Nick Vergara & the Quest for the McRib

I know: it can be nerve-wracking.

You're standing in line, second from the cash register. An amazingly thin woman in front asks for a McRib meal. You're guessing the morbidly obese man behind you is probably going to buy 5. You're in a predicament.

The McRib predicament.

You've heard of the hysteria, and the peer pressure is working its magic. But no: I'm a stalwart American! I do what I want! But doesn't being American almost obligate you to eat something from McDonalds? Why not the McRib? You can't honestly say you'll just be happy enough with the measly order of chicken nuggets, can you? The woman in front picks up her order, and a short disgruntled Hispanic man is giving you the "you gonna order?" look. So, the time comes:

What's it gonna be?

This narrative, while exaggerated and bordering on racially insensitive, probably goes through the minds of millions when the McDonalds McRib promotion comes around. It's quick, disturbing, rare, and epitomizes the essence of fast-food capitalism. And in the midst of this year's holiday madness, it's back.

The food giant announced that, from October 24^th through November 14^th, many of the easily-recognizable golden arches will be offering the sandwich with the fanatical following. This comes after the immense success of last year's McRib promotion: profits of the humble sandwich alone boosted McDonald's sales by 4.8%.

I never really had the itch to buy a McRib. Or 5. But this year, I wanted to understand what all the fuss was about. So, I decided that it would be my mission to try one out for the first time.

Being a self-styled McRib virgin, I didn’t know what direction to go. So, like any self-educating mild-mannered middle-class American, I decided to do my research on the legendary McRib.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn a few things. For one, the moniker is fairly misleading: there technically isn’t a rib inside the McRib, since it doesn’t have bones left in the meat. Thank goodness I got that out of the way. Marta Fearon, McDonald’s U.S. marketing director, personally delights in this, saying that this aspect only “gives it this quirky sense of humor.” Another fact that surprised was the McRib’s initial sales.

During the “McDonald’s Renaissance” of the mid-80’s to early 90’s, different foods were added to spice up the McDonald’s menu; one of those foods was the McRib (on another note, this era also ushered in the “McLobster”. Never heard of it? There’s a reason why. Other notable alumni of this era are the McCrab, the Hulaburger, and Onion Nuggets. Yeah). The McRib, despite its notoriety, sold poorly when it was introduced in 1984. The sandwich only sold well in the Midwest, and even then, only lasted a shallow 4 years on the menu due to lagging sales. I was beginning to lose hope in my quest for the McRib.

Then I found statistics on its impact a little later on.

The McRib is the supreme promotional item, and Marta Fearon knows this. “Bringing it back every so often adds to the excitement!” she told reporters from Yahoo earlier this month. And Marta is right. The McRib as a limited-time food has brought tremendous success since its re-inception, and has garnered a cult following; this accounts for the frenetic McRib purchasing during these times of promotion.

And what a following it has!

Millions go out of their way just to have a taste of a McRib, and are not afraid to stockpile when they become available. Case in point? Jeremy Duensing. Jeremy was visiting his parents while on a trip to Nebraska. To his delight, he found a McDonald’s that served the McRib. Consequently, he bought 6 of the pork sandwiches and preserved them by storing them in an ice- packed freezer.

Apocalypse food storage, or purchases of a crazed McRib fanatic?

To someone who had never tasted a McRib, I don’t just find this disturbing. I find it teetering on the edge of psychological imbalance. But, to my greater surprise, Jeremy isn’t the only one.

The list goes on and on. One man drives 10 hours from Oregon to California to taste one. Another flew straight to Germany, where the product is sold year-round, just so he can fulfill his McRib craving. McDonald’s even ran a campaign asking for people’s stories concerning their McRib enthusiasm. Believe me when I say the list doesn’t end at those two examples. Do I even want to eat this thing anymore?

I tell myself that I’ve already committed, so there’s no weaseling out of this one. But how do I go about searching for this hard-to-find sandwich? Thank God for the McRib Locator.

That’s right. The McRib Locator.

To cater to the frantic hordes of McRib aficionados, local Minnesota meteorologist Alan Klein developed the McRib Locator website, a frequently-updated page dedicated solely to tracking McDonald’s restaurants who serve the McRib after the promotion is done for the year. Klein reports that his site gets on average 300-400 hits a week. As indicated by the aforementioned examples, we can tell these people use and abuse this site.

And so, in my quest for the McRib, I decide to visit this site. It’s like any other webpage: a stark red background, banners on the sides asking you to “Vote ‘NO’ on [insert bill/initiative/referendum]” or to consider pursuing an online degree on Bible studies, and the obligatory “Like Us on Facebook!” button. But from the get-go, you know this one is different. Set in the middle is a large imposing Google Maps feature, with marked locations all across it. A key at the bottom helps you differentiate between confirmed purchases and fabled sightings. I feel as if I am on a Bigfoot-hunting website. There is a portion on the right which allows you to enter in your own McRib sightings. On the top of the page is a navigation bar with links to a complementary forum and blog. It’s quite a production, to say the least. So, I commence.

I look up my city and, lo and behold, several restaurants are serving the McRib! I feel an odd sense of accomplishment as I drive towards a location in Redmond.

The beginning narrative may be funny, but it is a retelling of my own experience. As the thin woman walks away with her meal, I approach the unhappy McDonald’s worker. I can feel my quest coming to a completion as I ask for my meal. The employee taps into the cash register as he hands me my medium-sized drink. Another woman and her daughter pick up their order: two McRib meals.

When I finish filling up my drink, my order is already completed and is handed to me by a much-happier female employee. I bring my tray and eat it. I feel like my subsequent Twitter post sums it all up.

Curse you, Marta Fearon, and your cruelly effective advertisement strategy! There’s some things not even a severe recession can change.

The McRib is McBack!

It’s back. And apparently, I’m supposed to care/buy one!

The infamous McRib from McDonald’s has returned yet again to satisfy the cult following it has garnered since its 1981 inception by the international chain restaurant behemoth, and people are absolutely losing their minds about it. As a self-styled McRib virgin, I have no idea what the whole craze is about; doubtless, I’ll go another year without tasting one. But still, it’s enough to halt many major social networking sites and news outlets ranging from Twitter to the Wall Street Journal, so the show must go on.

The food giant announced that, from October 24^th through November 14^th, many of the easily-recognizable golden arches will be offering the sandwich with the fanatical following. While numbers have yet to be calculated, the massive buyout from last year’s promotional release was apparently successful enough to spur another limited time release.

The McRib is arguably one of McDonald’s most successful products; successful enough to have its own Wikipedia page. It consists of a special bun roll with ground pork patties, barbecue sauce, onions, and pickles. Technically, its moniker is a deceiving one: with no bones (thank goodness) inside the pork, it technically isn’t a “rib” of the literal sense. Of course, as Marta Fearon, McDonald’s U.S. marketing director tells, that only “gives it this quirky sense of humor”.

Its initial sales from the 80s, despite its notoriety, were mediocre: the sandwich only tested positive in the Midwest, and even then only lasted 4 years on the permanent menu due to lagging sales. However, the McRib as a promotional item has seen much greater success. In last year’s promotional sale of the McRib for a few weeks, profits of the humble sandwich due to seemingly obsessive-compulsive sales boosted sales and stock by 4.8%. An even larger boost is expected in this year’s sales.

Marta Fearon plans well, and knows how to channel the McRib hysteria with picture-perfect precision :”Bringing it back every so often adds to the excitement,” she adds in an interview with Yahoo. And excitement there is!

If I (hypothetically) wanted to try out the new McRib, normally I would have a hard time locating a store sponsoring the event. Not anymore! To cater to the frantic hordes of McRib aficionados, Minnesota meteorologist Alan Klein developed the McRib Locator website, a frequently-updated page dedicated solely to tracking McDonald’s restaurants who serve the McRib after the promotion is done for the year. Klein reports that his site gets on average 300-400 hits a week. His site has plenty of dedicated McRib fans.

One of these McRib fans is Jeremy Duensing. He was on a family trip to Nebraska last year. The first site he checked before leaving? The McRib Locator website. To his obsessive delight, he found a restaurant near Omaha that sold the sandwich on its menu; consequently, he bought six of the pork sandwiches, storing them in an ice-packed freezer.

To one who has never tasted the McRib, I find this teetering on the edge of psychological imbalance. But Jeremy isn’t the only one.

The list goes on and on. One man drives 10 hours from Oregon to California just to taste one. Another flew straight to Germany, where the product is sold year-round, so he can fulfill his McRib craving. McDonald’s even ran a campaign asking for people’s stories concerning their McRib enthusiasm. Believe me when I say the list doesn’t end at those two examples.

I personally don’t expect to eat a McRib this time around.  But millions more will. And if they’re anything like Jeremy Duensing, it’ll be a win-win for the consumer and for McDonald’s. I guess there’s some things not even a serious recession can change.

___________________________________________________________________________________
Sources:
The McRib makes a McComeback! (original article)
Bona-Fide Fans Rib-Free Rib Sandwich
McDonald's Seeking your Epic McRib Stories!

Britney Spears' Unreleased "Every Day" Surfaces

It has been a successful year for Britney Spears. The singer, 29, released her 7th studio album, Femme Fatale, on March 25th of this year; the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, and stayed in the Top 10 for 5 consecutive weeks, becoming Spears' 6th straight #1 album debut. This strong album performance leaves her in a three way tie for third most number one albums for a female artist, tied with Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson. Only Madonna (7 #1's) and Barbra Streisand (9 #1's) have achieved more.

Britney Spears' 7th studio album, Femme Fatale

The album is primarily composed of electronic dance tracks; the 3 previous singles (Hold It Against Me, Till the World Ends, & I Wanna Go) all have elements of trance and eurodance. Critics have generally praised Spears' new album. Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone called it "Britney's best album", while Entertainment Weekly's Adam Markovitz called it a "ballad-free, treadmill-ready playlist of tireless dance beats and top-shelf production".

Spears performing "Till the World Ends" on her Femme Fatale Tour, 2011

However, other critics, like Jon Caramanica of The New York Times, cite these reasons are pitfalls for the album, saying that “much of the music on [the] album feels flat and redundant, no more invigorating than the average European dance-pop album of five years ago". Other reviews similarly critique these aspects of Femme Fatale, often mentioning that the lack of a ballad detracts from the genuineness of the record.

Spears performing her #1 single, "Hold it Against Me" on her Femme Fatale Tour, 2011

However, on October 6^th, several songs were leaked that were previously unreleased and were not put on Femme Fatale. Of these songs was a ballad entitled “Every Day”.

Contrary to the bulk of Femme Fatale’s dance-oriented tracklist, “Every Day” is a slow-tempo song composed primarily of piano, violins, and strings. Another significant difference between the songs on Femme Fatale and “Every Day” is Britney Spears’ lack of Autotune. Commonly used in today’s pop music to alter and process vocals, “Every Day” is significantly less produced that other Femme Fatale tracks, and is reminiscent of older Britney Spears ballads like “Lucky”, “Everytime” and “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman”.

Critics normally name the emptiness of the lyrics as a major detraction; the Daily Telegraph states that Spears' album features a "weak voice and empty lyrics". However, "Every Day" is a more reflective and optimistic piece, which is in direct contrast to the sexually hedonistic themes explored in Femme Fatale. In it, Spears sings about bearing through the trials of life (possibly referencing her famed public meltdown in the mid-00's), saying "Every day, the sun comes again / A little hope begins, and it starts with you cause you get me through it / And every day, I'm closer to the shore / I smile a little more, and because of your faith I get closer now every day."

"Every Day" is not without fault, though. Many talk of "Every Day's" chord progression and arrangement as a copy of Christina Aguilera's 2002 hit "Beautiful", with Scott Shetler of PopCrush affirming that while "[Britney Spears] sounds good on the song, it's so similar to [Christina Aguilera]'s hit that we can't give her any point for originality", going on to say that "[i]f "Every Day" was truly intended for Femme Fatale, Spears showed great judgment by not allowing it to make the final cut."

Still, "Every Day" has become an Internet phenomenon: in the past 6 days, it has already accrued a total of 131, 762 views.

Listen to Britney Spears' "Every Day"

______________________________________________________________________________

Original Article:

Britney Spears' Unreleased "Every Day" Surfaces

Additional Sources:

Britney Spears, 'Everyday' (Unreleased) - Song Review

Rolling Stones Reviews: Femme Fatale

Entertainment Weekly: Review of Femme Fatale

New York Times Review: Femme Fatale

Billboard: Spears Snares Sixth No. 1 on Billboard

A Discourse of Maritime Disasters in the 20th & 21st Centuries

Due to the inherent dangers of ocean travel, maritime disasters have been a constant threat to naval transportation. Maritime disasters are normally boat-related catastrophes that occur while on a large body of water, like a gulf, sea, or ocean. Because of the nature and location of maritime disasters, they are often deadly or destructive to the passengers and natural ecological systems of the area. Such maritime disasters frequently impact the outcomes of wars, policies, and ecological welfare.

                

Often the most popularized of the maritime disasters was the sinking of the RMS Titanic. One of 3 Olympic-class luxury cruise liners, it collided with an iceberg during its maiden voyage in 1912, killing 1,517 people. Owned by White Star Line, the Titanic was the largest passenger vessel at the time. Coincidentally, another of the 3 Olympic-class cruise liner, the RMS Britannic, was also sunk, due to hostile German forces during World War I. The final Olympic-class cruise liner, the RMS Olympic, was never sunk and served an illustrious naval career.

The RMS Titanic, the largest cruise liner at the time

                 

Hostile forces during the two world wars were the cause of many maritime disasters. Many passenger ships were capsized during these wars, including the RMS Lusitania. With 1,198 casualties, 128 of which were American, this maritime disaster was a pressing factor for the United States’ involvement in World War I and caused international negative sentiments towards the Germans.

A depiction of the RMS Lusitania after it had been torpedoed by a German U-boat

However, Germany also suffered casualties during the World Wars due to maritime disasters. The MV Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk during World War II in the Baltic Sea while attempting to save and escort fleeing citizens and Nazi officials from East Prussia when this region was attacked by the Red Army of Russia. With an estimated 9,400 casualties, the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff is the largest known loss of life from a single maritime disaster. Another enormous German loss was the sinking of the Goya, a German transport ship also ferrying escaping German civilians and injured Wehrmacht troops from the advancing Soviet armies. The Goya was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, and sank 7 minutes later. Of the 7,000 passengers, only 183 were saved.

The large passenger ship MV Wilhelm Gustloff. 9,400 people died when it was torpedoed by Soviet submarines.

There have been plenty of non-World War maritime disasters as well. Most notable was the destruction of the SS Kiangya, a Chinese vessel carrying thousands of refugees from the Chinese Civil War. While escaping the Communist armies in 1948, the Kiangya hit a mine planted by the Japanese during World War II. The ensuing explosion and sinking killed 3,920 refugees and stowaways.

Large-scale maritime disasters are not isolated during wartime or to immense passenger ships alone. The deadliest ferry accident occurred during the sinking of the MV Doña Paz in 1987. The Doña Paz, traveling from Leyte Island to the Philippines capital of Manila, harbored a death toll of 4,375 people. This occurred when the ferry collided with the oil tanker MT Vector, causing both ships to sink into the shark-infested waters of the Tablas Strait. The 8,800 barrels of gasoline onboard the MT Vector further exacerbated the death toll and ignited on impact with the ferry. Of the passengers, only 26 survived, many with severe burns.

The ferry Dona Paz, prior to its catastrophic sinking.

Oil and gasoline in maritime disasters can have other effects as well. The capsizing of the Exxon Valdez oil tanker in the Prince William Sound caused 750,000 barrels of crude oil to spill into the ocean, causing the greatest human-caused environmental disaster until the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. Of the 55 million gallons in the tanker, 11 million gallons were released in the ecosystems. The fauna of the Prince William Sound was severely affected: 250,000 seabirds were killed in the event, along with 2,800 sea otters, 247 bald eagles, 22 orcas, and billions of salmon and herring eggs, resulting in the largest ecological disaster in United States waters.

The Exxon Valdez during its 3rd day of oil spillage. Note the blackness of the surrounding ocean due to oil presence.

Maritime disasters, for the most part, can be prevented through a variety of means. In most cases, faulty engineering and structural instability were the primary cause of the maritime disaster; ships like the RMS Titanic serve as a reminder for such blunders. When engineers and architects design a ship, the blueprint should be executed as planned. Cutting corners and budget saving can cause loss of life later on. Communication is also key: negotiating location of other ships can help prevent such collisions that destroyed the Dona Paz and the MV Vector. Communication can also safely lead ships in contended or hostile waters, preventing such accidents like the RMS Lusitania and the SS Kiangya. There is risk in every mode of transportation, but this risk can be mitigated.

Additional Resources:
Maritime Disasters of the 20th and 21st Century
Too Many People: Story of the SS Kiangya
List of Titanic Survivors
The United States in the First World War
Lost Liners: The RMS Britannic