During the 1990s and early 2000s, studies showed that Americans drank an average of more than 50 gallons of soda per person. In the years that followed, however, soda began to lose its appeal as consumers increasingly avoided sugary drinks. American soda consumption has since shrunk to an average of 38.5 gallons per person. In the meantime, many of these former Coke and Pepsi drinkers switched to bottled water, which now exceeds soda in terms of total volume sold.
Last Continue reading
Since 1967 customers have flocked to Trader Joe’s to stock up on such unusually named items as Quinoa Cowboy Veggie Burgers and Chocolate Dilemma Cheesecake. And while the grocery chain has attracted thousands of loyal patrons over the years, perhaps no other customer has been as dedicated as Mike Hallatt. For years this Vancouver native would drive 3 hours south of his Canadian hometown to Seattle where he would pack his car with as many Trader Joe’s products as he Continue reading
In the proud tradition of pet rocks and Beanie Babies, fidget spinners have recently become the hottest fad product on the market. These tiny toys feature three prongs that whirl around a ball-bearing equipped center, creating something that looks like a little ceiling fan that spins in your hand. Some even sport multi-colored lights so you can dazzle all your jealous friends. They’re available to purchase almost everywhere and have become ubiquitous in schools across the country, much to the Continue reading
With the school year ending and summer right around the corner, students and teachers around the country are likely counting the days until they can finally go on vacation. The most fortunate of this already lucky bunch may be headed to Europe to take in the continent’s grand cities and ancient monuments. But while these world travelers get excited about their upcoming trips, the residents of some European tourist destinations don’t share the same enthusiasm.
Barcelona, for instance, recently passed Continue reading
For the past few years, Chevrolet has ran a series of ads that feature “real people, not actors” staring in awe as they look at and listen to facts about Chevy cars. These televised focus groups are filmed on sets outfitted with enormous doors and spinning elevators that reveal the vehicles in grand fashion. All the while a friendly host tells the onlookers about how many J.D. Power awards Chevy has won along with other details about the brand. Whenever Continue reading
Last Friday hackers launched a massive cyberattack that targeted hundreds of thousands of users and organizations in more than 150 countries. Using a “ransomware” virus called WannaCry, the malware infected computer systems by locking users out of their files and demanding money to set them free. Regardless of whether the user paid up or not, though, the virus was easily able to spread to other computers linked within the same network. Eventually one lucky researcher discovered a “kill switch” in Continue reading
In 2007 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike for 100 days, bringing much of the entertainment industry to a halt. The action left tens of thousands of workers idled and reportedly cost the Los Angeles economy $2 billion. The writers eventually reached a deal with Hollywood studios and ended a dire situation that neither side wanted to see happen again.
Ten years later, though, these two groups found themselves at yet another stalemate during Continue reading
For many attendees of today’s big music festivals, enjoying an interesting atmosphere is often just as important as watching what’s happening on stage. After all, these events don’t happen in a vacuum: festivals like Coachella are endlessly documented through Instagram and other social media platforms. From the fancy food trucks to famous people casually milling about the crowd, music festivals offer no shortage of material to liven up anyone’s feed.
Last weekend’s Fyre Festival promised to be the most Instagrammable Continue reading
The 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform act stands as one of the most complicated pieces of legislation ever devised. The law includes more than 22,000 pages of rules, which is equivalent to about 15 copies of Tolstoy’s epic novel War and Peace. These guidelines tell banks how much money they must set aside, how they can advertise, what sort of investments they can make, and many other stipulations and requirements.
As you can imagine, keeping track of all those regulations Continue reading