Saturday, July 30, 2016

Can Buffalo Wild Wings Get Back on Track?


Chicken Nugget Challenge | Buffalo Wild Wings @hodgetwins

Image source: Buffalo Wild Wings.

Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ:BWLD) is set to serve second-quarter 2016 results next Tuesday, July 26, after the market close. With shares trading down around 15% year to date -- and the bitter taste of last quarter"s same-store sales disappointment still lingering -- you can bet the casual restaurant chain would love to wash down the market"s pessimism with a decidedly more refreshing report.

But what, exactly, should investors be watching when B-Dubs" Q2 results hit the wires?

First, note Buffalo Wild Wings doesn"t typically provide specific financial guidance on a quarterly basis. But it does tend to adjust its full-year outlook based on each subsequent quarter"s performance. And that outlook currently calls for 2016 earnings per diluted share in the range of $5.65 to $5.85, representing growth of 13.7% to 17.7% over earnings in 2015. During last quarter"s conference call, COO James Schmidt said this guidance assumes "improving sales trends throughout 2016, with a return to positive same-store sales by the fourth quarter, if not sooner."

But Buffalo Wild Wings has also suffered disappointment on the same-store sales front for each of its past two quarters. Most recently in April, same-store sales declined 1.7% at company-owned restaurants and fell 2.4% at franchised locations. We should also keep in mind the former included 54 previously franchised restaurants reacquired by Buffalo Wild Wingsover the previous year. By bringing them under the company-owned umbrella, it should be able to more quickly roll out sales-driving initiatives while at the same timeensuring a consistent dining experience across its company-owned restaurant portfolio.

Relatedly, we should listen for updates on the progress of four such sales-driving initiatives outlined by management last quarter: gaining market share in and executing a strong takeout program, enhancing the FastBreak lunch menu with a speed-of-service guarantee, improving and promoting B-Dubs" value proposition, and winning the market for year-round soccer viewership.

We"ve already seen some evidence of Buffalo Wild Wings" efforts to this end. In May, for example, the company introduced a limited-time offer "UFC takeout pack" containingfive dozenwings available during the weekends of UFC 198, 199, and 200, as well as corresponding marketing efforts promoting the deal. And early last month, B-Dubs formally implemented an enticing15-minute lunch guarantee(or it"s free!) across almost 900 U.S. locations, seemingly indicating last quarter"s early-stage tests of the enhancement were effective in drawing more time-sensitive diners for the underserved lunch daypart.

Finally, Buffalo Wild Wings singled out a partnership with Heineken last quarter to promote its restaurants as the place to be during this summer"s Copa America and EURO Cup tournaments, which together capped a total of 80 games between late June and early this month. If Buffalo Wild Wings was able to capitalize on these events -- and keeping in mind soccer is a year-round sport -- shifting diners" perception of Buffalo Wild Wings as an ideal place to watch (non-American) football could serve to smooth out some of the lumps it endures promoting other more seasonal sports.

Next, listen for updates on Buffalo Wild Wings" efforts to efficiently manage costs. Though sales fell short last quarter, it did an admirable job of managing expenses; cost of labor declined 60 basis points year over year, to 30.8% of restaurant sales, thanks to a combination of effective labor management and lower bonus payouts given its same-store sales declines. Cost of sales also dropped 60 basis points, to 29.7%. That bucked a 3% rise in the cost-per-pound of traditional chicken wings, to $1.97, which would have been more severe had Buffalo Wild Wings not renewed its modified pricing contracts this past April to narrow the potential price range it pays for around two-thirds of its traditional wing supply.

In the end, however, you can bet the market will be dedicating most of its scrutiny toward determining whether Buffalo Wild Wings" sales-driving efforts are having any real effect on its expected return to sustained, profitable growth. Depending on the outcome either way, it seems safe to bet we"ll be on the edge of our seats when Buffalo Wild Wings reports next week.

Source: http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/07/22/can-buffalo-wild-wings-get-back-on-track.aspx

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Captain Fantastic" is one of the year"s best


Viggo Mortensen on going off the grid with "Captain Fantastic"
In this era of so many movies being based on comic books, it would be easy to think "Captain Fantastic" falls into that genre. Actually, the film couldn"t be any more different from one of those big-budget blockbusters.There are no capes, super powers or flying sequences. It does feature a super performance by Viggo Mortensen and a championship script by Matt Ross. In the end, the film is able to bend steel opinion and leap close-minded thinking."Captain Fantastic" relies more on brain than brawn to tell the story of a family living way off the grid. Under the guidance of Ross, the story offers alternative opinions, smart arguments and real conversations about the health and development of children when they don"t have to deal with the distractions of the world.Ben (Mortensen) is a recently widowed father of six children. Years ago, Ben and his wife moved the family to a cabin in the woods where they have generally lived off the land.This is not just an escape from the frivolities of life, but a way to better focus their children on what"s important. Without cell phones, video games or dates, the children read great literature, debate political issues and speak multiple languages.When the decision is made to leave the sanctity of forest life to travel across the country for their mother"s funeral, it becomes clear that some life lessons don"t come from books. This becomes painfully apparent when the youngsters try to deal with awkward moments from a first kiss to peer pressure.This is where Ross shines both as a director and writer. It would have been easy for "Captain Fantastic" to advocate the kind of lifestyle where children are encouraged to absorb as much knowledge as possible. It"s also a way of life that advocates healthy living.During a stop at a bank, one of the children asks if they are in a hospital because he thinks everyone looks so sick because they"re obese. Stating the observation out loud is part of the social skills the children have not mastered.Ross provides balance. He tells the story by showing the positives that come from being isolated and the negatives of not being able to deal with real world situations. The verbal battles between Ben and his father-in-law (Frank Langella) are written to give both sides time to make their points.It"s the actions of the family that tell the deepest and most endearing stories.Oldest son Bo (George McKay) is so flustered when he gets a kiss from a stranger that he immediately offers a marriage proposal. It"s painfully sweet. His look at life is so innocent, but it"s also refreshing to show he"s a teen who is possessed by sexual urges.The pure strength comes from Mortensen. He plays a man who is passionate about his convictions but struggles with his decisions after the passing of his wife. The question isn"t whether he"s a good man or not. It"s whether good intentions always result in the best outcome."Captain Fantastic" is everything that comic book-inspired movies aren"t. Instead of trying to visually overpower the viewer with crashes, explosions and huge fight scenes, "Captain Fantastic" is a deep examination of parenting, family, excess, isolationism, hope and the challenge of making the right decisions.Most importantly, this is a movie that asks the viewer to think. Superhero movies have their own strengths, but challenging viewers to join in a debate about life is not one of them.

Source: http://www.telegram.com/article/20160729/ENTERTAINMENTLIFE/160729117

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DJ Khaled: a day in the life of a living meme


DJ Khaled FULL Interview At The Breakfast Club Power 105.1 (7/29/2016) | Talks "Major Key" & More

To stare at a Rolls-Royce Wraith is to know it is the great misnomer of luxury cars. There is absolutely nothing wraith-like about the solid curves of DJ Khaleds gleaming white whip, which, on this Wednesday in midtown Manhattan, purrs up to the curb and slows gawping pedestrians in their tracks. The car is simultaneously impressive and a bit ridiculous, like Khaled himself. In his capacity as impresario, producer, DJ, artist and businessman, the 40-year-old is a power-node at the centre of hip-hops universe. Since his 2006 debut Listennn... the Album, Khaled has put out seven more albums, been Grammy-nominated for his track Im On One featuring Drake, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne, and worked with just about every other rapper you can think of.

Related: You smart, you loyal: how rap culture embraced the meme

Today, however, he is also known for being a living meme. Snapchat, the video-based social medium which remains bewildering to most people over the age of 21, has become Khaleds kingdom. On it, he broadcasts his days in real time, narrating scenes with catchphrases that are now rap lingua franca (Major key alert!; Another one!; I like that!). They evidence the banalities (breakfast) and extravagances (They dont want you on yachts!) of his lifestyle with inimitable, if unwitting comedy. Later, Khaled will tell me: My everyday language ends up just being contagious, you know what Im sayin?

Related: Hillary Clinton, Snapchat, selfies and the road to wooing millennials

Maybe thats because hes much like a motivational speaker, fond of inviting fans to ride wit me through the journey of more success. Today, on a full schedule of promo for his ninth studio album, Major Key, I get to do just that. At TV and web channel Music Choice, Khaled films the segment Wise Words, a stream of motivational messages delivered to camera. Music Choice has written him a script but it could just as well have used They Dont Want You To Win, an online quote generator that spews Khaled gems ad infinitum. In the green room, he plays back his Snaps after he makes them, his words recorded and replayed until it starts to feel like an echo chamber of bromidic brainwash.

In his tracks and on social media, Khaleds affirmations have the same all-caps hype-man urgency. Off camera, however, things are slower. Dressed in black sweatpants, hoodie and some heavy duty ice, he walks at a lilting shuffle, permanently engrossed in his phone. If someone says his name with enough force and conviction, h**l glance up and switch on a brief, dazed smile at whoever happens to be closest. In these moments he can appear faintly cross-eyed.

This is a ripe moment for slogan-spouting personalities who have levied buffoonery into bewildering heights of power consider, after all, the jokes-made-real of Boris Johnson or Donald Trump. Unlike them, though, Khaled knows what hes doing. Born Khaled bin Abdul Khaled to Palestinian parents in New Orleans, Khaled got his break on pirate radio in Miami, where hed broadcast until late, sleep on the floor for a few hours and then wake up and begin shouting into the mic again. His hustle remains just as relentless: he moved to New York last year for 12 months, just to get a verse from Jay Z for his recent single, I Got The Keys. Jay not only gave him two verses, but ended up directing the video, a montage of prison cells, stand-offs and a suited Jay, Khaled and Atlanta trap mainstay Future, shot in black and white. The biggest hip-hop star in the world is also now Khaleds manager.

Dj Khaled performs with Von Miller.Photograph: Rex

Related: Rick Ross: I aint trying to keep up with the trends

This shouldnt come as a shock. Khaleds newfound social media virality may rely on absurdity he once Snapped getting lost on a jetski while whizzing back from Rick Rosss private island; recently he announced that h**l Snapchat the birth of his child in November but his career is longstanding and legitimate. Still, hes not inclined to reflect on these contradictions. I just feel like Im a music man in full form, he shrugs, because my hands on not just making the music and being part of the creative, but also putting the music out. I do it all. And in a post-Kardashian world doing it all means a total assimilation of self and brand. For Khaled, theres scant difference between shilling gum on Snapchat and getting in the studio.

It connected, everything connected, he says, during our interview in the back of the Wraith, for much of which hes glued to the phone. Obviously Ill always be putting out great music and Ive been a hard-working mogul my whole career, but now with Snapchat, it just shone more light on everything were doing. Thats what we work hard for, a light for your greatness. Since hes on his phone anyway, I ask him if he feels like doing a Snap right now, in the back of the Wraith. He shrugs again, lifts his phone, and with that, several million followers witness their man voice his support for the worlds leading liberal newspaper: Guardian... LONDON BIG UP BLESS UP!

Our next stop is Sony, where a waiting French film crew stare morosely as Khaled begins making phone calls. He mutters a request for some water. I look over to his crew, but theyre so engrossed in arranging bottles of Khaled-endorsed cognac they dont hear him. Theres a stack of water bottles beside me. I hand him one. He takes it wordlessly, without looking up from his screen. When your life is being constantly relayed to millions of fans, theres little space for other interaction.

The moment the interviews over, Khaled is pacing about on the phone once more. You gotta taste this gum, its the most amazing gum! he evangelises. I imagine the person on the other end asks him if hes serious. No Im being real! Youre gonna love it! Back in the Wraith, he looks me in the eye and says, with passion: Everything you see me promote, I love it. If somebody thinks Im selling something, just know I only represent the best.

Khaleds positivity is unwavering and, ultimately, irresistible. He maintains that his Snapchat popularity derives from just being myself and it might be this lack of self-awareness that has made him so successful beyond social media. At his Major Key playback later, the guests revealed to be on the album are testament to that: Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Nicki Minaj, 2 Chainz, Drake, Big Sean, Nas and heaps more jostle for space. A blazing, Betty-Wright sampling soul song called Holy Key, featuring virtuosic bars from Lamar, elicits particular awe.

Between tracks, the crowd emit Khaled catchphrases as if unconsciously: major key, someone murmurs approvingly, cloth talk (a Khaledism that roughly translates to wisdom thats going to tell you how to be successful) says another. Man and meme, it seems, are one and the same. On my way to leave, when I shake his hand and tell him Ive had fun, he looks at me with total blankness. I wonder if he knows Ive been within metres of him for the last eight hours. Maybe its only that Snapchat that makes it real.

Major Key is out now on We The Best/Black Butter

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNE32dsb_xorMSo7EBvLSxKbmv73Kg&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=sdmcV-DHMYzF3QGEoICwCg&url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jul/30/hip-hop-dj-khaled-day-in-the-life-of-a-living-meme

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West Nile bigger threat than Zika virus in SD


Mosquitos in South Florida transmitting Zika virus

If theres good advice for most South Dakotans regarding the Zika virus, its this: worry less about Zika and more about West Nile.

Those are the sentiments of South Dakota state epidemiologist Lon Kightlinger, who said most people in the state are safe from Zika if they dont travel to countries where the virus is. And if they do, they should be fine if they follow mosquito repellent rules like wearing long sleeves and repellent.

If youre pregnant or planning to get pregnant in the next two months, dont travel to those countries, Kightlinger said. For South Dakotans, its quite simple.

The Zika virus itself is not the cause for concern, experts say. Symptoms include a fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis or red eyes.

The signature danger of Zika is an infection during pregnancy that can cause a birth defect called microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects. Babies can also be born with eye defects, hearing deficits, and impaired growth.

The disease itself is not that severe, Kightlinger said. Its how stunningly and tragically bad the birth defects are. Thats what makes it so bad.

The Zika virus is spread mostly by the bite of an infected mosquito, an aggressive daytime biter, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.On Friday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott confirmed that four people in the Miami area are believed to have contracted the virus locally through mosquito bites. But health officials do not expect widespread outbreaks in this country.

The virus, of which there is no vaccination for, can be transmitted sexually. The CDC recently announced the first report of female-to-male sexual transmission of Zika. All previously reported cases of sexually transmitted Zika virus infection had been spread from men to their s*x partners.

The CDC recommends not having s*x or using condoms during the entirety of a pregnancy or if someone has a male partner who lives in or has traveled to an area with Zika.

That area includes Rio De Janeiro, where the 2016 Summer Olympics are set to kick off Aug. 5. Other countries include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.

If youre set to travel to one of those countries and you are in the high-risk category, consider going somewhere else, Kightlinger said.

If youre pregnant, go to Hawaii or Spain for vacation, he said.

And for those sitting tight, theres little to worry about.

In South Dakota, we just dont have mosquitos transmitting it, unlike West Nile, he said.

The Zika virus symptoms in an adult are very similar to West Nile, Kightlinger said, but people usually dont get sick enough to go to the hospital, and very rarely die.

West Nile, on the other hand, is also transmitted through infected mosquitos and has killed 32 people in South Dakota since 2002. More than 2,200 people have been infected since then and there have been six cases so far this year.

In South Dakota, we should put 99 percent of our effort in to West Nile, Kightlinger said. I know Zika is in the news, but its not here and very unlikely to spread.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Source: http://rapidcityjournal.com/lifestyles/west-nile-bigger-threat-than-zika-virus-in-sd/article_53974986-a721-573b-878f-5ca168339e2a.html

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North Korea: U.S. crossed "red line", declared war


US Reacts to North Korea Declaring War & Sanctions 2016

Nathan Solis and Redding Record Searchlight , KXTV 8:34 AM. CDT July 29, 2016

This undated picture released from North Korea"s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on January 12, 2014 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (front L) inspecting the command of Korean People"s Army (KPA) Unit 534. (Photo: KNS/AFP/Getty Images, 2014 AFP)

PYONGYANG, North Korea North Koreas top diplomat for U.S. affairs told The Associated Press on Thursday that Washington crossed the red line and effectively declared war by putting leader Kim Jong Un on its list of sanctioned individuals, and said a vicious showdown could erupt if the U.S. and South Korea hold annual war games as planned next month.

Han Song Ryol, director-general of the U.S. affairs department at the Norths Foreign Ministry, said in an interview that recent U.S. actions have put the situation on the Korean Peninsula on a war footing.

The United States and South Korea regularly conduct joint military exercises south of the Demilitarized Zone, and Pyongyang typically responds to them with tough talk and threats of retaliation.

Han said North Korea believes the nature of the maneuvers has become openly aggressive because they reportedly now include training designed to prepare troops for the invasion of the Norths capital and decapitation strikes aimed at killing its top leadership.

Han says designating Kim himself for sanctions was the final straw.

The Obama administration went so far to have the impudence to challenge the supreme dignity of the DPRK in order to get rid of its unfavorable position during the political and military showdown with the DPRK, Han said, using the acronym for North Koreas official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

The United States has crossed the red line in our showdown, he said. We regard this thrice-cursed crime as a declaration of war.

Although North Korea had already been heavily sanctioned internationally for its nuclear weapons and long-range missile development programs, Washingtons announcement on July 6 was the first time Kim Jong Un has been personally sanctioned.

Less than a week later, Pyongyang cut off its final official means of communications with Washington known as the New York channel. Han said Pyongyang has made it clear that everything between the two must now be dealt with under war law.

U.S. officials could not be immediately reached for comment, and South Koreas unification, defense and foreign ministries did not immediately comment.

Kim and 10 others were put on the list of sanctioned individuals in connection with alleged human rights abuses, documented by the United Nations Human Rights Commission, that include a network of political prisons and harsh treatment of any kind of political dissent in the authoritarian state. U.S. State Department officials said the sanctions were intended in part to highlight those responsible for the abuses and to pressure lower-ranking officials to think twice before carrying them out.

Pyongyang denies abuse claims and says the U.N. report was based on fabrications gleaned from disgruntled defectors. Pointing to such things as police shootings of black Americans and poverty in even the richest democracies, it says the West has no moral high ground from which to criticize the Norths domestic political situation. It also says U.S. allies with questionable human-rights records receive less criticism.

Han took strong issue with the claim that it not the U.S. but Pyongyangs continued development of nuclear weapons and missiles that is provoking tensions.

Day by day, the U.S. military blackmail against the DPRK and the isolation and pressure is becoming more open, Han said. It is not us, it is the United States that first developed nuclear weapons, who first deployed them and who first used them against humankind. And on the issue of missiles and rockets, which are to deliver nuclear warheads and conventional weapons warheads, it is none other than the United States who first developed it and who first used it.

He noted that U.S.-South Korea military exercises conducted this spring were unprecedented in scale, and that the U.S. has deployed the USS Mississippi and USS Ohio nuclear-powered submarines to South Korean ports, deployed the B-52 strategic bomber around South Korea and is planning to set up the worlds most advanced missile defense system, known by its acronym THAAD, in the South, a move that has also angered China.

Echoing earlier state-media reports, Han ridiculed Mark Lippert, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, for a flight on a U.S. Air Force F-16 based in South Korea that he said was an action unfit for a diplomat.

We regard that as the act of a villain, who is a crazy person, Han said of the July 12 flight. All these facts show that the United States is intentionally aggravating the tensions in the Korean Peninsula.

Han warned that Pyongyang is viewing next months planned U.S.-South Korea exercises in this new context and will respond if they are carried out as planned.

Nobody can predict what kind of influence this kind of vicious confrontation between the DPRK and the United States will have upon the situation on the Korean Peninsula, he said. By doing these kinds of vicious and hostile acts toward the DPRK, the U.S. has already declared war against the DPRK. So it is our self-defensive right and justifiable action to respond in a very hard way.

We are all prepared for war, and we are all prepared for peace, he said. If the United States forces those kinds of large-scale exercises in August, then the situation caused by that will be the responsibility of the United States.

Last years Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises involved 30,000 American and 50,000 South Korean troops and followed a period of heightened animosity between the rival Koreas sparked by land mine explosions that maimed two South Korean soldiers. In the end, the exercises escalated tensions and rhetoric, but concluded with no major incidents.

Han dismissed calls for Pyongyang to defuse tensions by agreeing to abandon its nuclear program.

In the view of cause and effect, it is the U.S. that provided the cause of our possession of nuclear forces, he said. We never hide the fact, and we are very proud of the fact, that we have very strong nuclear deterrent forces not only to cope with the United States nuclear blackmail but also to neutralize the nuclear blackmail of the United States.

Copyright 2016 KXTV

Source: http://www.ksdk.com/news/north-korea-us-crossed-red-line-declared-war/284319695

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The Ramen regime: A seven day diet in North Korea


North Korea Documentary 2016

Every week we ask a North Korean your questions, giving you the chance to learn more about the country we know so little about.

This weeks question is:I heard ramen is a rare food item in North Korea. Is it true? What kind of ramen do you eat in North Korea?

In my hometown, you could obtain almost anything if youhad enough money. Itwas simply a questionof cash, rather than the matter of what you wanted to obtain. As such, ramen (freeze dried noodles) werent really much of a rarity in my hometown. With money,you could eat ramen anytime.

So, whats the North Korean view of this dish?

Actually, in the DPRK we call the dishkoburang noodles, buthere in the South people obviously use the nameramen.Because of this, South Koreans dontunderstand it if a North Korean tries to orderkoburang noodles, meaning we all change our vocab pretty quickly upon arriving in Seoul.

When I lived in the NorthI recall seeingramenbeing boiled in a pot of some kind, never thecup ramens which are so popular in the South. I assume that thisis because vendors were hesitant to bring cup ramens into the country as they were bigger in size, actually having a rather awkward shape. And because of their shape, itdbe difficult for the traders to import a big bulk of cup ramen into the country, whichwould naturally leadto less profit.

ButI should point out that ramen is a food item which is not exactly welcomed by the North Korean regime, meaning vendors have to keep them out of the eyes of the authorities. As a result, ramen are actually pretty costly in North Korea. I remember many kids lovedramen,but not all of them could afford to eat them as often as theyd like. When a bag of rice weighing 1kg enough to feed a family for two days cost 3000 won, one singleramen cost 800 won.

It was usuallyChinese ramenthat we bought and atein North Korea, althoughI dont really recall the brand names of them. However,I do remember I mostly atebeef and kimchi flavored ones. And withthe increased popularity and preference for South Korean products, Chinese factories and companies began to deliberately put Hangul on their products in order to make them look as if they were from South Korea.

Inmy hometown people even used to thinkthat the smell of ramenwould helpyou lose weight

But you know whats funny? Ramenwas actually seen as a diet food by people in my region of North Korea, even though asyou probably know it is far from nutritious!And inmy hometown people even used to thinkthat the smell of ramenwould helpyou lose weight.

It is really funny thinking about it now, but Ionce lived on aramen-onlydietfor a week in order to lose weight. Of course, I never succeeded, but I really believed that eating onlyramenfor a week wouldhelp me lose weight!

In the case of my family, we also often ate ramen when we lost our appetite. But I soon learned to game the system. Everytime I wanted to eat ramen, I acted to my mom as if I had lost my appetite and I didnt feel like eating anything. Then, my mom would buy and cook ramen for me. Oh, it was so delicious every time I ate ramen like that!

I think the South Korean dramas also contributed to the increased popularity of ramen. You could frequently see a scene withpeople eating ramen in most dramas and North Koreans would suddenly go hungry every time they watched such scenes. Also, whenpeople go on a picnic or trip, they often brought ramen with them. On avalley or mountainside it can bedifficult to cook rice oranentire Korean meal, but it was very convenient to cook ramen in those places.

In North Korea, military drills areheld in mid-August or late August every year. Thats when everyone has to go tothe mountain for one night and twodays. And thatswhen the highest number of ramen is sold during an year, because its very quick and easy to make ramen on amountainside. So whileit might have been expensive and annoying for grown-ups to buy them, I remember that children relished the military drillsas they could eat ramen onthe mountainside. It was like going on a camp!

In conclusion, in North Korea people caneat ramen as often as they like, if they have cash.Ramen is therefore not a rarity, unlike Chocopies, which can be tricky to find even if you have the money. Thats because Chocopies come from South Korea, not China. I remember I once was unable to eat Chocopiefor over a month because they were out of stock in my hometown. In fact, Chocopie was the only food item that would be out of stock from time to time in my hometown of North Korea.

Main picture: NK News

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNE2Ylw7Y5XPaDWTsQQduLPsCwe9TQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=qrScV_CTCY3K3QHyqInADA&url=https://www.nknews.org/2016/07/the-ramen-regime-a-seven-day-diet-in-north-korea/

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Friday, July 29, 2016

Woody Allen"s "Caf Society" is a hollow Hollywood drama


CAFE SOCIETY Trailer (2016)

Caf Society3 out of 5 StarsDirector: Woody AllenWriter: Woody AllenStarring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve CarellGenre: Comedy, DramaRated: PG-13 for some violence, a drug reference, suggestive material and smokingRecommended to: Those looking for Woody Allens take on infidelity in 1930s Hollywood.

Synopsis: Set in the 1930s, Bobby (Jesse Eisenberg) leaves the comforts of the Bronx to try to make it in Hollywood working for his uncle, Phil Stern (Steve Carell), an infamous agent.

Review: Woody Allen channels his inner F. Scott Fitzgerald in this lovely, but ultimately misguided story about Hollywood in the 1930s. Steve Carell stars as Phil Stern, a powerful agent with an inflated sense of purpose; Jesse Eisenberg plays his nephew Bobby who has relocated from the Bronx in hopes of finding new adventures; Kristen Stewart is Vonnie, Phils attractive employee tasked with showing Bobby around town, and Blake Lively plays the beautiful blonde.

What follows is a boy meets girl sort of tale where hearts are broken as secrets are made public. Its all very glamourous and flashy, but Allen seems to believe that there is happiness to be found in the mess of infidelity and lies. Fitzgerald was wise enough to see the emptiness behind the faade. His characters werent given the space to revel in their fleeting pleasures. The hollow nature of their relationships always came crashing down upon them. In Caf Society there is frivolity, but nary a consequence to be found.

Source: http://kutv.com/news/entertainment/woody-allens-caf-society-is-a-hollow-hollywood-drama

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