Hi all, I'm shopping for pellet and gas combo grills and I'm torn between the Oklahoma Joe Rider Combo Gas and Pellet Grill (NOT the 900 DLX*)* and the Pit Boss Pro Series 1100 Wood Pellet and Gas Combo Grill (Lowe's calls it the "Pit Boss Pro Series Triple-Function Combo Grill." It's model name is PB1100PSC2).
Is the Pit Boss really $150 better than the OKJ?
My insecurities:

Cold smoking - I like that the Pit Boss has a flue pipe pass-through from the pellet side to the propane side, and can't tell if the OKJ has a similar capability.
- This isn't a deal breaker, I just really like smoked salmon.
Auger issues - both have great reviews overall, but I see auger issues are complaints to both.
- Any idea if one is generally more faulty than the other?
Customer Service / Warranty - The most common complaint I see for Pit Boss is that, even though they have a 5 year warranty, their customer service and parts delivery times are both weapons-grade dog shit.
- Has anyone actually had a good experience with their Pit Boss warranty?
- Also concerning is the sheer amount of customer service stories, period. A warranty is nice, but I don't like the idea of a when-not-if relationship with a warranty.
Temperature Control (Low Temp) - I've read a troubling amount of issues with the OKJ temp controls jumping from around 250 straight to 325 with no in between. I've also read that Pit Boss struggles to actually keep temps below 225-ish.
- Any experiences or insights?

I guess what I'm asking is whether y'all can opine on whether one brand's quality is meaningfully superior to the other and whether the difference is worth the money.
I'm so in my own head, and this is such a champagne problem. Please help.

I’m looking at buying a gas grill atm for under £400 and Ive narrowed it down to the outback meteor 4 burner, the char broil 340b and the cosmogrill pro 4+1.
Apparently the infrared grills can be very Smokey, and I’m not sure I’m keen on the idea of that, so that makes the 340b looks less appealing
The cosmogrill is much cheaper and has very good reviews generally, but it’s a newer brand and I’ve seen a few reviews saying they’ve rusted out quite quickly. The 4+1 is also 20kg lighter than the outback, which is basically the same size, so that makes me worry it won’t be great quality.
So I think the outback is seeming like the best of the bunch. Would love to know pros and cons/thoughts on the outback meteor 4 burner from anyone has had one.

Weber Summit 7270001 S-470 Stainless-Steel Natural-Gas Grill – Best Stainless Steel Gas Grill
Weber 49010001 Spirit II E-310 3-Burner Natural Gas Grill – Best Compact Natural Gas Grill
Napoleon Grills LEX485RSIBNSS-1 LEX485RSIBNSS1 Natural Gas Grill – Best Most Versatile Natural Gas Grill
Weber 66016001 Genesis II E-335 3-Burner Natural Gas Grill – Best Natural Gas Grill for Families
Broil King 958344 Regal S590 Pro Gas Grill – Best Most Powerful Natural Gas Grill
Napoleon P500RSIBNSS-3 Stainless Steel Prestige 500 Natural Gas Grill – Best High-Quality Natural Gas Grill
Weber 57060001 Q3200 Liquid Propane Grill – Best Small Natural Gas Grill
Weber 7470001 Summit S-670 6-Burner Natural Gas Grill – Best Large Natural Gas Grill

🗓 Date: June 13, 2023 @ 5PM
🗺 Location:** Long Beach Civic Center411 W. Ocean Boulevard
📺 LiveStream (YouTube):** https://www.youtube.com/c/LongBeachTelevision
📺 Live Stream (City Website):** https://longbeach.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=84
ℹ️ Details:** https://longbeach.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1107177&GUID=8BF9E839-79B8-4C79-92DE-3100E3EFC971&Options=info&Search=
📄 Agenda (PDF):** https://longbeach.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1107177&GUID=8BF9E839-79B8-4C79-92DE-3100E3EFC971
🗣eComment:** https://longbeach.granicusideas.com/meetings/4022-city-council

Agenda Item

CD8 - AACLB Jazz Evening

Item #1 • File #23-0602 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Councilman Al Austin, Eighth District

Recommendation to increase appropriations in the General Fund Group in the City Manager Department by $1,500, offset by the Eighth Council District One-time District Priority Funds, transferred from the Citywide Activities Department, to provide a donation to African American Cultural Center of Long Beach in support of their “Evening of Jazz”; and Decrease appropriations in the General Fund Group in the Citywide Activities Department by $1,500, to offset a transfer to the City Manager Department.

CD7 - Community Event Fund Transfers

Item #2 • File #23-0603 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Councilmember Roberto Uranga, Seventh District

Recommendation to increase appropriations in the General Fund Group in the City Manager Department by $5,500, offset by the Seventh Council District One-Time District Priority Funds, transferred from the Citywide Activities Department, to provide support for the following: 1. $3,500 in support of the Uptown Jazz Festival; 2. $500 to Wild West Women, Inc., in support of the Women’s Fair; 3. $1,000 to Century Villages at Cabrillo, in support of the Written in the Stars Gala; 4. $500 to the Long Beach Century Club in support of the Mayor’s Trophy Charity Golf Tournament; and Decrease appropriations in the General Fund Group in the Citywide Activities Department by $5,500 to offset transfers to the City Manager Department.

CD3 - Various Fund Transfers

Item #3 • File #23-0621 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Councilmember Kristina Duggan, Third District

Recommendation to increase appropriations in the General Fund Group in the City Manager Department by $2,500, offset by the Third Council District One-time District Priority Funds, transferred from the Citywide Activities Department, to provide donations of: • $500 to Alamitos Heights Improvement Associations to support the 2023 Alamitos Heights Neighborhood Picnic; • $500 to the Long Beach Century Club to support the Mayor’s Trophy Charity Golf Tournament; • $500 to Partners of Parks for the 2023 Long Beach Juneteenth Celebration; • $250 to Wild West Women, Inc. to support the Long Beach Woman’s Fair; • $300 to Temple Israel Long Beach to support Make a Difference Day; • $250 to LGBTQ Center of Long Beach to support the 10th Annual Black and White Gala; • $200 to the Long Beach Public Library Foundation to support the Grape Expectations Gala; and Decrease appropriations in the General Fund Group in the Citywide Activities Department by $2,500, to offset a transfer to the City Manager Department.

CD6 - Success in Challenges Gala Fund Transfer

Item #4 • File #23-0622 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Councilwoman Suely Saro, Sixth District

Recommendation to increase appropriations in the General Fund Group in the City Manager Department by $250 offset by the Sixth Council District One-time District Priority Funds transferred from the Citywide Activities Department, to provide contributions to Success In Challenges 2023 Gala; and Decrease appropriations in the General Fund Group in the Citywide Activities Department by $250 to offset a transfer to the City Manager Department.

CC - Minutes

Item #5 • File #23-0604 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

City Clerk

Recommendation to approve the minutes for the City Council meetings of Tuesday, May 16 and May 23, 2023.

CC - Damage Claims

Item #6 • File #23-0605 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

City Clerk

Recommendation to refer to City Attorney damage claims received between May 26, 2023 and June 5, 2023.

CM - Revise title of the Sustainable City Commission to the Climate Resilient and Sustainable City Commission

Item #7 • File #23-0606 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

City Manager

Recommendation to amend Long Beach Municipal Code Chapter 2.38 to change the Sustainable City Commission’s name to the Climate Resilient and Sustainable City Commission; and Request City Attorney to prepare ordinance amending Chapter 2.38 of the Long Beach Municipal Code to: (1) revise the title of the Sustainable City Commission to the Climate Resilient and Sustainable City Commission. (Citywide)

CM - 2023 Office of Climate Action and Sustainability Work Plan

Item #8 • File #23-0607 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

City Manager

Recommendation to review and approve the 2023 Office of Climate Action and Sustainability Work Plan. (Citywide)

CM - Placement of California Climate Action Fellows in the City of Long Beach

Item #9 • File #23-0608 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

City Manager

Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute an agreement, and any necessary documents including subsequent amendments, with Bay Area Community Resources, to participate in the California Climate Action Corps Program, for the placement of California Climate Action Fellows in the City of Long Beach (City) for the 2023-2024 Fellowship cycle, at no cost to the City, for the period of one year, with the option to renew for two additional one-year periods, at the discretion of the City Manager. (Citywide)

FD - LBCC to allow enrolled students to participate in clinical ambulance ride-alongs

Item #10 • File #23-0609 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Fire

Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute an Educational Affiliate Agreement, and all necessary documents, including any subsequent amendments, with Long Beach City College, to allow enrolled students to implement a ride-along program for emergency medical service students participating in EMT and paramedic coursework, for a period of five years. (Citywide)

DHHS - Multiple contracts to dispense eligible drugs to qualifying patients

Item #11 • File #23-0610 (Details, PDF)
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to amend and restate Contract No. 35066 with Wellpartner, LLC, of New York, NY (Wellpartner), to continue serving as Administrator of the 340B Pharmacy Program on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department), a covered entity, to provide reduced pricing for eligible prescription drugs, with the option to renew the contract automatically for successive terms until canceled by the City of Long Beach (City), at the discretion of the City Manager; Authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to amend Contract No. 35172 with Cardinal Health 110, LLC, and Cardinal Health 112, LLC (collectively, Cardinal Health), of Dublin, OH, to continue serving as DistributoDrug Wholesaler, to provide eligible drugs under the 340B Pharmacy Program to the Contract Pharmacies, with the option to renew the contract automatically for successive terms until canceled by the City, at the discretion of the City Manager;

DHHS - Bioterrorism response programs

Item #12 • File #23-0611 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Health and Human Services

Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute an agreement and all necessary documents or subcontracts, including any amendments to the allocation amount, with the County of Los Angeles, for County Measure B funds in the amount of $1,000,000, to support ongoing bioterrorism response programs, for a one-year period, with the option to renew for four one-year periods; and Increase appropriations in the Health Fund Group in the Health and Human Services Department by $1,000,000, offset by reimbursement revenue. (Citywide)

DHHS - Contract w/First to Serve for homeless prevention $637K

Item #13 • File #23-0612 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Health and Human Services

Recommendation to adopt Specifications No. RFP HE-23-190 and award contracts to First to Serve, Inc., of Los Angeles, CA, and Interval House, of Long Beach, CA, to provide operation and supportive services for homeless prevention and rapid rehousing, in annual amounts not to exceed $637,500 and $355,618, respectively, through September 30, 2023, with the options to renew for one additional one-year period, at the discretion of the City Manager; and, authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all necessary documents to enter into the contracts, including any subsequent amendments. (Citywide)

PD - MOU w/Job Corps D7

Item #16 • File #23-0615 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Police

Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute a Memorandum of Understanding, and all necessary documents, including any subsequent amendments, with Long Beach Job Corps Center (LBJCC), to provide local law enforcement authority to enforce laws and conduct investigations on LBJCC premises, 1903 Santa Fe Avenue, which are under federal jurisdiction, for the period of July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, with an option to renew for four additional one-year periods, at the discretion of the City Manager. (District 7)

FM - Mid-Year Performance Report Development

Item #18 • File #23-0623 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Financial Management

Recommendation to receive and file the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY 23) Mid-Year Budget Performance Report providing an update on the City of Long Beach’s FY 23 financial status and projections and adjust appropriations in departments to reflect the funding where programs will be managed. (Citywide)

DHHS - Contract w/First to Serve for homeless prevention $787K

Item #20 • File #23-0618 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Health and Human Services

Recommendation to adopt Specifications No. RFP HE23-229, and award contracts to First to Serve, Inc., of Los Angeles, CA, and Interval House, of Long Beach, CA, to provide operation and supportive services for homeless prevention and rapid rehousing, in annual amounts not to exceed $787,061 and $787,061, respectively, for a period of one year, with the option to renew for an additional one-year period, at the discretion of the City Manager; and, authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all necessary documents to enter into the contracts, including any subsequent amendments. (Citywide)

PRM - Silverado Park Playground project from HUD D7

Item #21 • File #23-0619 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Parks, Recreation and Marine
Public Works

Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute an agreement and any necessary documents including subsequent amendments, with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Fund to accept and expend grant funds for the Silverado Park Playground project (Project), in the amount of $1,500,000; Increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund Group in the Parks, Recreation and Marine Department by $15,000, offset by grant revenue; Increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund Group in the Parks, Recreation and Marine Department by $15,000, offset by a transfer of HUD Community Development grant funds from the Capital Grants Fund; Increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund Group in the Public Works Department by $1,485,000, offset by grant revenue; and Increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund Group in the Public Works Department by $1,485,000, offset by a transfer of HUD Community Development grant funds from the Capital Grants Fund. (District 7)

ABC License

PD - ABC License - Grill Em All D3

Item #14 • File #23-0613 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Police

Recommendation to receive and file the application of Two Dudes, One Truck, LLC, dba Grill Em All, for an original application of an Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) License, at 5411 East Ocean Boulevard. (District 3) Levine Act: Yes

PD - ABC License - Plantita's D7

Item #15 • File #23-0614 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Police

Recommendation to receive and file the application of Aileen Elizabeth Orozco Castaneda, dba Plantita’s Kitchen, for an original application of an Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) License, at 1950 West Willow Street, submit a Public Notice of Protest to ABC, and direct City Manager to withdraw the protest if a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) or Conditional Use Permit Exemption (CUPEX) is granted. (District 7) Levine Act: Yes

Public Hearing

FM - Ballast Point Entertainment Permit D3

Item #17 • File #23-0616 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Financial Management

Recommendation to receive supporting documentation into the record, conclude the public hearing, and grant an Entertainment Permit with conditions for Entertainment without Dancing to Kings & Convicts BP, LLC, dba Ballast Point Brewing Company, at 110 Marina Drive. (District 3)

Resolution

FM/Utilites - Natural Gas Purchase Revenue Bonds, Series 2007B

Item #19 • File #23-0617 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Financial Management
Utilities

Recommendation to adopt resolution authorizing and approving a change in the index rate for the Natural Gas Purchase Revenue Bonds Series 2007B, issued by the Long Beach Bond Finance Authority and the related Interest Rate Swaps, authorizing and approving certain documents and actions relating thereto, and delegating authority to officers in connection therewith. (Citywide)

Ordinance

CA - Senior Advisory Commission Name Change

Item #22 • File #23-0620 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

City Attorney

Recommendation to declare ordinance of the City Council of the City of Long Beach amending the Long Beach Municipal Code by amending Chapter 2.57 relating to the Senior Citizen Advisory Commission Name Change to Advisory Commission on Aging; read the first time and laid over to the next regular meeting of the City Council for final reading. (Citywide)

DS - Noise Element

Item #23 • File #23-0586 (Details, PDF)
Sponsors:

Development Services

Recommendation to declare ordinance amending Long Beach Municipal Code Chapter 8.80 to implement amendments to the Noise Ordinance, read and adopted as read. (Citywide)

CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / June 7, 2023 / Avila Energy Corporation ("Avila" or the "Company" or "Avila Energy"), trading symbol "CSE:VIK.CN", is pleased to announce the Company's acceptance of an initial financing commitment of U.S. $10 Million in Convertible Debentures and agreed upon use of proceeds in 2023.
The Company over the course of the past 2 months after completing a series of meetings with qualified parties for the financing of up to U.S. $35,000,000 in Convertible Debentures as part of its refocused plan on the balanced development of its assets in Alberta in 2023 in parallel to the development of its Vertically Integrated Energy Business has come to a decision. The results of this initial financing as announced, prior to the completion of the Business Combination and listing on the NASDAQ as agreed with Insight Acquisition Corporation and announced on April 3, 2023, solidifies it's the foundation to move forward with the execution of its business plan in parallel to the completion of the Listing.
Avila Energy is pleased to disclose that after numerous presentations, due diligence sessions and budget meetings over the past 2 months the Company has successfully negotiated and agreed to terms and accepted an offer of U.S.$10 million in Convertible Debentures to be priced as follows.
The financing is to be completed by way of private placement offering (i) pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) and/or Rule 506(b) of Regulation D under the US Securities Act of 1933 (the "US Securities Act"), as amended, or (ii) pursuant to Canada's applicable securities laws, including Multi-National Instrument 45-106 (the "CDN Act") and any and all applicable state/provincial securities laws (the "Offering").
The Units (the "Units") shall consist of consisting of (i) one 24-month convertible Unit with a stated face value of US$1,150 per Unit, convertible in the one common share at a conversion price of US$0.50 per share and (ii) a two-year warrant (the "Warrant") representing the right to purchase one (1) share of the Company's common stock ("Common Stock") for every dollar of the purchase price of the Unit at an exercise price of US$0.50/share.
The financing is anticipated to close promptly after completing all required legal documentation which are customary with a similar type of investment.
"The Company is pleased to accept the offer as negotiated, this financing funds takes into consideration all our short-term financing requirements, prior to entering into the Business Combination Agreement in April with Insight Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ:INAQ)". Upon completion of the financing, I look forward to unleashing the potential of the business plan in North America as outlined in the Company's Presentation that is available on its website." Said Leonard B. Van Betuw, President, director and CEO.
The Company's operations in Alberta have not been directly affected by the wildfires in Alberta but has taken the position of taking extreme caution in light of the very dry conditions that exist in the area.
Currently the operation is completing facilities turn-arounds and budgeting prior to starting the capital programs that will bring the Company's production up to 1,000 boe/d of which 15% is anticipated to be (150 bbls per day) oil and condensate, with the balance being natural gas and liquids.
Use of Proceeds - 2023
US $
Vertically Integrated Energy Business(1)
$
2,300,000
Capital Program(2) and Working Capital - West Central Alberta
$
1,700,000
Capital Program(2) - East and West Central Alberta (~1,750 boe/d)
$
4,000,000
Business Combination, Legal, and Associated Accounting Services
$
1,000,000
Vertically Integrated Energy Business - Initial Sales and Installations
$
1,000,000
Total
$
10,000,000
(1) The Company in the 1st half of 2023 has been continually having to adapt to change by addressing to the abrupt unanticipated transition from high Natural Gas prices of over CDN$5.00 per mcf in 2022 to the recent prices of under CDN$2.50 per mcf in 2023. As part of this transition, there has been the delay in the ramp-up of the Vertically Integrated Energy Business. Therefore, despite best efforts from time-to-time, part of this transition has been on-going negotiations with Micro Turbine Technology ("MTT"). The Company recently attended meetings in Eindhoven in the Netherlands and acknowledged that there have been some delays and despite our differences can confirm, that upon delivery of the outstanding payments to MTT that are within the budget noted above, it will have fulfilled its obligations and will be back on track. ' Despite our legal differences on the interpretation of both parties' contractual engagements, once Avila's financial commitments have been honoured with MTT, it will have cured MTT's Default Notice and be current on all its financial obligations towards MTT. Accordingly, Avila looks forward to ramping up its previously announced Vertically Integrated Energy Business in the course of 2023.
(2) Details for the Company's Capital Program is outlined within its Corporate Presentation that can be found on its website www.avilaenergy.com
About Avila Energy Corporation
The Company is an emerging CSE listed corporation trading under the symbol (‘VIK'), and in combination with an expanding portfolio of 100% Owned and Operated oil and natural gas production, pipelines and facilities is a licensed producer, explorer, and developer of Energy in Canada. The Company's long-term vision is to achieve through the implementation of a closed system of carbon capture and sequestration, an established path towards the material reduction of Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 emissions and continues to work towards becoming a vertically Integrated Carbon Neutral Energy Producer. The Company's goals are to be achieved by focusing on the application of proven geological, geophysical, engineering, and production techniques in combination and the direct sale of energy to both residential and commercial consumers.
For further information, please contact:
Ronnie Shporer, Investor Relations, North America or Peter Nesveda, Investor Relations, International or Leonard B. Van Betuw, President & CEO
Emails:
Ronnie Shporer: [email protected] Peter Nesveda: [email protected] Leonard B. Van Betuw: [email protected]
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Leonard B. Van Betuw President & CEO
Abbreviations
bbls/d - barrels per day BOE/d - barrels oil equivalent per day NGLs - Natural Gas Liquids Mboe - Thousands of barrels of oil equivalent MMboe - Millions of barrels of oil equivalent PDP - Proved Developed Producing TP - Total Proved Reserves TPP - Total Proved and Probable Reserves IFRS - International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board WTI - West Texas Intermediate, the reference price paid in U.S. dollars at Cushing, Oklahoma for the crude oil standard grade
Forward-Looking Information & Forward-Looking Statements Cautionary Statement
Certain information in this news release, including the operations at the Company's properties, constitute forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Although Avila Energy Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because Avila Energy Corporation can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements." All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploitation, and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. It should not be assumed that the estimates of net present value of future net revenue attributable to the Company's reserves presented above represent the fair market value of the reserves. The recovery and reserve estimates of the Company's oil, NGL, and natural gas reserves provided herein are estimates only and there is no guarantee that the estimated reserves will be recovered. Further, there is no assurance that the forecast prices and costs assumptions will be attained, and variances could be material. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and those actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Barrel ("bbl") of oil equivalent ("boe") amounts may be misleading particularly if used in isolation. All boe conversions in this report are calculated using a conversion of six thousand cubic feet of natural gas to one equivalent barrel of oil (6 mcf=1 bbl) and is based on an energy conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the well head. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities offered have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. Trading in the securities of Avila Energy Corporation should be considered highly speculative. Neither the Canadian Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For more information on the Company, Investors should review the Company's registered filings which are available at www.sedar.com.
SOURCE: Avila Energy Corporation
View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/759849/Avila-Energy-Corporation-is-pleased-to-announce-the-Companys-acceptance-of-an-initial-Financing-Commitment-of-US-10-Million-in-Convertible-Debentures-and-agreed-upon-Use-of-Proceeds-in-2023

CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / June 7, 2023 / Avila Energy Corporation ("Avila" or the "Company" or "Avila Energy"), trading symbol "CSE:VIK.CN", is pleased to announce the Company's acceptance of an initial financing commitment of U.S. $10 Million in Convertible Debentures and agreed upon use of proceeds in 2023.
The Company over the course of the past 2 months after completing a series of meetings with qualified parties for the financing of up to U.S. $35,000,000 in Convertible Debentures as part of its refocused plan on the balanced development of its assets in Alberta in 2023 in parallel to the development of its Vertically Integrated Energy Business has come to a decision. The results of this initial financing as announced, prior to the completion of the Business Combination and listing on the NASDAQ as agreed with Insight Acquisition Corporation and announced on April 3, 2023, solidifies it's the foundation to move forward with the execution of its business plan in parallel to the completion of the Listing.
Avila Energy is pleased to disclose that after numerous presentations, due diligence sessions and budget meetings over the past 2 months the Company has successfully negotiated and agreed to terms and accepted an offer of U.S.$10 million in Convertible Debentures to be priced as follows.
The financing is to be completed by way of private placement offering (i) pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) and/or Rule 506(b) of Regulation D under the US Securities Act of 1933 (the "US Securities Act"), as amended, or (ii) pursuant to Canada's applicable securities laws, including Multi-National Instrument 45-106 (the "CDN Act") and any and all applicable state/provincial securities laws (the "Offering").
The Units (the "Units") shall consist of consisting of (i) one 24-month convertible Unit with a stated face value of US$1,150 per Unit, convertible in the one common share at a conversion price of US$0.50 per share and (ii) a two-year warrant (the "Warrant") representing the right to purchase one (1) share of the Company's common stock ("Common Stock") for every dollar of the purchase price of the Unit at an exercise price of US$0.50/share.
The financing is anticipated to close promptly after completing all required legal documentation which are customary with a similar type of investment.
"The Company is pleased to accept the offer as negotiated, this financing funds takes into consideration all our short-term financing requirements, prior to entering into the Business Combination Agreement in April with Insight Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ:INAQ)". Upon completion of the financing, I look forward to unleashing the potential of the business plan in North America as outlined in the Company's Presentation that is available on its website." Said Leonard B. Van Betuw, President, director and CEO.
The Company's operations in Alberta have not been directly affected by the wildfires in Alberta but has taken the position of taking extreme caution in light of the very dry conditions that exist in the area.
Currently the operation is completing facilities turn-arounds and budgeting prior to starting the capital programs that will bring the Company's production up to 1,000 boe/d of which 15% is anticipated to be (150 bbls per day) oil and condensate, with the balance being natural gas and liquids.
Use of Proceeds - 2023
US $
Vertically Integrated Energy Business(1)
$
2,300,000
Capital Program(2) and Working Capital - West Central Alberta
$
1,700,000
Capital Program(2) - East and West Central Alberta (~1,750 boe/d)
$
4,000,000
Business Combination, Legal, and Associated Accounting Services
$
1,000,000
Vertically Integrated Energy Business - Initial Sales and Installations
$
1,000,000
Total
$
10,000,000
(1) The Company in the 1st half of 2023 has been continually having to adapt to change by addressing to the abrupt unanticipated transition from high Natural Gas prices of over CDN$5.00 per mcf in 2022 to the recent prices of under CDN$2.50 per mcf in 2023. As part of this transition, there has been the delay in the ramp-up of the Vertically Integrated Energy Business. Therefore, despite best efforts from time-to-time, part of this transition has been on-going negotiations with Micro Turbine Technology ("MTT"). The Company recently attended meetings in Eindhoven in the Netherlands and acknowledged that there have been some delays and despite our differences can confirm, that upon delivery of the outstanding payments to MTT that are within the budget noted above, it will have fulfilled its obligations and will be back on track. ' Despite our legal differences on the interpretation of both parties' contractual engagements, once Avila's financial commitments have been honoured with MTT, it will have cured MTT's Default Notice and be current on all its financial obligations towards MTT. Accordingly, Avila looks forward to ramping up its previously announced Vertically Integrated Energy Business in the course of 2023.
(2) Details for the Company's Capital Program is outlined within its Corporate Presentation that can be found on its website www.avilaenergy.com
About Avila Energy Corporation
The Company is an emerging CSE listed corporation trading under the symbol (‘VIK'), and in combination with an expanding portfolio of 100% Owned and Operated oil and natural gas production, pipelines and facilities is a licensed producer, explorer, and developer of Energy in Canada. The Company's long-term vision is to achieve through the implementation of a closed system of carbon capture and sequestration, an established path towards the material reduction of Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 emissions and continues to work towards becoming a vertically Integrated Carbon Neutral Energy Producer. The Company's goals are to be achieved by focusing on the application of proven geological, geophysical, engineering, and production techniques in combination and the direct sale of energy to both residential and commercial consumers.
For further information, please contact:
Ronnie Shporer, Investor Relations, North America or Peter Nesveda, Investor Relations, International or Leonard B. Van Betuw, President & CEO
Emails:
Ronnie Shporer: [email protected] Peter Nesveda: [email protected] Leonard B. Van Betuw: [email protected]
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Leonard B. Van Betuw President & CEO
Abbreviations
bbls/d - barrels per day BOE/d - barrels oil equivalent per day NGLs - Natural Gas Liquids Mboe - Thousands of barrels of oil equivalent MMboe - Millions of barrels of oil equivalent PDP - Proved Developed Producing TP - Total Proved Reserves TPP - Total Proved and Probable Reserves IFRS - International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board WTI - West Texas Intermediate, the reference price paid in U.S. dollars at Cushing, Oklahoma for the crude oil standard grade
Forward-Looking Information & Forward-Looking Statements Cautionary Statement
Certain information in this news release, including the operations at the Company's properties, constitute forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Although Avila Energy Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because Avila Energy Corporation can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements." All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploitation, and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. It should not be assumed that the estimates of net present value of future net revenue attributable to the Company's reserves presented above represent the fair market value of the reserves. The recovery and reserve estimates of the Company's oil, NGL, and natural gas reserves provided herein are estimates only and there is no guarantee that the estimated reserves will be recovered. Further, there is no assurance that the forecast prices and costs assumptions will be attained, and variances could be material. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and those actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Barrel ("bbl") of oil equivalent ("boe") amounts may be misleading particularly if used in isolation. All boe conversions in this report are calculated using a conversion of six thousand cubic feet of natural gas to one equivalent barrel of oil (6 mcf=1 bbl) and is based on an energy conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the well head. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities offered have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. Trading in the securities of Avila Energy Corporation should be considered highly speculative. Neither the Canadian Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For more information on the Company, Investors should review the Company's registered filings which are available at www.sedar.com.
SOURCE: Avila Energy Corporation
View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/759849/Avila-Energy-Corporation-is-pleased-to-announce-the-Companys-acceptance-of-an-initial-Financing-Commitment-of-US-10-Million-in-Convertible-Debentures-and-agreed-upon-Use-of-Proceeds-in-2023 CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / June 7, 2023 / Avila Energy Corporation ("Avila" or the "Company" or "Avila Energy"), trading symbol "CSE:VIK.CN", is pleased to announce the Company's acceptance of an initial financing commitment of U.S. $10 Million in Convertible Debentures and agreed upon use of proceeds in 2023.
The Company over the course of the past 2 months after completing a series of meetings with qualified parties for the financing of up to U.S. $35,000,000 in Convertible Debentures as part of its refocused plan on the balanced development of its assets in Alberta in 2023 in parallel to the development of its Vertically Integrated Energy Business has come to a decision. The results of this initial financing as announced, prior to the completion of the Business Combination and listing on the NASDAQ as agreed with Insight Acquisition Corporation and announced on April 3, 2023, solidifies it's the foundation to move forward with the execution of its business plan in parallel to the completion of the Listing.
Avila Energy is pleased to disclose that after numerous presentations, due diligence sessions and budget meetings over the past 2 months the Company has successfully negotiated and agreed to terms and accepted an offer of U.S.$10 million in Convertible Debentures to be priced as follows.
The financing is to be completed by way of private placement offering (i) pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) and/or Rule 506(b) of Regulation D under the US Securities Act of 1933 (the "US Securities Act"), as amended, or (ii) pursuant to Canada's applicable securities laws, including Multi-National Instrument 45-106 (the "CDN Act") and any and all applicable state/provincial securities laws (the "Offering").
The Units (the "Units") shall consist of consisting of (i) one 24-month convertible Unit with a stated face value of US$1,150 per Unit, convertible in the one common share at a conversion price of US$0.50 per share and (ii) a two-year warrant (the "Warrant") representing the right to purchase one (1) share of the Company's common stock ("Common Stock") for every dollar of the purchase price of the Unit at an exercise price of US$0.50/share.
The financing is anticipated to close promptly after completing all required legal documentation which are customary with a similar type of investment.
"The Company is pleased to accept the offer as negotiated, this financing funds takes into consideration all our short-term financing requirements, prior to entering into the Business Combination Agreement in April with Insight Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ:INAQ)". Upon completion of the financing, I look forward to unleashing the potential of the business plan in North America as outlined in the Company's Presentation that is available on its website." Said Leonard B. Van Betuw, President, director and CEO.
The Company's operations in Alberta have not been directly affected by the wildfires in Alberta but has taken the position of taking extreme caution in light of the very dry conditions that exist in the area.
Currently the operation is completing facilities turn-arounds and budgeting prior to starting the capital programs that will bring the Company's production up to 1,000 boe/d of which 15% is anticipated to be (150 bbls per day) oil and condensate, with the balance being natural gas and liquids.
Use of Proceeds - 2023
US $
Vertically Integrated Energy Business(1)
$
2,300,000
Capital Program(2) and Working Capital - West Central Alberta
$
1,700,000
Capital Program(2) - East and West Central Alberta (~1,750 boe/d)
$
4,000,000
Business Combination, Legal, and Associated Accounting Services
$
1,000,000
Vertically Integrated Energy Business - Initial Sales and Installations
$
1,000,000
Total
$
10,000,000
(1) The Company in the 1st half of 2023 has been continually having to adapt to change by addressing to the abrupt unanticipated transition from high Natural Gas prices of over CDN$5.00 per mcf in 2022 to the recent prices of under CDN$2.50 per mcf in 2023. As part of this transition, there has been the delay in the ramp-up of the Vertically Integrated Energy Business. Therefore, despite best efforts from time-to-time, part of this transition has been on-going negotiations with Micro Turbine Technology ("MTT"). The Company recently attended meetings in Eindhoven in the Netherlands and acknowledged that there have been some delays and despite our differences can confirm, that upon delivery of the outstanding payments to MTT that are within the budget noted above, it will have fulfilled its obligations and will be back on track. ' Despite our legal differences on the interpretation of both parties' contractual engagements, once Avila's financial commitments have been honoured with MTT, it will have cured MTT's Default Notice and be current on all its financial obligations towards MTT. Accordingly, Avila looks forward to ramping up its previously announced Vertically Integrated Energy Business in the course of 2023.
(2) Details for the Company's Capital Program is outlined within its Corporate Presentation that can be found on its website www.avilaenergy.com
About Avila Energy Corporation
The Company is an emerging CSE listed corporation trading under the symbol (‘VIK'), and in combination with an expanding portfolio of 100% Owned and Operated oil and natural gas production, pipelines and facilities is a licensed producer, explorer, and developer of Energy in Canada. The Company's long-term vision is to achieve through the implementation of a closed system of carbon capture and sequestration, an established path towards the material reduction of Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 emissions and continues to work towards becoming a vertically Integrated Carbon Neutral Energy Producer. The Company's goals are to be achieved by focusing on the application of proven geological, geophysical, engineering, and production techniques in combination and the direct sale of energy to both residential and commercial consumers.
For further information, please contact:
Ronnie Shporer, Investor Relations, North America or Peter Nesveda, Investor Relations, International or Leonard B. Van Betuw, President & CEO
Emails:
Ronnie Shporer: [email protected] Peter Nesveda: [email protected] Leonard B. Van Betuw: [email protected]
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Leonard B. Van Betuw President & CEO
Abbreviations
bbls/d - barrels per day BOE/d - barrels oil equivalent per day NGLs - Natural Gas Liquids Mboe - Thousands of barrels of oil equivalent MMboe - Millions of barrels of oil equivalent PDP - Proved Developed Producing TP - Total Proved Reserves TPP - Total Proved and Probable Reserves IFRS - International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board WTI - West Texas Intermediate, the reference price paid in U.S. dollars at Cushing, Oklahoma for the crude oil standard grade
Forward-Looking Information & Forward-Looking Statements Cautionary Statement
Certain information in this news release, including the operations at the Company's properties, constitute forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Although Avila Energy Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because Avila Energy Corporation can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements." All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploitation, and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. It should not be assumed that the estimates of net present value of future net revenue attributable to the Company's reserves presented above represent the fair market value of the reserves. The recovery and reserve estimates of the Company's oil, NGL, and natural gas reserves provided herein are estimates only and there is no guarantee that the estimated reserves will be recovered. Further, there is no assurance that the forecast prices and costs assumptions will be attained, and variances could be material. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and those actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Barrel ("bbl") of oil equivalent ("boe") amounts may be misleading particularly if used in isolation. All boe conversions in this report are calculated using a conversion of six thousand cubic feet of natural gas to one equivalent barrel of oil (6 mcf=1 bbl) and is based on an energy conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the well head. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities offered have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. Trading in the securities of Avila Energy Corporation should be considered highly speculative. Neither the Canadian Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For more information on the Company, Investors should review the Company's registered filings which are available at www.sedar.com.
SOURCE: Avila Energy Corporation
View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/759849/Avila-Energy-Corporation-is-pleased-to-announce-the-Companys-acceptance-of-an-initial-Financing-Commitment-of-US-10-Million-in-Convertible-Debentures-and-agreed-upon-Use-of-Proceeds-in-2023

I currently own a masterbuilt digital vertical smoker and love it, but I am looking at adding a pellet grill to the arsenal this father's day. I am hoping the higher heat range will give me a good bit more versatility in my cooking. My cooking is generally just for my wife, toddler, and myself so I'm not sure that I need a large grill, although I'm sure it would be nice when we have company. I still have the vertical smoker if the need to smoke 4+ racks of ribs or 2+ pork butts arises. My intention is to use the pellet grill for smaller, shorter cooks. I am wanting something entry level and I am looking at options from three different makes. My only real requirement is that the grill have a sear or broiler type of function where I can open grates in the drip pan.
I have my eyes on the Pit Boss Lexington or Austin XL, Z Grills 450A, and the Expert Grill 28" pellet grill from Walmart. I saw the PB Austin and the Expert Grill in person today at Wally World and both looked to be decent units. Seems to be pretty limited reviews on the Expert Grill, but it seemed like a great value for the price ($277). Are these known to be junk? I like the Pit Boss models but I'm unsure what size would make more sense. Additionally, my WalMart has a damaged package PB Laredo 1000 discounted to $497, so I wonder if it's worth the extra cost over the Austin XL model.
I am open to suggestions regarding the options that I have listed as well as any alternates in the sub $500 range that are worth looking at. Thank you!

Hi all,
Currently looking into purchasing a grill and am debating between getting the Weber Spirit II E-310 or the Weber Spirit EX-315.
Just wondering if anyone has any advice or alternative suggestions.
At a high level, it seems the EX-315 retails for a higher price than what Costco is offering it at and comes with some built-in smart features (mainly temperature sensing) + some design differences. Not many reviews on the Costco site for that model, but other sites have more.
The Spirit II E-310 has the advertised gs4 upgrades (which I don't believe the EX-315 has) but no longer comes with the iGrill 3 accessory by default (which I'm not really all that interested in).
Thanks!

After skipping April, here are some inspiration snippets from Berlin, Germany and wider. Career and other cool insights. Here is March.

Week of 1st (May)

🤔 Do you know any shortcuts/tips/tricks on how to get an appointment at Ausländerbehörde? If so, please share in the comments or drop me an email. Thank you so much!
🚃 Lost something on public transport? Here is the website to deal with it. It will be sold at an auction if you do not pick it up in 6 weeks. These are done quarterly, and see you at Auktionshaus Beier in July because I need some AirPods.
🚗 Germany is extremely dependent on the automotive industry and their exports. Don’t quote me on that, but the big ones make roughly 1/3 of their revenues in China. Now, look at these charts and think: What sets modern cars apart? What does it mean for Germany? Soon, the brand will be the only differentiator.
🙌 Pragmatic Engineer (Gergely Orosz) gave me a nice shoutout tweet. A must-follow if you are interested in tech/engineering. One of my recent favourites is this interview with Steve Yegge, which is full of interesting insights.
🤖 If you are like me, you maybe feel worried that your ChatGPT prompt game is weak (especially after reading all those "prompt influencers" milking the trend on the bird app). A while ago, I even linked to a “Prompt Engineer” as a future profession. But according to Ethan Mollick's Guide to Prompting, we do not have much to worry about. In a nutshell: just try things out and then repeat.
📦 eBay-Kleinanzeigen, one of the best German websites (😅) with 40M monthly users, will finally rename to Kleinanzeigen on 16.5 after being sold to Norwegian classifieds specialist Adevinta in 2021. Most of it will stay the same; I am delighted my “Top Zufriedenheit” status will also be migrated.
😔 Bad news: N26 is laying off 71 (4%), Knister Grill (Munich) insolvent; Flink shrank for 8k (down from 21k!) employees since April 2022.
berlin choice of the week: activists vandalized a few luxury shops on K’damm, and of course, the commentariat delivered again on all sides of the spectrum. Also, BVG has a new type of tram that looks like a car. 😅
✈️ This week I learned that BER Terminals 1 and 2 are connected. You can use any security control to access gates at both terminals.
💬 Briefly: SellerX (Berlin) is rumoured to be in a sale process; HelloFresh and Delivery Hero are, unsurprisingly, growing slower: check their Investor Relations pages for details and take it with a pinch of salt; Bosch plans to purchase TSI Semiconductors' assets for $1.5 billion to enhance its semiconductor business with silicon carbide chips; Finn (Munich) CEO Max-Josef Meier resigned after harassing several female colleagues on a company event.

Week of 8th (May)

🚂 If you have decided to take on €49 ticket, Exberliner prepared a nice list of suggestions for excursions from Berlin. Worth a save!
🤑 Here is a summary of research on money and happiness. I like Nick’s conclusion: Increased income is associated with greater happiness for lower-income individuals. For high-income, unhappy individuals, further income is unlikely to increase happiness. For high-income, happy individuals, while more income could enhance happiness, the effort required may not be worth it.
😔 Bad news: CleverShuttle (Berlin) insolvent; Shopify 20% of employees (most of German org).
berlin choice of the week is an interesting Reddit AMA from an U-Bahn driver from a year ago.
💬 Briefly:
Getir wants to own them all and is reportedly buying Flink—enjoy it while it lasts;
Tier reportedly selling itself;
Vice News, a former alter news source loved by millennials and eventually copied by everyone, is in serious trouble;
TeamViewer from Ba-Wü posted 13% YoY growth (151M);
SAP wants to enter LLMs with an investment into Aleph Alpha—it will surely be expensive;
Lilium (Munich) needs/wants to raise €250M;
founder of once-hyped Gorillas, Kagan Sümer, is building something new in HealthTech called Mirror (no website yet);
his other three colleagues founded meal-as-a-service for restaurants, Tasty Urban.

Week of 15th (May)

✌️ Here is another reminder to check out my article with 40+ questions you can ask at the job interview. Disclosure: not written by ChatGPT!
👻 Like all the startups beyond Series B, Bolt also plans to become profitable soon, specifically in the next 12 months, and then IPO in 2025. They might also do payments? More at Reuters. Meantime, Lyft, another Uber competitor, is firing 1100 employees.
⚡️ Remember all those predictions on the Russian gas and the collapse of Germany? Here is an interesting article about the concept of substitutes in economics (the fallacy: “When the average person thinks about a 40% reduction in natural gas supplies, they implicitly assume that each natural gas-dependent industry must cut its usage by 40%.”), but it is also worth reading the comments for differing opinions (= free markets are BS.)
👀 Besides your burgers and curries, Lieferando started to deliver 100 different MediaMarkt products inside the Berlin ring (useful if you urgently need a phone charger or a phone, lol? and bad for their competitor Arive). Food & high margin product delivery is probably here to stay, but groceries? I think not.
📚Blinkist, a Berlin-based app that always felt like cheating to me, was bought by Go1 from Down Under; nobody asked me for my opinion, but a good time to exit with all the Generative AI knocking on the door! Now I should probably go back to my book.
🌊 Have you ever heard of Seaflooding? Me neither, but it reads like a great idea. Flooding parts of the Sahara to reduce the ocean levels? Plus, make some energy on the way? Let’s do it!
👟 Adidas is stuck with €1B worth of Yeezy sneakers since the man lost his mind, but, amongst other batshit crazy stuff, found a purpose in antisemitism. They plan to sell them gradually and partially donate the proceeds. (€, 🇩🇪) What a problem to have.
⛴️ Exberliner delivers again! Berlin has plenty of ferries; I see myself using some in the summer. This article also made me think I need a “handpicked Berlin bucket list.”
😔 Bad news: nobody is publishing news about layoffs anymore! There are three options: 1) all layoffs are done; 2) all layoffs are silent; 3) nobody is laying off. I vote for 2). Infarm leaving Berlin & Europe; okäse (Köln) insolvent.
berlin choice of the week is this DDR map of Berlin from 1988; comments deliver as usual.
💬 Briefly:
swedish Northvolt plans to build a battery gigafactory in Schleswig-Holstein (and employ 3k people) with support from the state and Bund - careers;
Revolut’s CFO is leaving, which is never a good sign, especially after problems with acquiring a banking licence in the UK. On a more positive note: they will start to sell ETFs via Berlin’s Upvest;
Trivago, the troubled aggregator of the aggregators, changed almost their complete board;
VW will restructure Cariad, its software arm, replacing its CEO with Peter Bosch (ex-Bentley);
Google did not release Bard in the EU because of GDPregulation worries;
Unstoppable Finance (Berlin-based crypto play) wants to get a banking license in 2024;
Mobileye will do automated assistance and navigate-on-pilot functions for Porsche;
FS Italiane ordered 40 locomotives from Siemens worth €300M;
Rheinmetall is planning to start production in Ukraine.

Week of 22nd (May)

🚴‍♀️ If you have ever wondered how many bikes pass a certain checkpoint in Berlin, you have your answers here. (via this post on berlin)
👀 I found out about Himmel Unter Berlin, an exclusive invite-only exhibition. I did enter the waitlist, but if I could be your +1, please let me know. 🙏
💸 After eight years of rental price caps, landlords (incl. mine) just seem to love ignoring the rules and ask for too much rent! (🇩🇪) Analysis of 6K cases in 2021 shows that 98% were overcharged. Hah.
Bitpanda, an Austrian crypto investing platform, jumped on the AI hype train and will invest $10M in an AI chatbot. Ok.
In Saxony, AfD’s Sebastian Wippel brought the topic of chemtrails to the state parliament. What’s next, Flat Earth?
Sifted reports that Bolt is close to buying Tier. There are still some micro-mobility companies left, but I am still unsure how such a seasonal business can be profitable long-term. Bolt is betting on many horses, and only time will tell if we will still see so many scooters lying around in 2 years. Related:
☝️I previously recommended Matt Levine and his Money Stuff, and this week he wrote about blitzscaling of Uber being possibly illegal. The VC-subsidised “winner takes all” mentality caused partial destruction of competition and could be considered predatory pricing. Worth a read (second chapter)!
😔 Bad news: nothing to report. So instead, data from last week’s poll: 26% (41) of voters know 10+ people laid off since April 1st, and 38% do not know anyone. The rest (36%) are in-between. Hard to draw conclusions, but clearly, silent layoffs are happening.
berlin choice of the week is a flat directory of smaller real estate companies. Good luck if you are on a search now.
💬 Briefly: Tesla will start spending on marketing (inevitable with all the competition); ThyssenKrupp wants to IPO its hydrogen unit Nucera (careers) in June for 4B; Cara Care founder Jesaja Brinkmann ALSO behaved inappropriately towards female colleagues at a party in December and is OUT; Intel also wants to invest in LLM developers Aleph Alpha from Heidelberg; after Mercedes also VWis leaving Russia; DB ordered 73 new ICEs (🇩🇪) for €2B and wants to hire thousands—careers; ATU was hacked (🇩🇪)—I wonder if my car data is LOST or STOLEN.

Week of 29th (May)

📉 Germany is, because of a second negative quarter in a row, officially in a mild recession (GDP fell by 0.3% for the last quarter). Well. On the other hand, some startups (esp. renewables) were hiring extensively last year, as the analysis of Sifted shows. To me, Helsing from the Sifted list sounds promising, but ask them if they have a product already. Careers.
👎 Most of the Google/Amazon/other reviews are useless. First, a lot of them are fake and second; they can be bought, and third, they are skewed because the majority of people never review.Gergely Orosz did an extensive analysis of Glassdoor reviews after layoffs and I think the whole thing proves the point that looking at them is useless and a waste of time.
💩 OpenAI founder Sam Altman said they might pull ChatGPT out of the EU because of the regulation shortly after he also told US regulators that AI should be regulated. I guess only his regulation is the correct regulation?
🛒 Instead of selling itself to Getir, Flink raised €150M from existing investors (they took a haircut to the highest valuation at €2.5B, now at around €1B). In addition, they are letting 100 employees in HQ go and are pulling out of France after their €100M Cajoo investment (🇩🇪, €). On top, Aldi Süd will experiment with delivery around Mülheim (🇩🇪) this July. Are you bullish or bearish?
☝️Big organisations are often arrogant and inefficient. It recently happened again to Microsoft, as reported in this anecdote where Satya Nadella scolded his R&D team. Another good lesson that the size and throwing money at things often doesn’t work.
😅 One of the weirdest political debates I have seen since in Berlin is around the closing of Friedrichstrasse for traffic. Now it will be open again from the 1st of July. But hey, what is the point of just closing a street without planting trees and making it much more pedestrian-friendly? They did it in many other cities, and it worked. Half-assed attempts make no sense.
✈️ Here is a longer profile in German of Ryanair and its success (🇩🇪) after their annual report. They are profitable, are expanding their fleet and want to hire 10k.
🧨 Before joining N26, you might want to read this great analysis from Miriam at Sifted. Bullish or bearish?
🐟 Here you have an Insta post of some of the best lakes around Berlin, which you should pair with this temperature monitoring when the time comes. From my perspective, the time is not here yet.
I tried what3words a couple of times, and I remember thinking, “Wow, what a great idea”, before going back to using Google Maps. This week I learned they burned £119M to generate £2.5M in revenue in the last six years. What a time to be alive. This, kids, is what a vitamin looks like instead of a painkiller.
☄️Great news. There is probably no imminent danger of getting erased by an asteroid: We still have at least 1000 years left on Earth unless we destroy it ourselves first!
😔 Bad news: Circus (Hamburg, 35/25%); Meta 6000 (unknown for Germany); Moss(Berlin, 30), Flink (Berlin, 100).
💡 Speaking of layoffs: I have previously linked to “how to act” guidance, but it was not as good as this LinkedIn post from Mayuri Reddy. Read it and share it.
🇹🇭 I have never been to Thailand or Thai Park yet, and this is changing soon; Exberliner has tips on what to eat in Thai Park. I am going with Pad Thai. See you around!
berlin choice of the week is this discussion about Pfandpiraten and how much they can earn. Fascinating! “They estimated that about 928,000 people actively collect Pfand in Germany. Of them, 56% make less than 4€ a day. Of them, 28% collect enough that it is their primary income.”
💬 Briefly: Solaris Bank is raising fresh money (€50M); Klarna moved its goal to reach profitability this summer to “this year” and is reportedly “on track”; Flix is expanding like there is no tomorrow: India will be its 42nd market; Neeva, a Google search ads-free alternative full of ex-Google execs, is no more; Meta was fined a record €1.2B for illegal data transfers from the EU to the US beating the previous record of €746M by Amazon.

-------- You can get these weekly. Thanks for reading and feedback.

I know gas is inferior to coal when it comes to flavour, but the convenience of gas really appeals to me. I’m looking at the charbroil 340b as it’s a brand that people generally seem to say makes good quality products and it’s within my budget (under £400). I also really wanted a 3 burner at minimum because it will hopefully give me the option of doing indirect/offset cooking, using the side burners and placing meat in the middle. Supposedly you can do some sort of quasi smoking that way with a smoke box.
Anyway, I just wondered if anyone here had used the charbroil infrared grills and whether they’d recommend them? I’ve read some great reviews but I can’t tell if it’s a bit of a gimmick. It sounds like it takes a while to get used to how hot they get and not sure if the absence of an open flame is actually ultimately worse?
The other option is a 4 burner outback meteor.

TL;DR - Need recommendation for indoor air quality and/or environmental allergen/contaminant expert in central Massachusetts (Worcester area) as well as a ductwork and/or airflow expert to analyze the airflow in my home and make recommendations on improvement.
I'm going insane from the allergens in my home. Most of the other members of my family don't seem as affected as I am, but the indoor air quality is, for me, awful here. Multiple air purifiers don't seem to be doing the trick (although if I sit next to one I breathe better, so whatever my problem is, it's definitely in the air). Need to locate a local, reputable expert who can come do an assessment and make recommendations.
Secondarily, need to find a ductwork and airflow expert, since my HVAC company did a thorough once-over on the furnace and made sure the ducts were blowing, and did a thorough duct cleaning, but were very forthcoming that they're not qualified to deal with air pressure and flow issues - and I've got positive pressure coming out of my basement for some reason, when it should be exactly the opposite.
Symptoms: Itching eyes, feels like I'm breathing in something even when everyone else thinks the air is fine. Mostly on the first floor of my house - basement is fine, second floor is USUALLY much better although some days (yesterday for example) it's bad too. Worse when the outdoor temperature is moderate. Better when the AC runs full time OR when the heat runs full time. Last year I was fine in Jan/Feb/Mar, bad in April/May, fine in June/July/August/September, bad in October, fine Nov->Jan, but then the weather got weird in January and we had a spike of hot days and the heat was on/off/on/off and the air got bad again. I've been fighting it since then, but it didn't get REALLY bad until April/May. Now it's June again and the temps have yet to stay elevated, so I'm suffering still. Air purifiers seem to help but only in their general vicinity. If I crank them all day, then once the temps drop they seem to clean the air ok overnight. But I feel like I'm doing nothing to address the SOURCE of whatever irritant is affecting me.
There were problems with the HVAC - one of the lines was disconnected and just blowing air from the furnace/AC into the suspended ceiling of the basement, which can't be good. That's been fixed, but the problem persists. We have hardwoods or engineered floors in the whole house except the living room (which is the worst room for me) which has old pretty gross carpet which we intend to remove this summer and replace with hardwood. I need to wash the walls (hasn't been done in a couple years) and vacuum everything again because maybe whatever was in the ceiling (fiberglass? filth?) got all over everything, but I feel more like this is an ongoing problem with a continued source of allergen.
I probably should order an air quality monitor - what do people like for brands? (Purple? IQAir? Something else?)
For reference the house is only from 2005, I am not allergic to mold and my wife is - and she's fine so we're pretty sure this isn't a mold issue (also there's no water anywhere and the humidity is well controlled in the basement).
Basically I'm struggling with working from home 50+ hours a week, raising 3 kids, and have so little time to figure this out. It would be great if there were someone that could help me, in exchange for money. I'm hoping!
Edit: I've ordered both a TemTop VOC/PM2.5/Formaldehyde meter (from Amazon, with free returns, so if it isn't helpful I can send it back) as well as a wall mounted PM2.5/TVOC/CO2/Radon detector from AirThings. But I have some more data points... last night as usual things settled down after dark, and I slept fine. This morning I was doing ok. Sitting in my home office next to the air purifier thinking "ok it's not perfect but today is better than yesterday" when suddenly I couldn't breathe. Suddenly, it was like inhaling fumes. What was going on? I realized I had set a small pot of sausages boiling on the stove, and it had reached a rolling boil. I remembered reading in here that cooking - especially with gas - results in significant (temporary) VOC increase, and BOY was that the case. I turned off the burner, moved the pot to the sink to drain, and turned on the vent (which just filters the air and sends it back into the kitchen). Things settled down. I doubt the propane I cook with is a real trigger for me, as I grill year round with propane AND we cook every day all year - even the days that I have zero reactivity - but this lends credence to the idea that the VOC load in the house is just SO HIGH that it's triggering me. So my question remains - WHO can I call to locate and remediate VOCs? And the new question - what kind of contractor do I call to vent the stove hood to the outside?
Edit 2: I've called a New England firm, Indoor Doctor, who send an inspector AND do testing for about a zillion things. They do NOT do remediation, so hopefully they remain impartial and just tell me what's in the air and give me some recommendations on who to call to fix it. I've also arranged for a home inspector to ferret out any other oddities, he will also do a full radon test. But I should have preliminary numbers for TVOC, PM2.5, and Formaldehyde as well as Radon this weekend, prior to any inspectors arriving next week.

Summer’s coming hard and I’m expecting to be cooking for groups of up to 20 people. I’m looking for a charcoal grill with no smart capabilities that can handle that workload. Bonus points if it can double as a smoker. I’m not looking for a gas or pellet grill.
I currently have a Weber kettle and a Masterbuilt Gravity 1050, but the kettle is too small and the Masterbuilt’s electronics need replacing so I don’t want to rely on it working.
I’d prefer to keep it under 1000 USD if possible

I just assembled my Father-in-Law's propane grill. It's not an expensive model, but not the cheapest, either. When I was attaching the side burner, the burner connection to the gas line seemed less than robust. Like, I just slid the burner connection over the gas line connection and used a pin to hold the two together... but it wasn't tight at all and seemed like an obvious leak point.

I am fairly confident that I followed the instructions correctly, but I'm perplexed about why it doesn't require a tightly sealed connection. Wouldn't gas leak out on the way to the burner? A pooling of leaked gas kinda sounds like an explosion hazard to me.

If it helps, it was a Char Broil brand. Link attached, steps 15 A and B (video should start at 3:24 mark. https://youtu.be/gLEK7MdE5Gk?t=204

Hey guys, I am new to grilling on a gas grill. I love smash burger which I was making only inside until now. Recently I bought Weber Genesis II e310 which has 3 burners so grilling was so far awesome, therefore I decided to buy cast iron griddle (one that ISN’T non-stick) from Lodge. Today I made my first smash burgers on it and it was fiasco. I preheated grill for 30 minutes with cast iron griddle inside on top of original cast iron grates. Before first burgers I used avocade oil to oil the griddle and first pair of burgers developed nice crust.
Afterwards I didnt add any oil and tried to move all fat to the side but all remaining burgers were more cooking and grilling, it felt like cast iron griddle wasnt hot at all.
Any ideas how could I improve my grilling method so all the burger get nice crust? Should I wipe the griddle with paper and close the lid and wait everytime or? Thanks☺️

Hello ! we have brought a Gas Grill during memorial day , its a 3 burner Dyna-Glo gas grill. As this being first time , brought a small one , which really servers our purpose.
I have never ever used a Grill before and gone though few videos on basic usage , gas leak check , clean setup ( still understanding it though ) . Here is my first experience and I know I need to learn a lot which is why I am creating this post for your support -
-- Following the book , we are able to setup and went to Costco to get the cylinder , all was good and exciting.
-- we just went with no meat ( my logic was even if it didn't cook well , we can have it raw at least )
Challenges we faced -

The left most burner ( nor the red color one on right side ) wasn't working , I see a spark though and then after multiple forums I understood it must be something with burner not getting gas - called up Dyna-Glo and they are sending a burner , but wondering may be we should return and get a new grill from Home Depot ?
After some videos , we decided to but wood chips instead coal for smokey affect , but unfortunately the smoke didn't burnt at all , not sure why ( could be because one burner isn't working, but how about other side ? ) . And this wood chips holder sits in between burner 2 and 3 , 3 is the one not working .
we did some frozen patties , Veggies on skewers and corn . Mostly everything had become black, they burnt more.

Bottom line I understood , I need to learn and practice more . But I am kind of struggling with right keywords to learn online.
English isn't my first language , so may be they keywords I am using is not proper.
Next we want to try is meat , I am not confident at all on using it until I am clear on what I am doing .
Can you share your expertise and guide me on my next steps. Thank you !

Hello,

I was looking into a way to add a griddle to my setup. I've got a 25" natural gas Blaze model (seen here) and I was trying to avoid buying a standalone unit like a Blackstone.
There are Blaze-branded plates that you can buy that sit on-top of the grill (they're expensive though), as well as other brands like lodge, but I wondered if they'll truly get and stay hot enough and if, alternatively, there were griddle plates I could buy that would replace the grill grates and sit lowecloser to the flame.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Masterbuilt 3-burner tabletop gas grill reviews

For $209.94 from $279.99: Char-Broil Classic 360 3-Burner Liquid Propane Gas Grill with Side Burner