BusinessWeek Magazine

Mother Trucker! Tractor-Trailer Rule Could Up Food Costs

Something that could keep you from dying in a gruesome, fiery auto accident could also make your groceries more expensive.

Chipotle Founder Named 'Innovator of the Year'; Consumers 'Ripped Off' When Buying Fish

​Just in case you were wondering, "Montezuma's Revenge" has not been a problem for athletes at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. [Washington Post] Kosher food is becoming more conventional in Berlin, post World War II. [Reuters] Restaurants are getting ready to raise prices as ... More >>

German Riesling Dries Out; George Washington Peddles Whiskey

​German Rieslings are straying from sweet and heading toward dry, which some find disconcerting. [NY Times] Bottles of whiskey from distilleries closed during the 1980s' recession can be a solid investment. [Decanter] Bargains can be had with "second wines" from Bordeaux, like Château Marga ... More >>

Eva Longoria Wants You to Know Kids Are Farming Your Food

The Harvest​Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria is promoting a documentary that exposes the ugly truth about child labor in this country's agriculture system. If you missed The Harvest's short run this summer, the film is now out on DVD. Some 25 percent of the food we eat is harvested by c ... More >>

Julia Child Now Available on iPad; Hunger Costs the U.S. Billions Annually

The e-book version of Julia Child's seminal Mastering the Art of French Cooking was released for the iPad this week. [NY Times] The cost of hunger in the U.S. was $167.5 billion last year, due in large part to the recession and slow recovery. [BusinessWeek] Cheese geeks still love talking about af ... More >>

Tainted Cantaloupe Death Toll Up to 18; NYC Goes Gaga for Gluten-Free

​Health officials are now saying that 18 people have died and at least 100 more are sick from eating cantaloupes contaminated with listeria. [MSNBC] Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has quietly launched an investigation into school lunch providers that have been illegally overcharging. [NY ... More >>

Facebook Facial Recognition Technology Being Probed By EU; Plus, How to Turn It Off!

via​Facebook will be investigated by the European Union's sector on data protection, Bloomberg reports this afternoon, because of new facial recognition technology added to profiles that users have to opt out of through a typically convoluted security settings process. Yes, again. Facebook's l ... More >>

Bin Laden Audio Recording "Puzzling"; New York Ranger Found Dead

​An unreleased audio message from Osama Bin Laden recorded just before his death has been described as "puzzling" and "a head scratcher" by an official. In the recording, Bin Laden talks about the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, but not Libya, Yemen, or Syria. It's confusing that Bin Laden would ... More >>

Is Snoop-Endorsed Blast By Colt 45 the New Four Loko?; Why Wódka Is Winning

​Love beer so much you want to lather with it? Brooklyn Brewery has teamed up with a Williamsburg soapsmith to make artisanal beer soap. [Brooklyn Paper] The Cuba Libre is more than just a "rum and Coke." Add bitters, a splash of gin, and Key lime juice or Meyer lemon juice to kick yours up a ... More >>

Donald Trump Buys a Winery; Potential 'Drinking Gene' Isolated

​A small winemaking cooperative in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina is working with six Croats and a Serb to revive ancient regional wine traditions -- and put the horrors of the Bosnian war to rest. [Reuters] Francis Ford Coppola has lured rockstar winemaker Phillipe Bascaules from Château M ... More >>

Is Marcel's Quantum Kitchen a Modernist Cuisine for the TV?; Hardee's and Carl's Jr. Add Turkey Burgers to Menu

​The federal government is investing $60 million in three major studies on the effects of climate change on crops and forests. [BusinessWeek] Modernist Cuisine for TV? Syfy is debuting Marcel's Quantum Kitchen, a new show starring molecularly inclined Top Chef alum Marcel Vigneron. [Wired] A ... More >>

Craft Brewers Collaborate on New Beers; U.S. Now Largest Wine-Consuming Nation

​All 400 cases of Australia's most expensive wine, a recently released Shiraz called Laird priced at $700 to $800 a bottle, have been sold. [Wall Street Journal] A number of good cocktailing options have cropped up around Times Square, including the newly revamped Rum House. [NY Times] The u ... More >>

Food Truck Permit Costs Are Through the Roof; Egg Whites v. Yolks

​Demand and prices for food truck permits are skyrocketing -- and driving the cost for black-market permits up, too. [Wall Street Journal] A crazy -- although not exactly new -- diet fad involves injecting oneself with a pregnancy hormone and eating 500 calories per day. [NY Times] Food exp ... More >>

Hard-Nosed Chefs Say The Customer Can Be Wrong; David Chang Heads to Canada

​The customer is not always right at restaurants like Zucco: Le French Diner, Spotted Pig, and Momofuku, where the house insists its food is served a certain way, no substitutions or alterations allowed. [NY Times] A new bill in California would ban the sale and possession of shark fins, incl ... More >>

Sports Fans Shut Out: Channelsurfing.net Owner Brian McCarthy Busted for Alleged Video Piracy

​To the dismay of sports fans, when they now click on channelsurfing.net for free, pirated NBA games and pay-per-view events, they'll find a long announcement that starts: "This domain name has been seized by ICE - Homeland Security Investigations . . ." The owner of channelsurfing, Brian McCarth ... More >>

Do Resto P.R. People Have to Like the Food?; Chazz Palminteri Opens a New York Eatery in Baltimore

​Bruce Buschel continues his rant about restaurant P.R., asking the age-old restaurateur question: does the publicist have to like the food? [NY Times] A California farm has recalled 64,000 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken and pork meals because the broccoli in the packages may be tainted with ... More >>

Rich People Love Fast-Food; It's Been a Good Year for Maine Lobster

​A U.S. Appeals Court upheld a lower court ruling allowing Starbucks to end its distribution agreement with Kraft. [BusinessWeek] Rich people are eating out more at fast-food restaurants. It turns out some people with six-figure salaries would rather spend their money on Jimmy Choos than dinn ... More >>

Wallet-Friendly Cocktails; Best Beer Cities

​Vandaag in the East Village and Huckleberry Bar in Williamsburg are among cocktail bars serving $10 drinks, as opposed to the now ubiquitous $12-$14 drink. [NY Post] New York makes a list of seven best beer cities in the country, alongside Chicago, Denver, Philly, Portland, St. Louis, and Sa ... More >>

Egypt Protests Continue for 12th Day; NYC May Double Number of Failing Schools (Weekend Links)

via Al JazeeraMorning, sunshines! Today will be relatively warm with a high of 38, but we can't seem to get away from that wintry mix. Protests in Egypt are entering their 12th day today after yesterday's "Day of Departure." Al Jazeera reports that the morning has been peaceful, although the milita ... More >>

The Most Interesting Man in the World Just Got More Interesting; Lagers Go Dark

​Dos Equis is the first beer brand to reach the coveted milestone of 1 million 'Likes' on Facebook, thanks largely to the awesome Most Interesting Man in the World ads. [BusinessWeek] This Super Bowl Sunday, will you be drinking ale or lager, craft beer or Coors? Beer industry insiders weigh ... More >>

Best Inexpensive Restaurants of 2010; Putting Cocktails in Barrels

​The Kraft-Starbucks kerfuffle continues: Kraft admits it "neglected" its relationship with the coffee chain, but still wants a court to force them to pay for ending the distribution pact. [Bloomberg] And the roundups continue: Baohaus, The Commodore, and Pies 'n' Thighs are among inexpensive ... More >>

Too Much Lead in Our Tap Water; Trader Joe's Recalls Cilantro

​City officials have advised residents to run their tap water for at least 30 seconds before drinking or cooking with it due to elevated levels of lead. [NY Times] Some tips for shopping at the local farmers market: go early, talk to farmers but don't try to haggle with them, bring enough cas ... More >>

Meatless Moguls: Bill Clinton, Russell Simmons & Steve Wynn Among the Planet's 'Power Vegans'

Bubba, sans burgers.​The steak-and-martini dinner, once a hallmark of heavyweights and big shots, is no longer on the menu for many powerful people. As Joel Stein writes in BusinessWeek, some of the world's biggest successes are going vegan, including Steve Wynn, Russell Simmons, and former fa ... More >>

Media Moves: Nick Summers in The Koblin Spot at the New York Observer, Dana Rubinstein Out

​The New York Observer's star media reporter John Koblin left his post there a few weeks ago to work with longtime Observer editor-in-chief Peter Kaplan at Fairchild Publications as Womens Wear Daily's Memo Pad reporter. Culture editor Sara Vilkomerson left last week for a job with Entertainme ... More >>

Sun Chips Lose the Noisy Green Bag; Brooklyn Makes Out in 2011 Zagat Guide

​Sun Chip lovers who bemoaned the new biodegradable packaging for being too loud can rejoice. Frito-Lay is pulling most of the green packaging in response to the outcry. Only Sun Chips' original flavor will keep the compostable bags, while other flavors go back to conventional packaging. [Wall ... More >>

Weekend Links: "Bedbug Stigma," Julian Assange Accused/Un-Accused of Rape

​The New York Times has a story about how bedbugs basically make people into pariahs. If you're afflicted, you may get treated like Brooklyn waitress Hilary Davis, whose "friends and even her boyfriend refused to take her in" while her apartment was being treated. [NYT]

Dov Charney, American Apparel CEO, Declares Hipsterdom "Over"

​The CEO of hipster clothier American Apparel and fan of the word "creep," Dov Charney, declared to Bloomberg BusinesWeek that "hipster is over." Everyone, put away your spandex stirrup leggings and ironic scrunchies, and go buy AA's new "preppy" look! Charney had more to say, so naturally, w ... More >>

Purdue Calls for New Chicken Labels; Dairy Queen Seeks to Stop Blizzard Infringement

​The latest addition to the ever-growing list of food recalls: frozen mice. MiceDirect, which provides mice as snake food for pet owners, is recalling millions of frozen mice due to potential salmonella poisoning. [NY Times] Katie Holmes is flying in her favorite cupcakes, made by Todd Englis ... More >>

Henry Blodget's Money Talks: New Cash, Same Strategy

​Yesterday, The Business Insider's chief Henry Blodget announced a new round of funding to the world in a blog post explaining that the company just scored a cool $3M in the form of backing from a venture capital firm, RRE Ventures. That's more than the company's had since they started. TBI an ... More >>

Alain Ducasse and Others Go Veggie; Burger King Launches Breakfast for Tykes

​Alain Ducasse is one of several top chefs who are turning their attentions to vegetables, even offering haute veggie tasting menus. [Wall Street Journal] McDonald's posted a 12 percent gain in its second quarter thanks, in part, to its new smoothies and frappes. [Bloomberg] Burger King is ... More >>

Reminder: MediaBistro Founder Laurel Touby Has More Money Than Her Husband, You, Me, Basically Everyone in New York Media

​Monolith-helming corporate magnates not withstanding, as far as NYC media types go, Laurel Touby is loaded. She can and will stunt on you. The former freelance writer founded MediaBistro -- that website with the jobs and the pricy seminars for people who don't actually get paid to write and t ... More >>

The Other Gulf Oil Rig Quietly Spilling Right Now: Explained and Exposed

​Here's a strange one: a filing by Ben Raines at the Alabama Press-Register on Monday evening shows up online with a headline announcing "Another Gulf oil spill: Well near Deepwater Horizon has leaked since at least April 30." Some bloggers may have noted it. But why aren't we hearing anything ... More >>

The BP Oil Spill Disaster: It's Top Kill Time, Baby!

​The BP Oil Spill Disaster has been going on for quite some time now, but BP - when they're not busy possibly constructing horrific charts or ignoring incredibly apparent warning signs - thinks they have the answer: Top Kill, Live on TV!

Crystal Head Vodka Banned in Ontario; Shocker: French Study Shows Wine is Good

​Dan Aykroyd's Crystal Head Vodka has been banned in Ontario because the bottle looks like such a lifelike skull. Oddly, Canadian-born Aykroyd thinks the decision "kind of makes the product more appealing." [Globe and Mail] Meanwhile, Crystal Head Vodka has reached the one millionth bottle ma ... More >>

Pretty Things: Shiny New Bloomberg Redesign is Shiny, Less Imperial

​Today, in pretty things, the big, scary news monolith owned by and named after New York City's favorite most current three-term mayor appears to be getting a full makeover! And here we just thought they'd stop after the "literally awesome" offices or the recently unveiled Bloomberg BusinessWe ... More >>

Checking in on the Shiny Glory of Bloomberg BusinessWeek: The Top Whatever of Whatever!

​So, a few weeks back, the new and supposedly improved BusinessWeek - which is now Bloomberg BuisnessWeek - launched, under kinda-new management, with a new and improved and much-ballyhooed new design! So what's happening over there?

The Lair of Bloomberg: "Literally Awesome" and Filled With "Exotic Specimens"

​Bloomberg News is taking over the world! First they get this magazine with which they will inform you of the world's fanciest cans, then they get their people in the drivers' seat(s) at the White House Press Correspondents Dinner, which means something, writes Peter Osnos for The Atlantic. ... More >>

Anita Lo Gets a Feng-Shui Boost at Annisa; Starbucks Launches Low-Cost Coffee Brand

​Steve Cuozzo takes aim at bad hotel restaurants, listing The Fives at Peninsula, Arabelle at Plaza-Athenee, and Commodore Grill at Grand Hyatt among the worst offenders. [NY Post] Despite being something of a "non-believer," Anita Lo hired a feng-shui consultant to help her redesign the inte ... More >>

Chipotle Expands Into Europe; Jet Dustin Keller Names Katz's City's Best Dog

​The Indian yogi who claims to have not eaten a thing in 70 years baffled scientists who studied him for 15 days. The hope was that information gleaned could help soldiers survive without food and drink or save people trapped in natural disasters. [FOXNews] Chipotle Mexican Grill has opened i ... More >>

Park Slope Food Coop Slams Barney's Co-op; Restaurants Debut Spring Menus

​The Park Slope Food Coop has denounced Barneys Co-op, whose new Atlantic Avenue location will open later this year, for illegally coopting the word "co-op" -- and one lawyer says the Coop might actually have a case. [Brooklyn Paper] Restaurants are launching their spring menus, featuring lig ... More >>

Canadian Burrito Chain Invades U.S.; Grand Hyatt Launches DIY Room Service

​The Grand Hyatt's new Market allows guests to grab what they want and go, a do-it-yourself approach to room service that the hotel hopes to implement in other locations. [NY Times] A new fresh-Mex chain from Canada is opening its first U.S. location in mid-May. Mucho Burrito, based in Missis ... More >>

Chilean Wine Producer Forced to Halt Production; Moonshine Goes Artisanal

​A new poll shows that most New Yorkers support selling wine in supermarkets. Opponents say it would put many small liquor stores out of business and cost the state thousands of jobs. [Crains] Chile's biggest winemaker, Concha y Toro, has stopped production for at least a week following the e ... More >>

Super Bowl XLIV Ads Mediocre; Michelle Obama Fights Child Obesity

​Wal-Mart is testing the idea of switching to private-label spices by replacing McCormick products with its own generic brand in some stores. The chain is currently responsible for 11 percent of McCormick's sales. [Wall Street Journal] Weight loss success stories marketed by such fast-food ch ... More >>

The Spoiled American

No one is catered to overseas like the Yanks

Bloomberg Implies Bank Tax Will Turn New York into Detroit

President Obama's plan to tax banks to recoup bailout funds is supported by Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, and described by "Time, BusinessWeek, and others as a "populist" measure. But populism isn't what it used to be. Though the banks are paying their people more than ever and giving ou ... More >>

Beekeepers Swarm Water Taxi Beach; Toll House Recall A Wake-up Call

Beekeepers swarmed Water Taxi Beach Monday night for the Beekeepers Ball, which kicked off Pollinator Week, a week dedicated to promoting beekeeping. Beekeeping is illegal in New York City, but a bill to lift the ban has been introduced and is currently awaiting a hearing. [NY Times] Fast-food chai ... More >>

In the New New Economy, You Work for Free!

BusinessWeek looks at a popular internet business model in which readers contribute the content, for free or for cheap perks, resulting in "an outpouring of creativity" and a thin trickle of labor expenses. One company, Communisphere, uses social marketing tools to lure "volunteer marketing consulta ... More >>

Where's Our Depression Party Evite?

Five Cents a Right-Wing Dance