Ball State University is the latest school to defend another multimillion-dollar gift from one of its most famous graduates, Papa John’s founder John Schnatter, to establish an institute promoting the virtues of free enterprise.
“A tuxedo with work boots: All-new Ford F-Series Super Duty King Ranch Platinum Editions offer premium vinyl flooring option.”
That’s the headline from a Ford Motor press release this morning, promoting an option for customers wanting a $75,000 luxury truck that can double as a work truck “without fear of damaging the interior.” The photo, below, is the one the marketing department at the employer of nearly 10,000 Louisville workers suggested news outlets use — which, of course, is why we opted for the gratuitously hotter one, above.
An occasional look at reviews given to restaurants owned by Papa John’s, Texas Roadhouse, and Yum.
The location:6217 International Drive, Orlando, Fla. The headline: “Lunch after wetnwild.” Number of stars: two out of five. The customer: TripAdvisor user loubiehigh of the U.K.’s Preston.
The review: Although we don’t eat a lot of fast food at home, we do love the occasional KFC! Not in the US!!! The burger my husband had was half the size of a “zinger” which he would normally have. The popcorn chicken was better than home because the coating was more akin to the classic KFC chicken coating. Boys had the mash and gravy, and said the gravy was better than home, but disappointed you couldn’t buy this on its own. Wedges were good. Menu seemed limited; advertised some really hot chicken on the outside windows, but this didn’t seem available in the shop. Of all the Orlando residents/workers we came across the server here was definitely the most miserable. Chicken was over greasy.
Illustration, inset: That’s Anton Ego, the merciless restaurant critic in Pixar’s delightful 2007 “Ratatouille.” Here’s the trailer:
Latest headlines, focused on big employers; updated at 4:37 p.m.
Ford’s new GT faces Ferraris and other top rivals at famous French race again. Thousands have applied to buy one of the $400,000 supercars.
PAPA JOHN’S: Ball State University deflected concerns over accepting a $3.3 million donation from Papa John’s founder John Schnatter and the Charles Koch Foundation, to promote free enterprise, saying it wouldn’t subvert academic freedom (Star-Press). The March donation is only the latest from the two men.
GE: In Appliance Park, new owner Haier is getting a facility that’s completely rebuilt itself from years of outsourcing and offshoring,” said John Shook, CEO of the nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute, which advised long-time GE owner in trimming management and tweaking production. “GE Appliances is a lean producer with an engaged leadership that has done an excellent job involving the union workforce to build in quality on the front lines (Benzinga). China-based Haier completed the $5.6 billion deal a week ago today; Appliance Park has about 6,000 employees making refrigerators and other home appliances.
HUMANA and planned acquirer Aetna face increased opposition to the $37 billion deal — as do merger partners Anthem and Cigna — from a new coalition of consumer and medical groups worried about the consolidations, which would shrink the healthcare insurance market to three major insurers from five (CT Mirror). Aetna officials have said recently the deal is still on track to close in this year’s second half. About Humana.
Ford
FORD: Unfortunately misnamed Edsel Ford II leaves tomorrow for Le Mans to watch the new Ford GT return to the legendary race against Ferraris, Porches and Aston Martins, starting Sunday. Ford, 67, a great-grandson of the company’s founder, visited the track with his father, Henry Ford II, in 1966 when he was a teen to witness the Ford GT40 place 1-2-3. “Fifty years have gone by fast,” he said. “Seems like yesterday I was there with Dad” (Detroit Free Press). The GT racing is based on the all-new $400,000 supercar unveiled in January. Le Mans history. Edsel Ford is a consultant to the company and member of its board of directors. At this year’s annual meeting, he faced the most resistance from shareholders re-electing directors, apparently over the $650,000 Ford paid him as a consultant. About Ford in Louisville.
Watch video of the 1966 race, and the new car:
KFC: Job recruiters want to talk to you if you have a “friendly attitude and positive demeanor” at an open house on Thursday (CraigsList). Elsewhere in Maryland, firefighters responded to a mulch fire early Saturday afternoon that spread to the exterior of a KFC; no injuries were reported. Why was there mulch so close? The news report is silent on that important question (Carroll County Times). More about KFC corporate parent Yum.
In top culture news, Broadway’s Hamilton won 11 Tonys last night, including best musical — just shy of the record of 12 won by The Producers. Tickets are impossible to get, as we discovered when we found one for a whopping $7,075 in a travel story last month.
As the headline above makes clear, another foreign-language news story has popped up in our search results. And it’s Tribu magazine again. Our foreign news desk has once more turned to Google to translate; for Spanish speakers, an excerpt:
Señor Smith
La procesión contó además varias limusinas que transportaban a los hijos y los nietos del ex boxeador, así como a las personalidades que llevarán su féretro: el actor Will Smith y los excampeones del mundo de los pesos pesados Lennox Lewis y Mike Tyson. Los aficionados arrojaron flores en el coche fúnebre, mientras que pétalos de rosa estaban dispersos a lo largo de la ruta. Los camioneros sonaban sus bocinas en señal de saludo.
Our last Tribu challenge, about l’attrice con l’Oscar Jennifer Lawrence, was in Italian. Smith was a pallbearer at Muhammad Ali’s burial Friday at Cave Hill Cemetery. The Louisville native died June 3 in Phoenix, his primary home; he was 74.
Few subjects are better suited to Instagram than food photos, as Wiltshire Pantry in the Highlands and Nulu demonstrated again yesterday. It’s the best food porn!
“A tuxedo with work boots: All-new Ford F-Series Super Duty King Ranch Platinum Editions offer premium vinyl flooring option.”
The review: Although we don’t eat a lot of fast food at home, we do love the occasional KFC! Not in the US!!! The burger my husband had was half the size of a “zinger” which he would normally have. The popcorn chicken was better than home because the coating was more akin to the classic KFC chicken coating. Boys had the mash and gravy, and said the gravy was better than home, but disappointed you couldn’t buy this on its own. Wedges were good. Menu seemed limited; advertised some really hot chicken on the outside windows, but this didn’t seem available in the shop. Of all the Orlando residents/workers we came across the server here was definitely the most miserable. Chicken was over greasy.
Boulevard 