Texas Unveils New Line of Specialty License Plates
DALLAS -- In this cash-strapped 21st century, many states have recognized the cash cow that is specialty license plates. It used to be that Florida was by far the leader in this area, with so many different license plates that even collectors could no longer keep track. But nowadays most states offer a wide ranging slate of tags for drivers to choose from.
And some states aren't even satisfied with a virtual catalog of artwork. California now offers special symbols within the number area. Looking for a way to say "I love my dog" in just seven characters? Never fear, if you live in L.A. you can subsitute 'love' with a heart... and you've got it! Life is good on the left coast.
Not to be left out—nor to be outdone—Texas is unveiling a huge selection of new speciality plates. Leading the pack is the "Everything's Bigger Here" plate (see photo below), a first of its kind in America.
The "Everything's Bigger Here" license plate is the flagship of the new Texas line, and has the distinction of being the widest license plate ever issued in the United States. The tag stretches across the vehicle's entire front and rear bumpers.
Texans will also be able to choose from these plates—for a hefty price tag, of course (everything is bigger in Texas, after all):
The Beverly Hillbillies Commemorative Plate
So what if Jed's family was from Arkansas, and so what if they moved to California? It was Texas Tea that propelled them to a glamorous lifestyle, and Texas officials are betting that there's a small group willing to dish over an extra $200 per year to celebrate the popular '60s sitcom. The tag's black base with gold letter features a picture of Jed Clampett on the left and the dates "1962 - 1971" at the bottom.
The "Troy Aikman: Shooting Star" Commemorative Plate
Everyone knows that Texans love their football, and few players have had the power to capture the Texas-sized heart like Troy Aikman. As quarterback of the '90s juggernaught Cowboys teams, Aikman and his teammates personified the oversized Texan ego. Even with the extra $250/year fee, DMV officials are expecting this plate to sell out quickly. They're even making fresh arrests to beef up the production workforce.
The "Texas: It's Electrifying" Plate
Inspired by some of the best travel advertising slogans of the past few decades, this plate highlights Texas's tough stance on violent crime. With an illustration of an electric chair on the left and an embedded spark generator, drivers can light up the night as they speed down Texas highways. 50% of proceeds from the sale of this plate goes toward the cost of maintaing the state's large prison system.
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Local Furniture Store Sets Record for Consecutive Sales
HOUSTON -- In a feat that many consider to be one of the most difficult to accomplish, local furniture seller Peterson's has broken the Guiness Book record for the most consecutive "three-day" sales.
It all started on July 3, 1987, when Peterson's launched its "Independence Day Blowout" sale with a blitz of melodramatic TV commercials and radio spots.
"We knew those ads would tug at the patriotic heartstrings, but we had no idea that we were creating this juggernaught of furniture selling zeal," reminisces Dave Peterson, current operations manager and grandson of the store's founder. "When we saw the flood of traffic that the sale generated, we decided to immediately jump into another one; and hence the legend was born.
Dave Peterson, the current operations manager at Peterson's Furniture, was only 7 years old when his father launched the first in this record-breaking series of three-day sales.
Peterson says it is worth noting that the series of sales started at a time when consumers were not yet as "clued-in" to the fact that furniture store sales are not really sales, but rather everyday prices dressed up in party rags.
"Back then the big thing was 'going-out-of-business-liquidation sales,' " says Peterson. "You just feigned bankruptcy, held a three-month sale, and then moved across the street and changed your name. Voila! You got extra sales and a new showroom. But our approach was different."
Nowadays the Peterson model is the mainstream, fashionable way for furniture stores to rope in buyers. Always generating urgency, today's couch ads hide the details in tiny print at the bottom of the screen or under blaring music in radio spots. Want no payments till 2008? No problem! Just be prepared for that 28% retroactive interest rate and $1,999 minimum purchase. But you'd better hurry, the offer's good for only three days... before it's offered again with the sale that starts Tuesday.
Peterson has no problem with the tactics, and in fact takes pride in the longevity of the campaign. "There aren't many advertisers who can say that they've done the same thing for 18 years and succeeded." What Peterson's has done is nothing short of remarkable.
The streak of sales is still going on, so who knows what the final number will be when Guiness closes the file on this record. But the upcoming edition of the book will list the Peterson's streak at 17 years, 8 months, 2 weeks, and 4 days. Total number of sales? A dumbfounding 2,154 "last-chances-to-save" events.
"As I always tell the boys," concludes Peterson, "we done good."
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Other Local Stories
Be sure to uncover all the clues...
Issue 1
Mysterious Briefcase Found Outside
Houston Area Post Office
Police this morning found a black briefcase near the outside dropboxes at
the Brookside Village post office. The locked briefcase was examined by bomb
squads for more than three hours before it was determined to be non-explosive.
:: View full story.
Holiday Donations Down for Third
Consecutive Year
Officials report that for the third year running, holiday donations were
down. Most agree that the long-running economic slump is most likely responsible
for the less generous nature of the community. :: View
full story.
CGI Fights Viruses with StandGuard
Anti-Virus
CGI Group Inc., an international corporation for which
data integrity is of highest priority, has fortified its
security by installing the world’s
first and only server-based virus detection product designed for the IBM
iSeries computers. :: View full story.
Issue
2
Area Security Executive Probed in
Theft Case
Officers from the Houston police department along with federal agents seized
documents this morning from the office of Evans Business Solutions Chief Security
Officer, Peter Evans. The seizure comes several weeks after the reported theft
of company trade secrets. :: View full story.
Penguins Converge on Texas as COMMON
User Conference Comes to San Antonio
COMMON, the popular semiannual user conference for midrange server professionals,
is coming to San Antonio with the latest information on OS/400 V5R3 and a focus
on Linux. :: View full story.
Area
Educators Gear Up for Local Reality Contest: "The Substitute"
Men and women from all over the Houston area are lining up to put their names
in the hat for a local reality contest sponsored by the Board of Education.
:: View full story.
Issue 3
Arrest made in Evans Data Theft Case
Houston police sergeant Raymond Edwards announced that an arrest has been
made in the data theft case currently under investigation at local software
company Evans Business Solutions. :: View full story.
On-Access Virus Scanning Enabled for
OS/400 V5R3
Local news affiliates report that Bytware, Inc., the
Reno-based iSeries software vendor, announced today that
to fill the growing demand for virus protection on the iSeries, On-Access
scanning for viruses is now an enabled feature within OS/400 and fully
supported by Bytware’s StandGuard Anti-Virus security
solution. :: View full story.
Local Coffee House Sets New Price
High
Customers at JavaWava Coffee House were shocked Monday morning when they
ordered their morning Joe and were asked to dish out double the previous price. ::
View full story.
Issue 4
Kate Hoffman: IT Superwoman Saves the Day at Evans
It was a hot Texas Saturday just two weekends ago when a computer malfunction at local software developer Evans Business Solutions threatened to create chaos across the company's international network. :: View the full story.
Police Investigate Evidence Found at Evans Offices
Local law enforcement officials are investigating a piece of evidence uncovered earlier this week in the main computer facilities of Evans Business Solutions that could be a turning point in the Evans/Extar case. :: View the full story.
Slash Cleared in Evans Case... For Now Anyway
Hacker and suspect in the Evans data theft case, Slash, has been cleared of involvment in the case said Police Sgt. Raymond Edwards in a statement released yesterday.
View the full story.
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