Happy weekend all! Short week next week for me. I'm off Thursday AND Friday. Will be traveling Thursday to see some family I haven't seen in a few years. Should be a good time. The holiday season stalks us like a jungle rat...
I think someone will pick up the rights to, and production of, this product.
People don't know what they've got until they lose it. Whoever brings back the Twinkie will be seen as the savior of an American icon.
I'm not a huge fan, I would eat them every now and again and I enjoyed them when I did. Unfortunately they were increasingly harder to find in my regular travels in the Philly area (mostly Tastykake country, who recently gave up & was sold to Bimbo).
Twinkie the Kid will ride again, just on a different horse...
The Twinkie is definitely an American icon but I wonder what the recipe was that got it that way. The last Twinkie I had (probably back in the 80's) left me with the strange feeling that not a single ingredient in what I had just eaten was natural. When the first Twinkies were produced in the 30's, I suspect they tasted a little different than they do today.
Sadly, I feel Twinkies will be around for several decades even though they have stopped production.
This is depressing for me.. I eat those little debbie cakes once every now and then but the other stuff i love and i really hate seeing it go, it sucks. I know about diabetes and i know about over weight and all that junk but i love Hostess food products, i'll never let the feeling go, i am not over weight and im not a psycho over this food but i just love it so bad.
When I dunk my doughnut(s) into pure dairy milk, it tastes so darn good or a cookie(: either one taste greattttt
Sadly, I feel Twinkies will be around for several decades even though they have stopped production.
Being that there isn't a single natural ingredient in them, they can never spoil LOL. It's sad that another 18,500 jobs have left the country never to return. The company tried their best to stay afloat even offering the unions a 25% stake in the company and a seat on the Board of Directors, but the unions were hell bent on closing the company and killing the goose that laid the golden eggs. I hope they are happy now.
One side will say the unions killed the company. Other side will say the executives mismanaged it into the ground & decided it was time to take the money and run.
As with any argument, the truth often lies in the center of the debate. The unions played a part, but the company suffered from competition with stronger consolidated entities in the marketplace. In addition to slipping into bankruptcy protection twice in the past decade, Hostess faced significant headwinds such as the recent economic downturn & the impact of rising commodity prices. They had a chance to make a go of it a few years ago, but when the economic "bones" rolled things just didn't work out.
The negotiations between Hostess & the union that represented a fraction of their workplace didn't work out, and both parties decided they were better off parted.
Hostess will liquidate, and the employees involved will be forced to seek employment elsewhere. This is the free market in action, and I seriously don't think either side is to blame...
Actually, the way I heard it, they had already given concessions three years ago in another bankruptcy claim. The new management was asking for further concessions while the last CEO got a big fat bonus and left the company. The workers weren't willing to sacrifice anymore but I highly doubt they intentionally wanted to close the company.
Actually, the way I heard it, they had already given concessions three years ago in another bankruptcy claim. The new management was asking for further concessions while the last CEO got a big fat bonus and left the company. The workers weren't willing to sacrifice anymore but I highly doubt they intentionally wanted to close the company.
Hostess got caught in a tug-of-war of greed.
Yes they had already given concessions for three years, but in this particular case, management was trying to keep the goose alive. The retail price of their products had DOUBLED over the last two years. I, as a consumer who used to regularly enjoy their products, stopped buying them entirely. I couldn't AFFORD THEM! I was NOT alone.
The company offered the unions a 25% stake in the company, a seat on the Board of directors, and MANY OTHER concessions. Rather than teaming up with the company for the good of BOTH, the UNIONS chose to strike and drive the company OUT OF BUSINESS. This is one of those RARE cases where the Company really tried.
18,500 jobs have gone poof! Forever gone. Are those employees better off now? I understand that good jobs are plentiful... so it's a great time to be greedy. THOSE jobs are gone.
It's the old monkey trap. Small hole in a coconut tied to a tree. Monkey reaches in to grab some coconut, makes a fist, and can't get the hand out the hole. Is it smart enough to relax the fist and let the coconut meat go? Nope. Neither were the union employees.
Yes they had already given concessions for three years, but in this particular case, management was trying to keep the goose alive.
I agree, in the end, the union could have made massive concessions to try and bring the company back from the death plunge. Maybe they could have saved the company and maybe they couldn't have. Realistically, who is going to take the wheel when someone else has pushed the plane to within a few feet of the ground and it is pointed straight down?
Giving a union a stake in the company and a seat on the board of directors is a great thing... companies should be doing it NOW, before they get into trouble. And by 'union' I mean the workers standing together, not their often corrupt leaders. As long as there remains an adversarial relationship between management and labor, you will have an inefficient system with a tendency to crash. Labor should be treated as the business partners they really are.
You can't beat the goose to within an inch of its life then rush it to the vet.
You can't beat the goose to within an inch of its life then rush it to the vet.
We've talked before and I know you're a reasonable and intelligent person, so to you... this goes without saying. It's a two way street. You can't beat the goose to within an inch of its life and complain you're being given a nearly dead goose. I think had reasonable people like you and I had been running things...We'd have a healthy, happy goose.
I agree, in the end, the union could have made massive concessions to try and bring the company back from the death plunge. Maybe they could have saved the company and maybe they couldn't have. Realistically, who is going to take the wheel when someone else has pushed the plane to within a few feet of the ground and it is pointed straight down?
Don't forget that the other union which represented Hostess workers, the Teamsters, agreed to concessions, and they were practically begging the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union (BCTGM) to do the same.
This is how unions for airlines operate... they give back benefits when times are bad and they fight hard for benefits when times are good. The company stays in business and the employees get paid. Would the BCTGM giving in saved the company? Nobody will know now, but as someone who took a pay cut as opposed to losing my job, I'd definitely have taken the pay cut.
seems it wasn't just about a pay cut. Kind of a worst case scenario for everyone but the creditors as usual. The unions argument was about pension funding more than pay.
This is how unions for airlines operate... they give back benefits when times are bad and they fight hard for benefits when times are good. The company stays in business and the employees get paid. Would the BCTGM giving in saved the company? Nobody will know now, but as someone who took a pay cut as opposed to losing my job, I'd definitely have taken the pay cut.
Permit me to append to that thought. A long-time friend of mine is a 767 Captain for Delta Airlines. He hired on with them about 25 years ago.
Some years back Delta told their employees in general but I am referring specifically to the pilots and their union that they needed to make serious salary cutback consideration to save the company from filing a BK and going under. Eventually the pilots gave up 35-40 percent of the salary!
A couple of years later Delta filed a BK anyway. The resulting BK emergence ended up with including the previous 35-40 percent pay cut an additional pay cut to bring the total cut to 50 percent. Plus, wait for it, the pilots entire pension plan was forfeited or liquidated or however you want word it the pilots lost it. I haven't talked to him for a while but unless something dramatic has changed when my friend retires he gets no pension.
So when talking about unions there is more than one story and there is no such thing as stereotype union or mindset of unions.
They have already been making concessions and been getting screwed over. They were tired of it, it's been going on for nearly 10 years.
I'm sure they hope someone will buy it and run a proper operation, but it maybe most of them are out of jobs. Still when you push people too far this is what happens.
I read an interesting story in my local paper. One of the union guys was complaining about how he USED to make $80,000 a year with full bennies and a PENSION and now he only makes $60,000. $60,000 a year to deliver TWINKIES??!! And He was COMPLAINING??!!
Then of course, there were the ridiculous work rules established by the unions. Different "brands" required different drivers and trucks so that if one store sold Wonder Bread and Twinkies, both would have to be delivered in separate trucks. Why? Would the Wonder Bread fight with the Twinkies in the back of the truck?
I think there's plenty of blame to go around on this one. You can't realistically expect to be paid huge amounts more than your job is worth and have the company survive. No one is going to pay $75 for a Twinkie so you can live large.
That's not generally what happens. Hostess closes shop, they don't make their products, other products are purchased instead of Hostess products creating increased demand and other jobs. People don't start eating less junk food because one particular company closes up. The demand for junk food remains, they just buy other products instead.
Hostess could have weathered the unions and upper management if the War-on-Junk-Food hadn't sent it on a death march.
The last Hostess product I ate were Snowballs back in the early 90s. Mostly I didn't care for their product line; it wasn't much better than Little Debbie. When I did eat commercial snacks I liked stuff by Dolly Madison and Tastykake.
But nowadays the only pastries I eat are home made, gluten free and beyond tasty. (Though I still have to choose between them and losing weight)
Cya Hostess. Can't say I'll miss you but it's always a little sad to lose an American icon.
Geee... A LOT of the brands you talk about were OWNED by Hostess. They're gone, with a whole lotta jobs. Dolly Madison, Drakes, Wonder Bread... All gone.
Oh Yeah... they ALSO did a lot of baking for many local.regional companies, which are now SOL. More jobs gone. Look at the wrappers of your favorites that say "Interstate Brands". Yep, was baked by Hostess... it's gone.
Geee... A LOT of the brands you talk about were OWNED by Hostess. They're gone, with a whole lotta jobs. Dolly Madison, Drakes, Wonder Bread... All gone.
I mentioned three + Hostess. That doesn't seem like a lot.
Oh Yeah... they ALSO did a lot of baking for many local.regional companies, which are now SOL. More jobs gone. Look at the wrappers of your favorites that say "Interstate Brands". Yep, was baked by Hostess... it's gone.
Again, the primary reason they're gone is people don't want what they're selling. Hostess was on the skids before the latest union/management dust up and the reasons for that aren't going away.
As far as jobs and what not; I welcome ex-Hostess employees to the real world that most people live in, with all it's uncertainties and challenges.
Weaning from the protective teat of Gov/Unions is difficult but I have faith they'll learn to stand/walk/run/thrive without it.
Bad management but lets blame the Union. America will buy it.
LOL bad management? The bad management was offering the union a seat on the board and a direct say in the management of the company and this union turned it down.
"If the arabs (muslims) put down their weapons today there would be no more violence. If the Israelis put down their weapons today there would be no more Israel".
After working like dogs for the past 3 weeks in Western Maryland on storm damage to the railroad I finally get my usual 3 days off. Short week next week to boot and on top of it I now have LTE service in my part of the styx here in starting this afternoon. Finally can do something with my computer other than fight at&ts 24k lousy dialup! Have a nice weekend all time for a beer!
Apple Inc, the largest U.S. stock by market value, was headed toward its eighth straight week of declines on Friday
Since hitting a record high of $705.07 a share in September, Apple has lost about a quarter of its value. The stock's descent has vastly outpaced those of the S&P 500, which is down just under 7 percent in the same time frame.
Apple's stock has been below both its 14-day and 50-day moving average for over a month, suggesting both the short- and mid-term momentum is negative.
Of course, it isn't Thanksgiving up there in Canada, they celebrate their Thanksgiving in October.
Fortunately, it looks like a pretty nice week weather-wise for the northeast and eastern Canada. Sunny and not too cold, which sure beats the snow and ice I've had to deal with on previous Thanksgiving's.
I think it's too early for Montreal to have their Xmas lights up though, which is a shame. They do a spectacular job with the Xmas lights, and the Hudson Bay Company Christmas store window displays are wonderful, much like Macy's windows in NYC.
I hope everyone here has a nice weekend, and a Happy Thanksgiving!
After 7 long years of flipping ones and zeros 24/7 I killed a 1GB stick. About to install my RMA replacement stick in the old server. Crucial came thru on the lifetime warranty and I had my replacement in one week. WTG Crucial, I expected the Kingston to fail first, but one painless RMA later and I'm all set
I would hardly consider listening to Christina, but I love that shes gained weight here. She looks so amazing and beautiful. Not like some anorexic crack whore. Pretty good video! Pretty sure she just killed Adam Levine in his car. lol
Yes, that's correct. Apple now owns the patent on the appearance of turning a page. As long as I have used computers I have seen software that displays a graphical page flip. Well now they all infringe on Apple's patent.
As first reported by CNET in June, for example, a trade association of European telephone companies known as ETNO proposed altering the ITRs to mandate new transit agreements for Internet traffic, implementing a "sending party network pays" model that would have taxed Internet content companies on behalf of local telecommunications companies.
Proposals leaked earlier from Russia, China, Iran, and others would authorize member nations, with UN blessing, to inspect and censor incoming and outgoing Internet traffic on the premise of monitoring criminal behavior, filtering spam, or protecting national security.
Critics inside and outside the U.S. have been warning all year that some countries as well as private members of the ITU were determined to hijack the conference and transform the UN's increasingly trivial international telephone rules into a broad, UN-sanctioned takeover of Internet governance.
December's World Conference on International Communications in Dubai. The conference will consider revisions to the International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs), a treaty overseen by the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The treaty has not been revised since 1988, before the emergence of the commercial Internet.
Russia's proposals would, if adopted, dramatically affect Internet governance, transferring power from engineering-based organizations such as the Internet Society and ICANN to national governments, all under the authority of the UN.
In other words they are trying to get the international telephone people in charge of the internet.
Well it is out and the usual is set to happen. Those wanting one and those that have one and are willing to sell.
There are a lot of places where I will sympathize with the consumer, but this is not one of them. I just don't have any respect for a parent that will pay the prices of those that were quick enough on the draw to get one on day one.
I am not offended by these clever sellers though. My hat is off to them. It's legal trade and it is wise trade. Supply and demand at it's finest. Capitalism is what we prefer in this part of the world, and we do it well.
And for those that were slow on day one, didn't get up fast enough, and missed out on the supply that likely is at this hour all gone.... everywhere, here is your life lesson. You failed. This isn't your school, you are not going to be coddled, if you want that Wii U bad enough, guess what, they ARE out there, and savvy business persons will let them go for the awesome price of [insert very nice profit here].
Come, if you can afford 400 for a toy that is not revolutionary any more, you can afford 600. And if the only one you can locate is asking 800, pony up mom, because jr is worth it (well that's what we are always getting told at school when no one fails).
I paid serious cash for my Asus tablet, but I also got a seriously good deal on day one. And while yes my hands and my feet were friggin freezing after waiting in the very definite cold, I wanted that price drop and I earned it. And because I was not willing to settle for 'used' which is what they tried to pull on me, I negotiated for the next level up in design for the same price reduction. I paid an idiotic sum all the same for my toy, but, I certainly didn't pay the maximum potential that likely happened out there. I know the lesson of the early bird gets the worm.
And good luck to my buddy that currently has the new Wii U deluxe models for sale, complete with all the packaging, un opened, genuine receipt meaning genuine legit warranty. For the incredible price of.... ok that is his business But I do have his phone number if any are interested.
I've decided that I am going to buy the iPad mini and I am going to put it in place of my MiFi (since I am going to buy the iPhone 5 at the same time and that has 4G and it has a MiFi built in) and use that to finish out my contract on the MiFi line on my Share Everything plan. I think the access fee will be cheaper as well as it is a $10 fee instead of the $20 (and I'll have 4G mobile broadband through my iPhone 5). I have 5 lines on my ShareEverything plan (2 dumb phones for mom and grandma, an iPad 3, an iPhone 4 and a 4G MiFi).
I am thinking of substituting the MiFi for an iPad mini 4G version.
Watching the original Die hard movie will never be the same.I liked the line where McClane bit into a twinkie and ask what's in these things?The officer told him everything a growing boy needs!
Watching the original Die hard movie will never be the same.I liked the line where McClane bit into a twinkie and ask what's in these things?The officer told him everything a growing boy needs!
Mexicos Grupo Bimbo, the world's largest bread-baking firm, could be on the short list for acquiring some of the Texas-based Hostess foodstuffs, according to Forbes. Grupo Bimbo already owns parts of Sara Lee, Entenmanns and Thomas English Muffins.
Watching the original Die hard movie will never be the same.I liked the line where McClane bit into a twinkie and ask what's in these things?The officer told him everything a growing boy needs!
Mexicos Grupo Bimbo, the world's largest bread-baking firm, could be on the short list for acquiring some of the Texas-based Hostess foodstuffs, according to Forbes. Grupo Bimbo already owns parts of Sara Lee, Entenmanns and Thomas English Muffins.
Parts? Twinkie production would go south of the border if Bimbo buys the brand. Cheaper sugar there is one good reason.