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Grimace shakes help send McDonald’s sales surging

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:46 GMT

New York (CNN) — When McDonald’s introduced a limited-edition purple shake in honor of Grimace’s birthday, it probably didn’t expect the item to go viral on TikTok quite like it did: With TikTokers showing themselves sipping the dessert drink and then, soon after, writhing in mock pain or playing dead.But the mini horror films inspired people to buy shakes (if only to make more videos). And thanks to Grimace’s grim influence, sales in the second quarter spiked.“This quarter, the theme is — well, if I’m being honest, the theme was Grimace,” said CEO Chris Kempczinski during an analyst call Thursday. “Grimace has been everywhere in the past few months … this viral phenomenon is yet another proof point of the power of marketing at McDonald’s today.”Kempczinski added that the brand’s marketing efforts have led to higher food quality scores. “The more customers love our brand, the more they love our food,” he said.In the United States, sales at McDonald’s locations op...

“The Cow Who Sang a Song into the Future” unnerving, terrific

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:46 GMT

A marvelously eerie experience, evoking the tradition of horror-noir maestro Val Lewton, Chilean effort “The Cow Who Sang a Song into the Future” begins with a woman (charismatic Mia Maestro, “The Strain”) dressed in a motorcycle jacket, emerging from a river and the words, “Is the end nigh?”The woman’s name is Magdalena, and she is the dead mother of no-nonsense cancer surgeon Cecilia (a commanding turn by Leonor Varela). Single mother Cecilia is taking her children Tomas (Enzo Ferrada Rosati), a teen who tells her that he is a woman, and little girl Alma (Laura Del Rio) to the country to check on the ailing family patriarch Enrique (Chilean Alfredo Castro). Cecilia and her children are returning to the family-run dairy farm, where their Uncle Bernardo (Chilean Marcial Tagle) runs the business. The ghost of the family matriarch makes an appearance to Alma, who is not very surprised to see her. We hear the sounds of protest, the words, “Mother Earth.” Fishes have died in the p...

Not enough homes are for sale, so let’s pay owners to sell

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:46 GMT

By Holden Lewis | NerdWalletA frustrating thing about today’s housing market is the paltry number of homes for sale. Would-be buyers outnumber sellers, even as high mortgage rates strain affordability.So here’s an idea: What if the government paid people to sell their houses?After all, the government paid people to buy houses after the 2008 financial crisis, when there weren’t enough buyers. Now, it could pay people to sell houses when there aren’t enough sellers.We’re not talking about something as direct as the feds cutting checks. Payments would be handled through the tax code.The notion has drawn support in the U.S. House, where a bill to double the capital gains exclusion on primary residences has 15 co-sponsors from both parties. That’s not the only way Congress could tweak the tax code to pay home sellers: The National Association of Realtors commissioned a study that came up with two more ideas, although neither has been drafted into legis...

Out-of-state cavalry arrives to help GM Phillip Eng manage the MBTA

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:46 GMT

MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng called in the out-of-state cavalry to help manage the transit agency as it continues to grapple with federal safety mandates and attempts to revamp itself under a new gubernatorial administration.Eng announced four new high-level hires Thursday, including two former colleagues who were poached from the Long Island Railroad, which Eng served as president of for three years — August 2018 to February 2022. Two other hires come from the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority and the New York State Department of Transportation.The four newly created positions — chief of stations, assistant general manager of engineering and capital, chief of infrastructure, and senior advisor for capital, operations, and safety — will help “close management gaps and improve the quality, reliability, and safety of T services,” the MBTA said in a statement.All four hires crossed paths with Eng at some point in their career, according to online resumes.D...

For clergy abuse survivors, Sinead O’Connor’s protest that offended so many was brave and prophetic

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:46 GMT

By HOLLY MEYER (Associated Press)In 1992, Sinéad O’Connor destroyed a photo of Pope John Paul II on U.S. national television. The pushback was swift, turning the late Irish singer-songwriter’s protest of sex abuse in the Catholic Church into a career-altering flashpoint.More than 30 years later, her “Saturday Night Live” performance and its stark collision of popular culture and religious statement is remembered by some as an offensive act of desecration. But for others — including survivors of clergy sex abuse — O’Connor’s protest was prophetic, forecasting the global denomination’s public reckoning that was, at that point, yet to come. O’Connor, 56, died Wednesday.The SNL moment stunned David Clohessy, a key early member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. In his 30s at the time, he had only recently recalled the repressed memories of the abuse he suffered. He found O’Connor’s act deeply ...

H-F’s Dillon Head decides to forego Clemson, takes ‘sneaky juice’ to San Diego Padres after being drafted in first round

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:46 GMT

When Homewood-Flossmoor’s Dillon Head was taken in the first round of the MLB draft by the San Diego Padres, team officials were naturally excited about his speed.A.J. Preller, San Diego’s president of baseball operations, called the Glenwood native the fastest player in the draft.But Chris Kemp, the team’s scouting director, also told reporters in a video conference that the left-handed outfielder will surprise people with his power.“I think there’s sneaky juice in there offensively,” Kemp said of the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Head. “He’s a guy that goes line to line and works good (at-bats).”Head, who had committed to Clemson before his senior season, was chosen with the 25th pick not long after hitting .485 with 35 runs, 31 steals, six homers and 25 RBIs for H-F.As a junior, Head produced a .467 batting average with six homers and 28 RBIs. He had a school-record 57 hits and 35 stolen bases for the Vikings.John McCarthy, who guided ...

Trump braces for third possible indictment as grand jury meets

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:46 GMT

Former President Donald Trump is bracing for a third possible criminal indictment this year as a Washington grand jury meets Thursday to review evidence in special counsel Jack Smith’s probe into the effort to block the transition of power following the 2020 election. Smith has been investigating numerous ways Trump and those in his orbit sought to unwind the 2020 election, from pushing false claims about election fraud, pressuring Justice Department officials to take action and asking former Vice President Mike Pence to reject his ceremonial duty to certify President Biden’s victory.When those efforts failed, Trump’s Jan. 6 address encouraged attendees to “fight like hell” and march to the Capitol, where his supporters violently ransacked the building.Trump’s attorneys met with Smith on Thursday morning, according to multiple reports, and were told to expect an indictment, according to reporting from NBC.The special counsel’s office declined to comment on the meeting, and Trum...

Putin claims fighting intensifies in southeastern Ukraine, with Russia inflicting heavy losses

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:46 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Fierce fighting raged Thursday in southeastern Ukraine, where a Western official said Kyiv has launched a major push and Russian President Vladimir Putin said “hostilities have intensified significantly.”Battles in recent weeks have taken place on multiple points along the over 1,000-kilometer (over 600-mile) front line as Ukraine wages a counteroffensive with Western-supplied weapons and Western-trained troops against Russian forces who invaded 17 months ago.Putin praised the “heroism” with which Russian soldiers were repelling attacks in the Zaporizhzhia region of the southeast, claiming Moscow’s troops not only destroyed Ukraine’s military equipment but also inflicted heavy losses to Kyiv’s forces.He insisted on state TV Ukraine’s push in the area “wasn’t successful,” although it was not possible to independently verify his report. Putin was in St. Petersburg at a summit of African leaders.Ukrainian troops have made only incremental gains since launching a co...

Nassar survivors sue Michigan State, saying it made ‘secret decisions’ about releasing documents

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:46 GMT

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Women who were sexually assaulted by former Michigan State University sports doctor Larry Nassar filed a lawsuit Thursday saying school officials made “secret decisions” about releasing documents in the case.The group of survivors and parents says the lawsuit seeks accountability — not money — from the university. They say the school refused to give the state attorney general’s office more than 6,000 documents for an investigation into how Nassar was allowed to get away with his behavior, and later wouldn’t turn over emails about the board of trustees’ decision-making. The school has said the documents are protected by attorney-client privilege.Nassar was sentenced in 2018 to 40 to 175 years in prison after he admitted to molesting some of the nation’s top gymnasts for years under the guise of medical treatment. He was accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of women and girls.Michigan State has been criticized for its handling of the Nassar in...

LeBron James sends thanks, says family is ‘safe and healthy’ after Bronny’s cardiac arrest

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:46 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James said his family is “safe and healthy” three days after his oldest son, Bronny, went into cardiac arrest.The top scorer in NBA history posted the message of thanks on social media Thursday. Bronny, his 18-year-old son, was hospitalized Monday morning after a basketball practice with his team at the University of Southern California.“I want to thank the countless people sending my family love and prayers,” LeBron James wrote. “We feel you and I’m so grateful. Everyone doing great. We have our family together, safe and healthy, and we feel your love. Will have more to say when we’re ready but I wanted to tell everyone how much your support has meant to all of us!”He concluded his message with the hashtag “JamesGang,” his nickname for the tightknit family unit built around their three children by James and his wife, Savannah.Bronny James spent only a brief time in intensive care, a positive sign for his long-term recovery after the episode at USC’s Galen ...