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Iraq

Iraqi police suspect anti-Israel motive behind attacks on KFC outlets in Baghdad

2024-05-31

[IsraelTimes] Sources say several suspects arrested over pair of attacks, one of which involved makeshift bomb; fried chicken chain has been named in ‘Israel Boycott Guide’

Two Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants were attacked in Baghdad over the past 48 hours, causing damage but no injuries, and Iraqi security forces arrested some suspects, the interior ministry and police sources said on Monday.

Iran proxy militias mobs launching An organized campaign of attacking KFC and other US Franchise in Baghdad.

pic.twitter.com/rUwRQKYFYE
— Azat Alsalem (@AzzatAlsaalem) May 27, 2024

Initial investigations showed that the restaurants were targeted over the perceived support of US-based brands for Israel amid the war with Hamas
Hamas

..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
Strip, police sources said.

The first attack took place early on Sunday when two men on a cycle of violence threw a makeshift bomb at a branch of the American fried chicken chain restaurant in eastern Baghdad’s Paleostine Street, causing minor damage, police sources said.

On Monday, another KFC Baghdad branch and a second American-style restaurant were attacked by group of masked men who broke into the restaurants and used sticks to smash glass and destroy furniture.

They fled before the arrival of security forces, police sources said.

KFC did not immediately comment on the attacks.

The interior ministry did not elaborate on the motives behind the attacks and said a police commander and other officers responsible for the areas where the attacks occurred were tossed into the calaboose and faced punitive measures.

The attacks come after an "Israel Boycott Guide" online listed KFC as a target of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel.

"The fried chicken chain’s "parent company Yum Brands is an investor in Israeli start ups," the website states. It instructs readers: "Don’t eat from KFC restaurants. Don’t work in KFC restaurants."

Western brands have been hit by boycotts and other forms of protest against Israel amid the war in Gaza that was started by Hamas’s devastating October 7 attack. The boycotts has hurt the fast food industry in countries across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, according to a report last month in Time Magazine.

The article said that international sales at McDonald’s increased by only 0.7% in the last quarter of 2023, compared to 16.5% growth in the same period the previous year.

McDonald’s drew the ire of BDS activists after local franchises provided free meals to Israeli soldiers.

In April, the McDonald’s Corporation purchased its brand back from Alonyal Limited, the Israeli corporation that had operated the chain in Israel for more than three decades, overseeing 225 restaurants at the time of the acquisition.

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Economy

KFC Bets On Vegan Nuggets Amid Nationwide Poultry Shortage

2021-09-12

[ZERO] Kentucky Fried Chicken is serving up a new vegan future for its fast-food chain amid poultry shortages and the continued disruption caused by the virus pandemic.

KFC's president in the U.S., Kevin Hochman, has been preparing the Louisville-based fast-food restaurant chain, known for its "Finger-Lickin' Good" chicken, for a future of plant-based meat. The company has been testing plant-based nuggets from Beyond Meat in select locations but has yet to take it nationwide.

The poultry shortage, which has disrupted chicken supply chains across the UK and US, could be why Hochman brings a faux option that replicates chicken to market faster than anticipated to alleviate supply woes. The shortage is so dire in the US that the company cannot promote its breaded chicken tenders on US television.

Bloomberg's Leslie Patton said KFC is preparing for what looks like an inevitable future of fake chicken going mainstream. He sat down with the KFC executive to discuss more about faux nuggets.

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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

KFC to test meatless chicken at Georgia restaurant

2019-08-28

[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] KFC will test vegetarian, plant-based chicken for one day in one restaurant in the US state of Georgia, the American fast food giant said on Monday.

Complimentary samples of the new product, which was developed in partnership with Beyond Meat and is dubbed “Beyond Fried Chicken,” will be available at the KFC in Smyrna, Georgia on Tuesday, and customers can also buy nuggets and boneless wings made from the non-meat.

“I think we’ve all heard ‘it tastes like chicken’ - well our customers are going to be amazed and say, ‘it tastes like Kentucky Fried Chicken!’” president and chief concept officer for KFC US Kevin Hochman said in a statement.

KFC’s foray into plant-based meat follows Burger King’s debut earlier this year of the Impossible Whopper, a meatless version of its signature beef hamburger developed with Impossible Foods.

The start-up is one of several competitors in the rapidly growing field of food companies catering to people who don’t eat meat.

Beyond Meat said in a statement that feedback from the test in Georgia will help KFC consider a national rollout of the meat-free chicken.

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Home Front: Politix

The media just can’t stop making themselves look worse than Trump

2018-01-21

[NYPOST] Every morning, it seems, President Trump’s most determined opponents awake to find out what sort of obnoxious, fact-challenged, puerile, norm-breaking thing he has offered that day and say to themselves: "Oh, that’s nothing. We can do something dumber than that!"

So the nation wades from one bizarre and nonsensical controversy to another. As I write this, I can’t even recall what topic we were debating last week, but I’m certain it was idiotic. Part of the problem is that those who drive coverage of Trump are obsessed with the president in unhealthy ways, ways that have absolutely nothing to do with policy or governance.

For a couple of weeks now, our self-styled guardians of democracy have engaged in a concocted controversy about the president’s mental state. It wasn’t only liberal columnists plying their readers with this wishful thinking; the entire city of Washington, according to Politico, was consumed with using the 25th Amendment to remove the president. It was a major topic of conversation on the Sunday shows. Former Trump booster Joe Scarborough squeezed a week of coverage out of it.

When the president’s physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson ‐ a man who has been the White House doctor since 2006 ‐ explained that Trump is, in fact, "very healthy" and has "incredible genes" and excellent cognitive health, the White House press corps was in disbelief. I mean, Michael Wolff had told us the opposite was true.

One news hound asked why Trump "appeared to slur his words" at a recent presser. Another news hound asked why Trump had the "sniffles." Everyone was worried about his insalubrious meal plans. "Is he limited to one scoop of ice cream now?" a real news hound asked the presidential doctor.

Jonathan Karl of ABC asked, and I kid you not, "Can you explain to me how a guy that eats McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken and all those Diet Cokes, and who never exercises, is in as good of shape as you say he’s in?" Confirming what everyone in the world who eats right and exercises daily yet still struggles to keep their weight down already knows, Jackson answered, "It’s called genetics."

More importantly, the doctor also said Trump passed an extensive cognitive exam that tests for "all those things" and repeated the conclusion that the president doesn’t suffer from mental issues. So the conspiracy theories began on social media, not by random tweeters but by White House correspondents of the nation’s leading newspapers and leading news hounds of the nation’s biggest networks.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Paleos Love KFC

2013-05-16

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (CBS Cleveland) - A new company has emerged in the Middle East that smuggles fast food from an Egyptian Kentucky Fried Chicken to Gaza residents through a tunnel.

People in the conflicted region can now satisfy cravings for food from the Louisville-based fast food headquarters by ordering through a company that charges the American equivalent of $30 for smugglers to bring the greasy goods from Al-Arish in Egypt to the doorsteps of hungry customers.

Deliveries take approximately three hours, according to the Christian Science Monitor. But for those who use the business, the end result is worth the wait.

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Economy

Franchisors warn Obamacare will halve profits

2012-09-14

The International Franchise Association held a convention in Washington this week where most of the Radio Shack, Dunkin Donuts, Curves and other franchisers were grumbling about new federal regulations, especially the impact of Obamacare.

Most, said Atlanta Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken franchiser David Barr, presumed that the reports about how hard Obamacare will hit them were overblown. "They had their head in the sand," he told Secrets.

That is until he pulled out his powerpoint showing how funding Obamacare will cut his--and likely their--profits in half overnight. With simple math the small business folks understood, he spelled out that their only choice is to slash employee hours so they aren't eligible for company-paid health care or stop offering insurance and pay the $2,000 per employee fine.

Barr has 23 stores with 421 employees, 109 of whom are full-time. Of those, he provides 30 with health insurance. Barr said he pays 81 percent of their Blue Cross Blue Shield policy, or $4,073 of $5,028 for individuals, more for families, for a total bill of $129,000 a year. Employees pay $995.

Under Obamacare, however, he will have to provide health insurance for all 109 full-time workers, a cost of $444,000, or two and half times more than his current costs. That $315,000 increase is equal to just over half his annual profit, after expenses, or 1.5 percent of sales. As a result, he said, "I'm not paying $444,000."

Providing no insurance would result in a federal fine of $158,000, $29,000 more than he now spends but the lowest cost possible under the Obamacare law. So he now views that as his cap and he'll either cut worker hours or replace them with machines to get his costs down or dump them on the public health exchange and pay the fine. "Every business has a way to eliminate jobs," he said, "but that's not good for them or me."

But that's not all. His experience tells him that most low-wage workers he would have to cover under Obamacare won't take it because their $995 share is too high, meaning those the program was set up for won't see any benefit. And those who do will because they have major health issues, likely resulting in higher premiums to him.

Link

Home Front: WoT

A Mosque in Murfreesboro Begets Intimidation

2010-06-18

Pete Doughtie is an experienced newspaperman who publishes a family owned free weekly publication, The Rutherford Reader (The Reader), supported by third party advertisers. The Reader appears in supermarket racks, fast food chains and various retail outlets in several counties in middle Tennessee. In addition, it has more than 43,000 on-line subscribers. The Reader is based in Murfreesboro, a community of 100,000 in the buckle of the bible belt. However, that locale didn't prevent Doughtie and The Reader from being falsely accused of "hate speech" and having his publication yanked from Kroger Supermarkets, a Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food outlet, and even the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.

If the intimidation of The Reader distributors, who were prodded by false claims of "hate speech," causing them to pull the publication from racks, isn't enough, there was the sudden revelation of a 52,000 square foot Murfreesboro Islamic Center project to be built on a 15 acre site in the community with no public debate whatsoever.
Taking it to the bible belt. h/t Maggie's Farm

Link

-Lurid Crime Tales-

When Condiments Go Bad

2009-08-07

A woman suspected of attempting to strike a Kentucky Fried Chicken employee with her car after a dispute over condiments was arrested Wednesday night.

Surprise police said Monique Aguet, 26, was at the drive-through of a KFC near Bell and Reems roads when the argument began. Police said Aguet became angry when employees failed to provide condiments with her meal.

Aguet entered the KFC and had a verbal exchange with an employee about 7 p.m., said Lt. Craig Scartozzi, a Surprise police spokesman. Employees ordered Aguet to leave the building and a KFC employee followed her out of the building and stood behind her vehicle to get a license plate number, Scartozzi said.

"(Aguet) began to pull out and the employee struck the trunk to let her know she was there in case she hadn't seen her," Scartozzi said.

According to authorities, Aguet is suspected of attempting to back out again despite the employee's warning. "She (the employee) was struck with the vehicle but was not injured," Scartozzi said.

Aguet was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct.

Link

Southeast Asia

Malaysian Muslims told to wage economic jihad rather than boycott the West

2009-01-11

Rather than giving a knee-jerk reaction by boycotting American goods, Muslims will be in a better position to fight oppression by strengthening their economic position.

Johor Corporation Berhad (JCorp) chief executive officer Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim said this when asked about the drive to boycott American products in protest against Israel's ~~self-defense~~ atrocities against the Palestinians. "The boycott will only hurt our own people as the businesses provide thousands of jobs here."

He was speaking at the Intelligent Chess Challenge 2008/2009 at Persada Johor Convention Centre here yesterday. He had earlier presented prizes to the winners of the challenge.

Ali said Arab countries were unable to fight Israel because of their economic dependence on the United States. "If we go to war with Israel, we will be wiped out because of its superior technology and weaponry. We can only afford the same level of technology and weaponry if our economy is on par with it." He said the business jihad advocated by JCorp could be the foundation to improve the economic position of Muslim countries although it might take a long time.

On the possibility of KFC Holdings (KFCH) Berhad being boycotted, Ali said the bulk of Malaysia's trade with the United States consisted of non-food products such as aircraft and computer software. He said it was unlikely that Malaysia or other Muslim countries could do without these products. "Are we going to drive Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia to the ground just because they use Boeing aircraft? Can we afford to dump our computers because they use Microsoft software?"

Ali said although the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise originated in the United States, the owners in Malaysia were locals. He said there was no drop in KFCH sales following the call to boycott American brands.

Link

-Short Attention Span Theater-

Today's Idiot: American PETA fool falls foul of Cairo Police

2007-02-17

Protester in chicken garb falls foul of Cairo police
PETA head falls heartbreakingly short of a global Darwin award.
CAIRO (Reuters) - An American animal rights activist dressed as a crippled chicken fell foul of Egyptian police on Saturday after staging a protest in front of the central Cairo branch of the fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). The activist, Jason Baker of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), was protesting against KFC's chicken production practices as part of a global campaign against the U.S.-based company.

Police intervened after Baker, bandaged and carrying a crutch, fell over in a melee.
"But we do this in Berkeley and people cheer!"
His chicken head fell off and KFC staff jubilantly told onlookers that he was not Egyptian.
He's lucky it was just the costume head that came off, probably because KFC patrons would be at least somewhat pro-American and might therefore mistake him for somebody we would not want to see beheaded and dragged through the streets.
Local PETA activist Nadia Montasser said police released Baker, a U.S. citizen, after several hours of questioning.
I encourage all PETA activists to continue bringing their message of moral authority and leading edge street theatre to the benighted carnivores of the third world.

Next up: Saoodi Arabia. Protest the consumption of 'blunt-nosed beef'. I dare you.

Link

Afghanistan-Pak-India

6 killed in blast at Karachi KFC

2005-11-15

KARACHI - At least six people were killed and several were wounded in a blast outside an outlet of a US fast food chain in Pakistanâs largest city Karachi, rescue workers said on Tuesday. âWe have shifted six bodies from KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) to hospital on our ambulances,â Muhammad Sabri, a senior official at Edhi Welfare Trust rescue group, told AFP.

Link

Southeast Asia

Macabre clues advance Bali investigation

2005-10-03

In the first 24 hours after a series of bombs killed 22 people in a restaurant on a busy street and in two beachfront restaurants five miles away, investigators in Bali made rapid progress on Sunday, in part owing to a macabre bit of luck. As they sifted through bodies and body parts, they say, they found the heads of three men and three sets of legs, with no middles, the forensic signature of suicide bombings. One head was more than 75 feet from the rest of the body.

The blasts on Saturday evening did not obliterate the faces, so the police were able to display vivid, gruesome photographs of them at a news conference here on Sunday evening, and the photographs were shown on television and in Monday newspapers. The likelihood of identifications from the public seemed high.

The Bali police chief, Made Pastika, revised the death toll downward from an estimate of 25, saying that the three bombers had killed themselves and 19 other people - 14 Indonesians and 5 foreigners. Of the more than 90 wounded, nearly all were Indonesian, he said.

At least seven of the wounded were Americans, all from one San Francisco family eating in Raja's, a restaurant in Kuta, when a bomb went off there. The seven were expected to be released from a hospital here later Monday.

Mr. Pastika said that the police were searching for three other men believed to be involved in the bombings, and that a faction of the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah might be responsible.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned that terrorists could be planning more strikes, and police commanders in Jakarta, the capital, ordered two-thirds of their forces to remain on standby. "The terrorists are still looking for soft targets," the president said Sunday after touring the bombing scenes in Bali.

Mr. Pastika presented a video, taken by a visiting family, that showed a man with a backpack walking into Raja's and then the giant flash of an explosion. Each of the three bombs, he said, held as much as 22 pounds of dynamite, and they might have been carried in backpacks or in suicide vests. It was not known if they were detonated remotely or by triggers set off by the suicide bombers.

Mr. Pastika said the investigators had not concluded who was responsible, but he noted the similarity to two bombings seconds apart at nightclubs here in October 2002 that killed 202 people. Those attacks were the work of Jemaah Islamiyah, Indonesian and American officials have said. The group is considered the Southeast Asia surrogate for Al Qaeda. But Mr. Pastika said there was no evidence of Qaeda involvement in the bombings on Saturday.

In the past few years, the Indonesian police have arrested scores of Jemaah Islamiyah's most militant members, and the arrests severely weakened the group, according to Sidney Jones, the pre-eminent expert on the group and, more broadly, terrorism in Southeast Asia.

While the group's mainstream members have forsaken terrorism, she said, a breakaway faction remains committed to terrorist acts against the West, and the United States in particular.

That faction is headed by Azhari Husin, a Malaysian educated in Britain, and Muhammad Noordin Top, also a Malaysian, who is thought to have been the mastermind behind the deadly attack on the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta in August 2003, she said. The two men, who have become the most-wanted fugitives in Southeast Asia, are also believed to have been behind an attack on the Australian Embassy in September 2004.

Mr. Pastika said they were possibly behind the attacks on Saturday.

As frequently happens in cases of terrorist attacks, rumor and contradictory reports colored the day on Sunday. Besides revising the death toll, Mr. Pastika denied a report that three unexploded devices had been found in Jimbaran, where two bombs had detonated in beach restaurants.

The wounded were being treated at the Sanglah hospital. In one room was the Ly family of San Francisco. The Lys had relatively slight injuries, mostly cuts to their legs.

Soviana Suprato Ly, 38, an Indonesian who became an American citizen in 1988, said they were on a homecoming visit and came to Bali on Friday after 10 days in Jakarta.

On Saturday, the Lys went on a sightseeing tour, then ended the day at the popular beach resort of Kuta.

"We wanted to see the beautiful sunset at Kuta," Ms. Ly said, sitting with her 16-year-old son, Sean. Then, she said, they began looking for a place to eat. "Father wanted noodles, and the children wanted spaghetti and burgers."

They spotted Raja's.

The family sat down on the first floor of Raja's, a three-story building, and heard a "big explosion" on the second floor, Ms. Ly said.

"We got scared; we saw everything dark," she said. "I saw my dad under all the stones and tables."

"Why did they do this to us?" she cried.

Around her in the same hospital room, the other family members lay on beds. In one, her father, 70-year-old Jusof, nursed his wounds. Sean was connected to an intravenous tube, and her youngest son, Jeremy, 4, had a patch on his head.

The attacks came as Bali, a Hindu enclave in an overwhelmingly Muslim nation, was steadily recovering from the slump in tourism that followed the 2002 bombings. Tourism is the main source of income for Bali.

On Sunday afternoon, 60 Hindu monks, dressed in flowing white, performed a ceremony in front of Raja's, which is wedged between a McDonald's and a Kentucky Fried Chicken. They offered food to the spirits of the dead.

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