THE NAME GAME

[samhexum]

AP source: VW plans brand-name change to 'Voltswagen' in US

 

Volkswagen plans to change its brand name in the United States to “Voltswagen” as its shifts its production increasingly toward electric vehicles and tries to distance itself from an emissions cheating scandal.

 

A person briefed on the plan said a formal announcement is planned for Tuesday. The person didn't want to be identified because the plans had not been made public.

 

The company had briefly posted a press release on its website early Monday announcing the brand name change. The press release was noticed by a reporter from USA Today before it was removed. The release was dated April 29.

 

The premature release (don't you hate it when that happens?) comes cums as VW is taking reservations for the new ID.4 small electric SUV in the U.S. It’s the company’s only new electric model sold in the United States, though there are plans for more, including a nostalgic reprise of the company’s Microbus.

 

Even with the ID.4 fully on sale, only a small fraction of VWs on U.S. roads will bear the “Voltswagen” name. The vast majority of VW’s vehicle sales in the U.S. will still be powered by gasoline for the foreseeable future and will continue to be labeled simply as “VW.” The German automaker sold just under 326,000 VW-branded vehicles in the U.S. last year.

 

The person who was briefed on the plan said the name Volkswagen Group of America, which also includes the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini brands, won't change. Rather, only the ‘k’ in the Volkswagen brand itself will be changed to a ‘t.’

 

An exterior badge with the name “Voltswagen” will be affixed to the company’s electric vehicles, while gas-powered vehicles will still have the normal “VW,” but no brand name on them, the person said.

 

The premature news release said the move amounted to a public declaration of the company’s future investment in electric mobility.

 

“We might be changing out our K for a T, but what we aren’t changing is this brand’s commitment to making best-in-class vehicles for drivers and people everywhere,” VW of America CEO Scott Keogh said in the errant release.

 

Outside the United States, Volkswagen, like some other automakers, has sharply expanded its EV footprint. In Europe, the company tripled its battery-powered vehicle sales from 45,000 in 2019 to 134,000 in 2020. VW began selling its new electric compact ID.3 ahead of strict new European Union limits on auto emissions.

 

In the U.S., fully electric vehicles last year accounted for less than 2% of new vehicle sales. Tesla led the way, with an estimated 205,600 in U.S. sales, according to Autodata Corp. General Motors sold just under 21,000 Chevrolet Bolts, while Nissan sold a little more than 9,500 Leaf electric cars.

 

VW has been trying to repair its image after U.S. authorities in 2015 discovered that its so-called “clean diesel” vehicles cheated on emissions tests. The diesels switched pollution controls on during Environmental Protection Agency treadmill tests, then turned them off while on real roads.

 

Volkswagen in 2017 pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $4.3 billion in U.S. civil and criminal penalties on top of billions more to buy back cars. Two people were sent to prison.

[cany10011]

AP source: VW plans brand-name change to 'Voltswagen' in US

 

Volkswagen plans to change its brand name in the United States to “Voltswagen” as its shifts its production increasingly toward electric vehicles and tries to distance itself from an emissions cheating scandal.

 

A person briefed on the plan said a formal announcement is planned for Tuesday. The person didn't want to be identified because the plans had not been made public.

 

The company had briefly posted a press release on its website early Monday announcing the brand name change. The press release was noticed by a reporter from USA Today before it was removed. The release was dated April 29.

 

The premature release (don't you hate it when that happens?) comes cums as VW is taking reservations for the new ID.4 small electric SUV in the U.S. It’s the company’s only new electric model sold in the United States, though there are plans for more, including a nostalgic reprise of the company’s Microbus.

 

Even with the ID.4 fully on sale, only a small fraction of VWs on U.S. roads will bear the “Voltswagen” name. The vast majority of VW’s vehicle sales in the U.S. will still be powered by gasoline for the foreseeable future and will continue to be labeled simply as “VW.” The German automaker sold just under 326,000 VW-branded vehicles in the U.S. last year.

 

The person who was briefed on the plan said the name Volkswagen Group of America, which also includes the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini brands, won't change. Rather, only the ‘k’ in the Volkswagen brand itself will be changed to a ‘t.’

 

An exterior badge with the name “Voltswagen” will be affixed to the company’s electric vehicles, while gas-powered vehicles will still have the normal “VW,” but no brand name on them, the person said.

 

The premature news release said the move amounted to a public declaration of the company’s future investment in electric mobility.

 

“We might be changing out our K for a T, but what we aren’t changing is this brand’s commitment to making best-in-class vehicles for drivers and people everywhere,” VW of America CEO Scott Keogh said in the errant release.

 

Outside the United States, Volkswagen, like some other automakers, has sharply expanded its EV footprint. In Europe, the company tripled its battery-powered vehicle sales from 45,000 in 2019 to 134,000 in 2020. VW began selling its new electric compact ID.3 ahead of strict new European Union limits on auto emissions.

 

In the U.S., fully electric vehicles last year accounted for less than 2% of new vehicle sales. Tesla led the way, with an estimated 205,600 in U.S. sales, according to Autodata Corp. General Motors sold just under 21,000 Chevrolet Bolts, while Nissan sold a little more than 9,500 Leaf electric cars.

 

VW has been trying to repair its image after U.S. authorities in 2015 discovered that its so-called “clean diesel” vehicles cheated on emissions tests. The diesels switched pollution controls on during Environmental Protection Agency treadmill tests, then turned them off while on real roads.

 

Volkswagen in 2017 pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $4.3 billion in U.S. civil and criminal penalties on top of billions more to buy back cars. Two people were sent to prison.

 

 

Very clever!!!

[mike carey]

Volkswagen plans to change its brand name in the United States to “Voltswagen” as its shifts its production increasingly toward electric vehicles and tries to distance itself from an emissions cheating scandal.

Apparently an April Fools Day stunt. One done badly in my opinion, you launch those stunts on the actual day, not a few days beforehand. I thought it was clever, but if done on the day it would have been great. Years ago when I was driving a BMW, they published an ad in the papers with a picture of two versions of the iconic badge, one correct and the other with the colours in the four quadrants reversed. They warned owners to check their vehicles and that those with the correct version were counterfeit.

[samhexum]

Who names their kid after a gay porn video?

A missing 4-year-old boy was found safe after surviving two days on his own in the Montana wilderness in cold temperatures over the weekend.

Ryker Webb was found Sunday unharmed but “hungry, thirsty and cold” 

[samhexum]

This kinda struck me as weird…

Herb Kohler, billionaire heir to the faucet fortune & 3rd generation former CEO of the company, died today. He was from Wisconsin.

Former Senator (& Milwaukee Bucks owner) Herb Kohl, heir to the department store fortune (though he hasn’t been involved with the company for 50 years), is worth $400 million and is from Wisconsin.

HERB KOHL & HERB KOHLER?!?!? Can’t wealthy families in Wisconsin afford to give their sons unique names?

[samhexum]

A new restaurant with an interesting name opened in Brooklyn recently:

[samhexum]

Danielle M. Outlaw

 

Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Danielle M. Outlaw, is an experienced and respected law enforcement leader. She stands at the helm of the nation's 4th largest police department, which employs more than 6500 sworn officers and 800 civilians who work to help make Philadelphia a safer city.

 

 

 

[+ WilliamM]

Interesting that you have no photos of women laughing

[samhexum]

The Angels have signed catcher Jose Godoy, right-hander Gerardo Reyes, left-hander Cam Vieaux to minor league contracts.

Full Name: Cameron Scott Vieaux

How would you pronounce his last name?  Because he looks nothing like the FBI: INTERNATIONAL character named Cameron Vo:

 

[samhexum]

It’s not the wurst idea.

Oscar Mayer announced Wednesday that it was renaming its world-famous Wienermobile after 87 years.

A new fleet of “Frankmobiles” will hit the streets this week as part of a once-in-a-century rebranding that the company says “pays homage” to its new 100% Beef Franks.

“The Wienermobile is a beloved American icon that has been sparking smiles and driving craveability for our iconic delicious wieners for nearly 100 years,” Stephanie Vance, the company’s associate brand manager, said in a statement.

The goal of the revamped mobile hot dog — which debuted in 1936 at the General Body Assembly plant in Chicago — is to discourage people “from taking things too seriously,” the company said.

The saucy new hot dog-shaped cars will feature new decals that urge hungry passersby to “please do not lick,” as well as Frank Whistles, formerly known as Wiener Whistles.

Frankmobile drivers will now be known as Frankfurters, ditching their old title as Hotdoggers.

Additionally, the Frankfurters will be handing out coupons for a free pack of hot dogs for glizzy gobblers named any iteration of Frank as part of its “Franks for Franks” promotion.

The rebrand comes three months after thieves ripped the catalytic converter from one of the iconic Weinermobiles when it was parked in a Las Vegas parking lot the night before a tour stop.

[samhexum]

Taylor Lautner and his wife, Taylor Lautner, will be on THE VIEW today.

[+ WilliamM]

1 hour ago, samhexum said:

Taylor Lautner and his wife, Taylor Lautner, will be on THE VIEW today.

Who?

[Luv2play]

On 9/6/2022 at 5:29 PM, samhexum said:

This kinda struck me as weird…

Herb Kohler, billionaire heir to the faucet fortune & 3rd generation former CEO of the company, died today. He was from Wisconsin.

Former Senator (& Milwaukee Bucks owner) Herb Kohl, heir to the department store fortune (though he hasn’t been involved with the company for 50 years), is worth $400 million and is from Wisconsin.

HERB KOHL & HERB KOHLER?!?!? Can’t wealthy families in Wisconsin afford to give their sons unique names?

I'm waiting for Herb Kohlest to appear. I hope he is a billionaire to live up to his name.

[+ Charlie]

One of the top women pro tennis players is named Storm Hunter.

[+ WilliamM]

On 12/8/2022 at 7:31 PM, samhexum said:

Danielle M. Outlaw

 

Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Danielle M. Outlaw, is an experienced and respected law enforcement leader. She stands at the helm of the nation's 4th largest police department, which employs more than 6500 sworn officers and 800 civilians who work to help make Philadelphia a safer city.

 

 

 

Why Are People laughing?

[samhexum]

11 hours ago, samhexum said:

Taylor Lautner and his wife, Taylor Lautner, will be on THE VIEW today.

It turns out Taylor Lautner (the male one) used to date Taylor Swift.  Maybe he just has a really cool set of monogrammed towels and only gets involved with women who fit with them.

[samhexum]

11 hours ago, samhexum said:

Taylor Lautner and his wife, Taylor Lautner, will be on THE VIEW today.

It turns out Taylor Lautner (the male one) used to date Taylor Swift.  Maybe he just has a really cool set of monogrammed towels and only gets involved with women who fit with them.

9 hours ago, WilliamM said:

Who?

 

[wsc]

13 hours ago, samhexum said:

It turns out Taylor Lautner (the male one) used to date Taylor Swift.  Maybe he just has a really cool set of monogrammed towels and only gets involved with women who fit with them.

Like Johnny Carson, whose first three wives had first names starting with "J" - Jody, Joanne, and Joanna - so all were "JC". I guess his last wife, Alexis, finally had to buy new towels and pillowcases.

[samhexum]

A cop tried to break up a fight on a train Saturday night & wound being jumped by 4 guys & slashed.  He has facial injuries, but is otherwise okay.  He chased them off the train and he & other officers were able to chase down & arrest 2 men.  One of them is named Brian Innocent.

So...  I guess Mr. Innocent's innocence is presumed until proven guilty.

[samhexum]

I just got an email from my medical group about an upcoming virtual cardiology seminar.

It will be led by Dr. Hartman.

Big marketing fail on his part, not changing the spelling of his last name at the start of his career...

[samhexum]

When naming a child, you might try and steer clear of any possible negative connotations.

But sometimes that’s easier said than done, especially if you accidentally overlook your future child’s initials.

A woman named Samantha recently went viral on TikTok for sharing how her name has drawn negative attention as she’s gotten older and started operating in professional workplaces.

Clearly, her parents didn’t think about email address conventions when she was born in the 90’s.

She begins the clip by announcing that she is moving to another job soon, something that fills her with “dread” because of an issue that always arises when she changes workplaces.

“I always have to have the tough conversation about how my name fits into a company email structure,” she continues.

“My name is Samantha Hart,” she explains. 

“And most companies use the email designation of first initial, last name, meaning my email would be ‘shart’.”

For the uninitiated, “shart” is a term for an unexpected, well, let’s just say, mishap, when one is trying to pass gas. 

Samantha says she’s had two professional jobs so far and they’ve both had that email structure, leading HR to reach out to her on both occasions.

“They told me that my name doesn’t exactly fit the email structure and would I mind if they gave me a different structure for my email,” she says.

“To which I say, yeah, I don’t want an email that says shart. Fix it. Give me something else.”

She now wants to know if she should proactively reach out to her new job to let them know or make them initiate the awkward conversation. 

The response to her video was a flood of solidarity from fellow ‘unfortunate name’ bearers.

From Chris Littmann (email: Clittmann) to Samantha Wallo (Swallo), the confessions kept rolling in.

Sue Hartlove’s work email?

Shartlove.

One user said they knew a Tiffany Estes (Testes), and someone called Rach says her alias is Rkelley.

Then there’s the unforgettable BAllsman and also Patrick Ecker. 

Parents-to-be take note!

 

[samhexum]

7 hours ago, samhexum said:

When naming a child, you might try and steer clear of any possible negative connotations.

But sometimes that’s easier said than done, especially if you accidentally overlook your future child’s initials.

I'm doing some work tonight & came across this -  

I don't know when this company was founded, but I'm guessing it was before internet acronyms:

LMA OIL

560 N MAIN ST

BREWSTER NY 10509

[samhexum]

A new mom has left her family completely shocked after sharing the X-rated name she unknowingly gave her newborn baby. 

The 20-year-old gave birth in January and wanted to keep the name a secret until she had signed all the official documents. 

It wasn’t until afterwards that her family were able to let her in on the real meaning behind the name. 

She named the baby WHAT?!

She wanted the name to be a sweet nod to her grandparents, Harvey and Charlotte, so she decided to blend the two names together to form ‘Harlotte’. 

She had never heard of the word ‘harlot’ before, which is an old-fashioned word for a sex worker or someone who has multiple sexual partners.

Taking to a baby name forum on Reddit, the mom’s cousin detailed the moment her family found out.

“My mom burst out, “YOU NAMED THE BABY WHORE???” and my cousin started screaming. We are a loud family but holy hell,” she said. 

“That poor child. Harlotte. HARLOTTE. It’s so horrific I can’t even call the baby it.”

The cousin then admits that she’s had to come up with a nickname for the baby.

“She came out very pink and has a puggy nose, so I’m calling her Piglet for now.”  MUCH better!

‘Ruining a baby’s life’

Straight off the bat, people pointed out that there was an obvious alternative to naming the child Harlotte. 

“Why didn’t she call her Charley? Yes, it’s a unique spelling, but still a hat tip to the grandparents,” the top comment read. “Even spelling it normally, like ‘Charlie’, would be fine.”

And someone else pointed out, “How do you have the opportunity to blend two names to form Charlie and still get it wrong?”

Then a third chimed in, asking: “Why do people, who have unlimited access to information at their fingertips, refuse to use it for a simple search before ruining a baby’s life?”

And teachers weighed in and shared how they’d address this situation when little Harlotte is of school age.

“I would think it was a typo at first, then I would insist the child goes by their nickname,” one wrote. “If she doesn’t have one, pick one.”

“That kid is getting called by their last name,” said another.

I think she knew what it meant, but thought it would be aspirational for the kid.

[samhexum]

Westchester County residents fight to keep Trump’s name on building

A small group of residents at a Westchester County luxury high-rise want to keep Donald Trump’s name on their building — but are facing stiff opposition from a majority of the co-op owners.

[samhexum]

Brian McKnight said he doesn’t claim his estranged biological kids because they are the “product of sin.”

During a recent Q&A session on Instagram, the “Back At One” singer responded to a fan who defended his decision to no longer claim his four oldest biological children — Brian Jr., Niko, Briana and Clyde — because some relatives can be “pure evil.”

“I wanna big up my man right here. He gets it,” McKnight, 54, said in an Instagram video while pointing at the fan’s comment.

“In order to live a life that you love, you have to get rid of the evil and the negativity — even if that evil and negativity is related [to you].”

A separate fan commented on the 17-time Grammy nominee’s post, writing that McKnight “disowned” his children and has gone “against God.”

The “Anytime” singer replied, “1. God wasn’t talking about children that are the product of sin which these are 2. I didn’t raise them their mothers did 3. Know the whole story before quoting the Bible 4. Take your inaccurate negativity off my page and try being happy.”

McKnight has been at odds with his four eldest children for years.

Last October, he was slammed for changing his name to become a senior to his newborn son — although he was already a senior to his eldest son, Brian Jr.

“So proud to introduce our son BRIAN KAINOA MAKOA JR. ,” he captioned a snap of the infant’s face on Instagram at the time.

“To the world with the release of my new album lovingly created for him. JR. because I am also proud to officially announce that I have legally changed my name to exactly match my legacy’s.”

McKnight — who shares the newborn with his wife, Leilani Mendoza — said his name was now Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr.

Fans took to social media to call the R&B legend “wicked” and “vile” for trying to disassociate himself from his four eldest children, whom he shares from previous relationships.

“Brian McKnight is so wicked,” tweeted one critic. “He changed his last name to Makoa McKnight so he could name his newborn Brian Makoa McKnight Jr., when he already has a son named Brian McKnight Jr. Idk how much more wicked one can be.”

“I’ve never seen anyone proudly demonstrate how much they hate their children like Brian McKnight,” added another. “Changing his name to match the new baby when he’s already got a Jr is next level cruel. he’s a trash human being for not only doing it, but also putting it on display to the world.”

McKnight’s eldest son also reacted to his estranged father’s name change.

“I’m not ashamed of the name my ancestors had,” he replied. “I’ll never change the name my own son now has. We are witnessing an obscene level of self hate, that has reached mental illness status at this point.”

Although it’s unknown why McKnight has decided to cut his eldest children from his life, he first hinted at a feud in 2019 when he called them “entitled” in a video.

“I’ve never missed a day of child support,” he said at the time, per Essence. “I’ve never done anything adverse to my children whatsoever. I’ve always been there. I’ve always been there with advice, whether they took it or not.

“I have always been the sounding board and I’ve always been the one who had to help them achieve whatever dreams that they were wanting to reach out for.”

The “One Last Cry” musician and Mendoza tied the knot in December 2017.

She is also a mom to two other kids, Julie and Jack, from a previous relationship. McKnight now refers to his stepchildren and his infant son as his only kids.