'Zero Dark Thirty' Debate: Torture Has No Place in a Civilized Society

As I sat through the movie "Zero Dark Thirty," I shut my eyes in some of the "interrogation" scenes and reflected on the debate surrounding the movie. Some have said the movie shows torture did help in finding Osama bin Laden. Others have said the film reveals that torture really wasn't instrumental in tracking him down. To quote Hillary Clinton (on another topic), does it really matter???

Torture has no place in a civilized society. No matter the success or means to achieve a good end, torture (or as some leaders referred to it, enhanced interrogation techniques) reflects our darkest impulses and pulls all of us in this democracy to a dark place.

Would we as a society tolerate this kind of torture of our own citizens? I think not. Do we really deep down find that this behavior makes us a better people? I sure hope not. As I watched other folks in the theater in downtown Austin turn away at the water boarding and other torture techniques, I thought to myself if we have to turn away watching a movie then doesn't that really tell us that this is wrong, no matter all the rationalization about it helping to save lives and track terrorists.

READ: 'Zero Dark Thirty': Bin Laden Manhunt Film Based on Controversial Firsthand Accounts: 'Nightline' Exclusive

I also thought about my son who served in the army for five years who speaks Arabic and actually looks a good bit like the main terrorist character (when he hasn't shaved for a bit) who was tortured through most of the first half of the movie. It turned my stomach to think of my son tied up like that or treated like that by some tribal group in Iraq (where he was deployed for nearly a year and a half) who might think he was the aggressor in their country.

Putting my son in that terrorist's place just for a moment actually opened a truth for me. If we believe as underlined in the movie "Lincoln" and in President Obama's Inaugural Address, that it is a self-evident truth that "all men are created equal," then how can we as a free compassionate "Christian" nation allow this to go on. Does "all men" just stop at our shores? Does it stop when some person or group does something horrendous to us? It is not in the niceties that our values are tested, but when something horrible and awful and undeserved happens that we truly know who we are.

READ: Kathryn Bigelow Answers Critics on Torture

The debate surrounding "Zero Dark Thirty" shouldn't be about whether the means of torture actually helped in achieving the good end of tracking down bin Laden. It should really be about whether any good ends justify use of means we would never accept or tolerate on our citizens. In the end, it is the means with which we live life or the means in which our society and leaders act, that will determine what we will end up like in this great journey of life.

READ: 'Zero Dark Thirty' Director: Torture 'Reprehensible'

I am not arguing that we don't have a right to defend ourselves and fight back when innocents are threatened. I come from a large Irish Catholic family in Detroit who deeply believes in protecting each other and the vulnerable in our society. In fact, I have one brother who retired from the Coast Guard and one who served in the Marines, as well as my son who enlisted on his own as a 19-year-old.

I am just saying that if for a moment you closed your eyes in the awful torture scenes and put your son or daughter in the place of that terrorist or a brother or sister or a niece or nephew, would you think those were acceptable techniques to extract information. I believe we as a people are better than that, and if we really believe that "whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto Me," then we deep down know the answer. Civil liberty and decency and justice are meant for all men and women. And each person in the world is our sister and brother or son and daughter.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/zero-dark-thirty-debate-torture-no-place-civilized-113222389--abc-news-politics.html

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The TV Business: A Primer For The Uninformed | KIT digital

It?s a relentless drumbeat: the TV industry is dead. It?s just like the music industry. 20somethings are avoiding the cord. I want HBO a la carte. YouTube will kill cable. The TV industry is dead.

And yet, if there?s a common thread to all these articles and blog posts, it?s that so many of the people writing them have a limited idea of how the television industry actually works, particularly from a business perspective.

So here?s a little primer on how the US television industry works (there are significant difference in other countries), just to clear the air.

The Players:
This is step one ? knowing who is who and what their relationships are. We are going to look at the 7 key players, circa 2013: The Networks, The MVPDs, The Premium Networks, The OTT Networks, Smart TVs, Third Party devices and Social TV.

PLAYER #1: The Networks: The networks (ABC, CBS, MTV, et al) provide content and right now, they are the most powerful force in the industry.
How Do They Make Money?
Networks have two revenue streams:
1. Ad Sales ? networks sell national advertising on their shows; local advertising is sold by the carriers.
2. Content Deals ? networks license their content to the various cable companies, satellite providers and telcos (collectively known in the industry as MVPDs.? Multichannel Video Programming Distributors) The price is determined by the value of the network (number of viewers, potential revenue from local ad sales) multiplied by the number of subscribers the MVPD has. These deals are renegotiated every few years, which is why you sometimes see battles where say, Verizon is threatening not to show AMC programming because the post-Mad Men/Breaking Bad AMC wants more money than Verizon is prepared to give them. Here?s Where It Gets Tricky: Most of the larger networks own multiple channels. And they sell them to the MVPDs as an airtight package: You want ESPN? Well then you need to take the Badminton Channel and the Dodge Ball Channel and all 30 of ESPN/Disney?s other channels too. Right now, the MVPDs don?t have much wiggle room since they compete with each other and not being able to offer ESPN to potential subscribers would put them at a huge disadvantage. But Wait! There?s More! The networks know that you probably don?t want to watch the Badminton Channel, so they forbid the MVPDs from letting you do things like making your ?Favorite Channels? list the default view, lest you leave the Badminton Channel off of that list. Networks also pay to have a good spot in the channel line-up and so they?re not about to give that up and let you, the viewer, start creating your own order? at least not as the default view.
What You Need To Know ? Comcast, Verizon, Time-Warner et al are not forcing you to take thousand-channel bundled packages. The networks are more or less forcing them to offer it. The MVPDs would love to be able to sell unbundled packages since they?d make more money by signing up more subscribers while simultaneously cutting their own content acquisition costs.
When Will This Change? So here?s the current thinking: at some point, someone will launch a virtual MVPD (e.g. internet-based) with a beautiful interface and all the bells and whistles of advanced TV systems (any device, any place, any time.) This will be a premium priced system and will be very popular. Popular enough, that it will be in the best interest of an ESPN to allow this new MVPD to break up their bundle. And then the wall will crumble. This is what Apple has been trying to do (the mythical Apple TV) and they are not alone. So far, no one?s gotten any traction? there?s no compelling business reason for any of the networks to play ball with them, but at some point this will change.
?A Beautiful Interface?? The interface is the main pain point in today?s TV viewing experience. That giant, unwieldy grid was designed for about 7 channels and is now being forced to accommodate 700. A new interface would need to be free from the stranglehold of bundled content, which is why you haven?t seen one yet. But look at XBox or Roku for an idea of what?s possible.

PLAYER #2: The MVPDs
Comcast, Verizon, DirectTV and the rest. The United States is the only country where MVPDs ? Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (e.g. the cable, satellite and telcos who bring you your pay TV) are regional rather than national.
How Do They Make Money?
MVPDs have two revenue streams:
Local Ad Sales on the programming they run
Subscription fees So here?s the thing to remember here: the vast majority of MVPDs don?t just sell pay TV packages. They sell broadband and landline services too. The old ?Triple Play.? It?s an incredibly lucrative system for them and an incredibly bulletproof one too. How Many Cords Can You Cut? It?s bulletproof because what pundits forget when they talk about ?cord cutting? is that the cord that brings you television is generally attached to the cord that brings you internet. And if you?re cutting the one, you?re still going to need the other. (To put this in perspective, over 90% of FIOS and Uverse subscribers get TV and broadband from the same provider.) So here?s where the genius of this set-up kicks in: the MVPDs will give you two options ? get the pay TV service and get unlimited bandwidth (free unlimited bandwidth, in the case of Google Fiber), or, get broadband only, but face bandwidth caps. If you?re a heavy TV watcher who plans to get content off web-based services like Netflix and iTunes, you probably won?t wind up saving any money. MVPDs Are Not Blind They see where the market is going, understand the effect of Netflix and iTunes. And so they are busy cutting deals to include them in their offering. It?s already happening in Kansas City, where Google Fiber TV has Netflix baked into the program guide with more OTT (broadband) channels to come. Other MVPDs are not far behind.
What Happened To TV Everywhere? The lawyers squashed it. Not the MVPDs lawyers ? they?re the ones trying to get it off the ground. Rather, it?s been the lawyers for the networks and other content providers. They don?t want users watching shows outside the house unless they can get retrans fees from the MVPDs (retransmission fees? they are claiming that a Comcast subscriber watching a live show on her iPad on the train is watching a different transmission than the one her husband is watching at home and the MVPD should reimburse them accordingly, because there?s no way to count the iPad views for ratings (and eventually advertising purposes.) But Dish Is Bringing It Back To Life: At CES 2013, Dish unveiled a new set top box called the Sling Hopper that essentially blew TV Everywhere out of the water. The Slinghopper, which is a mash-up of the Slingbox and the Hopper, gives viewers the ability to watch shows off their home set top box anywhere there?s an internet connection.That is likely to open up the door for the other MVPDs to roll out their own TV Everywhere systems, lest they lose customers to Dish.
What You Need To Know - Convenience usually trumps price and the MVPDs will soon be offering all the services viewers were cutting the cord for. Add in disincentives like bandwidth caps, and cutting the cord starts to seem like a bad idea.

PLAYER #3: THE PREMIUM NETWORKS
HBO, Showtime, Red Zone and other sports networks.
How Do They Make Money?
Subscriptions. The subscriptions are sold via the MVPDs who collect the money for them and keep a percentage for themselves as a profit. HBO GO The success of HBO GO took the network by surprise: they did not expect it to become such a runaway hit and are still figuring out what to do with it. What they do know is that it?s a great bargaining chip with the MVPDs: give us a bigger share of the subscription fee or we?ll start selling directly to consumers. We?ve already got it up and running in Scandinavia. Why That?s Not Going To Happen Anytime Soon: Ever had to collect money for a co-worker?s birthday party? Remember how painful that was? Multiply that by 29 million and you?ll get a sense of what HBO is going to be up against if they try selling HBO GO on their own. 29 million bills each month. Call centers. Online help. Chasing down the deadbeats. Meanwhile, under the current system, the MVPDs collect the money for them and provide a steady income stream every month. They run specials like ?three free months of HBO when you join? that bring even more subscribers on board. They even handle authentication on HBO Go. So why would HBO ever want to give that up? Especially since the MVPDs would drop them like a proverbial hot potato if they ever tried? Bottom line is that HBO is not ?leaving money on the table? by not giving you an a la carte subscription. They?re just making sure the money stays on the table.
So No A La Carte, Ever? Not directly through HBO. But probably through your MVPD, who?d love to sell a combo basic cable/HBO subscription to all those recent college grads. It?ll happen at around the same time the bundles get unbundled.

PLAYER #4: THE OTT SERVICES
Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Vudu, iTunes and all the other streaming services. (OTT = Over The Top, a reference to how web-based video is delivered, e.g. without a set top box. Like MVPD, this is another industry term that?s good to know.)
How Do They Make Money?
Subscriptions (Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime)
Sales and Rentals (Amazon, Vudu, iTunes)
Subscription services have the edge here. They may not have the selection their counterparts have, especially in terms of new movies, but they have ease of use. Rentals are tough: rights issues limit the rental period to 48 hours and forbid renewals making it a tough sell. So is having to pay $3 or $4 every time you want to see a movie: with a monthly subscription, the viewer is less aware of the financial transaction.
Where Are They Headed: Industry expectation is that the various OTT services will all cut deals with the MVPDs, where they?ll either be just another premium channel (Netflix) or a Pay Per View option. It?s just easier all around, particularly for consumers, who won?t need to add an extra device to watch OTT networks on their main TV. It?s also better for OTT networks as it expands their base of potential viewers.

PLAYER #5: SMART TVs
Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and other manufacturers
How Do They Make Money?
Direct sales to consumers. The additional ?smart? features were used to justify higher prices than ?dumb? HDTVs, though eventually everything goes on sale
Most Consumers Don?t Hook Them Up While the advantage of a smart TV is the ability to use an app-like button built into the set?s interface as an easy way to connect to Netflix or Facebook, several studies in the US and UK show that most consumers don?t bother hooking up the Smart TVs to the internet. Difficulty of set-up is the most likely reason for that, though lack of interoperability between different brands, and lack of demand for non-TV-centric apps (e.g. Facebook) also figure prominently
Future Prospects Not very bright for the app-based Smart TVs, but the notion of a ?connected TV? ? a TV that connects to the internet via a second screen device is where the industry is headed. Connected TVs will enable cloud-based systems capable of serving up millions of hours worth of programming. (That?s a lot of reruns.)

PLAYER #6: 3RD PARTY OTT DEVICES
Roku, Apple TV, Boxee, Google TV
How Do They Make Money?
Direct sales to consumers. Though Roku is moving into Pay-Per-View specials (think 1980s HBO) and they?re all looking for licensing deals with TV manufacturers and MVPDs (similar to the ones Cablevision and TimeWarner inked with Roku this month) particularly in developing countries, where TV is likely to skip the cable-to-the-house phase.
Long Term Prognosis: Roku recently introduced a device the size of a thumb drive that plugs into the TV?s USB drive and draws power from the TV set. All the more reason to believe that all these third party devices and their operating systems will get snatched up by MVPDs and/or TV manufacturers who will incorporate the technology and interfaces into an all-in-one device.

PLAYER #7: SOCIAL TV
Zeebox, Viggle, NextGuide, Fanhattan, Twitter, Facebook, et al. ?Second Screen apps? is the industry term for what?s also known as Social TV
How Do They Make Money?
They don?t.
Not yet anyway. They don?t even make the networks and MVPDs any kind of demonstrable money beyond a possible viewership boost on a handful of shows and specials. (True Blood, The Grammys, Pretty Little Liars)
Changing The Channel Is The Killer App Time shifting (watching a show via catch-up, DVR or On-Demand) makes chat less relevant and discovery more relevant. The problem with discovery-based apps is that you still need to find the remote in order to change the channel. That?s not a very good user experience and it?s why we?re starting to see apps adding that functionality (Zeebox and Sky in the UK.)
2nd Screen Apps Will Likely Come From The MVPDs The most likely evolution of the second screen app is as a combination remote control-program guide with an overlay of social functionality that lives on a 7 or 8 inch tablet (iPad Mini or Nexus) and is provided by the MVPD. (Full Disclosure: KIT makes such a product, the white-label SPG.) The apps will be able to accommodate a range of second screen content, programming and discovery features,as well as an ?ad locker? ? a screen where users can do deeper dives into ads they?ve seen on TV at their own convenience. Google Fiber is giving voice-enabled Nexus tablets to users of its Google Fiber TV to use as remote controls and the rest of the industry is expected to follow suit over the next year or two. As current thinking has tablet-based apps replacing set top boxes (tablets are cheaper to provide and apps are easier to update) this is going to happen pretty quickly.
Making Money Off The Second Screen: The second screen is likely to become a major revenue source for the MVPDs. With more content than ever before, discovery will become critical. Unable to rely on on-air promotions to drive interest in new shows, networks will pay to have their properties featured in second screen recommendation engines. That opens the door to brand tie-ins and related ad vehicles. Look for the second screen ad market to eventually rival the first screen one.

SUMMARY
Change Happens Gradually And Then All At Once. The TV industry is in the same place the cell phone industry was just before the introduction of the iPhone: all the pieces are there, it?s just no one?s bothered to put them together. There?s no pressure on anyone to innovate because no one?s disrupting the market and so there?s no business reason to be an innovator: it?s risky and most companies are risk-averse. Eventually, someone will toss that bomb into the crowd and blow things up, the way the iPhone blew up the cell phone market. It may be Google or Apple or Intel or someone you?ve never heard of. Whoever it is, it has to be someone who feels their current market position is tenuous enough to make a risky move worth it. And what?s important to remember is that right now there?s no one in the TV industry who fits that description: profits are up, not down. But it will happen, and once it happens, change will come quickly. And everything you?ve just read will be completely and hopelessly out-of-date.

Source: http://www.kitd.com/2013/01/7168/

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Bulgarians seen challenging government in nuclear plant vote

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgarians are expected to vote in favor of building a new nuclear power plant in their first referendum in the post-communist era on Sunday, challenging the government's decision to abandon the multi-billion-dollar project.

The plebiscite will be seen as a test of public support for the policies of rightist Prime Minister Boiko Borisov ahead of a July election, even though high turnout requirements mean the result of the nuclear referendum is not likely to be binding.

Only 9.34 percent of the voters in the Balkan country had cast a ballot by 1 p.m. (6.00 a.m. ET), six hours before the polling stations were to close, official data showed. Analysts said the apparent voter apathy was mainly due to lack of expert information on the cost, benefits and need for a new plant.

Borisov, already struggling to revive a lackluster economy, canceled the construction of the 2,000-megawatt plant at Belene in March, saying the Balkan country could not afford to foot the bill, estimated at more than 10 billion euros ($13.5 billion).

Bulgaria's allies in Brussels and Washington also opposed the project, fearing it would deepen the country's economic and political dependence on Russia. Moscow offered to finance the plant, which would have been built by its Atomstroyexport.

But opinion polls suggested two thirds of people who said they intended to vote would choose to press on with the plant, many of them hoping it would rein in electricity prices, create jobs and help make Bulgaria an energy hub for southeast Europe.

"Bulgaria needs a new nuclear power plant. I do not want my kids to pay high electricity bills and that's what will happen if we give up the construction of the Belene plant," engineer Georgi Avramov, 49, told Reuters ahead of the vote.

FRUSTRATED VOTERS

While the economy has emerged from a deep recession, it is growing only slowly and many voters are frustrated Bulgaria still trails other ex-communist members of the European Union, with wealth per capita less than half the bloc's average.

Analysts said a strong vote in favor of Belene would be an embarrassment for Borisov, a former bodyguard who has made little progress in his promises to root out corruption since he came to power in 2009.

Unpopular austerity measures imposed by Borisov's ruling center-right GERB party have already narrowed its lead over opposition Socialists - who called for the referendum - ahead of parliamentary elections in July.

"If we get a strong 'pro-Belene' vote as expected, even though the results are likely to be invalid, we would already have a serious political issue on which Borisov will have to act very carefully," said Gallup International political analyst Kantcho Stoichev.

The result of the referendum, which asked whether new nuclear power plant should be built and not about the use of nuclear power in general, will only be valid if 4.35 million out of the 6.9 million eligible voters take part - a figure analysts say will be almost impossible to reach.

If 20 percent of voters participate and half of them vote in favor of Belene, the issue will go to parliament for a final decision.

Bulgaria has an operational 2,000 megawatt nuclear power plant at Kozloduy and has hired U.S. firm Westinghouse to draw up plans to add another 1,000 MW unit at the site.

The new plant at Belene, on the River Danube, was also opposed by environmentalists, who said it would be built near an earthquake-prone area, and by rights groups who said the high-cost project would encourage corruption in the EU's poorest member state. ($1 = 0.7421 euros)

(Additional reporting by Angel Krasimirov; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bulgarians-seen-challenging-government-nuclear-plant-vote-083741436--business.html

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The Similarities Between Managers and Leaders

Although not the same by definition, management and leadership are closely linked. In order for a manager to remain focused and successful, he or she must demonstrate effective leadership skills. Conversely, a good leader must also be able to properly manage their employees. Management training courses work on improving organization and coordination skills, while leadership development training focuses on inspiring and motivating others. Leaders drive performance, and the higher the leader's position and the broader the scope of their responsibility, the greater the impact that individual has on the management of an organization.

Management training courses are extensive and focus driven, with clearly defined tasks that must be accomplished. Management is an occupation and requires the exemplification of specific skill sets. Managers are responsible for administering, maintaining, focusing, asking, imitating, and accepting. A manager's eye is always kept on the bottom line and they make sure that the smartest business decisions are being made. Common questions asked by managers are very straightforward and include finding out how and when something will be done. They do not think long term; instead they take a short-range view and meticulously maintain the accepted systems and structures that have already been implemented. In terms of connecting with their managers, employees value leaders who are relatable and who do not pride themselves on their authority. The best managers are, in fact, leaders who are not afraid to be themselves. Managers who respect and connect with their employees on a human level inspire enormous levels of dependability.

Leaders, on the other hand, have much more flexibility in their responsibilities. Leadership development training has become a high priority in many companies; it now constitutes a larger percentage of all the training delivered in many organizations because of several positive business benefits. Although it cannot be learned, per se, leadership training will teach people how to better innovate, develop, focus, inspire, originate and challenge. Explaining and understanding the nature of good leadership is easier than putting it into practice. Through trial and error scenarios, leaders will learn to uncover solutions to given problems, and from there they will execute strategies for improvement. Developing trust has become extremely important for any leadership position. If people cannot trust the person who is leading them, then the elements of respect and dedication are lost entirely. For leadership to work, people must be able to connect their expectations to the basic purpose of the organization.

Leadership is an essential quality for every manager to demonstrate and execute. Good leadership is centrally concerned with people. Skills alone do not make good leaders--style and behavior do. Both leaders and managers aim at achieving goals, mobilizing and utilizing resources, and motivating employees. Since good management is evaluated through effective leadership, managers must fully understand the concerns of the people that they are in charge of leading. Leaders make things happen by knowing objectives and having a plan to achieve them. Management training courses will assist in making the workplace environment progress and run very smoothly at an efficient pace. Management and leadership must be considered two inseparable and entangled aspects of the workplace environment in order to achieve success.

David Shoemaker is Vice President of Learning Solutions and Innovation at eCornell. For more information on management training courses, leadership development training, or eCornell, please visit http://www.eCornell.com

Source: http://articles.submityourarticle.com/the-similarities-between-managers-and-leaders-313586

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HOUSTON, Jan. 24, 2013: Group 1 Automotive Enters Agreement ...

By Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

HOUSTON, Jan. 24, 2013 ? /PRNewswire/ --?Group 1 Automotive, Inc.?(NYSE: GPI), a Fortune 500 automotive retailer, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase 100 percent of the outstanding shares of UAB Motors Participacoes S.A., one of Brazil's largest automotive retailers, for approximately $47.4 million cash, 1.45 million shares of Group 1 common stock and the assumption of approximately $62 million of net non-floorplan debt. Upon closing, Group 1 will assume ownership of 100 percent interest in 18 dealerships ? two Toyota, four Nissan, two BMW, two BMW/MINI, three Renault, three Peugeot, one Land Rover and one Land Rover/Jaguar. The dealerships, that include 21 franchises representing eight major brands in the Sao Paulo market and key metropolitan markets in the neighboring state of Parana, are expected to generate approximately $650 million in estimated annual revenues.

Group 1 expects the pending transaction to be modestly accretive, approximately $0.03 to $0.05, to earnings per diluted common share in 2013 excluding any associated deal costs. The acquisition is targeted to close on or about Feb. 28, 2013, and is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval from various manufacturers.

Group 1 anticipates that it will report pretax deal costs associated with this acquisition of approximately $1.5 million in its fourth-quarter 2012 results.

Based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, UAB's operations include 18 dealerships with 21 franchises, as well as five collision centers, located in the Sao Paulo metro market and the adjacent state of Parana. The franchises include current Group 1 brands Toyota, Nissan, BMW and MINI, and will add four new brands ? Renault, Peugeot, Land Rover and Jaguar ? to Group 1's portfolio. In Brazil, UAB is one of the largest sellers of Nissan and Peugeot vehicles and is a top five retailer of BMW, MINI and Land Rover vehicles. The business will continue to be operated by the current management team, with UAB's chairman, Lincoln da Cunha Pereira Filho, reporting directly to Earl J. Hesterberg, Group 1's president and chief executive officer. As part of the transaction, Group 1 will appoint Pereira to its board of directors, expanding its membership to eight.

Brazil is the fourth largest new vehicle market in the world, with annual sales of 3.8 million units in 2012. Brazil also has one of the lowest vehicle-to-population ratios among the developing markets, providing a strong foundation for future growth in the market.

"Group 1 is delighted by the opportunity of expanding into Brazil, a fast-growing automotive market, by adding these great brands and the successful UAB operating team to our company," said Earl J. Hesterberg, Group 1's president and chief executive officer. "To enter one of the largest auto markets in the world with a well-established retail infrastructure and management team provides Group 1 and our shareholders with an incredible growth opportunity. We are also excited to further expand our relationships with some of our key manufacturer partners to the Brazilian market. As this market continues to evolve, we are confident that we can add value in the area of used vehicles, parts, service and the overall application of technology and processes."

Barclays acted as the exclusive advisor to Group 1 on this transaction. Jones Day and Mattos Filho acted as legal counsel to Group 1 on this transaction.

Conference Call Group 1's senior management will host a conference call?on?Friday, Jan. 25,?at 10:00 a.m. ET to discuss the pending acquisition transaction.

The conference call will be simulcast live on the Internet at www.group1auto.com, then click on 'Investor Relations' and then 'Events' or through this link: http://www.group1corp.com/news/events.aspx. A replay will be available for seven days. A slide presentation will also be posted to the Events page prior to the call.

The conference call will also be available live by dialing in 10 minutes prior to the start of the call at:

Domestic: 1.877.317.6789 International: 1.412.317.6789 Conference ID: 10023894

A telephonic replay will be available following the call through Feb. 4 at 9 a.m. ET by dialing:

Domestic: 1.877.344.7529 International: 1.412.317.0088 Conference ID: 10023894

About Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Group 1 owns and operates 121 automotive dealerships, 157 franchises, and 31 collision centers in the United States and the United Kingdom that offer 31 brands of automobiles. Through its dealerships, the company sells new and used cars and light trucks; arranges related vehicle financing, service and insurance contracts; provides automotive maintenance and repair services; and sells vehicle parts.

Group 1 Automotive can be reached on the Internet at www.group1auto.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are statements related to future, not past, events and are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. In this context, the forward-looking statements often include statements regarding our goals, plans, projections and guidance regarding our financial position, results of operations, market position, pending and potential future acquisitions and business strategy, and often contain words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "should," "foresee," "may" or "will" and similar expressions. While management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, there can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we anticipate. Any such forward-looking statements are not assurances of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, (a) general economic and business conditions, (b) the level of manufacturer incentives, (c) the future regulatory environment, (d) our ability to obtain an inventory of desirable new and used vehicles, (e) our relationship with our automobile manufacturers and the willingness of manufacturers to approve future acquisitions, (f) our cost of financing and the availability of credit for consumers, (g) our ability to complete acquisitions and dispositions and the risks associated therewith, (h) foreign exchange controls and currency fluctuations, and (i) our ability to retain key personnel. For additional information regarding known material factors that could cause our actual results to differ from our projected results, please see our filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor Contacts: Kim Paper Canning Manager, Investor Relations Group 1 Automotive, Inc. 713-647-5741 | kpaper@group1auto.com

Media Contacts: Pete DeLongchamps V.P. Financial Services and Manufacturer Relations Group 1 Automotive, Inc. 713-647-5770 | pdelongchamps@group1auto.com or Clint Woods Pierpont Communications, Inc. 713-627-2223 | cwoods@piercom.com

SOURCE Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

Source: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/24/4568403/group-1-automotive-enters-agreement.html

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