#william wrigley jr.

[rabbitcruiser]

On September 30, 1861, the chewing gum king William Wrigley Jr. was born in Philadelphia

[the6thofmay]

Prince of Wales and William Wrigley, Jr., chewing gum magnate and owner of Chicago Cubs at the Wrigley Building in Chicago.

[dontcallittimetravel]

Happy birthday to William Wrigley jr., who could not walk and chew gum at the same time, much less play baseball worth a damn.

Not after his accident, anyway…

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Sympathy for the spammer

Catch me in Miami! I'll be at Books and Books in Coral Gables on Jan 22 at 8PM.

In any scam, any con, any hustle, the big winners are the people who supply the scammers – not the scammers themselves. The kids selling dope on the corner are making less than minimum wage, while the respectable crime-bosses who own the labs clean up. Desperate "retail investors" who buy shitcoins from Superbowl ads get skinned, while the MBA bros who issue the coins make millions (in real dollars, not crypto).

It's ever been thus. The California gold rush was a con, and nearly everyone who went west went broke. Famously, the only reliable way to cash out on the gold rush was to sell "picks and shovels" to the credulous, doomed and desperate. That's how Leland Stanford made his fortune, which he funneled into eugenics programs (and founding a university):

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/malcolm-harris/palo-alto/9780316592031/

That means that the people who try to con you are almost always getting conned themselves. Think of Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) scams. My forthcoming novel The Bezzle opens with a baroque and improbable fast-food Ponzi in the town of Avalon on the island of Catalina, founded by the chicle monopolist William Wrigley Jr:

http://thebezzle.org

Wrigley found fast food declasse and banned it from the island, a rule that persists to this day. In The Bezzle, the forensic detective Martin Hench uncovers The Fry Guys, an MLM that flash-freezes contraband burgers and fries smuggled on-island from the mainland and sells them to islanders though an "affiliate marketing" scheme that is really about recruiting other affiliate markets to sell under you. As with every MLM, the value of the burgers and fries sold is dwarfed by the gigantic edifice of finance fraud built around it, with "points" being bought and sold for real cash, which is snaffled up and sucked out of the island by a greedy mainlander who is behind the scheme.

A "bezzle" is John Kenneth Galbraith's term for "the magic interval when a confidence trickster knows he has the money he has appropriated but the victim does not yet understand that he has lost it." In every scam, there's a period where everyone feels richer – but only the scammers are actually cleaning up. The wealth of the marks is illusory, but the longer the scammer can preserve the illusion, the more real money the marks will pump into the system.

MLMs are particularly ugly, because they target people who are shut out of economic opportunity – women, people of color, working people. These people necessarily rely on social ties for survival, looking after each others' kids, loaning each other money they can't afford, sharing what little they have when others have nothing.

It's this social cohesion that MLMs weaponize. Crypto "entrepreneurs" are encouraged to suck in their friends and family by telling them that they're "building Black wealth." Working women are exhorted to suck in their bffs by appealing to their sisterhood and the chance for "women to lift each other up."

The "sales people" trying to get you to buy crypto or leggings or supplements are engaged in predatory conduct that will make you financially and socially worse off, wrecking their communities' finances and shattering the mutual aid survival networks they rely on. But they're not getting rich on this – they're also being scammed:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4686468

This really hit home for me in the mid-2000s, when I was still editing Boing Boing. We had a submission form where our readers could submit links for us to look at for inclusion on the blog, and it was overwhelmed by spam. We'd add all kinds of antispam to it, and still, we'd get floods of hundreds or even thousands of spam submissions to it.

One night, I was lying in my bed in London and watching these spams roll in. They were all for small businesses in the rustbelt, handyman services, lawn-care, odd jobs, that kind of thing. They were 10 million miles from the kind of thing we'd ever post about on Boing Boing. They were coming in so thickly that I literally couldn't finish downloading my email – the POP session was dropping before I could get all the mail in the spool. I had to ssh into my mail server and delete them by hand. It was maddening.

Frustrated and furious, I started calling the phone numbers associated with these small businesses, demanding an explanation. I assumed that they'd hired some kind of sleazy marketing service and I wanted to know who it was so I could give them a piece of my mind.

But what I discovered when I got through was much weirder. These people had all been laid off from factories that were shuttering due to globalization. As part of their termination packages, their bosses had offered them "retraining" via "courses" in founding their own businesses.

The "courses" were the precursors to the current era's rise-and-grind hustle-culture scams (again, the only people getting rich from that stuff are the people selling the courses – the "students" finish the course poorer). They promised these laid-off workers, who'd given their lives to their former employers before being discarded, that they just needed to pull themselves up by their own boostraps:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/10/declaration-of-interdependence/#solidarity-forever

After all, we had the internet now! There were so many new opportunities to be your own boss! The course came with a dreadful build-your-own-website service, complete with an overpriced domain sales portal, and a single form for submitting your new business to "thousands of search engines."

This was nearly 20 years ago, but even then, there was really only one search engine that mattered: Google. The "thousands of search engines" the scammers promised to submit these desperate peoples' websites to were just submission forms for directories, indexes, blogs, and mailing lists. The number of directories, indexes, blogs and mailing lists that would publish their submissions was either "zero" or "nearly zero." There was certainly no possibility that anyone at Boing Boing would ever press the wrong key and accidentally write a 500-word blog post about a leaf-raking service in a collapsing deindustrialized exurb in Kentucky or Ohio.

The people who were drowning me in spam weren't the scammers – they were the scammees.

But that's only half the story. Years later, I discovered how our submission form was getting included in this get-rich-quick's mass-submission system. It was a MLM! Coders in the former Soviet Union were getting work via darknet websites that promised them relative pittances for every submission form they reverse-engineered and submitted. The smart coders didn't crack the forms directly – they recruited other, less business-savvy coders to do that for them, and then often as not, ripped them off.

The scam economy runs on this kind of indirection, where scammees are turned into scammers, who flood useful and productive and nice spaces with useless dross that doesn't even make them any money. Take the submission queue at Clarkesworld, the great online science fiction magazine, which famously had to close after it was flooded with thousands of junk submission "written" by LLMs:

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/24/1159286436/ai-chatbot-chatgpt-magazine-clarkesworld-artificial-intelligence

There was a zero percent chance that Neil Clarke would accidentally accept one of these submissions. They were uniformly terrible. The people submitting these "stories" weren't frustrated sf writers who'd discovered a "life hack" that let them turn out more brilliant prose at scale.

They were scammers who'd been scammed into thinking that AIs were the key to a life of passive income, a 4-Hour Work-Week powered by an AI-based self-licking ice-cream cone:

https://pod.link/1651876897/episode/995c8a778ede17d2d7cff393e5203157

This is absolutely classic passive-income brainworms thinking. "I have a bot that can turn out plausible sentences. I will locate places where sentences can be exchanged for money, aim my bot at it, sit back, and count my winnings." It's MBA logic on meth: find a thing people pay for, then, without bothering to understand why they pay for that thing, find a way to generate something like it at scale and bombard them with it.

Con artists start by conning themselves, with the idea that "you can't con an honest man." But the factor that predicts whether someone is connable isn't their honesty – it's their desperation. The kid selling drugs on the corner, the mom desperately DMing her high-school friends to sell them leggings, the cousin who insists that you get in on their shitcoin – they're all doing it because the system is rigged against them, and getting worse every day.

These people reason – correctly – that all the people getting really rich are scamming. If Amazon can make $38b/year selling "ads" that push worse products that cost more to the top of their search results, why should the mere fact that an "opportunity" is obviously predatory and fraudulent disqualify it?

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/29/aethelred-the-unready/#not-one-penny-for-tribute

The quest for passive income is really the quest for a "greater fool," the economist's term for the person who relieves you of the useless crap you just overpaid for. It rots the mind, atomizes communities, shatters solidarity and breeds cynicism:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/24/passive-income/#swiss-cheese-security

The rise and rise of botshit cannot be separated from this phenomenon. The botshit in our search-results, our social media feeds, and our in-boxes isn't making money for the enshittifiers who send it – rather, they are being hustled by someone who's selling them the "picks and shovels" for the AI gold rush:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/03/botshit-generative-ai-imminent-threat-democracy

That's the true cost of all the automation-driven unemployment criti-hype: while we're nowhere near a place where bots can steal your job, we're certainly at the point where your boss can be suckered into firing you and replacing you with a bot that fails at doing your job:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/11/robots-stole-my-jerb/#computer-says-no

The manic "entrepreneurs" who've been stampeded into panic by the (correct) perception that the economy is a game of musical chairs where the number of chairs is decreasing at breakneck speed are easy marks for the Leland Stanfords of AI, who are creating generational wealth for themselves by promising that their bots will automate away all the tedious work that goes into creating value. Expect a lot more Amazon Marketplace products called "I'm sorry, I cannot fulfil this request as it goes against OpenAI use policy":

https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/12/24036156/openai-policy-amazon-ai-listings

No one's going to buy these products, but the AI picks-and-shovels people will still reap a fortune from the attempt. And because history repeats itself, these newly minted billionaires are continuing Leland Stanford's love affair with eugenics:

https://www.truthdig.com/dig-series/eugenics/

The fact that AI spam doesn't pay is important to the fortunes of AI companies. Most high-value AI applications are very risk-intolerant (self-driving cars, radiology analysis, etc). An AI tool might help a human perform these tasks more accurately – by warning them of things that they've missed – but that's not how AI will turn a profit. There's no market for AI that makes your workers cost more but makes them better at their jobs:

https://locusmag.com/2023/12/commentary-cory-doctorow-what-kind-of-bubble-is-ai/

Plenty of people think that spam might be the elusive high-value, low-risk AI application. But that's just not true. The point of AI spam is to get clicks from people who are looking for better content. It's SEO. No one reads 2000 words of algorithm-pleasing LLM garbage over an omelette recipe and then subscribes to that site's feed.

And the omelette recipe generates pennies for the spammer that posted it. They are doing massive volume in order to make those pennies into dollars. You don't make money by posting one spam. If every spammer had to pay the actual recovery costs (energy, chillers, capital amortization, wages) for their query, every AI spam would lose (lots of) money.

Hustle culture and passive income are about turning other peoples' dollars into your dimes. It is a negative-sum activity, a net drain on society. Behind every seemingly successful "passive income" is a con artist who's getting rich by promising – but not delivering – that elusive passive income, and then blaming the victims for not hustling hard enough:

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2023/12/blueprint-trouble

I'm Kickstarting the audiobook for The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/15/passive-income-brainworms/#four-hour-work-week

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[goshyesvintageads]

The William Wrigley Jr. Company, 1928

[deadpresidents]

Florence Kling Harding was a divorcée who had a son from her first marriage that she had given up to be raised by her parents by the time she met Warren Gamaliel Harding in 1890 when he was the owner and editor of the Marion Star newspaper in Marion, Ohio. Florence was instantly attracted to the handsome Harding, but the feeling wasn’t immediately reciprocated. Harding was five years younger than Florence and already had a reputation as a notorious womanizer. However, Florence was persistent in her advances and Harding was practically incapable of turning women down — his father, Dr. George Tryon Harding, once told him, “Warren, it’s a good thing you wasn’t born a gal. Because you’d be in the family way all the time. You can’t say no.” — and they were married in July 1891. It’s impossible to know whether Harding truly fell in lover with Florence, or if he saw her as a potential key to unlock his burning ambition, but it’s worth noting that Florence very quickly went to work running nearly every aspect of Harding’s newspaper business and helping turn it into a success financially. And that Harding was relentlessly unfaithful to his wife throughout their marriage. Warren and Florence never had a child together, but Harding fathered an illegitimate daughter with a young girl from their hometown of Marion, Ohio just a year before he was elected President (Harding’s daughter, Elizabeth Ann Britton, kept a low profile and avoided publicity throughout her life and died in 2005).

But despite Harding’s extensive infidelity and the scandals and allegations of corruption swirling around Harding’s Administration, Florence Harding — now First Lady — tirelessly attended to the 29th President of the United States after he fell ill during his cross-country Voyage of Understanding in the summer of 1923. She remained near his bedside as Harding rested and hoped to recuperate at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco in early August 1923. When they had first arrived in San Francisco on July 29th after canceling all planned events in California due to Harding’s illness, the President’s doctors were worried by his condition, which they had described as “grave”. Originally announced as “ptomaine poisoning” with severe indigestion caused by crabs or seafood that Harding had eaten while visiting Alaska, the bulletins released by his medical advisers noted that the President’s breathing was labored and he had a dangerously rapid pulse. After taking X-rays, the doctors also diagnosed Harding with pneumonia and were worried about the effects of his illness on his heart. But by August 1st, Harding’s fever had broken and his pulse and breathing were closer to normal. Although they had expected to remain in San Francisco for at least two weeks while Harding recovered, the President was in good enough spirits on August 1st to talk about traveling to Catalina Island where he was originally scheduled to go on a deep-sea fishing trip with his friend and supporter William Wrigley Jr.

As President Harding rested in Room 8064 of the Palace Hotel on Thursday, August 2, 1923, he was feeling better than he had in days. To the members of the Presidential traveling party that visited him throughout the day Harding acknowledged that he was tired but said that he felt “out of the woods.” In the afternoon, Harding  and Secret Service agent Colonel Edmund Starling spoke again about deep-sea fishing off of Catalina Island before returning to Washington, D.C. and Harding joked about how he hoped to have better luck there than in Alaska where he didn’t catch any fish.

Early in the evening of August 2nd, Mrs. Harding brought in a copy of the latest edition of the Saturday Evening Post and thumbed to a story by Samuel George Blythe called “A Calm Review of a Calm Man”. With allegations of corruption bearing down on several of Harding’s closest aides and Cabinet officials, the President had been depressed and unable to find silver linings in the clouds gathering over his Administration. But as the First Lady read Blythe’s article out loud to him, Harding was pleased to actually hear some positive reviews about the President’s governing style. “That’s good,” said the President. “Go on; read some more.” As Mrs. Harding was reading, the President closed his eyes while reclining on the bed with his head propped up by the pillows. When she finished reading, the First Lady left Harding’s room and went to her nearby room in the suite while the President was seemingly sleeping.

One of the nurses attending to the President, Ruth Powdery, filled a glass with water in the bathroom and brought it to Harding so that he could take his medication before going to sleep for the night. The nurse was walking towards Harding when she noticed that his face suddenly twitched and his mouth dropped open. As the President’s head fell limply to the side and he slumped over the nurse called for Mrs. Harding who rushed into the room and instantly screamed for a doctor. Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover and Interior Secretary Herbert Work ran into the room almost immediately along with Harding’s personal physician, Brigadier General Dr. Charles E. Sawyer, but it made no difference. It was 7:32 PM on August 2, 1923 and President Harding was dead. He was 57 years old.

Dr. Sawyer quickly declared that Harding had died of a cerebral hemorrhage, but there was some disagreement by others present about the exact cause of death. As other doctors arrived on the scene the distraught First Lady asked whether any of them could do anything for the President and it took nearly an hour before she could be convinced that Harding was actually dead. With the doctors disagreeing about whether or not the President had died of a stroke or a heart attack or some other cause, there was a push to conduct an autopsy in order to make a final determination. However, Mrs. Harding was adamantly opposed to allowing an autopsy to be performed on President Harding. She even refused permission for an artist to make a death mask of her late husband. Florence Harding’s actions in the wake of her husband’s death would later lead to allegations that she may have poisoned the President — either to punish him for humiliating her by engaging in numerous extramarital affairs or out of mercy to prevent his reputation from being further tarnished by the many scandals of his Administration. The rumors about Florence Harding possibly poisoning Warren G. Harding have never been backed by any solid evidence, but some of Mrs. Harding’s actions immediately after the President’s death were unusual. After Harding’s body was returned to Washington, D.C. and he was lying in state in the East Room of the White House, Mrs. Harding reportedly sat next to his open casket for several hours overnight while saying to the dead President’s face, “No one can hurt you now, Warren.”

In Plymouth Notch, Vermont, telephone services were turned off at night in 1923. At a farmhouse in this small rural area of Vermont, Colonel John Calvin Coolidge Sr., who was a justice of the peace and a notary public, was hosting his son and daughter-in-law, who had come to town for a few days of vacation. The Colonel’s son was the Vice President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, and while he had learned of President Harding’s illness a few days ago, he was under the impression that Harding was improving and would make a full recovery. On August 2, Calvin Coolidge had helped his father with some yard work around the farm and went to bed fairly early. Late that night, Colonel Coolidge heard someone knocking on his door and answered it while Vice President Coolidge was still sleeping. Since there was no way to contact the Coolidge household by phone, the nearest telegraph operator rounded up two members of the Vice President’s staff who were staying nearby and a reporter and drove to Plymouth Notch. When Colonel Coolidge opened the door at about 10:30 PM, the men handed him a note for the Vice President that read, “The President died instantly and without warning and while conversing with members of his family at 7:30 PM. His physicians report that death was apparently due to some brain embolism, probably an apoplexy.”

The Vice President and his wife, Grace, were awakened shortly afterwards by his father calling for them and they headed downstairs. When Coolidge saw the look on his father’s face and heard the tone of his voice, he realized that President Harding was dead. “The only times I have ever observed that before,” Coolidge said of his father’s demeanor that night, “were when death had visited our family. I knew something of the gravest nature had occurred.” A special phone line was opened for Coolidge at a store near his father’s farm so that Coolidge could speak to Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes. Hughes recommended that Coolidge take the Presidential oath of office as soon as possible, seconding the opinion of the Attorney General, who had sent a telegram to Coolidge suggesting the same thing. The Secretary of State told Coolidge that he could be sworn in by any notary and Coolidge told Hughes, “My father is a notary.”

Colonel John Coolidge searched through his private library for a copy of the Constitution, which had the exact wording of the Presidential oath of office. A kerosene lamp was lit in Colonel Coolidge’s sitting room and at 2:47 AM on August 3, 1923, Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as the 30th President of the United States by his own father. When asked later what he was thinking at that moment, Coolidge remembered, “I thought I could swing it.” After he was sworn in, President Coolidge went upstairs and promptly went back to sleep. The new President and his family traveled to Washington, D.C. later that day to await the return of President Harding’s body, which was traveling on the same train that had taken him on his “Voyage of Understanding” as it crossed a country in deep mourning and the nation prepared for a State Funeral.

[californiastatelibrary]

A 1957 image showing bleachers, part of the field, baseball game in progress at Wrigley Field, 42nd and Avalon. This was the last Pacific Coast League game played there. Built in 1925 and named for William Wrigley, Jr., Wrigley Field was home from 1925 to 1957 to baseball team the Angels. From our online catalog.

[skunkworks101]

Roughly 29 miles southwest of Los Angeles and about an hour by boat from the Long Beach port (or Huntington Beach) lies the island of Santa Catalina or more commonly referred to as Catalina Island.  The island these days is primarily a tourist destination with the port city of Avalon being the main landing spot on the island.  The island hosts a variety of wildlife including Bisons and once even hosted a military training facility during WW2.  The island owes its current state primarily to William Wrigley Jr. of chewing gum fame (also, the Chicago Cubs) who developed the island into what it is today.  One of the main attractions on the island is the Catalina Casino, a large theater built in 1929 that was the first theater in the world to be specifically built for “films with sound.”

[sporadiceagleheart]

Here's my Tribute edit called your tears for Ava Jordan Wood, Saffie-Rose Brenda Roussos and Skylar Annette “Sky” Neese, Cal Franklin Blackerby, James Michael “JJ” Brown Jr., Christian Lee Chandler, Ethan Zane Frensley, Jesse McCord Lewis, Aadon Blu Olmsted, Chase Alexander Wethington Padgett, Ryan Wrigley Parmeter, Autumn Elayne “Auttie” Rust-Kukuk, Teagin Nathanial “Bubby” Rust-Kukuk, Kirsten Mariah Rust-Reynolds, Tiffany Lynn “Tiffy” Searle, Gage Michael Stevens, Jacob Frank Williams, Lincoln Grace Sutton, Rachael Marie Tisdale, Alyssa Kay Logue, Eric Jefferson Jones, Zoe Savannah Garcia, Evynn Chandler Michelle Garas, Veralee Marie Craft, Bella Jane Blackiston, Leontine Juliette Susan Amsterdam, 1 June 1931 – Auschwitz, 19 November 1943Reached the age of 12 years, Kaylie Kristin “KK” Russell, Jerris Rhea Pelts Beacham, Gerald Alfred Gaddy, Saffie-Rose Brenda Roussos, Lucia Isabella “Lucy” Jackson, Rosemary May “Rosie” Pazin Williams, Joyce Louise Tacadena Graham, Roberta Mae “Butch” Tacadena Bohannon, Kathryne Louise “Mo” Daley Tacadena, Dennis J. Delia, Nevada A. “Vada” Duncan, Theresa Eleanor Burns Perrine, Stella Frederick Camp, Nancy Elizabeth “Dollie” Haun Burns, Lydia Mary Bussing Buchanan, Frances Ann Cranston Bussing, Sophia Ruth Bussing Henry, Ruth Jones Graves Wakefield, Tyler Benton Bales, Barbara Minnich Bierly, Milton H. Bierly, Herbert Johnson “Herbie” Bierly, Uriah Lee Maguire, Christina-Taylor Green, James A Hellems, Fannie Koontz Roach, Lance Solomon Reddick, Richard Jay Belzer, Jimmy Dean, Johnny Paycheck, Lucy Craft Laney, Danielle Van Dam, Alicia Lynn Clark, Sarah Evelyn Isobel Payne, Murder of Sharon Lee Gallegos, Anna Celeste Lowe, Judith Barsi, Heather O'Rourke, Rachel Scott, MOA LEONTINE BJÖRK, Katelyn Nicole “Dolly” Davis, Amanda Michelle “Manda” Todd, Semina Mary Halliwell, Avery Jean Lane, Avery Lana Linda Brown, Sadako Sasaki, Dale Earnhardt American race car driver, Colonel Harland David Sanders, Bray Wyatt, Davey Allison, Chuck Connors, Young Dolph, Sir Michael John Gambon, and more as we honor those Colonel Sanders, Bray Wyatt, Davey Allison, Chuck Connors, Young Dolph, Sir Michael John Gambon, more names to remember

[jeanhm]

15th Jan Hoover Dam and Las Vegas

Today we said a sad goodbye to Wrigley Ranch but its such a lovely place I'd like to come back. We set off early again following Route 66 to Kingman passing a lovely Grand Canyon sign at Williams and then turned off the road heading north towards Las Vegas. The route wasn't that exciting though we did stop at the view point for Lake Mead which is where much of Las Vegas's water supply comes from.

At 12 noon we crossed the state line into Nevada and immediately gained an hour just as we arrived at the Hoover Dam. This is an amazing construction when viewed from both sides, the dam itself and the lake behind. Having driven across the Dam, which itself was a surprise we found ourselves back in Arizona so the clocks had changed again! we parked on one of the higher carparks and set off to walk back across the dam (with the inevitable time change again) to the visitor centre for both the public facilities and a coffee. The area was quite busy but again we were lucky that it was all free today being Martin Luther King Jr Day which is a bank holiday.

We had our coffee, bought the fridge magnet and walked back to the car and then drove back across the Dam and continued our journey onwards to Las Vegas.

As we started to approach the city you could see the band of smog above it which was very unappealing but thankfully it wasn't too evident in the city itself. We found our way to Caesar's Palace relatively easily for all the traffic and having got our room set out to explore the Palace and then get something to eat. Then it was off out to see the sights and we walked for miles down the LV Strip.

Caesars Palace is next to the Bellagio and we luckily were passing there when the fountains did their display of dancing to "All Night Long" Lionel Ritchie, which was fun, then it was down towards our evening venue at Tropicana taking in New York, New York and its amazing roller coaster and Excalibur and Luxor.

Our evening entertainment was a Michael Jackson tribute (Santana Jackson!) who had won some US talent show and boy was he good. we were right at the front in a booth which we shared with another couple and the show was amazing, his voice was so MJ and the set and dancers and musicians behind this talented act made the evening brilliant. We had a great time singing along.

Then it was a trip across the bridge to the MGM venue which, towards the back has the monorail which we took back to the hotel as it saved another 2 mile walk! All in all an excellent day action packed again!

[surestayphx1]

Where to Stay: Hotels for a Perfect Biltmore Fashion Park Experience in Phoenix

When visiting Phoenix, a stay Hotel near Biltmore fashion park Phoenix offers not just accommodation, but an immersive experience in luxury, convenience, and sophistication. Nestled in the heart of the city, this renowned shopping destination is surrounded by a selection of hotels that cater to diverse preferences, promising a perfect blend of comfort and style for an unforgettable stay.

The Camby Hotel

At the forefront of sophistication stands The Camby Hotel, a luxury boutique hotel exuding elegance and charm. Its proximity to Biltmore Fashion Park makes it an ideal choice for those seeking a seamless shopping and relaxation experience. The Camby boasts chic, contemporary rooms adorned with stylish furnishings and modern amenities. Indulge in their rooftop pool, offering panoramic views of the cityscape, or pamper yourself at their spa for a rejuvenating experience after a day of retail therapy.

Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort

For a timeless, iconic stay, the Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, stands as a testament to luxury and history. This legendary hotel, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright himself, offers opulent accommodations surrounded by lush gardens and iconic architecture. Experience unparalleled service, world-class dining, and amenities like championship golf courses and luxurious pools. The resort's proximity to Biltmore Fashion Park ensures easy access to both retail indulgence and refined relaxation.

Royal Palms Resort and Spa

Tucked away in a serene oasis, the Royal Palms Resort and Spa is an exquisite Mediterranean-inspired retreat. This intimate and romantic hideaway offers luxurious casitas and guestrooms featuring elegant decor and serene views of lush gardens and Camelback Mountain. Its award-winning Alvadora Spa beckons guests with treatments inspired by the Mediterranean and surrounded by fragrant citrus trees. Indulge in culinary delights at their renowned on-site restaurant, T. Cook’s, before or after your Biltmore Fashion Park shopping spree.

The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Resort

Nestled at the base of Camelback Mountain, The Phoenician presents a lavish escape for those seeking luxury and leisure. Featuring elegant accommodations, a world-class golf course, a stunning pool complex, and exceptional dining options, this resort promises a lavish stay. Immerse yourself in relaxation at their renowned spa or enjoy their exclusive shopping experiences, including shuttle services to Biltmore Fashion Park for a seamless shopping getaway.

The Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix

The Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix, redefines luxury with its impeccable service and refined ambiance. This urban oasis offers spacious rooms and suites with spectacular views of the city skyline or Camelback Mountain. Indulge in their spa services, unwind at the rooftop pool, or savor culinary delights at their acclaimed restaurant, offering a sophisticated dining experience. With its convenient location near Biltmore Fashion Park, guests can effortlessly combine retail therapy with luxurious comfort.

The Wrigley Mansion

Steeped in history and elegance, The Wrigley Mansion offers a unique and luxurious stay near Biltmore Fashion Park. Once the winter home of chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr., this mansion turned boutique hotel exudes Old World charm and sophistication. Enjoy breathtaking views of Phoenix from its hilltop location, savor exquisite cuisine at Geordie’s Steak, or take a guided tour of this historic estate. The proximity to Biltmore Fashion Park ensures a seamless transition from luxury accommodation to upscale shopping.

Final Thoughts

Choosing where to stay near Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix isn’t merely about accommodation—it’s about curating an experience that seamlessly blends luxury, convenience, and sophistication. These select hotels offer not just a place to rest your head but an invitation to indulge in the finer things, whether it’s world-class amenities, impeccable service, or proximity to premier shopping. Immerse yourself in the opulence of these accommodations and relish the perfect balance of relaxation and indulgence during your stay in Phoenix.

Discover comfort and convenience at Sure Stay Phx in vibrant Phoenix, AZ. Our hotel offers a range of well-appointed rooms, excellent amenities, and friendly service. Whether you're here for business or leisure, our prime location ensures easy access to the city's attractions. Your home away from home in Phoenix.

[juliehowlin]

Chewing Gum

The first ever item to be bought using a Bar code was a pack of chewing gum, in 1974.

10 things you might not know about chewing gum:

[lilcerberus]

From Bud Light to the latest Jim Caviezel movie controversy, I don't think I've ever seen so many companies try so hard to say "the consumer is Wrong!!!" I keep thinking about a post I shared a few months ago about William Wrigley Jr.... Born & raised in the soap business, He failed when he struck out on his own, only to become the biggest name in chewing gum... Now, do you ever think William Wrigley Jr. sat looking at a bar of soap next to a pack of chewing gum & asked himself, "What the hell is wrong with the customers???" No, he built a chewing gum factory...

[cassandraalexis777]

Permen Karet Cemilan Favorit sepanjang masa

Permen karet, makanan ringan yang kenyal dan enak untuk dikunyah, telah menjadi salah satu camilan favorit di seluruh dunia. Namun, tahukah Anda bahwa sejarah permen karet dimulai jauh sebelum kita mengenalnya seperti sekarang? Dalam 500 kata ini, kita akan menjelajahi asal-usul permen karet dan bagaimana ia menjadi camilan yang populer di dunia.

OKEPLAY777 jackpotnya semanis permen karet selalu ada jackpot di setiap depo nya

Sejarah permen karet dimulai pada zaman kuno, ketika suku Maya dan Aztec di Amerika Tengah menggunakan getah pohon sapodilla untuk keperluan berbagai macam. Getah pohon ini memiliki tekstur yang kenyal dan rasa yang manis. Suku Maya dan Aztec mengunyah getah ini untuk membersihkan gigi, menyegarkan nafas, dan menghilangkan rasa lapar. Mereka juga percaya bahwa getah sapodilla memiliki sifat penyembuhan.

Pada abad ke-15, penjelajah Spanyol, termasuk Christopher Columbus, menemukan peradaban Maya dan Aztec di Amerika Tengah. Mereka tertarik dengan praktik mengunyah getah sapodilla yang dilakukan oleh penduduk asli dan membawa getah ini kembali ke Eropa. Namun, pada saat itu, getah sapodilla hanya dianggap sebagai suvenir eksotis dan belum menjadi makanan yang populer.

Pada abad ke-19, industri permen mulai berkembang pesat di Amerika Serikat. Pada tahun 1848, seorang pengusaha dan ilmuwan bernama John Curtis memperkenalkan permen karet yang pertama kali dijual di Amerika Serikat. Permen karet ini terbuat dari getah sapodilla yang dikombinasikan dengan gula. Meskipun permen karet ini awalnya tidak terlalu populer, ia memberikan dasar bagi perkembangan lebih lanjut dalam industri permen karet.

Pada tahun 1869, seorang petani dan pengusaha Amerika Serikat bernama William Finley Semple memperoleh paten untuk proses pembuatan permen karet. Ia menemukan cara untuk memperoleh getah karet alami dari pohon cemara. Meskipun inovasinya tidak langsung membuat permen karet menjadi terkenal, ia memberikan kontribusi penting dalam pengembangan industri permen karet.

Pada awal abad ke-20, seorang penemu bernama Thomas Adams mengambil peran sentral dalam membuat permen karet populer di Amerika Serikat. Adams awalnya mencoba menggunakan getah cemara yang ditemukan oleh Semple untuk membuat bahan isolator listrik. Namun, ketika upayanya tidak berhasil, ia beralih ke ide mengunyah permen karet. Pada tahun 1871, ia memperoleh paten untuk permen karet dengan rasa licorice (akar manis). Permen karet ini menjadi terkenal di Amerika Serikat dan membuka jalan bagi industri permen karet yang modern.

Selama beberapa dekade berikutnya, permen karet terus berkembang dan berinovasi. Perusahaan-perusahaan seperti Wrigley dan Chiclets memperkenalkan berbagai rasa dan varian permen karet yang semakin menarik bagi konsumen. Pada tahun 1891, William Wrigley Jr. mendirikan perusahaan Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company yang kemudian menjadi salah satu produsen permen karet terbesar di dunia. Perusahaan ini memperkenalkan berbagai merek terkenal seperti Juicy Fruit dan Spearmint, yang menjadi ikon dalam industri permen karet.

Pada tahun 1906, permen karet mulai diproduksi dalam bentuk yang lebih praktis dan mudah dibawa. Chiclets, merek permen karet berbentuk tablet kecil, diluncurkan oleh perusahaan Adams Company. Chiclets menjadi sangat populer dan merupakan permen karet yang diingat oleh banyak generasi. Inovasi ini membuat permen karet semakin mudah dikonsumsi dan meningkatkan popularitasnya di kalangan masyarakat.

Perkembangan teknologi dan penemuan bahan-bahan baru juga berperan dalam transformasi industri permen karet. Pada tahun 1928, penemuan zat pengawet sintetis yang dikenal sebagai chicle memungkinkan produsen permen karet untuk menggantikan getah alami dengan bahan yang lebih tahan lama. Hal ini membuka pintu bagi pengembangan berbagai rasa dan tekstur baru dalam permen karet.

Seiring berjalannya waktu, permen karet juga menjadi populer di seluruh dunia. Perusahaan-perusahaan besar seperti Cadbury, Trident, dan Orbit memasuki pasar permen karet dan menghadirkan inovasi-inovasi baru dalam rasa, tekstur, dan manfaat kesehatan. Permen karet mulai menyediakan manfaat tambahan seperti menghilangkan nafas tidak sedap, memutihkan gigi, atau memberikan sensasi menyegarkan.

Selain itu, permen karet juga telah menjadi bagian dari budaya populer. Iklan-iklan permen karet yang kreatif dan menarik telah menjadi ikon dalam industri periklanan. Di beberapa negara, mengunyah permen karet dianggap sebagai simbol gaya hidup yang santai dan modern.

Dalam beberapa dekade terakhir, permen karet telah bertransformasi menjadi lebih dari sekadar camilan. Produk-produk baru seperti permen karet dengan rasa buah-buahan yang segar, permen karet berenergi, dan permen karet bebas gula telah menemukan tempatnya di pasar. Keberagaman varian permen karet yang tersedia memungkinkan setiap orang menemukan pilihan yang sesuai dengan preferensi mereka.

Dalam kesimpulan, permen karet telah menjalani perjalanan yang menarik dalam sejarahnya. Dari penggunaan getah sapodilla oleh suku Maya dan Aztec, hingga inovasi-inovasi modern yang membawa permen karet ke pasar global, industri ini terus berkembang dan beradaptasi. Permen karet tidak hanya menjadi camilan yang populer, tetapi juga bagian penting dari budaya dan gaya hidup modern. Sebagai salah satu makanan ringan yang paling digemari di dunia, permen karet terus memikat hati dan lidah para penikmatnya dengan inovasi dan kenikmatannya yang khas.

[sagarg889]

Chewing Gum Machine Market Outlook, Current and Future Landscape Analysis 2023 to 2033

According to a recent FMI report, the market for Chewing Gum Machine equipment is expected to reach USD 1,650.1 Million in 2033, growing at a CAGR of 5.5% between 2023 and 2033.

A chewing gum machine, according to FMI, is a type of vending machine that sells chewing gum. Chewing gum vending machines are typically found in public areas such as supermarkets, shopping malls, and airports.

William Wrigley Jr. invented the first chewing gum machine in 1892. Wrigley’s chewing gum was dispensed by the machine. Chewing gum is now available in a variety of brands and flavours from vending machines.

Chewing gum is a popular candy that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Chewing gum is thought to have health benefits such as stress reduction and oral health promotion.

Get a Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-16321

Key Takeaways from the Chewing Gum Machine Market Study:

The rising demand for sugar-free and natural chewing gum is driving the growth of the chewing gum machines market. The increasing preference for on-the-go consumption is also propelling the demand for these machines. In addition, the easy availability of these machines and the growing number of outlets are further aiding the market growth. However, the high initial cost associated with these machines is hindering their adoption among small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

During the projection period 2023-2033, the Chewing Gum Machine Market is expected to be the fastest-growing segment, rising at a CAGR of 5.5%.

The North American Chewing Gum Machine market is currently in a state of flux, with a number of new players entering the market and existing players jockeying for position. This has resulted in a wide range of prices and offerings, making it difficult for consumers to know where to turn.

Asia pacific region is proving to be an emerging market for Chewing Gum Machine Machines.

Who is winning?

The leading players in the market are Wrigley, Cadbury, Hershey, and Mars.

North America now holds the largest market share, and this region is expected to continue to expand during the projection period. This can mostly be due to the region’s growing population and rising disposable income levels. Furthermore, the region’s Chewing Gum Machine Market is expected to increase in the next years due to a favorable legal and regulatory environment.

Get Valuable Insights into Chewing Gum Machine Market

FMI, in its new offering, provides an unbiased analysis of the Chewing Gum Machine equipment market presenting historical demand data (2018-2022) and forecast statistics for the period from (2023-2033). The study divulges compelling insights on the demand for Chewing Gum Machine market based on Type (Tabletop Machines, Floor Standing Machines), by End-use (Foodservice Establishments, Office Buildings, Retail Stores), by Sales Channel (Online, Offline), by Geography (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, MEA, RoW)

For More Information on this Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/chewing-gum-machine-market

Segmentation of Chewing Gum Machine Market

Segmentation by Type:

Tabletop Machines

Floor Standing Machines

Segmentation by End-use:

Foodservice Establishments

Office Buildings

Retail Stores

Segmentation by Sales Channel:

Online

Offline

Segmentation by Geography:

North America

Latin America

Europe

Asia Pacific

MEA

RoW

[baseballbybsmile]

Today In 1930: Chicago Cubs owner William Wrigley Jr. and manager Joe McCarthy discuss the upcoming season during spring training on Catalina Island, California! (edit/color by BSmile)