- Somewhere Amid the Frappuccinos, Fans Say Starbucks Lost Something. The new CEO is trying to get it back
Last week, the coffee giant issued a preliminary report that showed a 7 percent drop in global same-store sales for the fourth quarter amid “a pronounced traffic decline” in North America — 10 percent lower than it was a year earlier. Some customers, already squeezed by inflation, are simply balking at $8 lattes, while others are boycotting the chain for a variety of reasons. A simple cup of coffee became an expression of individualism or caloric abandon. But those eight-ingredient drinks can take a couple of minutes to make. And with more than a third of transactions in recent quarters coming from mobile app orders, that can lead to long waits for customers who order in person. The company said it would not increase prices for the 2025 fiscal year. The company is also setting a goal of getting customers their orders in four minutes or less. Brewed coffee will now be delivered to customers at the register, and customers can customize their coffee themselves — adding milk and sweeteners — at the condiment stations that the company will be reinstalling.
- Once, she was the country’s most powerful woman. Then she went to jail. A Prickly Martha Stewart Makes for a Bracing Netflix Portrait
Stewart doesn’t hold back in the film. It’s bracing and a little startling, given the sanded-off edges that a lot of well-known people present to the public. She remarks quite seriously, for instance, that James B. Comey and the other prosecutors responsible for imprisoning her for five months in 2004 “should have been put in a Cuisinart and turned on high.” She has very little patience when discussing people who react negatively to her efficient, exacting professional perfectionism. She minces no words in talking about the men who left her. She has choice words for colleagues who crossed her. It’s refreshing. Her candor and sharpness make for a much better, far more believable film: this is a woman who feels wrongs and moves relentlessly forward, but never forgets.
- Another Iconic U.S. Chain Restaurant Files for Bankruptcy. No more “thanks g-d for Friday”
The popular sit-down restaurant chain TGI Fridays has filed for bankruptcy in an effort to “ensure the long-term viability of the brand,” citing financial difficulties after a pandemic-driven downturn. The bar and grill, known for its American food offerings and its kitschy but comfortable atmosphere, had closed dozens of locations in the weeks and months leading up to the bankruptcy announcement. TGI Fridays isn’t the only restaurant chain that has struggled to recover after the pandemic drove diners away. Red Lobster and Buca di Beppo, too, both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections in recent months.
- Politicians talking trash is one thing. Calling your opponent “trash” is quite another. JD Vance should be censored.
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance on Monday — the eve of the 2024 election — faced backlash for describing Democratic candidate Kamala Harris as “trash.” Vance went to great lengths during a campaign rally in Atlanta to paint former President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement as inclusive and loving as he urged voters not to nix longtime friendships with or shun family members who vote “the wrong way” on Tuesday. Vance then undid all that posturing, though, as — in a reference to President Joe Biden’s since-clarified statement that Trump supporters are “garbage” — he concluded, “But in two days, we are gonna take out the trash in Washington, D.C. And the trash’s name is Kamala Harris.” This type of behavior in not a way to earn votes.
- Quincy Jones, perhaps the most prolific arranger and composer of our generation, has gone silent
His film and television work expertly mixed 20th-century classical, jazz, funk and Afro-Cuban, street, studio and conservatory. And the three albums he produced for Michael Jackson — “Off the Wall,” “Thriller” and “Bad” — arguably remade the pop business with their success, by appealing profoundly to both Black and white audiences at a time when mainstream radio playlists were becoming increasingly segregated. He arranged and conducted several collaborations between Frank Sinatra and Count Basie, including what is widely regarded as one of Sinatra’s greatest records, “Sinatra at the Sands.” He composed the soundtracks to “The Pawnbroker,” “In Cold Blood” and “The Color Purple” among many other movies.
- The Internet has given new meaning to the old chestnut, Caveat emptor.
Who hasn’t been hoodwinked by an on-line marketing ploy? We trusting souls see an ad on the web offering a deal, product or service we can use, and we bite, having been assured in bold red type that our privacy would be fully respected. It seems safe enough, so we dutifully type in our email address and phone number and… how gullible, we should have known better! For the next three weeks we’re besieged by emails and sales reps calling incessantly. So think twice, then twice again before responding to any presumably innocuous offers on cyberspace. Venders will say virtually anything to snag your electronic address and once they get it, be prepared to add a gig to your Spam repository because it will fill up rapidly. For advertisers to deliberately mislead and do what they said they would not do… that is callused cynicism.
- Planning a vacation but afraid of flying? Here’s how to make it feel less scary.
More than 25 million Americans have a severe fear of flying, or aerophobia, which can cause extreme anxiety before and during a flight. Aerophobia commonly causes people to experience a range of symptoms, from jitters to total panic. You can ease anxiety with these tips to help you fly more comfortably. Breathing exercises help achieve a relaxed state. In one method called box breathing, you inhale deeply for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds and hold again for four seconds. Repeat this cycle three to four times, until you feel calmer. Understand how pilots do their jobs. Try listening to the podcast Dial a Pilot, specifically geared toward nervous fliers, in which the hosts, pilots themselves, explain the flying process and crew training. Take advantage of these apps: The Flight Buddy app has audio clips of normally functioning airplanes; listening to what you will hear aboard the plane can help make you feel less surprised by sounds that may be new to you; Turbli, a turbulence forecasting app and website, can help keep sudden bumps from catching you off guard. Simply plug in your flight number before takeoff and tap on the flight plan to show you the expected turbulence level.
- How do you stack up? Average salary in U.S. according to Bureau of Labor, was $59,384
Average salaries and wages in the United States have been increasing year after year, but the landscape looks different depending on a range of factors, from where you live to how old you are. We’ve compiled the official numbers to produce a comprehensive breakdown of average salaries in the country. We’ve split salary data by age, race, gender, occupation, state and educational background, then analyzed the results to see who earns what in the United States.What is in this guide?
- Social Security COLA Set at 2.5% for 2025. Annual benefit adjustment lowest in 4 years
Inflation is clearly top of mind, not just for retirees, but for Americans generally, and the annual COLA provided by Social Security is a critical feature of the system. The 2.5 percent COLA will bump up the estimated average Social Security retirement benefit by $49 a month, from approximately $1,927 to $1,976, starting in January. Some may feel the increase for 2025 is low relative to the inflation they feel in their pocketbooks, still, it’s a welcome increase that builds on a 5.9 percent increase in payments in 2022, 8.7 percent in 2023 and 3.2 percent this year.” Social Security is almost entirely funded by a payroll tax of 12.4 percent on eligible wages, with employers and employees each paying 6.2 percent. (Self-employed people pay the full 12.4 percent.) The tax is applied to earnings up to a certain threshold, which will increase next year from $168,600 to $176,100.
- Good news: COVID cases are on a downward trend. And updated vaccine will continue to protect against new variants.
COVID-19 cases continue to fall throughout the country after a summer wave peaked in early August, surveillance data shows. The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests dropped from 17.8% the week of Aug. 10 to 14.9% the week of Sept. 7, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Walgreens’s national respiratory disease tracker showed a similar trend. Americans can prepare for the respiratory virus season by ordering free tests from COVIDtests.gov,
A newspaper by and for seniors, Senior News Daily scours the internet each morning for news of interest to active men and women of retirement age. Coverage includes financial and health news, politics, retirement strategies and assisted living news and helpful blogs about aging.
Senior News Daily is written by and for active seniors. We believe seniors have a sense of humor and can laugh at themselves. We know our readers are intelligent, influential, have active lives and get their news from a variety of national sources, both left and right of the political center. We don’t simply duplicate what they report. Each day we scour the internet for articles that interest and benefit seniors. We publish health and financial news for seniors, breaking political news, and retirement and community news of value to seniors. Humorous or serious, they advocate for our generation of AARP members. In addition to news by and for seniors, Senior News Daily publishes a Blog featuring posts from our editors and the opinions of our contemporaries. Occasionally there are reviews of products and services we test and endorse.