Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 21 July 2022 | The Week UK

Sunak and Truss launch ‘bitter contest’

Rishi Sunak said the Conservative Party cannot win the next general election with Liz Truss at the helm as he launched his campaign to win over Tory members and reach No. 10. The Times said the race will be “bitterly contested” with allies of Truss launching personal attacks on Sunak last night over his record in government and his “betrayal” of Boris Johnson. Meanwhile, allies of Penny Mordaunt, who dropped out of the running yesterday, said she failed to make the cut due to a “vicious personal smear campaign” against her.

Aldi Advent calendar 2021: Wine, cheese, beer, candy and toys ...

Aldi will have more than wine and cheese Advent calendars this year.

The discount grocer said Wednesday the 2021 lineup is its "most robust collection to date" and also brings back the beer calendar, candy collections and toys along with new family-friendly calendars.

The calendars will start rolling out on Nov. 3 for the second annual National Advent Calendar Day, held on the first Wednesday in November. Aldi created the made-up holiday in 2020.

Aldi announced in September that two of its most popular calendars would go on sale Nov. 3: Collection Wine Advent calendar and Emporium Selection Advent Cheese calendar.

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The wine calendar will sell for $59.99, down from $69.99 in past years. It will be available only at Aldi U.S. stores that sell alcohol.

Most of the calendars are used to count down the Advent, the religious days leading up to Christmas Eve.

According to a list provided by Aldi, 26 calendars will be released this year, including a New Years' countdown. Sixteen calendars will be released Nov. 3.

On its website, Aldi said the "calendar collection goes on sale Wednesday, Nov. 3, with new calendar varieties rolling out throughout November and early December."

Last year, Aldi released 20 calendars, which the company said at the time was the most ever.

Joan Kavanaugh, Aldi U.S. vice president of national buying, told USA TODAY in 2020 that the company has sold Advent calendars for many years, but their popularity skyrocketed in 2018 when the first U.S. wine calendar went on sale.

"Based on the overwhelmingly positive shopper interest, we realized there was a real market for unique holiday countdown calendars," Kavanaugh said at the time.

To get your hands on one of the limited items, which have sold out quickly in past years with some landing on eBay, you'll have to head to one of the 2,100-plus Aldi stores in 37 states. However, not all states or municipalities allow alcohol sales at grocery stores; those stores are expected to carry the cheese and other calendars.

Aldi says that based on supply some calendars "may be available for purchase online in the days following Nov. 3. Curbside pickup and delivery for Advent calendars and holiday countdowns differs by location."

Costco has already released its 2021 wine and beer Advent calendars. The Costco wine calendar costs $99.99 and the beer calendar is selling for $59.99. Prices and availability vary by location.

Aldi Advent calendars 2021

Aldi will start rolling out Advent calendars on Nov. 3.

Wine Advent calendar and more

Barissimo Coffee Advent Calendar ($9.99)

Beer Advent Calendar ($49.99; in select markets)

Connellys 12 Days of Irish Cream ($29.99)

Emporium Selection Cheese Advent Calendar ($14.99)

Sparkling Wine Countdown to the New Year ($29.99)

The 2021 Collection Wine Advent Calendar ($59.99)

Self-care Advent calendars

Bee Happy Craft Advent Calendar ($12.99)

Huntington Home Advent Calendar Candle ($4.99)

My Beauty Spot 12 Days of Bath Fizzers ($12.99)

Toy Advent calendars

Lego City Advent Calendar ($29.99)

Lego Friends Advent Calendar ($29.99)

Lego Marvel Avengers Advent Calendar ($39.99)

Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar ($39.99)

Mattel Cars Advent Calendar ($16.99)

Mattel Polly Pocket Advent Calendar ($16.99)

Mattel Kids Toys Advent Calendar ($24.99)

Merry Moments My Friend Gnome Kit ($24.99; limit one per customer)

Nickelodeon Paw Patrol Advent Calendar ($19.99)

Warner Brothers Elf Advent Calendar ($29.99)

Warner Brothers Christmas Story Advent Calendar ($29.99)

Candy Advent calendars

Choceur Advent Calendar ($1.49)

Moser Roth 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar ($4.99)

Moser Roth 24 Days of Christmas Nutcracker Advent Calendar ($8.99)

Moser Roth Luxury Chocolate Advent Calendar ($14.99)

Pet Advent calendars

Pure Being Cat Advent Calendar ($5.89)

Pure Being Dog Advent Calendar ($5.89)

When will Aldi release calendars?

Aldi confirmed to USA TODAY that the following calendars will be released on National Advent Calendar Day, Wednesday, Nov. 3, with other calendars being released throughout November and December.

Emporium Selection Advent Cheese Calendar

Barissimo Coffee Advent Calendar

Moser Roth Luxury Chocolate Advent Calendar

The 2021 Collection Wine Advent Calendar

Beer Advent Calendar

Lego City Advent Calendar

Lego Friends Advent Calendar

Lego Marvel Avengers Advent Calendar

Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar

Nickelodeon Paw Patrol Advent Calendar

Mattel Cars Advent Calendar

Mattel Polly Pocket Advent Calendar

Mattel Kids Toys Advent Calendar

Merry Moments My Friend Gnome Kit

Pure Being Cat Advent Calendar

Pure Being Dog Advent Calendar

►Costco Advent calendars 2021:Raise a glass, wine and beer calendars back at clubs. But act fast as they could sell out fast.

►How to shop at Aldi:Save on groceries, get $2.95 wine, knock-off Chick-fil-A and find rare deals without coupons

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko. For shopping news, tips and deals, join us on our Shopping Ninjas Facebook group.

Soaring food and fuel prices are destabilizing countries on the brink ...

London (CNN Business) When people took to the streets in Egypt in 2011, protesters chanted about freedom and social justice — but also bread . The cost of pantry staples had jumped because of the skyrocketing price of goods like wheat , stoking fury with President Hosni Mubarak.

Now, more than a decade after the Arab Spring,global food prices are soaring again . They had already reached their highest level on record earlier this year as the pandemic, poor weather and the climate crisis upended agriculture and threatened food security for millions of people. Then came Russia's war in Ukraine, making the situation much worse — while also triggering a spike in the cost of the other daily essential, fuel.

The combination could generate a wave of political instability, as people who were already frustrated with government leaders are pushed over the edge by rising costs.

"It is extremely worrisome," said Rabah Arezki, a senior fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and former chief economist at the African Development Bank.

Unrest in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Peru over the past week highlights the risks. In Sri Lanka, protests have erupted over shortages of gas and other basic goods. Double-digit inflation in Pakistan has eroded support for Prime Minister Imran Khan , forcing him from office. At least six people have died in recent anti-government protests in Peru sparked by rising fuel prices . But political conflict isn't expected to be limited to these countries.

"I don't think people have felt the full impact of rising prices just yet," said Hamish Kinnear, a Middle East and North Africa analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, a global risk consultancy.

Lessons from the Arab Spring

In the run-up to the anti-government protests that became known as the Arab Spring — which began in Tunisia in late 2010 and spread through the Middle East and North Africa in 2011 — food prices were climbing sharply. The Food Price Index from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization reached 106.7 in 2010 and jumped to 131.9 in 2011 , then a record.

"Mohamed Bouazizi didn't set himself on fire because he couldn't blog or vote," an Emirati commentator wrote in January 2011 , referring to the street vendor whose protest act helped launch the revolution in Tunisia and, ultimately, the Arab world. "People set themselves on fire because they can't stand seeing their family wither away slowly, not of sorrow, but of cold stark hunger."

Circumstances in individual countries differed, but the bigger picture was clear. Surging wheat prices were a major part of the problem.

The situation now is even worse than it was then. Global food prices have just hit a new record high. The FAO Food Price Index published Friday hit 159.3 in March, up almost 13% from February. The war in Ukraine, a major exporter of wheat, corn and vegetable oils, as well as harsh sanctions on Russia — a key producer of wheat and fertilizer — is expected to spur further price increases in the coming months.

"Forty percent of wheat and corn exports from Ukraine go to the Middle East and Africa, which are already grappling with hunger issues, and where further food shortages or price increases could stoke social unrest," Gilbert Houngbo, head of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, said last month

Adding to the pain is the surge in energy prices. Global oil prices are almost 60% higher than they were a year ago. The cost of coal and natural gas has spiked, too.

Many governments are struggling to protect their citizens, but fragile economies that borrowed heavily to make it through the 2008 financial crisis and the pandemic are most vulnerable. As growth slows, hurting their currencies and making it harder to keep up with debt payments, maintaining subsidies for food and fuel will be difficult, especially if prices keep climbing.

"We are now in a situation where countries are indebted," Arezki said. "As a result, they have no buffers to try to contain the tensions that will emerge from such high prices."

According to the World Bank, close to 60% of the poorest countries were "already in debt distress or at high risk of it" on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine.

Where tensions are simmering

Asia: In Sri Lanka, an island nation of 22 million, an economic and political crisis is already boiling over, with protesters taking to the streets in defiance of curfews and government ministers stepping down en masse.

Grappling with high debt levels and a weak economy reliant on tourism, Sri Lanka was forced to run down its reserves of foreign currency. That prevented the government from making payments for key imports such as energy, creating devastating shortages and forcing people to spend hours lining up for fuel.

Its leaders have also devalued its currency, the Sri Lankan rupee, as they try to secure a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. But that just made inflation worse at home. In January, it reached 14%, almost double the rate of price increases in the United States.

Pakistan's parliament issued a vote of no confidence in Khan on Sunday, ousting him from power and upending his government. While his political problems date back years, claims of economic mismanagement as the cost of food and fuel leaped, as well as the depletion of foreign exchange reserves, made matters worse.

"The extent of economic chaos has united opposition to Imran Khan," Kinnear of Verisk Maplecroft said.

Middle East and Africa: Experts are also watching for signs of political distress in other countries in the Middle East that are heavily dependent on food imports from the Black Sea region, and often provide generous subsidies to the public.

With an estimated 70% of the world's poor living in Africa, the continent will also be "very exposed" to rising food and energy prices, Arezki said.

Droughts and conflict in countries like Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Burkina Faso have created a food security crisis for more than a quarter of the continent's population, the International Committee of the Red Cross said this week. The situation risks getting worse in the coming months, it continued.

Political instability has already been building in parts of the continent. A series of coups have taken place in West and Central Africa since the start of 2021.

Europe: Even countries with more developed economies, which have greater buffers to shield citizens from painful price increases, won't have the tools to fully cushion the blow.

Thousands of protesters gathered in cities across Greece this week to demand higher wages to counter inflation, while France's presidential election is narrowing as far-right candidate Marine Le Pen plays up her plans to reduce the cost of living . President Emmanuel Macron's government said last month it was c onsidering issuing food vouchers so that middle and low-income families could afford to eat.

— Jessie Yeung, Rhea Mogul and Sophia Saifi contributed reporting.

Coke's latest flavor is here. And it's a weird one - CNN

New York (CNN Business) Coke's recent foray into bold new flavors has its latest entry, and it's a doozy.

Last month, Coca-Cola announced a new limited-edition beverage: Coca-Cola Starlight , a red version of the iconic soda with a flavor "inspired by space."

Now the company is one-upping itself with another offbeat offering: Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte, a new flavor that is supposed to taste like ... pixels.

"Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte makes the intangible taste of the pixel tangible," Oana Vlad, senior director of strategy at Coca-Cola, told CNN Business in an email. It's "the Coca-Cola taste you know and love with bright elements upfront and refreshing with the finish," she said.

Byte is the second beverage — after Starlight — from Coca-Cola Creations, the company's new innovation division.

Read More

War has brought the world to the brink of a food crisis | CNN Business

London (CNN Business) Svein Tore Holsether says the world is careening toward a food crisis that could affect millions of people.

Record high natural gas prices have forced the company he runs, fertilizer producer Yara International , to curtail its production of ammonia and urea in Europe to 45% of capacity. With less of those two essential agricultural ingredients, he expects knock-on effects for global food supplies

"It's not whether we are going to have a food crisis. It's how large that crisis will be," Holsether told CNN Business.

Two weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, the prices of key agricultural products produced in the region have skyrocketed. The biggest problem is wheat , a pantry staple. Supplies from Russia and Ukraine, which together account for almost 30% of global wheat trade, are now at risk. Global wheat prices hit an all-time high earlier this week.

Another major problem is access to fertilizer. Essential for farmers to hit their production targets for crops, it's never been more expensive, as exports from Russia grind to a halt. Output in Europe has also plunged thanks to the surging price of natural gas, a key ingredient in nitrogen-based fertilizers like urea.

The situation is ringing alarm bells for global health experts. The cost of corn, soybeans and vegetable oils has been jumping, too.

Agriculture ministers from the G7 countries said Friday they "remain determined to do what is necessary to prevent and respond to a food crisis."

But fearing shortages, countries are already turning inward, which could ultimately leave less food for those in need.

Egypt just banned the export of wheat, flour, lentils and beans amid growing concerns over food reserves in the Arab world's most populous state. Indonesia has also tightened export restrictions on palm oil, which is a component in cooking oil as well as in cosmetics and some packaged goods like chocolate. It's the world's top producer of the product.

The G7 ministers called on countries to "keep their food and agricultural markets open and to guard against any unjustified restrictive measures on their exports."

"Any further increase in food price levels and volatility in international markets could threaten food security and nutrition at a global scale, especially among the most vulnerable living in environments of low food security," they said in a statement.

Western countries with more access to agriculture will be hurt, too. Consumers there have already been stung by higher prices, and the situation is poised to deteriorate further.

Russia, Ukraine and global food supplies

Even before Russia launched a war in Ukraine, the global food system was strained. Snarled supply chains and unpredictable weather patterns — often the result of climate change — had already pushed food prices to their highest level in about a decade. Affordability was also an issue after the pandemic left millions out of work.

The number of people on the edge of famine has jumped to 44 million from 27 million in 2019, the UN's World Food Programme said this month.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which both play crucial roles in the carefully calibrated system of global food production, stands to make the situation worse.

Global wheat prices have fallen from record highs in recent days, but remain elevated. They're expected to stay that way for some time, according to Rabobank commodity analyst Carlos Mera.

The wheat planting season, which is about to begin in Ukraine, will be disrupted by fighting. It's not clear there will be enough farmers to till the land, as people in the country take up arms — or whether they'll be able to access machinery and other essential products that would typically arrive through Black Sea ports.

"It's anyone's guess if Ukraine will be able to export anything for the rest of this year, or next year, or in the foreseeable future," Mera said. The country also accounts for half of all exports of sunflower oil

Getting products from Russia onto the world market has also gotten more difficult, because businesses don't want to risk running afoul of sanctions or deal with the logistics of traveling near a war zone.

Russia and Ukraine serve as the breadbasket for countries in the Middle East and North Africa that depend on imports. Many will be hit hard as a result. The United States and Europe will feel the pain, too, since the run-up in prices for important agricultural goods will affect businesses that produce food in every market.

"Any serious disruption of production and exports from these suppliers will no doubt drive up prices further and erode food security for millions of people," the Agricultural Market Information System said in a recent report

Fertilizer costs soar

The brewing crisis goes beyond wheat and oils. Russia, along with its ally Belarus, is also a major exporter of the fertilizers needed to plant a wide range of crops. But right now, everyone is shunning their stock.

"Nobody wants to touch a Russian product right now," said Deepika Thapliyal, a fertilizer expert at Independent Commodity Intelligence Services. "If you look at all of the traders, all of the buyers, they're very scared."

The price of natural gas is exacerbating the issue. Fertilizer producers outside of Russia and Belarus need gas to make nitrogen-based products like urea, which is used when sowing crops to boost yield and even promotes their deep-green color.

But Holsether, the CEO of Yara, said costs have gotten too high to keep operations running at scale. He's not sure when European production will be at full capacity again.

"There's a large part of the industry that's at risk of not being able to deliver products to the farmers, and that will have an impact on the crop yields quite rapidly," he said.

Farmers have the incentive right now to pay what they need to get fertilizer, since prices for their products are going up, too. Not everyone has this option, however. Urea has been trading near $1,000 per metric ton, about four times the price at the start of 2021, according to Chris Lawson, the head of fertilizers at CRU Group, a market intelligence firm.

Countries without domestic fertilizer production may also struggle to access it, with huge consequences for the global food system.

"You can't grow massive fields of wheat, barley or soy without fertilizer," said Johanna Mendelson Forman, a professor at American University who specializes in war and food. Farmers in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil are already worried about shortages, she added.

The consequences

On Monday, Russian fertilizer and coal billionaire Andrey Melnichenko broke with President Vladimir Putin and called for peace in Ukraine, noting that a global food crisis looms.

The war "has already led to soaring prices in fertilizers which are no longer affordable to farmers," Melnichenko told Reuters. "Now it will lead to even higher food inflation in Europe and likely food shortages in the world's poorest countries," he added.

The G7 agriculture ministers said Friday that their countries would leverage humanitarian aid where they can to mitigate fallout from the war. But they may also be hamstrung by a dearth of supplies and rising prices.

"If Ukrainian fields lie fallow this year, aid agencies such as ours will be forced to source new markets to compensate for the loss of some of the world's best wheat," David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Programme, said in an op-ed published in the Washington Post this week. "Doing so will come at a vastly inflated cost."

Beasley noted that Ukrainian wheat has also been essential to feeding populations in other countries facing conflict, including Afghanistan, Sudan and Yemen.

"The vast majority of wheat is used for human consumption, and that's irreplaceable," Rabobank's Mera said.

And it won't just be countries grappling with famine or war that feel the effects.

The affordability of food is a problem for lower-income shoppers everywhere, Mendelson Forman emphasized. In April 2021, about one in seven American adults experienced food insecurity over the past 30 days, according to the Urban Institute.

"We're used to a globalized system of trade to get all kinds of varieties of food," she said. "People will see it in their pocketbooks, and they'll see it in the grocery stores."

— Mostafa Salem contributed reporting.

21 restaurant and supermarket chains that require customers to ...

Colman Andrews

24/7 Wall Street

Some 96% of the restaurants surveyed around the country in July by industry newsletter Restaurant Dive reported that they required their employees to wear masks while working. Many supermarket chains had similar rules in place. The policy is now increasingly extending to customers as well.

As of mid-August, the governments of some 34 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, had mandated the wearing of protective masks or other face coverings in public places – including restaurants, stores, and hotel common areas – according to a state-by-state guide to face mask requirements published by AARP.

In addition, a growing number of major national and regional restaurant and supermarket chains have issued systemwide mask orders of their own – even though many of their locations were already subject to the statewide mandates. Chains that have taken this extra step include Starbucks, McDonald's, Chipotle, Shake Shack, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods.

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The public hasn't always appreciated the new measures. For whatever reasons, mask-wearing (or not-wearing) has become a political issue – and a sometimes violently emotional one. In July, for instance, two customers at a Manhattan branch of Trader Joe's not only refused to wear masks, but also ripped the mask off an employee in protest, hit another one with a wooden paddle, and pulled a third one's hair. The same month, a cashier at a McDonald's drive-thru window in Oakland, California, was assaulted – through the window – by a man who resented being asked to cover his face.

Numerous other examples of mask rage have been recorded around the country, with some establishments actually closing down rather than risking harassment or worse from angry anti-mask customers. (The mask issue isn't the only reason some places are shutting down. These are states where recently reopened bars and dining rooms are closing again.)

The good news is that, angry mask-haters aside, the general populace seems to be getting used to wearing masks in public. A Harris Poll published last month found that 76% of Americans believe that retail businesses in general – not just restaurants and supermarkets – should institute customer mask policies, with 78% feeling that workers should be prepared to enforce them. (Already, these national stores require customers to wear face masks.)

In most cases, corporate policies introduced by restaurant and supermarket chains went into effect in late July or early August. Most mandates cite exceptions based on age or health conditions, and for obvious reasons, restaurant customers don't have to keep their faces covered when they're actually eating or drinking.

“We are not defenseless against COVID-19,” said Dr. Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a statement released in mid-July. “Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus – particularly when used universally within a community setting." That certainly would include restaurants and grocery stores.

Albertsons

All 2,252 supermarkets Albertsons operates nationwide – under its own brand as well as such brands as Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Jewel-Osco, Acme, and Shaws – began requiring customers to don face coverings on July 21. The company website says the policy is for the customers' protection and for that of the associates.

Aldi

Effective July 27, ALDI discount supermarkets began requiring that both customers and staff at all stores wear masks, as "an enhanced safety measure intended to help limit the spread of COVID-19," as a corporate statement put it. The company urges customers unable or unwilling to wear a face covering to use the ALDI delivery service or, where available, curbside pickup.

Baskin-Robbins

As of Aug. 5, the ice cream chain began mandating "a face covering while inside our restaurants" for all customers. In its statement announcing the policy, the company went on to say, "This simple step ... will help to provide a safe environment for guests, franchisees and their restaurant employees."

Chipotle Mexican Grill

In a statement to the trade publication Nation's Restaurant News, Chipotle chief corporate affairs and food safety officer Laurie Schalow announced that the chain had "proactively made the decision to require guests to wear masks in all restaurants." The requirement went into effect on July 24.

Dunkin'

Dunkin' (formerly Dunkin' Donuts) joined the ranks of restaurant chains requiring customers to wear masks on Aug. 5. "We believe that wearing a mask is a simple step we can all take to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and help to keep guests and restaurant crew safe," says a statement on the chain's website. In a reference to its longtime slogan "America Runs on Dunkin'," the site includes a graphic depicting a Dunkin'-themed mask with the legend "Join us in wearing a mask to help keep America runnin'."

H.E.B.

This massive San Antonio-based grocery chain, whose only American stores are in Texas (it also operates in Mexico), introduced its statewide mask mandate for customers as of July 1. "[A]s Texans Helping Texans," reads a statement from the company, "we wear masks to keep each other and our families safe." H.E.B.'s high-end Central Market chain, which has nine stores around Texas, instituted its own mask requirement on June 22.

Hilton Hotel restaurants

"In accordance with CDC guidelines," reads a statement on the Hilton website, "we are requiring face coverings in all indoor public areas of our hotels throughout the U.S. for guests and Team Members." The measure, which includes hotel dining areas, took effect on July 28.

Hyatt Hotel restaurants

"NOTE: face coverings are required in hotel indoor public areas and when moving around in outdoor areas at all Hyatt hotels in the Americas," says a statement on the Hyatt website. The policy, encompassing dining rooms as well as other public spaces, was instituted as of Aug. 10.

Kroger

America's second-largest grocery company and largest supermarket chain (Walmart sells more groceries, along with many other items), Kroger mandated the wearing of face masks for customers on July 22. The policy applies not only to Kroger stores but also to other chains under the Kroger corporate umbrella, including Ralphs, Smith's, Fred Meyer, and Harris Teeter.

Marriott Hotel restaurants

Marriott, the world's largest hotel company, announced in a video message from company CEO Arne Sorenson that masks would be required in all indoor areas (restaurants included) as of July 27. Wearing masks, said Sorenson, "is one of the easiest steps that we can all take to protect one another and reduce the spread of COVID-19." The requirement applies to all of the company's U.S. and Canadian properties, including more than 25 Marriott brands, among them Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W Hotels, Westin, and Sheraton.

McDonald's

As of Aug. 1, McDonald's began requiring customers to wear face coverings when entering its U.S. restaurants. The company statement announcing the policy notes that more than 80% of its locations are in states or localities where masks had already been mandated. Customers who enter without a mask, the chain told CNN Business, "will be offered one by an employee. If they refuse to wear it, they'll be asked to stand at a designated spot, away from other customers, where they'll receive their orders."

Noodles & Co.

"Effective Wednesday, July 22," reads a statement on the website of this internationally themed pasta chain, "all team members and guests who visit Noodles & Company will be required to wear a face covering inside all company-owned locations."

Publix

This supermarket chain, with stores throughout Florida and other Southern states, initiated a customer mask requirement on July 21. According to a statement on the company website, "We have previously encouraged our customers to follow CDC guidance and have now implemented a face covering requirement in our stores to do our part and help protect our communities."

Panda Express

On July 29, the fast casual American-Chinese chain Panda Express issued a statement saying, "We ask guests to respect our safety protocol and wear face masks when visiting our restaurants." The company website adds, "Let's stay safe together..."

Panera Bread

In a statement dated July 15, Panera announced that "guests are asked to wear a mask inside our bakery-cafes nationwide ... [to] ensure the safety of our associates and guests." The statement adds that "If any customer does not have or want to wear a mask for any reason, we will happily serve them via Panera Curbside, Delivery or Drive-Thru."

Shake Shack

On July 30, this popular burger chain noted in a COVID-19 update on its website, "With the well-being of our communities as our guide, we've been adapting our Shacks to ensure the safety of our guests and team members." Among other things, the statement specifies, this means that "Masks are required for all guests, team members + delivery couriers."

Starbucks

"In its continued effort in prioritizing the health and well-being of partners (employees) and customers," reads a statement on the ubiquitous coffee chain's website, "Starbucks today announced that beginning on July 15, it will be requiring customers to wear facial coverings while visiting all company-owned café locations in the US."

Trader Joe's

"We require customers wear a face covering while shopping in our stores," says a statement by the chain. Interestingly, the chain provides masks to "crew members" (as it styles its employees) but is only "urging that they use them."

Whole Foods Market

As of July 20, the upscale Amazon-owned grocery chain has required all customers to wear face coverings "to protect the health and safety of our Team Members and communities," according to the website. Masks are provided for customers who don't have their own.

Winn-Dixie

The chain, which operates supermarkets in seven Southern states under several banners, began requiring customers to mask up on July 27. It had initially refused to make the practice mandatory on the grounds that – as a company spokesperson told CBS News – "Mask mandates are a highly charged issue with our customers." The company still maintains that state and federal officials should pass mask laws instead of relying on individual companies to declare and enforce the policy.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts restaurants

The major hotel group requires that "guests and all other individuals entering the hotel wear a mask or face covering when in indoor public areas." Restaurants are included in the mandate, which extends to all the company's U.S. and Canadian properties. Wyndam's mask requirement went into effect on Aug. 10.

24/7 Wall Street is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

Putin is making the same mistakes that doomed Hitler when he ...

(CNN) Russian President Vladimir Putin often evokes the Soviet Union's epic defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II to justify his country's invasion of Ukraine.

Yet Putin is committing some of the same blunders that doomed Germany's 1941 invasion of the USSR -- while using "Hitler-like tricks and tactics " to justify his brutality, military historians and scholars say.

This is the savage irony behind Putin's decision to invade Ukraine that's become clear as the war enters its second month: the Russian leader, who portrays himself as a student of history, is floundering because he hasn't paid enough attention to the lessons of the "Great Patriotic War" he reveres.

"I have been trying to make sense of this for a month, because as terrible as Putin is, you could never say he was illogical," says Peter T. DeSimone, an associate professor of Russian and Eastern European history at Utica University in New York.

"All of this is illogical, and that's the scary thing," he says. "This is not normal for what he's done in the past. This is something that makes no sense on many levels, and not just in regard to World War II."

There are, of course, significant differences between the current war in Ukraine and the clash between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

The Nazi war machine was formidable, agile, and well-trained. The Wehrmacht killed and wounded 150,000 Red Army soldiers in the first week of their invasion in June of 1941. They seized vast swaths of territory, and in one "mega-encirclement" trapped four Soviet armies, capturing 700,000 prisoners of war.

Soviet soldiers fighting in the streets of Stalingrad in October 1942.

And there is no moral equivalence between Joseph Stalin , the Soviet dictator, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

Stalin was a sociopath (he once reached into a cage and killed a family pet parrot because its chirping annoyed him) who starved millions of Ukrainians to death and routinely murdered political rivals. Zelensky is a democratically elected leader who has rallied Ukrainians and inspired the world with his conspicuous displays of courage and eloquent defense of democracy.

But look closer at Putin's struggles in Ukraine and ironic parallels emerge. Military historians say Putin is following Hitler's ill-fated playbook in at least three areas.

Putin forgot a basic rule of warfare

The tank has long struck dread in enemy troops. When the British introduced the first lumbering tanks during World War I, soldiers fled in terror

Ukraine, though, has become, according to one recent headline, a "graveyard for Russian tanks." Ukrainian soldiers are using everything from drones to Javelins to destroy tank convoys.

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But Russian tanks have been stymied for another surprising reason: lack of fuel . The lack of fuel is part of a bigger problem. The once-vaunted Russian army has become bogged down in Ukraine not just because of fierce resistance but by something more prosaic: logistics.

Smoke rises from a destroyed Russian tank on the side of a road in the Lugansk region of Ukraine on February 26, 2022.

Putin has struggled to feed, fuel and equip his army. There have been reports of Russian troops looting banks and supermarkets, tanks running out of fuel, and soldiers using substandard forms of military communication -- like smartphones -- that have contributed to what Ukraine says are the deaths of at least seven Russian generals

"The evidence suggests that Putin thought he could win a quick victory with the deployment of special forces and airborne units," says Ian Ona Johnson , a professor of military history at the University of Notre Dame. "So when they were forced to go to a much more traditional war involving essentially most of the Russian army along the Ukrainian border, they weren't prepared for some of the logistics."

Poor logistical planning also played a critical role in Nazi Germany's defeat on the Eastern front, where Hitler expected a quick victory.

The German army failed to set up sufficient supply lines for the vast distances and harsh terrain of the Soviet Union. German tanks ran out of fuel. The consequences of this poor logistical planning would prove fatal when the Russian winter hit.

Hitler didn't equip many of his soldiers with winter clothing because he thought the Soviet army was so inferior. German soldiers were forced to fight in freezing temperatures while still clad in their summer uniforms, with some using newspaper and straw to shield themselves against the cold.

"This proved devastating when a particularly brutal Russian winter set in," Johnson says. "Something like 250,000 German soldiers eventually suffered frostbite injuries or died from the cold that winter because of logistical issues."

Ukrainian soldiers patrol next to a destroyed Russian tank in the village of Lukianivka near Kyiv on March 30, 2022.

The German army reached its lowest point at the battle of Stalingrad, considered the turning point of World War II. There ill-equipped German soldiers were forced to eat horses, dogs and rats to survive the winter.

The scale of the fighting in Ukraine today doesn't approach the Eastern Front, but the lesson from both wars can be summed up in a military maxim attributed to Gen. Omar Bradley , an American general during World War II:

"Amateurs talk strategy. Professionals talk logistics."

He alienated potential allies

In a war already full of heartbreaking images, one photo may be the worst.

It is a haunting photo of a pregnant Ukrainian woman in torn clothes being carried on a stretcher. The woman is conscious, her hand cradled protectively over her bare womb, which is smeared with blood. Both she and her baby would later die from her injuries. Ukrainian authorities say she was in a maternity hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol when it was shelled by Russian artillery.

The image underscored what some commentators now say is Putin's standard approach to war: He is indiscriminately killing civilians to break the will of the Ukrainian people.

A Ukrainian woman near a block of apartment buildings destroyed in the besieged port city of Mariupol on March 17, 2022.

Russia's army has been accused of bombing hospitals, shopping malls, apartment buildings and a theater with the word "children" written in Russian on the exterior of the building. Russia also been accused of trying to starve a Ukrainian city into submission by blocking humanitarian relief.

The Russian army's brutality, though, is having the opposite effect, Maria Varenikova wrote from Lviv, Ukraine, in a recent article for the New York Times.

"If there is one overriding emotion gripping Ukraine right now, it is hate," Varenikova said. "It is a deep, seething bitterness for President Vladimir V. Putin, his military, and his government."

JUST WATCHED CNN investigation reveals details of Russian strike on hospital Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH CNN investigation reveals details of Russian strike on hospital 03:42

Brutality can backfire in war.

Putin has potential allies in Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine are two Slavic nations that share religious and cultural ties. Many Ukrainians have relatives in Russia and speak the language. And there has historically been more allegiance to Russia in the eastern part of the country.

But Putin's indiscriminate brutality against civilians is uniting Ukrainians in a way they've never been brought together before. One commentator called hate a "hidden treasure" in war because it can sustain resistance for generations.

Hitler's indiscriminate brutality against Soviet civilians also played a crucial factor in his defeat.

Hitler had many potential allies in the Soviet Union. Many Soviets despised and feared Stalin, who routinely murdered political opponents, executed military leaders and persecuted Soviet citizens. He murdered about four million Ukrainians by starving them during one infamous period known as the Holodomor

That's why some Soviets initially welcomed Hitler as a liberator, and gave some German troops Christmas presents.

Onlookers survey the damage at a residential building that was hit in an alleged Russian airstrike in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on February 25.

But Hitler's brutal treatment of civilians quickly stiffened Soviet resistance. German troops looted and starved Russian cities into submission. They rounded up Soviet Jews and other minorities, shooting them or poisoning them in mobile gassing vans. Nazi propaganda taught Germans that Soviets were generically inferior "Mongolized" Slavs who deserved death or enslavement.

"The Nazis were not an occupying force; they were an extermination force from the start," says DeSimone, the historian from Utica University.

Stalin was so hated that roughly a million Soviets served in the German army, says Johnson, the Notre Dame historian. Hitler's brutality destroyed any chance he had of picking off Soviet sympathizers and weakening Soviet resistance, Johnson says.

"Instead of taking advantage of large numbers of people who might been sympathetic or at least think the Germans were better than the Soviets," he says, "Hitler rapidly alienated all those groups."

He's using Hitler-like language to justify war

Last summer, Putin published a lengthy essay entitled "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians" that sought to explain that there was an artificial division between the two countries and that "true sovereignty of Ukraine is possible only in partnership with Russia."

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at a celebration marking the eighth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on March 18, 2022.

The language Putin used caused some historians to shudder. They said he echoed some of the same rhetoric Hitler used in "Mein Kampf," the dictator's autobiography and political manifesto. Hitler's book brimmed with distorted history about Germany's lost greatness, global conspiracies that undercut Germany's power, and justifications for conquest of another group of people.

"Like the Führer, the president of Russia bemoans the tragedy that has befallen his homeland, an erstwhile empire, and he too wants to turn back the clock," wrote Avi Garfinkel, a reporter for Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, in an article entitled, "How Putin's Ukraine Agenda Evokes Hitler's Mein Kampf."

This may be one of the most disturbing links between Putin and Hitler. Some Putin critics say he is using Nazi language and propaganda techniques to justify the invasion of Ukraine. They compared the "Z" inscribed on Russian tanks to a symbol used by Nazis in concentration camps. Others compared a recent massive war rally Putin led in a Moscow stadium to scenes of a Hitler speech in an infamous Nazi propaganda film called " Triumph of the Will.

German leader Adolf Hitler addresses soldiers at a Nazi rally in Dortmund, Germany.

Some of the strongest reaction to Putin's rhetoric stems from his claim that the Russian army is striving for the "de-Nazification" of Ukraine and seeks to protect people who have been "abused by the genocide of the Kyiv regime."

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Timothy Snyder , a leading authority on Central European history and the Holocaust, says Putin's claim about "de-Nazification" is "grotesque" because he's trying to justify invading a democratic country -- led by a Jewish president who lost relatives in the Holocaust -- by claiming he's there to fight Nazis.

Snyder calls Putin's justification a variation of Hitler's Big Lie -- a Nazi propaganda technique that insists that if a political leader repeats a colossal untruth enough, people will eventually believe it.

"Adolf Hitler had some public relations advice: Tell a lie so big that people will not believe that you would ever try to deceive them on such a grand scale," Snyder wrote in an essay titled, "Putin's Hitler-like tricks and tactics in Ukraine."

By telling lies that Ukraine is run by Nazis bent on genocide, Putin is making a mockery of people who survived the Holocaust, says Snyder, author of " On Tyranny ."

A Nazi propaganda image showing German troops being hailed as liberators in Riga, Latvia, during World War II.

Yet Putin's embrace of the Big Lie could also backfire. In a country where many citizens' ancestors perished in the Holocaust, invoking such a historical tragedy to justify war may only make some Ukrainians more determined to defend their homeland.

Perhaps that is why some Ukrainians no longer call Putin the Russian president.

They call him "The New Hitler."

What could be the biggest irony of all

We know the result of Hitler's invasion. The Soviet Union eventually destroyed the Nazi war machine. The Soviets, more than any country, were responsible for the defeat of Nazi Germany. Hitler committed suicide as Russian troops closed in on his Berlin bunker in 1945.

An estimated 26 million Soviets died during World War II. One was Putin's two-year-old brother, Viktor , who died after the German army lay siege to a Russian city, blocking the delivery of food and water.

We don't know how the war in Ukraine will end. Putin could still prevail . He could split the nation and seize the energy-rich resources of Eastern Ukraine and consolidate his hold on the country's coastline, some say.

German artillery in the streets of Stalingrad in 1942, shelling a factory that was reportedly used by Soviets as a base for counter-attacks.

And we know that in war no one side has a monopoly on brutality. A far-right group with a history of neo-Nazi leanings has played a crucial role in Ukrainian resistance. Ukrainian soldiers have been accused of shooting Russian prisoners.

But if Ukraine somehow preserves its independence and its territory, something may happen that could lead to one of the biggest ironies of all.

A Ukrainian victory will be depicted as another Great Patriotic War. Ukrainians will commemorate their country's victory with parades and monuments. And Putin will no longer be hailed as a shrewd and bold leader who restored Russia's greatness by manipulating chess pieces on a global stage.

He will be seen as a fool whose hubris and brutality drove him into making the same mistakes as the dictator he professed to despise.

Advent calendars 2021: Costco brings back wine and beer calendars

It's only September, but Costco is already getting into the holiday "spirit."

Aside from starting to sell Christmas decor alongside Halloween costumes, the retailer has brought back its popular wine and beer Advent calendars, which are used to count down the Advent season, the religious days leading up to Christmas Eve.

"It might be Advent-ageous to add two very fun beer and wine holiday items to your Costco list in early September, as they sell out quickly," the wholesale club said in its September edition of Costco Connection magazine.

The wine calendars cost $99.99 and include 24 half bottles of wine in different varieties, which Costco says "flies off the shelves." Price and availability can vary by location.

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"We didn’t develop this idea, but we Costco-sized it," Kirk Johnson, a wine buyer for the retailer's Midwest region, said in the Costco Connection. "We made this item bigger and better by using half bottles instead of the standard 187-milliliter bottles you see in other packs. We also gathered 24 unique, premium-quality wines to create a treasure hunt for our members."

There's also a website with more information about the wines at Wineadvent-ure.com, which notes that this year’s "calendar will be in most Costco stores the first week of October."

Costco says its Brewer’s Advent Calendar is in its seventh year and includes 24 16.9-ounce cans of German beer. The calendar was selling for $59.99 at a Florida Costco club Friday.

Tony Rizzo, a San Diego regional beer buyer, told the Costco magazine that each year there are about six new beers in the calendar based on feedback from members.

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Traditionally, Advent calendars have been simple with fold-back flaps revealing treats such as chocolates, but over the years they have evolved to include options ranging from spirits to beauty items.

If you miss out on Costco’s booze-filled calendars, Aldi could have you covered. The discount grocer is bringing back its wine and cheese Advent calendars beginning Nov. 3 and plans to also release additional holiday countdowns.

And if you're having a hard time finding a Costco Advent calendar, shoppers on Facebook groups like Costco Fans, which has regional groups in addition to the main group, are posting where the calendars have been spotted. Learn other tips to save at Costco here.

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Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko. For shopping news, tips and deals, join us on our Shopping Ninjas Facebook group.

Memphis trivia quiz: Questions about history, politics, business

Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

That's an oft-repeated paraphrase of the line "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," from George Santayana's early 20th-century "The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress."

What's that got to do with this, the fifth in the monthly series of "Memphis Memories" quizzes that The Commercial Appeal launched in February?

Well, the focus this time is "History." And maybe you'll learn something from it. But however you do on the quiz, you won't be doomed or condemned to repeat it; even so, we hope you'll enjoy it enough to read through it a second time, or share it with friends and family members.

To be honest, the "History" theme is something of a catch-all. After all, isn't almost everything you can think of that's connected with Memphis a part of the city's history, whether the subject is politics or Piggly Wiggly?

In other words, this latest quiz could have run on for hundreds of questions. But as usual, we chose 21, because the year is 2021. Clever!

So, let's begin. (The answers, as always, appear at the bottom of the quiz.)

THE QUESTIONS

1. Modern Memphis was founded on May 22, 1819, by planter John Overton, Revolutionary War officer James Winchester and future president Andrew Jackson, on territory that the federal government had purchased from:

a) France.

b) Spain.

c) John Jacob Astor (1763-1848), the real-estate mogul who was America's first multimillionaire.

d) The Chickasaw Nation.

2. Ida B. Wells launched her anti-lynching campaign in the 1890s, while she was editor and reporter at this Memphis newspaper:

a) The Western World & Memphis Banner of the Constitution.

b) The Avalanche.

c) The Memphis Free Speech & Headlight.

d) The Memphis Press-Scimitar.

3. Fill in the blank: In his 1982 history of Memphis, “Metropolis of the American Nile,” author John E. Harkins wrote: “From its founding in 1819 until about 1840, Memphis was a _____ striving to survive as a town."

a) disreputable delta afterthought

b) cotton patch with delusions of grandeur

c) river pirate’s sanctuary

d) primitive and pestilential little mudhole

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4. In 1991, Dr. W.W. Herenton, longtime superintendent for Memphis City Schools, became the first Black mayor of Memphis when he defeated incumbent Dick Hackett by _____ votes (according to The New York Times), out of about 250,000 cast.

a) 6

b) 43

c) 172

d) 1,608

5. In 1826, this man was elected to Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District — the seat (with very different boundaries) later held by Harold Ford and Steve Cohen.

a) Davy Crockett.

b) Daniel Boone.

c) James K. Polk.

d) Nathan Bedford Forrest.

6. In 1835, journalist David Cohn wrote: “The Mississippi Delta begins ____”

a) on the banks of the Bluff City.

b) in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel.

c) within the hearts of the fair ladies of Memphis.

d) in the pulpits of this most God-fearing of cities.

7. According to the lead story on the front page of the May 17, 1905, edition of The Commercial Appeal, "between 13,000 and 20,000 people" had gathered the previous day for "what will be recorded among the important events in the history of the city," the unveiling of the statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest in what was then known as Forrest Park. Which of these passages did not appear in that lengthy story?

a) "Her lips fluttered with a smile like the red petals of a jacqueminot rose, gently blown, and her eyes danced as she released the cords and allowed the wind to carry off the shielding bunting."

b) "The general's investment in the slave trade inspired the occasional skeptical remark from some onlookers..."

c) "The historian of the present time will review many significant and important lives. He will lay the laurel upon many a storied tomb; but he will honor no genius more loved and revered than the one who rests beneath the historic statue in Forrest Park."

d) "He sits the more supreme in the saddle to exercise an unconscious influence among the people who so honored him yesterday."

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8. Opened in 1875 at 180 N. Main, this Memphis shop is still in business, although at a different location.

a) Burke's Book Store.

b) The Peanut Shoppe.

c) A. Schwab Dry Goods.

d) Dinstuhl's Fine Candies.

9. On July 15, 1853, Mrs. R.B. Berry made Memphis history when...

a) She was arrested for "indecency" for wearing pants in public.

b) She hacked her husband to death with an ax, setting the stage for her to become the city's first convicted murderess.

c) She opened The Happy Cat, the city's first female-owned saloon.

d) She became the first person buried in Elmwood Cemetery.

10. "The Hot Wing King."

a) That's the nickname of Bobby "Bawk Bawk" Bumps, the gimmicky1990s Memphis professional wrestler who rubbed what was said to be blistering hot sauce into the eyes of opponents he immobilized with his signature "chicken wing" headlock.

b) That's the title of the first nationally televised Memphis-set situation comedy, which unfortunately lasted only six episodes on Nickelodeon in 1992, despite the presence of the post-"What's Happening!!" Fred "Rerun" Berry, who was cast as a hopeful chicken restaurateur.

c) That's the B-side of Rufus Thomas' 1973 single, "Funky Hot Grits."

d) That's the name of the play that on June 11 earned Memphis writer Katori Hall the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

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11. Did someone say "Pulitzer"? In 1923, The Commercial Appeal was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for public service for what the jury described as...

a) "an in-depth examination of the boll weevil threat to Southern agriculture."

b) "a series of editorials decrying the Communist menace that has infiltrated even the most cautious of American communities since the Reds began their revolution in Russia."

c) "the publication of cartoons and the handling of news in reference to the operations of the Ku Klux Klan.''

d) "an exploration of the increasing usefulness of the Mississippi River in regards to modern commerce and passenger travel."

12. With 24,251 music fans in attendance, which emcee and radio personality George Klein announced as "the biggest crowd ever to attend a rock concert in Memphis," the Liberty Bowl — then known as Memphis Memorial Stadium — hosted its first rock show on June 24, 1972. The triple bill consisted of:

a) Buddy Miles, Black Oak Arkansas and Three Dog Night.

b) Wet Willie, Little Feat and the Allman Brothers Band.

c) Furry Lewis, ZZ Top and the Rolling Stones.

d) Leon Russell, Spirit and Grand Funk Railroad.

13. The Memphis Zoo launched its reputation as the "Hippo Capital" of America with the arrival of its first hippopotamuses (hippopotami?) in 1914. Enthusiastic parents, the proud pachyderms produce 16 calves. The mother and father hippos were named:

a) Caesar and Cleopatra.

b) Venus and Adonis.

c) Samson and Delilah.

d) Tristan and Isolde.

14. Memphis entrepreneur Clarence Saunders launched his culture-changing self-service grocery chain in 1916. Why did he call the business "Piggly Wiggly"? According to the Piggy Wiggly website, Saunders offered this explanation for the store's unusual name:

a) "The public remembers a rhyme."

b) "Everybody loves pigs."

c) "So people will ask that very question."

d) "Bacon tastes good."

15. Amos Muzyad Yakhoob Kairouz was not born in Memphis, but the impact he made on the city — and beyond — continues. The man is better known as:

a) Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Records, who recorded Elvis, Johnny Cash, B.B. King and others.

b) Danny Thomas, comedian and founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

c) Shelby Foote, author and Civil War chronicler.

d) Kemmons Wilson, founder of Holiday Inn.

16. In 1968, influential Memphians A.W. Willis and Benjamin L. Hooks partnered with Mahalia Jackson to help the legendary gospel singer launch a fast-food chicken franchise that would function as a sort of sanctified complement to the country music-associated Minnie Pearl's Chicken restaurant chain (also an investor in the Jackson enterprise). The short-lived franchise was called:

a) Mahalia Jackson's Holy Ghost Chicken.

b) Mahalia Jackson Glori-Fried Chicken.

c) Mahalia Jackson's Chew On Up a Little Higher.

d) Mahalia Jackson's What a Friend We Have in Chicken.

17. Which of these milestones did not occur in 1972?

a) The 34-story Clark Tower in East Memphis was completed.

b) U.S. District Judge Robert McRae Jr. ordered the Memphis Board of Education to implement a desegregation plan that led to the busing of an estimated 13,789 students during the following school year.

c) Harold Ford Sr. became the first Black person elected to Congress in Tennessee.

d) Isaac Hayes won the Oscar for Best Original Song for "Theme from Shaft."

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18. Which of these Memphis "pageant facts" is not true?

a) Competing as the reigning "Miss Memphis," Barbara Jo Walker — future mother of Andy Hummel, who was a founding member of the influential 1970s Memphis power pop group Big Star — in 1947 became the last woman to be crowned Miss America while wearing a bathing suit.

b) Memphis-born Kellye Cash, who was Miss Tennessee when she won the Miss America crown in 1987, is the niece of singer Johnny Cash.

c) In 1970, Elvis Presley wrote to Miss America officials to express interest in performing the song "There She Is, Miss America" at the end of the nationally televised pageant, but organizers did not respond because they believed Elvis' image was not "clean cut" enough for the show.

d) The Miss USA competition was held at Graceland in 2020.

19. Which of these actual events happened first?

a) The Hernando de Soto Bridge (now closed indefinitely due to a "structural" crack) is opened to traffic.

b) Memphis schoolteacher Anita Ward has a No. 1 pop, disco and soul hit with "Ring My Bell."

c) City Council member J.O. Patterson Jr. becomes the city's first Black mayor, after he is named interim mayor, to replace Wyeth Chandler, who resigned from office to accept a Circuit Court judgeship. (W.W. Herenton does not become the first elected Black mayor until 10 years later.)

d) The private liberal arts school known as "Southwestern at Memphis" becomes "Rhodes College."

20. Signing on the air on Dec. 11, 1948, as WMCT, the station that is now WMC-TV Channel 5 was the first television broadcaster in Tennessee and the only Memphis station for five years. The W, of course, is the designated first letter of almost all radio and television stations east of the Mississippi, as mandated by federal licensing guidelines; but what did the "MC" in the call sign originally stand for?

a) Memphis Communications.

b) Movies and Conversation.

c) Mister Crump.

d) Memphis Commercial Appeal.

21. In an 1858 letter to his sister, Mark Twain characterized Memphis as _____

a) "Dante's tenth circle of hell."

b) "a nice place to visit, if you are a cutpurse or dipsomaniac."

c) "New Orleans, with hungry mosquitos and even hungrier mosicians."

d) "the noblest city on the face of the Earth."

THE ANSWERS

1. D.

2. C.

3. D.

4. C. (Proving joke candidates can make a difference, Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges, who claimed to be a resident of a planet named Zambodia, received 2,921 votes.)

5. A.

6. B.

7. B. (In fact, no explicit mention of race or slavery appears in the story; nor does the term "Civil War.") (The passage in 'A' was written about Forrest's great-granddaughter, Kathleen Bradley, who unveiled the statue.)

8. A. (Main Street's Peanut Shoppe was established in 1949, A. Schwab's opened on Beale in 1876, and Dinstuhl's was founded on Main in 1902.)

9. D. (The other scenarios are made-up.)

10. D. (Rufus Thomas really did release a 1973 single titled "Funky Hot Grits," but the B side was "Give Me the Green Light." The scenarios in answers A and B are fictional.)

11. C.

12. A.

13. B.

14. C.

15. B.

16. B.

17. C. (Ford earned this distinction in 1974.)

18. C. (Bonus fact: From 1948 on, Miss America winners have been crowned while wearing evening gowns.)

19. A. (The answer choices are listed in chronological order: The bridge opened in 1973; "Ring My Bell" was a hit in 1979; Patterson became mayor in 1982; Southwestern changed its name in 1984.)

20. D. (At the time, both The Commercial Appeal and the television station were owned by Scripps Howard, so the letters in the "call sign" were chosen to emphasize the new enterprise's connection with the well-established newspaper.)

21. D. (Twain's letter was written after a visit to the Memphis hospital where his brother Henry was being treated for injuries in a steamboat explosion.)

King Soopers strike by 8,000 workers affects Denver area grocery ...

New York (CNN Business) About 8,000 grocery store workers at 77 King Soopers and City Markets stores in the Denver area are on strike after the union rejected what the company described as its best and final offer to replace a recently expired contract.

Kroger KR The strike started Wednesday morning against the stores, which are part of, the nation's largest stand-alone grocery retailer.

The number of members of the United Food & Commercial Workers union who are on strike make it the nation's second largest strike of the last two years, behind only a five-week work stoppage by 10,000 auto workers at John Deere & Co. that ended in November

at King Soopers and City Markets voted ovewhelmingly last week to authorize the strike, according to the union, which did not hold a separate vote to consider the company's final offer. The union said that offer would have created a new subclass of gig workers, which it claimed would be used to reduce work hours and drain the company's health fund for long-term employees. It also did not address worker concerns about Covid The rank-and-file workersat King Soopers and City Markets voted ovewhelmingly last week to authorize the strike, according to the union, which did not hold a separate vote to consider the company's final offer. The union said that offer would have created a new subclass of gig workers, which it claimed would be used to reduce work hours and drain the company's health fund for long-term employees. It also did not address worker concerns about Covid safety measures to protect both employees and customers, the union added.

"The company's 'last, best, and final' offer, in many ways, is worse than its previous offers," said Kim Cordova, president of the local unit of the striking union. "Clearly, King Soopers/City Market will not voluntarily meet the needs of our workers, despite our repeated pleas for the company to listen to the voices of our members. We strike because it has become clear this is the only way to get what is fair, just, and equitable for the grocery workers who have risked their lives every day just by showing up to work during the pandemic."