The country’s financial collapse is to blame. That’s cold. Jon Ogmundsson, the owner of Iceland’s three McDonald’s locations, has chosen to close up shop in the country. Why’s that? Let him explain: “With the collapse of the Icelandic krona, our food costs have doubled. Business is good, but the bottom line is not sexy.” You know it’s bad when the most prevalent, visible icon of globalization is pulling out of your country. Bjork is probably the only person in Iceland with money right now. source
They knew they had a very big [public relations] problem, and they knew this day was coming. They knew they had to be perceived as coming to the table with solutions. It was a departure from their previous point of view. But they knew they would be slaughtered if it weren’t.
Former Cigna Corp. public relations executive Wendell Potter • Describing the change in tactics that the health care industry has tried to help shape the health care bill in such a way that keeps them in the mix. Many are surprised that the health care industry hasn’t gotten the snot beaten out of it by congress, but the reason is that they’ve been working extra hard to make universal health care something that keeps them in the mix. So yeah, greeeeaaaaaat. • source
Jeffry Picower was described as Bernie’s greatest beneficiary. Remember when Ken Lay of Enron died at a convenient time? Looks like he has a new golfing buddy. Picower, one of the 400 wealthiest Americans, was found dead in his multimillion-dollar mansion in Florida. While authorities aren’t suspecting foul play or suicide (he was suffering from Parkinson’s Disease and had heart problems), it’s worth noting that he was in the midst of being sued for $7.2 billion regarding funds he supposedly controlled in the Madoff case. source
Whaddya mean Peanut Butter Crunch isn’t healthy?! They probably meant well in creating it, but big food companies have Eggo on their face after admitting that their “Smart Choices” campaign was a bad idea and they were suspending it. Why’s that? Well, the levels the program set allowed for fairly unhealthy foods like sugary cereals to make the list. And the FDA, of course, didn’t like it. Good idea making your products seem less scary, guys. source