more personal customer service. Sometimes I feel like I’m delivering their first born not a 6’2″ hotdog board. This used to drive me crazy, but now I embrace it. . . . Right now I’m working on boards for really crappy conditions. Boards that you can have fun on in conditions that normally you would just pass on. Let’s face it, surfing is about having fun and staying wet. If your not surfing in the everyday crap you’re worthless when it get good!
Great, because those are exactly the kind of waves we’ve been stuck with lately.
[Link: Surfing Magazine]
by The Editors on November 25, 2008
The owners of Le Passage French Bistro have expanded the restaurant on the North side and are now in the process of launching a completely new business on the south at 2963 State Street. It’s called Carlsbad Chocolate Bar and owner Laura Reyer’s says it is an “opportunity to provide chocolate and wine to the residents of Carlsbad and beyond.”
Reyer hopes to have the new store open before Christmas, but that’s about all she’ll say. “For now I would prefer to stay quiet and keep the suspense level abundant!”
It’s working. We can hardly wait to sample some of The Carlsbad Chocolate Bar’s goodies.
by The Editors on November 21, 2008
Major video game developers who want to know how well one of their proposed games might sell are turning to Carlsbadistan’s Electronic Entertainment Design and Research for help.
With its database of 6,000 games, EEDAR analysts can use historical and competitive data sets to project sales for upcoming releases. It can also determine how certain developers and publishers, marketing budgets and release dates align to affect game sales. . . . “Every game I have ever worked on, we’ve gone in blind as to which features would sell the game better,” says President Geoffrey Zatkin, who designed games for 11 years before co-founding EEDAR. Not knowing whether it would be worth an extra $500,000 to design a multiplayer mode “would scare the crap out of me,” he says.
One more reminder that Carlsbadistan is littered with some really smart, talented people.
[Link: Forbes]
by The Editors on November 20, 2008
Carlsbadistan’s fuel efficient car company Aptera is one of 22 automaker teams who have registered for the Progressive Automotive X Prize, according to a story on Xconomy San Diego.
. . .the teams wlll compete in two dramatic, long-distance stage races scheduled for next year, X Prize spokeswoman Carrie Fox said. The $10 million purse is split between the alternative class and a mainstream class that requires entrants to operate cars with four-doors, 4-wheels and other basic features.”
Not a bad way to add $5 million to the bottom line while getting a little press along the way.
[Link: Xconomy San Diego]
by The Editors on November 20, 2008
There is now officially one less golf company in Carlsbadistan as TaylorMade-adidas Golf has finished its purchase of golf clothing manufacturer Ashworth for $1.90 a share.
As a result of the acquisition, Ashworth will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of TaylorMade-adidas Golf and any shares of Ashworth common stock not tendered will be cancelled and converted into the right to receive the $1.90 in cash per share to be paid in the tender offer, without interest and less any required withholding taxes.
TaylorMade’s parent company, the adidas Group, has 37,000 employees and generated $10.3 billion in sales in 2007. Seems like a nice family to belong to in these times of economic distress.
[Link: Trading Markets]
by The Editors on November 12, 2008
Carlsbadistan’s trading card giant Upper Deck has reportedly laid off 60 employees: 40 at the Carlsbad office and 20 in Las Vegas according to a story in the San Diego Business Journal.
Spokesman Terry Melia confirmed the layoffs . . . and provided no further comment. . . . According to Hoover’s, Upper Deck had 400 employees last year, and revenue of $60 million.
Merry Christmas. Sorry, seems like we’re saying that a lot lately.
[Link: San Diego Business Journal]
by The Editors on November 7, 2008
It was standing room only at the City of Carlsbad sponsored open house and presentation regarding NRG’s proposed power plant, according to a Michael Burge story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Joe Garuba, the city’s municipal projects manager, told the audience that NRG’s new plant would not depend on ocean water to cool its generators, as the old one does. . . .“Because this plant is air-cooled, you can move it away from the coast,” Garuba said.
Of course, then it would be in someone else’s backyard. Our question (which we didn’t ask because NRG was not allowed to attend the meeting) is why does this power plant need to be in Carlsbad at all?
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on November 5, 2008
On Thursday November 6, 2008 the City of Carlsbad is hosting an open house and presentation regarding the proposed power plant that NRG wants to put in on the shores of the Aqua Hedionda lagoon.
Since decisions made about this important coastal property will affect Carlsbad for the next 50-plus years, the City of Carlsbad want to ensure its citizen have ample opportunities to provide input to the California Energy Commission.
That’s why we’re encouraging everyone to attend the meeting at 5:30 PM Thursday, November 6, in the Faraday Center, 1635 Faraday Ave. We’ve found that these forums can often be enjoyed (worst case) as the theatre of the absurd. So join, us. Please.
[Link: Carlsbad Connected]
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