Maya Reports

Our way of keeping you in the loop. You can thank us later.

November 4, 2010 • 4:15 PM 0

Target to sell iPhones to all

If you don’t own an iPhone yet, chances are, that if Apple hasn’t fixed the daylight-savings bug yet… you won’t over-sleep and miss your opportunity to be one of the first people to purchase one, at a Target store near you.

The Minneapolis-based discount retailer said its 846 stores with Target Mobile centers will carry the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS and offer in-store activation.

Just imagine… You’ll be able to buy toilet-paper, cereal, and an iPhone all at the same place. Could you ask for anything more?

Filed under: Business, Tech, daylight-savings bug, in-store activation, iPhone, iphone 3gs, iphone 4, November 7th, Target, Target to sell iphones

November 4, 2010 • 12:00 PM 0

No more Happy Meal toys for you (children in San Fran)

San Francisco has officially become the first major US city to ban restaurants from giving free toys with meals that contain high levels of calories, sugar and fat.

According to the WHO (World Health Organization)

Childhood obesity is already epidemic in some areas and on the rise in others. An estimated 22 million children under five are estimated to be overweight worldwide. According to the US Surgeon General, in the USA the number of overweight children has doubled and the number of overweight adolescents has trebled since 1980.

The estimated number of overweight children under the age of 5 (worldwide) is equivalent, in size, to the entire population of Australia.

Mind boggling.

While the move by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is definitely a step in the right direction, I find it sort of ironic that on a list of the America’s fattest US cities, San Francisco comes in last. With San Francisco holding ground as the fittest city in the US, I’m not sure how much of an influence their new ban will have on the rest of the US.

Filed under: Business, Food, World, America's fattest cities, childhood obesity, fittest city, happy meals, overweight children, population of Australia, San Francisco bans toys, US Surgeon General, WHO, World Health Organization

November 3, 2010 • 10:32 PM 1

What do Blagojevich, Snooki & pistachios have in common?

Paramount Farms, a unit of Roll International Corp. has hired both aforementioned controversial ‘personalities’ (for lack of a better term) to star in their $20M advertising campaign, rolling out this coming Monday.

While the spokespeople, no joke – Rod Blagojevich (former corrupt Illinois Governor) & Snooki (from MTV’s Jersey Shore) were clearly chosen for the attraction factor, the star of this advertising campaign will be a bunch of pistachios.

Filed under: Business, Marketing, advertising, advertising campaign, commercials, controvesial personalities, Illinois Governor, Jersey Shore, MTV, nuts, Paramount farms, pistachios, Rod Blagojevich, Roll International Corp, Snooki, spokespeople, wow-factor

October 23, 2010 • 2:16 PM 1

What’s your burger’s carbon FOODprint?

A popular food chain in Sweden – Max Burgers, which is second-largest to McDonald’s in its area, is taking food labeling to that next level.

Richard Bergfors, CEO of Max Burgers says

…adding the carbon footprint to the chain’s menuboard was a way for the company to be honest about its affect on the environment.

According to an article in Scientific American Magazine, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report found that with regards to beef production,

…current production levels of meat contribute between 14 and 22 percent of the 36 billion tons of “CO2-equivalent” greenhouse gases the world produces every year.

In layman’s terms:

…producing half a pound of hamburger for someone’s lunch a patty of meat the size of two decks of cards releases as much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere as driving a 3,000-pound car nearly 10 miles.

[A Jeep Cherokee weighs nearly 3,000 lbs… just for visual reference.]

Trying to show its customers that there are yummy alternatives to beef burgers

Max Burgers has rolled out several alternative, climate-friendly burger options, including vegetarian, falafel, and salmon burgers. Since putting carbon dioxide emission counts on the menuboard—an act that made it the first restaurant chain in the world to do so—sales of these types of menu items have gone up 20 percent.

In addition, Max Burger offsets its carbon emissions by planting trees in Africa, uses recycled packaging, and gets its electricity from wind and solar power.

Like it or not, climate change is definitely a big issue that needs to be dealt with. I’m hoping that other countries follow Sweden’s lead.

Bra jobbat Sverige! (Good job Sweden! …thank you Google Translate).

Filed under: Business, Green, Africa, beef, beef burgers, beef production, carbon dioxide emission, carbon foodprint, carbon footprint, climate change, CO2, Environment, FAO, Food, Food and Agriculture Organization, food labeling, google translate, greenhouse gas, Jeep, Jeep Cherokee, Max Burgers, McDonald's, Richard Bergfors, Scientific American magazine, Sverige, Sweden

October 20, 2010 • 10:13 PM 0

I now pronounce you husband and wife. Would you like fries with that?

And I thought that drive-thru weddings in Las Vegas were out-of-the ordinary… but apparently in Hong Kong, you can now get married at McDonald’s.

You may be thinking this is just some marketing gimmick, but actually it’s what the people want.

People said they’d dated here, or met here, and wanted to get married here…

Sadly, due to the awesome economy, we are all now living in –

“The social mobility and incomes of young Hongkongers have fallen,” said poverty researcher Chua Hoi-wai of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service. “They have saved money for years and can’t buy flats when they get married.”

So what better way to celebrate your wedding?

It’s cost-effective – only $400 for the ceremony & reception for 100 guests, and it’s symbolic (you met there).

The only downside, the celebration is alcohol-free (it is, after all, a child-friendly establishment), and remains open during the festivities…yeah, you’re not THAT special. Remember, you’re only paying $400, it’s not enough to shut the place down…

Filed under: Business, Food, Marketing, Random, World, destination wedding, fast food, Hong Kong, McDonald's, would you like fries with that?

October 19, 2010 • 9:32 PM 1

Next time you’re in a noisy restaurant, wear earplugs…

… that is, if you want to enhance the flavor of the food you’re eating.

According to a recent study in the journal Food Quality and Preference, researchers found that

students [they were the test subjects] listening to blaring static rated the chips as less salty and the cookies as less sweet—even though they were tasting the same foods as the other groups.

Another study found that the students rated crunchy foods crunchier in loud noise.

Here’s a test for ya – grab a bag of pretzels, click play on the video below, close your eyes…and judge the saltiness and crunchiness yourself.

Filed under: Business, Marketing, Random, bland, flavor, food journal, Food Quality and Preference, food study, loud restaurant, research, restaurant noise, salty, unilever

October 17, 2010 • 9:47 PM 0

If the Mandarin sells out nightly, Japan may regain its 2nd place from China

For a paltry sum of $671,800 per night, you could rent out the entire Mandarin Oriental Tokyo.

Under the plan, the entire hotel — 178 guest rooms, all nine restaurants and all spas — would be reserved from 3:00 in the afternoon to noon the next day. It would include a cocktail reception for 500 people.

The hotel plans to apply for recognition from Guinness World Records, as soon as they receive a reservation.

I think you should call the hotel and do your part to help them receive their prize from Guinness. It’s a win-win, really. The Mandarin gets to be a World Record holder, and YOU get the entire hotel to yourself (and 499 of your closest friends).

Filed under: Business, Marketing, World, $671K per night, China, GDP, Guinness World Records, Mandarin hotel, Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, Tokyo Japan

October 5, 2010 • 7:30 AM 1

Brazilians choose to send in the clown(s)

This past weekend, Brazil held their elections.

Tiririca, a 45-year-old television humorist whose real name is Francisco Oliveira, scooped up 1.3 million votes in Sunday’s polls to represent Sao Paulo, the highest number of votes for any federal deputy across the country.

His slogans are funny…some pearls include:

“It couldn’t [can’t] get any worse. Vote for me.”

and

“What does a federal deputy do? I have no idea — but vote for me and I’ll let you know”

Not surprisingly, other politicians tried to block him from running –

His detractors tried to have him barred from taking up his seat by lodging a lawsuit alleging he was illiterate — an automatic disqualification for a federal deputy. But a judge threw out the case.

I’d like to introduce you to Tiririca.