United Airlines CEO Again Apologizes Amid Discovery That Flight Wasn’t Overbooked
United Airlines’ CEO is not helping its cause by again apologizing in a backhanded way.
United CEO Oscar Munoz [[ MOON-yose ]] offered an apology and promised to have a thorough review of the incident and to "fix what's broken so this never happens again." Munoz also said he was "disturbed" by the video and apologized to the passenger who was removed.
Yesterday's statement from Munoz is in stark contrast from a letter he sent to employees that claimed the man who was removed was "disruptive and belligerent" and that employees "followed established procedures."
Munoz also said the airline takes "full responsibility" and that it will "work to make it right." The company is walking back its initial statement saying that the flight was overbooked. Instead, a spokesperson explained that the flight was full and passengers were being removed to make room for crew members who were needed in Louisville the next day.
Passengers to be removed are chosen using criteria including frequent-flier status, fare type, check-in time and connecting flight implications, among others, according to United. However, it is usually done before passengers board, unlike the incident with Dr. David Dao.
The doctor is now represented by a pair of Chicago lawyers who released a statement on behalf of their client. "The family of Dr. Dao wants the world to know that they are very appreciative of the outpouring of prayers, concern, and support they have received. Currently, they are focused only on Dr. Dao's medical care and treatment and will not be making any comments to the media.”
In the stock market yesterday there was a sell-off of United stock of 1.1 billion dollars. Warren Buffett took a 90 million dollar hit.Source: USA Today
New Oreo Thins Alert! You'll Want to Try These Flavors ASAP
Oreo Thins fans, brace yourselves for two new flavors! Coconut and Salted Caramel Oreo Thins are reportedly coming to a shelf near you, according to Instagram user thejunkfoodaisle, king of finding the best new snacks before anyone else. The Salted Caramel cookies appear to be golden Oreos with a sweet and salty caramel filling, while the coconutty Oreos have a chocolate cookie and white coconut cream filling. Oreo Thins have been known to cause debates among serious Oreo-lovers (some Double Stuf Oreo megafans believe that such a tiny amount of filling is just blasphemous), but it's hard to deny that the new flavors sound pretty damn good.
Today is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day! Although it only requires three ingredients (bread, cheese, and butter), grilled cheese is one of the most popular comfort foods in the world.
For example, did you know that the Ancient Romans were the first civilization to make a cooked bread and cheese sandwich? TRUTH! Still, many cultures have invented their own take on this ancient dish. In France, people enjoy Croque Monsieur (a grilled ham and cheese sandwich) while in Switzerland, they melt the cheese and toast the bread separately before combining them.
As for the classic American grilled cheese, the sandwich emerged in the 1920s when inexpensive cheese and affordable sliced bread became available. It’s now a staple in cafés, diners, and school cafeterias across the country!
Today is National Licorice Day
April 12th is National Licorice Day! If you fancy something a little bit sweet, this is the day for you. There’s a reason people love licorice – specifically, black licorice. It helps relieve the pains that accompany certain types of ulcers, and it is good for the adrenal glands.
As for its origins, licorice root is a botanical ingredient in modern Chinese medicines used to manage cancers. Current research conducted at Rutgers, theState University of New Jersey, supports the use of licorice in the treatment of prostate and breast cancer.
In Egypt the Pharaohs used licorice to create a traditional drink called erqesos, which was consumed as a healing tonic.
Today is Be Kind to Lawyers Day
April 12th is Be Kind to Lawyers Day! As you may have guessed, this is the day to be nice to lawyers and/or try to inject some law-based fun into your everyday life. Wine and dine them, ring them up and tell them how much you appreciate their hard work, and shower them with lawyer-themed gifts!
Why? Let’s be serious – lawyers around the world get a lot of grief...just for being lawyers. Jokes are made about them and they consistently rank as one of the least respected professions on the planet (ranked just above advertisers and car salespeople). And yet, when we need help running a business, writing a will, or avoiding jail time – who gets the call? Lawyers.
If you can’t come up with some idea on being nice to the lawyers in your life, CLICK HERE.
These Are Things You're Overpaying for at Restaurants
If you think that extra guac is the only thing setting you and your wallet back, think again: A new study from Plate IQ shows—with horrifying detail—just how much you're being overcharged by restaurants. And it's a lot.
For just one slice of cheese on your burger, you pay an average of 417 percent more than if you'd simply brought your own cheese from home. Each slice of cheese costs a restaurant an average of 29 cents. But since a cheeseburger costs an average of $1.50 more than a regular burger, there's your 417 percent markup.
Think that's crazy? Extra cheese is one of the least troublesome offenders, actually. Eating omelettes at restaurants, too, will take a bigger-than-expected bite out of your paycheck. A spinach omelette, which typically costs around $8 but only costs $1.40 to make, has a 471 percent markup.
It doesn't end there, though. When you order a veggie-lovers pizza, you're paying a 525 percent markup, according to the study. Paying up by a few bucks for a few mushrooms and some pepper slices may not seem like a lot. But remember: It only cost the restaurant 32 cents to add those veggies to your serving.
Meanwhile, a margherita pizza allegedly has a 580 percent markup. And meat pizzas are marked up by a whopping 636 percent.
As for the item for which everyone's happy to pay up? Well, even guacamole is more "extra" than you thought it was. It typically costs around $2 to add extra guac to your Chipotle order, but it only costs the restaurant 52 cents to do so.
Still, it's important to take all the non-food factors into consideration here. You're not just paying for extra guac or meat or veggies, after all; you're paying for overhead (30 percent) and labor costs (30 percent), too. Those ingredients are 30 percent of the price, too, but they're not all of it. In order to make ends meet, then, it makes sense that almost all restaurants need to mark up those special toppings by an average of 300 percent.
If you're not a fantastic cook, you may not be happier making these same meals at home (and they might not turn out quite as deliciously). Plus, there's so, so much about the restaurant experience that's worth having. But it's good to be aware that that restaurant habit of yours is bound to add up in a big, big way.
Fight over parking spot turns bloody
A pair of Detroit women in their early 20s were arrested in a fight that ending with someone getting stabbed... and started over a parking spot. According to authorities, a group of women was trying to pull into a space when another group of women took the parking spot. The groups got out of their cars and started fighting. The crowd watching the fight egged the women on and filmed the incident, which has since gone viral. At some point, one of the women pulled out a knife and began stabbing people. A 30-year-old had to be rushed to the hospital. Again, all of this was reportedly caused by a parking spot. Source: Click On Detroit
Why Does Airplane Coffee Taste Weird?
The beans aren’t really to blame. In fact, a number of airlines now get their grounds from popular brand name roasters like Starbucks (Delta) or Dunkin’ Donuts (Jet Blue). The real culprit: the H20 used in airplane brew. Planes have tanks filled with ‘potable water’, aka water used for washing your hands in the bathroom and brewing coffee and tea, and it’s not the cleanest—a 2012 EPA report found that 12 percent of commercial airplane water tested positive for coliform bacteria, which usually indicates other gut-rocking bugs like E.coli are present. And according to one American Airlines flight attendant we spoke with, “those tanks are probably only cleaned out every six months to a year.” Yikes.
The brewing process is next to blame—at 35,000 feet, water boils at a much lower temperature, which messes up the extraction process so that only some of the coffee solids get dissolved, says Andrew Hetzel, a coffee quality and trade consultant. And if the flight attendant flips on the warming pad too soon, the first few drops of brew burn and taint the whole batch, said one Air Canada flight attendant.
Finally, your own taste buds weaken the flavor of in-flight joe. Cabin pressure, dry air, and altitude reduce your taste perception by about 30 percent (hello, heavily salted dinners), which means that already crummy coffee never stood a chance. (British Airways is on top of this, they’ve partnered with Twinings tea to create a special full-bodied blend for flying—a bloody great idea.) For the record, a few of the flight attendants we spoke with simply believe the majority of the population has forgotten what boring, black coffee tastes like: “People have become so accustomed to sweetness, they’re shocked when our coffee doesn’t taste like a caramel macchiato,” said one Southwest flight attendant.
The Original Tamagotchi Is Back
Nostalgia geeks, get excited! One of your favorite toys is coming back! the original Tamagotchi is back from Japanese toymaker Bandai. The same six original characters will be making their return. Tamagotchi posted a promotional video on their YouTube account for the reintroduction of the toys.
You can now buy the toy for the equivalent of $18 on Amazon! Oh, and yes, you will still have to feed these things just like you did back in the day. Now the question is, which one will you buy?
Source: Cosmo