America's Health Rankings 2014 - Business Insider

America's Health Rankings 2014 - Business Insider: "ince the rankings began in 1990, Mississippi — which has high rates of obesity and diabetes, low availability of primary care, and high incidence of infectious disease — has always ranked among the bottom three. Hawaii — which has low rates of obesity, smoking, cancer deaths, and preventable hospitalizations — has always been among the top six.

The rankings are funded by the United Health Foundation and are based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Medical Association, the Census Bureau, and other sources. They take into account 27 distinct measures including rates of smoking, obesity, drug deaths, education, violent crime, pollution, childhood poverty, infectious disease, and infant mortality."



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ECB mulls €1 trillion bond move as Germany warns on QE

ECB mulls €1 trillion bond move as Germany warns on QE: "The head of Germany’s Bundesbank warned the European Central Bank on Friday against copying the money printing used in the United States and Japan, saying that it would not have the same impact in Europe.
Speaking a day after ECB president Mario Draghi signalled further action to shore up the euro zone economy as soon as early next year, Jens Weidmann cautioned that so-called quantitative easing may not work in Europe.
“You cannot simply apply the same formula in Europe that has enjoyed success in the US or in Japan,” Mr Weidmann told a conference in Frankfurt, commenting on the prospect of further money printing to buy assets such as state bonds.
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“In the USA, there is a central state that issues bonds that are very safe and secure. We don’t have that central state here,” said Mr Weidmann, who also cautioned that making it too cheap for countries to borrow could discourage them from reforming."



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Starbucks Expanding Lunch Menu in Bid to Draw U.S. Diners - Bloomberg

Starbucks Expanding Lunch Menu in Bid to Draw U.S. Diners - Bloomberg: "Facebook
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SBUX:US81.310.84 1.04%
Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) plans to expand its lunch offerings and bring beer and wine to more stores as it seeks to boost U.S. sales with menu items that draw customers after the morning rush.

The world’s largest coffee-shop chain is aiming to double food revenue to more than $4 billion in the next five years, the company told investors at a conference at its Seattle headquarters today. Part of that push includes serving beer and wine at more than 2,000 stores in the U.S. by the end of 2019.

The additional alcohol offerings are estimated to add about $1 billion in revenue as more customers visit Starbucks in the evening, when store traffic is slowest, said Cliff Burrows, group president for the Americas.

“Female customers, in particular, enjoy meeting friends for a glass of wine in the evening,” he said.

A menu expansion began earlier this year, helping food contribute 2 percentage points to same-store sales growth in recent quarters, Starbucks said. The chain has been testing new lunch sandwiches in the U.S. and adding more bakery items and breakfast fare.

Burrows said the key to boosting revenue during the morning rush is selling more breakfast sandwiches to coffee customers. In the company’s fiscal fourth-quarter, which ended Sept. 28, breakfast sandwich sales grew 30 percent, he said."



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Starbucks Expands Reserve Coffee Line With New Seattle Location - Bloomberg

Starbucks Expands Reserve Coffee Line With New Seattle Location - Bloomberg: "Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) is opening a store in Seattle that combines a cafe with a coffee bean roastery as the chain boosts production of its Reserve line of premium coffee.

The Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room is a 15,000-square-foot facility that will serve Reserve coffee, which is sourced in small batches and sells for more than $20 a pound. The store, which opens today, will let Starbucks double its small-batch roasting capacity and expand the Reserve coffee presence to 1,500 locations from 800 worldwide.

The world’s biggest coffee-shop operator is experimenting with new store formats, including smaller express stores in New York City and a three-story cafe in Bogota. Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz has said Starbucks is seeking to emulate the retail environments offered by Apple Inc. and Nike Inc.

The Seattle facility provides a blueprint for other major urban markets, Troy Alstead, the company’s chief operating officer, said in an interview."



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