- China, do me a favor. I realize that you own a ginormous chunk of the United States’ national debt and as such, you more or less own us. I understand that, I accept it and yet, I don’t ever - EVER - want to hear you say that you are superior to America in any way, shape or form. There IS no way you can say that, not if you’re even more hooked on Kentucky Fried Chicken, a.k.a. KFC, than FAT Americans are. That’s the story being told this week as China's president Hu Jintao is in the U.S. this week to meet with President Obama and prominent American business leaders. As it turns out, Yum! Brands, which owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, derives more sales from China than the United States. Chinese are apparently in love with Colonel Sanders and his brand of greasy, fatty and unhealthy fried grub. Yum's China sales hit $1.2 billion in the third quarter of 2010, up a whopping 20 percent from the same quarter just one year ago. By contrast, the company’s sales in the U.S. totaled $970 million, down 8 percent from a year ago. With well over a billion people and so many addicted to finger lickin’ goodness that KFC can give them, many investors are seriously considering pouring money into Yum! and other companies are looking to its success as a potential model for their own foray into China. Asked about its success, Yum! has pointed to the advantage of being the first American company to venture into a lucrative market, having entered China in 1987 with KFC and introduced Pizza Hut in 1990. Considering that it’s been 20 years since those two brands came to China, I’m surprised that the Chinese aren’t bearing down on the U.S. for the title of the world’s most obese nation. That may take some time, but we’ll get there. Oddly enough, Pizza Hut and KFC franchises look very different in China than they do in the U.S. They are more like casual dining and upscale than fast food (seriously) and menus have been tailored to appeal more directly to the locals. For example, KFC restaurants in China also feature seafood and beef while Pizza Hut serves rice dishes. Most of the growth Yum! has experienced in China is attributable to KFC, as more than 3,100 of the company’s 3,664 restaurants currently open in the country are KFC franchises. Taco Bell, oddly enough, failed miserably in China. Some were opened in 2003, but all were closed by 2008. Clearly China does not enjoy making a run for the border……….
- So, is this better or worse than being anointed as the Jail Blazers, Portland? About a decade ago, your beloved NBA team - the only professional sports franchise in town - was given the Jail Blazers moniker because it had so many players arrested and charged with crimes in a short span of time. As bad as that era was for Blazers fans, one has to wonder whether the current state of their team is even more difficult to tolerate. Sure, no one is getting arrested but Blazers’ fans might feel like they’re the ones locked inside a torture chamber as they watch one player after another go down with serious injuries. First, center Greg Oden, the No. 1 draft pick in 2007, underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee in November, ending his season prematurely for the third time in his three-year career. That came with center Joel Przybilla already out with a patella injury, from which he has since returned in a limited capacity. Before Oden’s injury, second-year forward Jeff Pendergraph injured his knee in the preseason and required season-ending surgery. Rookie guard Elliot Williams has undergone surgery this season on both knees, meaning the orthopedic surgery business in Portland is booming these days. Add one more surgery to that list now that the Blazers have announced that center Marcus Camby will need arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Camby’s injury occurred in Portland's victory Monday night over the Minnesota Timberwolves and although an MRI exam was initially clear, closer examination revealed a partial meniscus tear. Oh, and I forgot to mention that All-Star guard Brandon Roy had arthroscopic surgery on both of his knees Monday and the team has no idea when he will return. In spite of all of these injuries and their toll on the team, the Blazers have somehow been clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but there’s no way they can continue to be competitive with so many key players going down at an alarming rate………
- Do you enjoy paying for your overpriced cup of coffee or coffee-like beverage without having to reach into your wallet? If so, Starbucks has good news for you. You can now count on the ubiquitous coffee chain’s mobile payments program to be around on a more permanent basis. The company announced the decision Wednesday, applicable to more than 7,500 of its stores in the United States, following a successful pilot program in 1,000 company-owned stores plus all of its Target in-store locations. For those unfamiliar with the program, it allows customers to use their smart phones to show a barcode that is linked to their Starbucks Card accounts without carrying the actual card. Initially, Starbucks offered the option last year as a method to check card balances, reload the card, and check previous transactions. The pilot program to include mobile payments in the process was later added in all Target stores as well as select locations in New York, Seattle and northern California. The permanent system will allow both reloading of the card and viewing past purchase history. Once the card is used, the balance is automatically updated on its home screen. As you would expect, company-owned stories will be the first to support the mobile app, which is currently only available for iOS and Blackberry - sorry iPhone users. For those rocking a Blackberry 8800 series, Bold, Curve, Storm, Storm2 or Tour device……your lucky day. In announcing the system, Starbucks did say that an Android version of the app is still in development. "Today, one in five Starbucks transactions is made using a Starbucks Card and mobile payment will extend the way our customers experience and use their Starbucks Card," Starbucks Card and brand loyalty chief Brady Brewer said in a statement. To get the app, simply download it for free from either the App Store or Starbuck's website. Do with all of this what you will…..or just buy a 99-cent cappuccino from the gas station on the corner…………
- Dunkin’ Donuts, how dare you! How dare you (allegedly) incorrectly charge sales tax on bagels to the good folks of New York state? And for the record, this isn’t just me saying that. The state Department of Taxation and Finance are now looking into your shady business practices after a claim that a clerk at the Dunkin' Donuts on Broadway in Menands charged 74 cents in sales tax to a purchase of a half-dozen bagels and a tub of cream cheese, which came out to $9.24 before tax. The issue, for consumer advocacy groups, is whether or not the bagels are being sold “ready to eat” or not. if they are sold ready to eat, then the tax (stupidly) applies to bagels. "The real issue is, is it ready to eat? And here there's an expectation that the customer will take the bagels home and slice them and toast them and put on butter or cream cheese. So they're clearly not being sold to be eaten that way. This is considered a bulk sale and this was a non-taxable sale and I would have to say shame on Dunkin' Donuts," said Michael Rosen of the Food Industry Alliance. According to the thieiving DD clerk in this case, she believed that she was supposed to charge sales tax on everything her store sells except for tea. By errantly charging this poor patron, the clerk erroneously put extra money in the coffers of the county and state. "The tax department does regular ongoing audits, but those audits they're often on a three-year cycle. So the problem here is that the public may be overcharged for a three-year period before they're caught,” Rosen explained. “Dunkin' Donuts doesn't get to keep this but nonetheless, the public doesn't get their money back.” Dunkin’ Donuts issued the requisite mea culpa statement through Michelle King, director of global public affairs for Dunkin' Brands Inc.: "Dunkin' Donuts restaurants are owned and operated by individual franchisees, who are expected to comply with all applicable state and federal laws. Upon learning of this issue, we immediately contacted the franchise owner to resolve the situation. We have been assured by the franchise owner that he has taken the necessary steps to educate his crew members about New York State’s sales tax for bagels to ensure this doesn't happen again. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our guests." Uh huh, sure thing………..
- One of the most hilarious aspects of any new movie as it marches toward filming is the overreaction by fans and critics to casting choices by the director. It’s funny because some of the best roles of all time have been pulled off by an actor who wasn’t the first (or even second) choice for the part, or by an actor no one had heard of before he or she pulled off the performance of a lifetime. Through that paradigm, it’s hard not to laugh at the thought of how everyone will react now that Anne Hathaway has now been cast as Selina Kyle -- Catwoman's alter ego -- for director Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises." Warner Bros. Pictures announced the decision Wednesday along with a statement by the director. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story," Nolan said in the statement. In additional casting news, the studio announced that Tom Hardy ("Inception," "RocknRolla") has been cast to play Bane. "I am delighted to be working with Tom again and excited to watch him bring to life our new interpretation of one of Batman's most formidable enemies," Nolan said in the same statement. They join a casted led by Christian Bale, returning one final time to reprise his role as the caped crusader. Nolan, who co-wrote the story with David Goyer, will also direct and produce "The Dark Knight Rises," which is scheduled for release July 20, 2012 - you know, before the world’s apocalyptic end later that year. Hathaway doesn’t exactly have lofty standards to live up to when it comes to Catwoman. Michelle Pfeiffer forgettably filled the role in Tim Burton's 1992 truly forgettable "Batman Returns." Halle Berry played Patience Philips in the disappointing "Catwoman" in 2004. In other words, not legendary thespian efforts. The Catwoman character dates all the way back to "Batman No.1" (1940), when creator Bob Kane and Bill Finger came up with the role. Kane said he was partly inspired to create Catwoman because of movie bombshell Jean Harlow, which makes it all the more fitting that Catwoman is returning to the big screen………
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