tyb
>>92249 pb
SAM114 USAF G5 on ground at MacDill from Langley ground stop-clowntown to centcom
INIGO87 Nightwatch went to Wright-Patterson AFB >>92259 pb
KIND91 US Navy E-6B Mercury back to Pax River from Tinker OKC
LIFTR20 C-17 getting a tank of fuel from FLASH44 KC-135 tanker off Wilmington, N.C.
VENUS41 G5 from Myrtle Beach Int'l to JBA with a later than normal departure (for the VENUS flights which are non-VIP 99th Airlift squad flights)
Haven't chek't in on Billy Boi lately
Gates Foundation N887WM G650 was at Moffett Field on Sunday.....
That C-17 in at Moffett earlier >>92292 pb with the T call sign that took off as ANON from LAX yesterday.
Plus some Dopey And Bill News...
from Sept 14th
What Bill Gates’ Four Seasons Deal Tells Us About The Future Of Travel
So why did Bill Gates’ investment firm, Cascade Investment LLC, just pay $2.21 billion for a controlling stake in Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts?
“The opportunity arose and [Cascade] seized it. It’s a positive affirmation of our strategy going forward. They believe as we do in the opportunity in front of the company, which is significant,” says John Davison, Chief Executive Officer of Four Seasons. (Cascade declined to comment.) In a deal announced last week, Saudi Prince al-Waleed bin Talal agreed to sell half his stake in Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts to co-owner Bill Gates, giving him control of the luxury hotel operator, now valued at $10 billion. Cascade’s involvement is nothing new. They first invested in Four Seasons in 1997 when the company was public. But the timing and scope of this latest investment makes it a landmark bet on the future of luxury travel. Four Seasons currently operates 121 hotels and resorts and 46 residences, with a pipeline of more than 50 new projects in vacation spots like Napa Valley, Fort Lauderdale, and Tamarindo, Mexico opening later this year, according to the VP of public relations.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferleighparker/2021/09/14/what-bill-gates-four-seasons-deal-tells-us-about-the-future-of-travel/?sh=1fd426da17eb
not eben spelled right
>TFR-FAA says “special security reason”.
World Bank probe finds now-IMF chief pushed staff to lift China ranking
World Bank leaders, including then-Chief Executive Kristalina Georgieva, applied "undue pressure" on staff to boost China's ranking in the bank's "Doing Business 2018" report, according to an independent investigation released Thursday.
The report, prepared by law firm WilmerHale at the request of the bank's ethics committee, raises concerns about China's influence at the World Bank, and the judgment of Georgieva - now managing director of the International Monetary Fund -- and then-World Bank President Jim Yong Kim. Georgieva said she disagreed "fundamentally with the findings and interpretations" of the report and had briefed the IMF's executive board. The World Bank Group on Thursday canceled the entire "Doing Business" report on business climates, saying internal audits and the WilmerHale investigation had raised "ethical matters, including the conduct of former Board officials, as well as current and/or former Bank staff."
The U.S. Treasury Department, which manages the dominant U.S. shareholdings in the IMF and the World Bank, said it was analyzing what it called the "serious findings." The WilmerHale report cited "direct and indirect pressure" from senior staff in Kim's office to change the report's methodology to boost China's score, and said it likely occurred at his direction. It said Georgieva, and a key adviser, Simeon Djankov, had pressured staff to "make specific changes to China's data points" and boost its ranking at a time when the bank was seeking China's support for a big capital increase. Kim did not respond to a request for comment. Djankov could not be immediately reached.
China's ranking in the "Doing Business 2018" report, published in October 2017, rose seven places to 78th after the data methodology changes were made, compared with the initial draft report. The "Doing Business" report ranks countries based on their regulatory and legal environments, ease of business startups, financing, infrastructure and other business climate measures. The report comes nearly two years after Georgieva took over as IMF chief, shortly before the biggest global economic crisis in the Fund's 76-year history, prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Treasury is analyzing "serious findings" in the WilmerHale report, Treasury spokeswoman Alexandra LaManna told Reuters. "Our primary responsibility is to uphold the integrity of international financial institutions." The WilmerHale report also cited pressures related to data used to determine rankings for Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan in the "Doing Business 2020" report published in 2019, but found no evidence that any members of the World Bank's Office of the President or executive board were involved in these changes. Saudi Arabia climbed 30 places to 62nd in the "Doing Business 2020" report. "Going forward, we will be working on a new approach to assessing the business and investment climate," the World Bank said.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/World-Bank-probe-finds-now-IMF-chief-pushed-staff-to-lift-China-ranking
chek't
Coupang, Inc. sold by Softbank Vision Fund: $1.69B-Sept 14
Coupang Inc, formerly Coupang LLC, is a Korea-based company principally engaged in the providing of e-commerce services. The Company mainly provides home goods and decoration, apparel, and beauty products, fresh food and grocery, sporting goods, electronics, restaurant order and delivery, travel and everyday consumables and other products and services. The Company operates e-commerce and logistics system and provides delivery services. In addition, the Company also offers the online advertising space on its websites and mobile applications.
https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/COUPANG-INC-119962175/company/
Masayoshi Son founded and runs mobile telecom and investment giant SoftBank Group. Investors in Son's Vision Fund include Apple, Qualcomm, Foxconn, the family office of billionaire Larry Ellison and Saudi Arabia's sovereign fund. The Vision Fund has invested in over 100 companies, including ride-share firm Grab, Korean ecommerce leader Coupang and India's Paytm. SoftBank's shares, which fell after the WeWork IPO collapsed in 2019, were up in 2020 thanks to IPOs such as that of food delivery firm DoorDash. A slew of Son-backed IPOs are expected in 2021, including that of Indian insurance aggregator PolicyBazaar and China's ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing,
https://www.forbes.com/profile/masayoshi-son/?sh=4c5b7d0a3818
from today
Smart robots to revitalize Japan's economy, competitiveness: Softbank CEO
Smart robots can revitalize Japan’s economy and competitiveness, insists Softbank Group CEO Masayoshi Son, as their much-hyped robot dubbed "Pepper," prepares to bow out. According to Son, their Vision Fund is collaborating with 18 companies in developing AI-enhanced machines that go far beyond Pepper's dancing and door-greeting capabilities. Son said that there would emerge more functional smart robots.
After their debut event with Pepper several years ago, Son now sees smart robots replacing not just the manufacturing, industrial workers but the entire labor force. He added that 100 million robots could do the work of 1 billion people-reeeeeally. Consequently, humans would be freed from boring work, allowing them to work on things that add more value. However, Son did not elaborate on new investments or market prices of any of the devices, nor touch on their investing pause in China, where regulators have increasingly scrutinized technology firms.
While Softbank had sold 80 percent of robot-maker Boston Dynamics to South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group for $1.1 billion, Son noted that they would continue to collaborate with Boston Dynamics.
https://www.econotimes.com/Softbank-CEO-says-smart-robots-can-revitalize-Japan-growth-competitiveness-1617269
Certain Options of Coupang, Inc. are subject to a Lock-Up Agreement Ending on 7-SEP-2021.
Certain Options of Coupang, Inc. are subject to a Lock-Up Agreement Ending on 7-SEP-2021. These Options will be under lockup for 180 days starting from 11-MAR-2021 to 7-SEP-2021. Details: The company, officers, directors, and holders of substantially all of Class A common stock (which include the selling stockholders) have agreed or will agree with the underwriters, subject to certain customary exceptions, not to dispose of or hedge any of their capital stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of capital stock during the period of 180 days after the date of the final prospectus, except with the prior written consent of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/COUPANG-INC-119962175/news/Certain-Options-of-Coupang-Inc-are-subject-to-a-Lock-Up-Agreement-Ending-on-7-SEP-2021-36362708/
https://finviz.com/insidertrading.ashx?oc=1716729&tc=7&b=2