After two deadly crashes that killed 346 people and a worldwide grounding that lasted almost two years, the FAA is giving the Boeing 737 Max jets the green light to fly again. However, many are worried that the changes to the plane are not enough. Can the U.S. trust the revisions made to the jet and the software updates to the MCAS system?
Category Archives: Investigations
Health: How Britain Is Planning To Roll Out The Covid-19 Vaccine (Video)
The U.K. became the first Western nation to vaccinate patients against Covid-19. WSJ explains how the country is planning to roll out the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine at record speed, making it a test case for the rest of the world.
Photo: Jacob King/Bloomberg News
Social Media: ‘Tik Tok As A Platform For Business’
TikTok is becoming a popular forum for Gen-Z and Millennials to learn about entrepreneurship and making money. To find out more, WSJ spoke with three TikTokers who are attracting large audiences that support their thriving online businesses.
Health: ‘At-Home Covid-19 Tests’ – On The Way (Video)
OraSure Technologies has blazed a trail in at-home diagnostic tests. Now, the Pennsylvania-based biotech company is working to produce a quick, over-the-counter coronavirus test that consumers can take in the privacy of their home with results available in minutes. NPR’s Allison Aubrey reports.
Fermentation: What To Know About ‘Yeast’ (Video)
Whether you’re making a recipe for cinnamon rolls or French bread, yeast factors into the equation. Yeast is a required ingredient for almost all bread recipes. While we typically just buy yeast at the grocery store and toss it in our mixing bowl, yeast has quite an interesting backstory.
Yeast are fungi, living organisms found all around us, floating in the air. According to producer Red Star Yeast, yeast is made up of egg-shaped cells, only visible through a microscope. They’re fungi just like the molds found on blue cheese, mushrooms, or even in antibiotics such as penicillin. However, yeast grows in a different form than other fungi, which are typically composed of tubular chains of cells called hyphae. Yeast is found in small clusters of cells, or as an individual cell. And since it’s alive, yeast can also die.
According to Red Star Yeast, their yeast is stamped with a best by date of two years from when the yeast is packaged. Keeping it in a cool, dry place such as your pantry or refrigerator will ensure it’ll live up to that date. If you’re not sure if your yeast is alive, pour it over warm water with a teaspoon of sugar. If it bubbles, it’s still kicking, The Spruce Eats advises.
Also? Yeast has been around for longer than pretty much any of us. In researching the ancient tomb of the Egyptian ruler Scorpion from around 3100 B.C., archaeologists found 700 jars of resinated wine. According to Scientific American, the resin was used to slow the wine’s natural progression into vinegar. Researchers found evidence of the same species as modern-day brewer’s yeast in the jars. While that isn’t solid evidence the ancient Egyptians knew that the addition of yeast could turn their juice into alcohol, it certainly does show that yeast has been prevalent for a very, very long time.
Timeline: It’s alive, and ancient | 0:00 Hundreds of varieties | 1:52 Commercial production | 2:38 Adult beverages | 3:24 Ooh, that smell | 4:36 The amount makes a difference | 5:30 Yeast-free bread | 6:17 Sourdough starter is DIY yeast | 7:01 2020’s yeast shortage | 7:45
Commerce: ‘Will Digital Payments Replace Cash?’
Is cash still king? The coronavirus pandemic may cause a drastic decline in cash usage due to the risk of contamination. The unprecedented surge in the demand for contactless payment has also shown outstanding performances for major companies offering cashless payment methods, like Apple, Square and Paypal. Could covid-19 signal the end of cash in the United States and can the U.S. really function without physical currency?
Space: The Struggle To Detect ‘Asteroid Impacts’
Stephen Hawking thought an asteroid impact posed the greatest threat to life on Earth.
Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. Although asteroids orbit the Sun like planets, they are much smaller than planets. Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the sun. Although asteroids orbit the sun like planets, they are much smaller than planets.
Online: ‘Inside Amazon’s Smart Warehouse’ (Video)
Amazon is the world’s biggest retailer, and its CEO Jeff Bezos the world’s richest man, for one very good reason. His company is better than anyone else, ever, at giving people what they want, quickly. Amazon acquired its undisputed status as heavyweight champion of the retail universe thanks largely to its lightning-fast delivery times.
The astonishing feat of ferrying hundreds of millions of items, from guitar strings to saucepans to car parts, directly to your door, inside 24 hours, is nothing short of a modern logistical miracle. So how does Amazon do it? A super-smart army of slave robots, for one. Ingenious, if occasionally unscrupulous, management practices are part of the answer too.
And the modern-day voodoo of deep-learning AI – all of which are made flesh in the most advanced stockrooms the world has ever seen. So join us today, as we button up our hi-vis jacket and journey inside Amazon’s smart warehouses.
Clothing: ‘The Rise Of Patagonia’ (CNBC Video)
The Patagonia Better Sweater Fleece Vest is by far one of the brand’s most popular products. It’s also one of its most divisive. Over the last five years, the vest became a must-have accessory for Wall Street workers in Manhattan’s financial district to tech bros in Silicon Valley.
The company says at its height, it was fielding 60 requests for co branded vests, a day. But Patagonia, a private company that values environmental and political activism, never sought out to become the go-to status symbol for some of the biggest and richest corporations in the world.
The combination of hefty price tags and a professional-class of super fans earned it the nickname “Patagucci” prompting it to reevaluate which companies it allowed to put a moniker on the vest as a way to ensure their partners align with their progressive culture.
Patagonia even discouraged consumers from partaking in Black Friday sales and snuck political messages into the tags of its clothing. Here’s how Patagonia’s anti consumption philosophy helped it build a billion dollar outdoor brand.
Fast Food: ‘How Much It Costs To Open An Arby’s’
Arby’s is one of America’s favorite fast food sandwich chains. They “have the meats,” according to award-winning actor Ving Rhames’ voice in the brand’s iconic commercials.
Arby’s has been known for its roast beef sandwiches since Leroy and Forrest Raffel opened the first Arby’s in 1964. They wanted to stand out in a sea of burger joints by offering something different: roast beef. They later added cheddar cheese sauce, red onion, and a toasted onion roll to the sandwich in 1978.
Flash forward, and Arby’s has started selling its famous meats by the pound. The fast food-chain also adds limited-time options to attract a variety of customers, such as an upgraded prime rib sandwich, and chicken cheddar ranch sandwich.
Today, Arby’s clearly wants to be seen as more than the place with roast beef. In fact, a campaign was launched called “Head of Sandwiches,” the main purpose of which was to promote the other sandwich options available at Arby’s. The campaign has been successful in attracting a younger consumer into the restaurant, according to Forbes.
Arby’s is currently owned by one of the largest restaurant companies in the U.S., Inspire Brands. In addition to Arby’s, Inspire Brands also owns Sonic, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Jimmy John’s. All combined, there are more than 11,000 restaurants, 1,400 franchisees, and $14.6 billion in system sales within the group, according to the company. Inspire Brands has recently filed trademarks for names of possible ghost kitchens which would offer delivery and takeout only a move that could put them ahead of several quick service chains.
If all this sounds enticing, here’s what you’ll need: The Arby’s team expects all franchise candidates to have extensive multi-unit restaurant operator experience, as well as a desire to open multiple Arby’s locations. You’ll also need a minimum of $500,000 in liquid capital, and a net worth of at least $1 million. Breaking it down further, according to Franchise Gator, Arby’s initial license fee is $37,500 for the first restaurant unit, and $25,000 for each additional store. Royalty fees are an additional 4 percent of gross sales. National and local advertising are additional fees 1.2 and 3 percent of gross sales respectively. Still on board?
Let’s keep going. Arby’s president Jim Taylor recently addressed 700 Arby’s franchisees, telling them, How is Arby’s innovating? Remember the pork belly sandwich, or the marrot, Arby’s meat carrot? Arby’s was also one of the first fast food chains to say it would never serve plant-based meat, according to Food & Wine. Still on the fence? Let’s look at a few more details about Arby’s.
As a franchisee of any corporation, what other franchisees do can trickle down to your stores. While you may own your own restaurants, you are still part of a big family. Arby’s ordered the franchisee to remove the sign and publicly issued an apology — but perhaps the PR damage was done. Which brings us to our next point to consider. Could it be better to open your own independent restaurant in lieu of a franchise? There are pros and cons to both scenarios.
As a franchisee, you benefit from branding, training, marketing, and ingredient sourcing, but also pay fees and royalties, lose some control as an owner, and are subject to scrutiny by the franchise. As an independent owner, you can control your own brand, marketing, menu, and hours, but you also start with no brand recognition, resources, training, or access to suppliers. So what did you decide?
If you’re interested in peddling those famous Arby’s meats, alongside the popular, perfectly seasoned curly fries, submit a franchise application online at Arby’s. Keep watching to see Here’s How Much It Really Costs To Open An Arby’s Franchise.