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Documentary Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, Who Skewered Fast Food Industry, Dies At 53

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Spurlock | AP News Image

NEW YORK — Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker whose most well-known works ridiculed America’s food business and who famously ate solely McDonald’s for a month to demonstrate the perils of a fast-food diet, died. He was 53.

Spurlock died Thursday in New York from cancer complications, according to a statement released by his family on Friday.

“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” Craig Spurlock, who collaborated with him on multiple projects, said in the statement. “Morgan contributed so much with his paintings, ideas, and compassion. The world has lost a great creative talent and a unique individual. I’m really proud to have worked with him.”

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Morgan Spurlock | AP News Image

Documentary Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, Who Skewered Fast Food Industry, Dies At 53

Spurlock made a big sensation 2004 with his innovative picture “Super Size Me,” which was nominated for an Academy Award. The film documented Spurlock’s negative physical and psychological repercussions after consuming exclusively McDonald’s cuisine for 30 days. He gained roughly 25 pounds, had an increase in his cholesterol, and lost his sexual drive.

“Everything’s bigger in America,” he stated in the film. “We’ve got the biggest cars, the biggest houses, the biggest companies, the biggest food, and finally: the biggest people.”

Spurlock quickly showed the kids a photo of George Washington, but none of them recognized the founding father. They did, however, recognize the Wendy’s and McDonald’s mascots immediately.

The video generated more than $22 million on a $65,000 budget and came out before Eric Schlosser’s influential “Fast Food Nation,” which accused the business of being harmful to the environment and riddled with labor difficulties.

Spurlock returned in 2017 with “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!“, a sobering look at an industry that produces 9 billion animals annually in the United States. He focused on two issues: poultry farmers trapped in an unusual financial system and fast-food restaurants’ attempts to trick customers into thinking they’re eating healthier.

“We’re at an amazing moment in history from a consumer standpoint where consumers are starting to have more and more power,” he told The Associated Press in 2019. “It is not about shareholder returns. It is about consumer return.”

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Morgan Spurlock | AP News Image

Documentary Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, Who Skewered Fast Food Industry, Dies At 53

Spurlock was a gonzo filmmaker who embraced the odd and ludicrous. His artistic additions included catchy visuals and funny music, which combined a Michael Moore-esque camera-in-your-face manner with his sense of humor and sorrow.

“I wanted to be able to lean into difficult situations. I wanted to be able to take a deep breath during happy occasions. We want to give you permission to laugh in places when it’s difficult to laugh,” he told the Associated Press.

After he exposed the fast-food and poultry industries, there was a surge in restaurants that emphasized freshness, artisanal processes, farm-to-table quality, and ethically obtained products. However, there was little difference in terms of nutrition.

“There has been a big transformation, and people ask me, ‘So, has the food gotten healthier?’ And I respond, ‘Well, the marketing sure has,'” he added.

Not all of his efforts involved food. Spurlock created documentaries about the boy band One Direction and the geeks and fanboys at Comic-Con. One of his videos examined life behind prison at Virginia’s Henrico County Jail.

With 2008’s “Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?” Spurlock embarked on a global search for the al-Qaida commander, who was slain in 2011. Spurlock’s “POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold” delves into product placement, marketing, and advertising.

“I believe that being aware is half the battle. “Knowing all the time when you’re being marketed to is fantastic,” Spurlock told the AP then. “Many people don’t realize it. They can’t see the forest through the trees.”

“Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!” was supposed to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017, but it was pulled in the height of the #MeToo movement when Spurlock came forth to detail his history of sexual misconduct.

He admitted that he had been accused of rape in college and had resolved a sexual harassment case with a female aide. He also admits to cheating on multiple partners. “I am part of the problem,” he stated.

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Morgan Spurlock | AP News Image

Documentary Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, Who Skewered Fast Food Industry, Dies At 53

“For me, there was a moment of awareness — as a truth-teller and someone who has made it a point to try to do the right thing — that I could do better in my own life. “We should be able to admit we were wrong,” he told the Associated Press

Spurlock grew up in Beckley, West Virginia. His mother was an English teacher who, he recalls, corrected his work with a red pen. In 1993, he earned a BFA in film from New York University.

He leaves behind two children, Laken and Kallen, as well as his mother, Phyllis Spurlock, father, Ben, brothers Craig and Barry, and the mothers of his children, Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein, who were both his ex-wives.

SOURCE – (AP)

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Joe Biden Promised to Tirelessly Advocate for Harris. He has been essentially a no-show thus far.

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(VOR News) – On August 31, President Joe Biden was asked about his fall campaign. “On the road from there on,” he said, visiting Pittsburgh on Labor Day.

Biden hasn’t appeared since Labor Day in Kamala Harris’ campaign. Beyond that, his ceremonial occasions occasionally eclipse hers.

Hurricane Helene forced Harris to travel to Washington for a FEMA briefing, postponing Las Vegas campaign operations. Harris distracted his political successor by reaching for a command center podium as Joe Biden issued his storm response remarks from the Oval Office.

Democrats may win the House, Senate, and lower-ballot races, including Harris, without presidential campaigning or scheduling issues. Former president Obama questioned Harris. Before November 5 in Pittsburgh on Thursday, Obama will tour battleground states. Recorded Florida, Maryland, and Michigan Democratic Senate advertisements.

Managing a new presidential campaign is hard.

Lame-duck presidents grapple with succession. Harris had less time to campaign once Joe Biden left for a second term.

Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “I think he’s doing his job as president.” “That seems to be the most crucial factor,”

Hurricane Helene created temporary issues.

Biden postponed his Pennsylvania campaign event and drove with Harris to the Carolinas and Georgia on Wednesday to assess damage and offer support.

Their remarks varied. On Friday, Biden unexpectedly entered the White House briefing room and disrupted Harris’s presentation on unions outside Detroit. It was his first presidential address.

On Tuesday, Biden will help Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in suburban Philadelphia and travel to battleground Harris’ staff ignored Biden’s run.

The president of Pennsylvania is tied to union leaders and blue-collar workers. Brazile promised to “put him on a bus” for PA’s campaign.

Brazile: “I would make sure he is out there in the final weeks and days of the campaign.” “He has connections to people she will require.”

At a White House gun control rally with Harris in August, Biden declared, “We cannot let Kamala lose.” Both frequently discuss the Middle East in the Situation Room.

Joe Biden and Harris’ lone campaign event failed.

The White House proposed Biden introduce Harris at their lone political engagement on Labor Day, when the vice president replaced the president. Her procedural violation emphasized union aid.

“Electing Kamala Harris to the presidency will prove to be the best choice you have ever made,” Biden addressed the assembly. Biden uncomfortably grabbed close friends’ hands after speaking since Harris hadn’t.

Democratic voters prefer Harris over Biden, thus Harris may not want Biden’s help. Harris lauded the administration and her work while neglecting major issues.

That includes encouraging gun ownership more than Biden, restricting US-Mexico border asylum, and raising affluent Americans’ long-term capital gains taxes after Biden slashed them.

Many things need Joe Biden’s time.

Biden’s campaign absence may worsen as his administration handles Hurricane Helene and the Middle East.

“When you’re doing your job, you don’t need to campaign,” said Nikki Fried, Florida Democratic Party chair. Fried said Biden’s Thursday visits to numerous states showed that “the full force of the federal government stands with the people during times of heartbreak and uncertainty.”

Presidents are always busy, as shown by last month’s New York U.N. General Assembly meetings and Joe Biden’s Germany and Angola travels. Despite the White House promising further political action after the trip, he can’t campaign for Harris until mid-October, three weeks before Election Day.

Joe Biden can succeed, says Fried.

Says “Joe Biden adores being out on the campaign trail.” “He’s seen interacting with voters and communities while strolling around, and it definitely puts a spring in his step and a smile on his face.”

Some things are better avoided.

Party candidates benefit from president’s absences. Bush lost support after the 2008 financial crisis. McCain resigned citing economic problems after criticizing the government’s Katrina and Iraq War responses.

“I want him to win whether my presence and support for him help him or if I oppose him and it helps him,” he adds.

In 2000, Al Gore distanced himself from Bill Clinton by condemning Monica Lewinsky and other misdeeds. That contributed to Gore’s narrow loss to Bush, according to Democrats.

Clinton and Biden are different, argues Hillary’s 1992 campaign planner Paul Begala. Begala noted, “Clinton enjoyed widespread popularity in 2000.” “Biden is not.”

For Biden, Begala proposes “focusing on governing, and leaving the campaigning to Kamala” and her closest allies.

: “A lot of people can campaign for her: Oprah, Taylor Swift, the Obamas, and the Clintons.” Only Biden can be president.

SOURCE: AP

SEE ALSO:

Tropical Storms in the Gulf do not Threaten Texas. Another Hurricane is Coming to Florida.

 

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Howard Schultz Violated Labor Law By Telling Employee ‘If You’re Not Happy At Starbucks, You Can Go Work For Another Company’

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Starbucks’ interim CEO, Howard Schultz, violated federal labor law in 2022 by telling a California barista who expressed concerns about unionization that “if you’re not happy at Starbucks, you can go work for another company.”

The National Labor Relations Board ruled on Wednesday that Schultz’s statement constituted an unconstitutional, coercive threat.

The decision highlights Starbucks’ difficult relationship with organized labor, as more and more employees at its outlets unionize.

Howard Schultz Violated Labor Law By Telling Employee ‘If You’re Not Happy At Starbucks, You Can Go Work For Another Company’

In 2022, as interim CEO, Schultz visited a business event in Long Beach, California, to address and improve working conditions at Starbucks locations. According to the NLRB, Barista Madison Hall attempted to discuss the benefits of unionization as well as Starbucks’ claimed history of unfair labor practices.

“Why are you angry at Starbucks?” Schultz inquired. He stated that the occasion was not the appropriate forum for discussing union problems before remarking on working elsewhere. The administrative law decision states that he “had an angry expression on his face.” The NLRB ruling maintains an administrative law judge’s decision from October 2023.

Starbucks issued a statement expressing its disagreement with the board’s decision. “Our focus remains on training and supporting our managers to ensure respect for our partners’ right to organize, and we are making progress in our discussions with Workers United,” a business representative said in a statement Thursday.

Though Schultz stepped down from his third term as CEO in March 2023, he remains involved with the company. When he retired from Starbucks’ board of directors in September, the business named him “lifelong chairman emeritus.”

“We note that the judge identified the Respondent’s highest official, interim CEO Schultz, as a ‘legendary leader,’ a status that would exacerbate the coercive nature of Schultz’s statement,” the ruling read.

Since the first Starbucks branch in Buffalo, New York, unionized in 2021, the coffee business has been embroiled in hundreds of labor battles over alleged union-busting practices. In June, the Supreme Court heard Starbucks v. McKinney, a case involving seven employees who were fired after attempting to form a union. The Supreme Court agreed with Starbucks.

An NLRB administrative law judge earlier stated that Starbucks had engaged in “egregious and widespread misconduct” in its dealings with employees involved in unionization efforts at Buffalo outlets, including the first site to unionize. Starbucks dispatched high-level executives into Buffalo-area stores on a “relentless” campaign, according to the judge, which “likely left a lasting impact as to the importance of voting against representation.”

Starbucks stated at the time that it is “considering all options to obtain further legal review,” and that “we believe the decision and remedies ordered are inappropriate given the record in this matter.”

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Howard Schultz Violated Labor Law By Telling Employee ‘If You’re Not Happy At Starbucks, You Can Go Work For Another Company’

The union reports that on October 1, the 500th Starbucks location in Washington state decided to unionize.

The NLRB ordered Starbucks on Wednesday to stop threatening to terminate employees for unionizing and to post a notice of employee rights in all of its Long Beach outlets.

“We are pleased to see the NLRB continuing to advocate for workers and their legal right to organize. At the same time, we’re looking ahead and proud to be on a new journey with the firm,” said Michelle Eisen, co-chair of Starbucks Workers United’s national organizing committee and bargaining delegate, in a statement to CNN on Thursday.

SOURCE | CNN

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Tesla Recalls 27,000 Cybertrucks Due To A Rearview Camera Issue

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CNN | Tesla

Tesla is recalling around 27,000 Cybertrucks due to a rearview camera issue that delays the image being presented on the dashboard, increasing the danger of a collision.

According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report, the rearview display may appear blank for up to 8 seconds when the Cybertruck is in reverse. That is far over the two seconds required by US federal safety regulations.

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Tesla Recalls 27,000 Cybertrucks Due To A Rearview Camera Issue

Tesla has issued a free, over-the-air software update to address the issue. Drivers can also reverse the Cybertruck by “performing a shoulder check and using their mirrors,” according to the NHTSA.

This is the fifth recall for the electric vehicle, which was released last year. The most recent recall, in June, concerns the truck’s large single windshield wiper and a piece of plastic trim along the edge of the truck bed that might become loose and detach from the vehicle while driving.

In April, the trucks were recalled because the accelerator pedal could become stuck when depressed. Tesla launched a software recall in January for 2.2 million of its cars, including Cybertrucks, due to warning light letters that were too small to read. That issue was likewise resolved with an over-the-air software upgrade.

Tesla Recalls 27,000 Cybertrucks Due To A Rearview Camera Issue

Tesla announced a rise in sales this week for the first time this year, however, year-to-date sales still trail the same period in 2023.

The company delivered approximately 463,000 automobiles worldwide in the third quarter, rising 6% from the previous year’s sales number and 4% from the second quarter of this year.

SOURCE | CNN

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