Fresh-Mex food chain Chipotle has issued a guacamole warning, saying the restaurants may stop serving the dip due to avocado prices increasing as climate change affects availability.
Guacamole and avocados are big business for Chipotle. The company uses 97,000 pounds of avocados per day, according to ThinkProgress.com. It takes as many as 70 avocados to create one batch of guacamole, which the company charges extra for on the side.
Urgent: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance? Vote Now in Urgent Poll
Chipotle is also concerned about the rising costs of chicken, beef, cheese, beans, rice, tomatoes and pork.
"In the event of cost increases with respect to one or more of our raw ingredients, we may choose to temporarily suspend serving menu items, such as guacamole or one or more of our salsas, rather than paying the increased cost for the ingredients," Chipotle said in its annual report. "Any such changes to our available menu may negatively impact our restaurant traffic and comparable restaurant sales, and could also have an adverse impact on our brand."
University of California avocado expert Gary Bender told NPR last year that avocados are shrinking in size, and there are several reasons.
Bender, a San Diego County farm adviser, said that avocados were stunted in 2012 due to an abundance of fruit on each tree that usually fall off but didn't. There were also low rainfall totals, cool temperatures, and sluggish photosynthesizing, which led to avocados' reduced size.
Over the course of his 29-year career, Bender said he has never seen avocados as small as he did in 2012.
California, which has been facing severe droughts, is the country's premiere source for avocados.
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory projected in a 2006 study that California's agriculture production could decline by as much as 40 percent by the middle of the century because of global climate change.
Chipotle offers what it calls "Food with Integrity," which means it tries to serve "the very best sustainably raised food" from farmers and providers who raise animals without the use of antibiotics or hormones, per its website.
Wednesday, 5 March 2014
Cuomo in Struggle With de Blasio Over NYC Charter Schools
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio met with Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday in Albany against a background of public tension between the two Democrats over the place of charter schools in the city's education system, The New York Times reported.
In New York City, charter schools are funded by the taxpayers but run by nonprofit groups who pledge to be accountable for student performance. About 70,000 out of 1.1 million New York City children attend its 183 charter schools.
The mayor opposes providing charter schools free space in existing municipal schools — reversing the policy of former mayor Michael Bloomberg. He also wants to minimize the amount of municipal money spent on charters.
Cuomo has promised parents that he would guarantee charter schools are funded and that they have the physical space to operate.
De Blasio is committed to rolling back charters. He has blocked three schools in particular — run by a nonprofit with whom he has engaged in a long-standing political feud — from utilizing space in public school buildings. The mayor said the idea of "co-location" of charters in public school buildings is "abhorrent."
The mayor and governor are also divided on de Blasio's scheme to provide free universal prekindergarten to New York City residents. Cuomo does not oppose the idea but wants it financed from existing revenues, while de Blasio wants to impose a special tax on the city's most affluent citizens.
He has reallocated $210 million, originally budgeted by the Bloomberg administration for charters, to prekindergarten classes, the Times reported.
Cuomo, like President Barack Obama, believes charters provide parents with choice.
Philosophically, de Blasio opposes shuttering failing schools and converting them into charters. He believes shifting away from the traditional public school model is a bad idea, according to the Daily Beast.
In New York City, charter schools are funded by the taxpayers but run by nonprofit groups who pledge to be accountable for student performance. About 70,000 out of 1.1 million New York City children attend its 183 charter schools.
The mayor opposes providing charter schools free space in existing municipal schools — reversing the policy of former mayor Michael Bloomberg. He also wants to minimize the amount of municipal money spent on charters.
Cuomo has promised parents that he would guarantee charter schools are funded and that they have the physical space to operate.
De Blasio is committed to rolling back charters. He has blocked three schools in particular — run by a nonprofit with whom he has engaged in a long-standing political feud — from utilizing space in public school buildings. The mayor said the idea of "co-location" of charters in public school buildings is "abhorrent."
The mayor and governor are also divided on de Blasio's scheme to provide free universal prekindergarten to New York City residents. Cuomo does not oppose the idea but wants it financed from existing revenues, while de Blasio wants to impose a special tax on the city's most affluent citizens.
He has reallocated $210 million, originally budgeted by the Bloomberg administration for charters, to prekindergarten classes, the Times reported.
Cuomo, like President Barack Obama, believes charters provide parents with choice.
Philosophically, de Blasio opposes shuttering failing schools and converting them into charters. He believes shifting away from the traditional public school model is a bad idea, according to the Daily Beast.
Poll: Gay Marriage Support Reaches Record Level
In a decade, Americans’ views on same-sex marriage have reversed, going from 59 percent against it in 2004, compared with the same percentage in favor today, The Washington Post reported.
Thirty-four percent of Americans oppose gay marriage, marking the widest margin to date, according to the Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia recognize same-sex marriage; 10 states recognize gay unions and partnerships; and 33 states – mostly clustered in the South and West – don’t allow either. Fifty-three percent of people in the states prohibiting gay marriage are in favor of it, compared with 40 percent against it, the poll shows.
Support for gay marriage has steadily climbed since the U.S. Supreme Court last year ruled as unconstitutional a key portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Section 3 of that law withheld federal benefits from same-sex couples married in states where gay marriage or legal unions are recognized. It was a 5-to-4 decision.
Attitudes about gay marriage tend to skew along religious and ideological lines, according to The Post, which notes that support is lowest with evangelicals and conservative Republicans.
Half of Republicans believe people are born gay, and among those with that belief, 64 percent favor gay marriage, and 61 percent think it’s a constitutional right. Seventy percent support gay adoption.
"Even though I was brought up very conservatively and very religiously, I don’t care what sexual orientation people are," Lilly Telatycki of Surprise, Ariz., told The Post, adding that the Republican Party, which she normally votes for, spends too much time on the issue.
Democrats are divided along racial and class lines. Eight in 10 white Democrats support same-sex marriage – even more with incomes above $50,000 – while just 6 in 10 non-whites and lower earners favor it.
Age and religion largely influence attitudes, according to polling data.
Six in 10 Catholics and non-evangelical Protestants support same-sex marriage, compared with 6 in 10 evangelical Protestants opposing it. Seventy-five percent of those under 30 are in favor, while fewer than half of seniors say the same.
Last week, Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill, passed by the Republican-controlled legislature, that would have allowed businesses the right to refuse service to gay people and others on religious grounds.
According to The New York Times, lawsuits filed in other states against florists, photographers, and bakers for refusing to cater same-sex events was the impetus for the bill.
"This bill is about preventing discrimination against people who are clearly living out their faith," Arizona Sen. Steve Yarbrough argued while debating the measure.
Thirty-four percent of Americans oppose gay marriage, marking the widest margin to date, according to the Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia recognize same-sex marriage; 10 states recognize gay unions and partnerships; and 33 states – mostly clustered in the South and West – don’t allow either. Fifty-three percent of people in the states prohibiting gay marriage are in favor of it, compared with 40 percent against it, the poll shows.
Support for gay marriage has steadily climbed since the U.S. Supreme Court last year ruled as unconstitutional a key portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Section 3 of that law withheld federal benefits from same-sex couples married in states where gay marriage or legal unions are recognized. It was a 5-to-4 decision.
Attitudes about gay marriage tend to skew along religious and ideological lines, according to The Post, which notes that support is lowest with evangelicals and conservative Republicans.
Half of Republicans believe people are born gay, and among those with that belief, 64 percent favor gay marriage, and 61 percent think it’s a constitutional right. Seventy percent support gay adoption.
"Even though I was brought up very conservatively and very religiously, I don’t care what sexual orientation people are," Lilly Telatycki of Surprise, Ariz., told The Post, adding that the Republican Party, which she normally votes for, spends too much time on the issue.
Democrats are divided along racial and class lines. Eight in 10 white Democrats support same-sex marriage – even more with incomes above $50,000 – while just 6 in 10 non-whites and lower earners favor it.
Age and religion largely influence attitudes, according to polling data.
Six in 10 Catholics and non-evangelical Protestants support same-sex marriage, compared with 6 in 10 evangelical Protestants opposing it. Seventy-five percent of those under 30 are in favor, while fewer than half of seniors say the same.
Last week, Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill, passed by the Republican-controlled legislature, that would have allowed businesses the right to refuse service to gay people and others on religious grounds.
According to The New York Times, lawsuits filed in other states against florists, photographers, and bakers for refusing to cater same-sex events was the impetus for the bill.
"This bill is about preventing discrimination against people who are clearly living out their faith," Arizona Sen. Steve Yarbrough argued while debating the measure.
Chipotle Guacamole Warning: Climate Change Affecting Avocado Availability
Fresh-Mex food chain Chipotle has issued a guacamole warning, saying the restaurants may stop serving the dip due to avocado prices increasing as climate change affects availability.
Guacamole and avocados are big business for Chipotle. The company uses 97,000 pounds of avocados per day, according to ThinkProgress.com. It takes as many as 70 avocados to create one batch of guacamole, which the company charges extra for on the side.
Urgent: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance? Vote Now in Urgent Poll
Chipotle is also concerned about the rising costs of chicken, beef, cheese, beans, rice, tomatoes and pork.
"In the event of cost increases with respect to one or more of our raw ingredients, we may choose to temporarily suspend serving menu items, such as guacamole or one or more of our salsas, rather than paying the increased cost for the ingredients," Chipotle said in its annual report. "Any such changes to our available menu may negatively impact our restaurant traffic and comparable restaurant sales, and could also have an adverse impact on our brand."
University of California avocado expert Gary Bender told NPR last year that avocados are shrinking in size, and there are several reasons.
Bender, a San Diego County farm adviser, said that avocados were stunted in 2012 due to an abundance of fruit on each tree that usually fall off but didn't. There were also low rainfall totals, cool temperatures, and sluggish photosynthesizing, which led to avocados' reduced size.
Over the course of his 29-year career, Bender said he has never seen avocados as small as he did in 2012.
California, which has been facing severe droughts, is the country's premiere source for avocados.
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory projected in a 2006 study that California's agriculture production could decline by as much as 40 percent by the middle of the century because of global climate change.
Chipotle offers what it calls "Food with Integrity," which means it tries to serve "the very best sustainably raised food" from farmers and providers who raise animals without the use of antibiotics or hormones, per its website.
Guacamole and avocados are big business for Chipotle. The company uses 97,000 pounds of avocados per day, according to ThinkProgress.com. It takes as many as 70 avocados to create one batch of guacamole, which the company charges extra for on the side.
Urgent: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance? Vote Now in Urgent Poll
Chipotle is also concerned about the rising costs of chicken, beef, cheese, beans, rice, tomatoes and pork.
"In the event of cost increases with respect to one or more of our raw ingredients, we may choose to temporarily suspend serving menu items, such as guacamole or one or more of our salsas, rather than paying the increased cost for the ingredients," Chipotle said in its annual report. "Any such changes to our available menu may negatively impact our restaurant traffic and comparable restaurant sales, and could also have an adverse impact on our brand."
University of California avocado expert Gary Bender told NPR last year that avocados are shrinking in size, and there are several reasons.
Bender, a San Diego County farm adviser, said that avocados were stunted in 2012 due to an abundance of fruit on each tree that usually fall off but didn't. There were also low rainfall totals, cool temperatures, and sluggish photosynthesizing, which led to avocados' reduced size.
Over the course of his 29-year career, Bender said he has never seen avocados as small as he did in 2012.
California, which has been facing severe droughts, is the country's premiere source for avocados.
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory projected in a 2006 study that California's agriculture production could decline by as much as 40 percent by the middle of the century because of global climate change.
Chipotle offers what it calls "Food with Integrity," which means it tries to serve "the very best sustainably raised food" from farmers and providers who raise animals without the use of antibiotics or hormones, per its website.
NYPD Settlement: Five Years of Stop-and-Frisk Oversight
The proposed settlement in the stop-and-frisk case against the New York Police Department calls for five years of court oversight for the department, according to court documents.
That is two years more than Mayor Bill de Blasio requested when he announced in January that the city was dropping the appeal of the ruling by a judge who said the practice was unconstitutional, the New York Post reports.
The proposed settlement was filed Tuesday with Manhattan federal Judge Analisa Torres. It calls for federal monitoring of the department to keep tabs on officers, including "an additional two years of court oversight."
The original agreement, reached in January, said there would be a court-appointed monitor who would oversee reforms to the controversial stop-and-frisk program for three years.
Ending the stop-and-frisk policy in the NYPD is one of de Blasio's campaign promises and is a policy that former Mayor Michael Bloomberg fought for.
The city's police unions are planning to ask Torres if they can appeal the ruling by Judge Shira Scheindlin, who said the policy was unconstitutional, but who was removed from the case due to questions of impartiality.
"There might be an agreement in place, but the unions certainly haven't agreed to anything," said Al O'Leary, Patrolmen's Benevolent Association spokesman.
That is two years more than Mayor Bill de Blasio requested when he announced in January that the city was dropping the appeal of the ruling by a judge who said the practice was unconstitutional, the New York Post reports.
The proposed settlement was filed Tuesday with Manhattan federal Judge Analisa Torres. It calls for federal monitoring of the department to keep tabs on officers, including "an additional two years of court oversight."
The original agreement, reached in January, said there would be a court-appointed monitor who would oversee reforms to the controversial stop-and-frisk program for three years.
Ending the stop-and-frisk policy in the NYPD is one of de Blasio's campaign promises and is a policy that former Mayor Michael Bloomberg fought for.
The city's police unions are planning to ask Torres if they can appeal the ruling by Judge Shira Scheindlin, who said the policy was unconstitutional, but who was removed from the case due to questions of impartiality.
"There might be an agreement in place, but the unions certainly haven't agreed to anything," said Al O'Leary, Patrolmen's Benevolent Association spokesman.
Barbara Bush Cancels New York Times Subscription
Barbara Bush tells Fox News host Steve Doocy that she has canceled her New York Times subscription.
When asked during an interview whether she had seen a recent Maureen Dowd column headlined "Brace Yourself for Hillary and Jeb," Bush replied: "I did see that, and I thought, 'Anything to make news.'"
She dropped the newspaper subscription, she explained, after reading an obituary asking mourners not to send flowers or charitable donations but instead cancel their subscriptions to The New York Times.
"And so I did," Bush mused.
On Jan. 26, The Greenwich [Conn.] Time.com ran an obit of Leonard Smith, 86, which ended with this paragraph:
"Leonard Smith hated pointless bureaucracy, thoughtless inefficiency, and bad ideas born of good intentions. He loved his wife, admired and respected his children, and liked just about every dog he ever met. He will be greatly missed by those he loved and those who loved him. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you cancel your subscription to The New York Times. Leonard Smith would have thought that this obituary was about three paragraphs too long."
The 88-year-old Bush family matriarch sat with Doocy in her Houston home recently to discuss the 25-year anniversary of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. The conversation inevitably veered toward her family and politics.
She has loved and enjoyed all of her roles, but being "a mom" has brought her great joy, she said.
"We had babies so early that I could play golf with George W. and throw him off the golf course for profanity," she joked. "We're very, very close, George and I … because we did a lot of things together as a young mother. We went through some very tough times, too. He was my hero, he still is. That hurts when people criticize George W."
She addressed Dowd's column bemoaning a possible Jeb-Hillary presidential race in 2016 and the two families' "death grip on the American electoral system."
She didn't tip her hat on whether Jeb will enter the race, but made it clear he should have the job if he wants it.
"Maybe Jeb's given all he should give because he has worked awfully hard for a long time, but he is the best-qualified person in the country," Bush said. "There's no question. Put me down as saying that."
When asked by Doocy how she felt about being widely admired for being a "straight-shooter," Bush didn't hesitate to answer: "I've given that up for Lent."
When asked during an interview whether she had seen a recent Maureen Dowd column headlined "Brace Yourself for Hillary and Jeb," Bush replied: "I did see that, and I thought, 'Anything to make news.'"
She dropped the newspaper subscription, she explained, after reading an obituary asking mourners not to send flowers or charitable donations but instead cancel their subscriptions to The New York Times.
"And so I did," Bush mused.
On Jan. 26, The Greenwich [Conn.] Time.com ran an obit of Leonard Smith, 86, which ended with this paragraph:
"Leonard Smith hated pointless bureaucracy, thoughtless inefficiency, and bad ideas born of good intentions. He loved his wife, admired and respected his children, and liked just about every dog he ever met. He will be greatly missed by those he loved and those who loved him. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you cancel your subscription to The New York Times. Leonard Smith would have thought that this obituary was about three paragraphs too long."
The 88-year-old Bush family matriarch sat with Doocy in her Houston home recently to discuss the 25-year anniversary of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. The conversation inevitably veered toward her family and politics.
She has loved and enjoyed all of her roles, but being "a mom" has brought her great joy, she said.
"We had babies so early that I could play golf with George W. and throw him off the golf course for profanity," she joked. "We're very, very close, George and I … because we did a lot of things together as a young mother. We went through some very tough times, too. He was my hero, he still is. That hurts when people criticize George W."
She addressed Dowd's column bemoaning a possible Jeb-Hillary presidential race in 2016 and the two families' "death grip on the American electoral system."
She didn't tip her hat on whether Jeb will enter the race, but made it clear he should have the job if he wants it.
"Maybe Jeb's given all he should give because he has worked awfully hard for a long time, but he is the best-qualified person in the country," Bush said. "There's no question. Put me down as saying that."
When asked by Doocy how she felt about being widely admired for being a "straight-shooter," Bush didn't hesitate to answer: "I've given that up for Lent."
Washington State Issues First Legal Pot License
Washington state has issued its first legal marijuana license, launching a new phase in the state's ambitious effort to regulate a market that has been illegal for more than 75 years.
Officials granted the first marijuana growing and processing license to Sean Green, who has previously operated medical marijuana dispensaries in Spokane as well as the Seattle suburb of Shoreline.
Green is the chief executive of Spokane's Kouchlock Productions.
The state Liquor Control Board issued the license to Green at its meeting in Olympia on Wednesday, as his supporters erupted in applause.
The board is due to issue retail licenses later this spring, with sales expected to begin in June or July.
Sales began Jan. 1 in Colorado, the only other state to legalize the recreational use of cannabis.
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