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☆ Activist Starboard has a variety of strategies to build value at Bloomin’ Brands
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Kenneth Squire | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Its restaurant portfolio includes Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. But a better opportunity might be their hidden gem in the 150 Outback restaurants in Brazil. As for Starboard, the firm has had extensive success at both Papa John's and Darden, but in strikingly different ways. Papa John's was a very amicable engagement in which Starboard was invited onto the board and worked with management to create extensive shareholder value. If management is smart, they will view Darden as a warning, and Papa John's as the opportunity.

Persons: David C, George, Bloomin, outperforming Darden, Jeff Smith, Papa John's, Chris, Del Frisco's, accretive, Jana Partners, John P, Gainor, Lawrence V, Jackson, Jana, Papa, Darden, Ken Squire Organizations: Brands, Wine, Papa John's, Darden, Texas Roadhouse, LongHorn Steakhouse, Texas, Fogo De Chao, 13D Locations: United States, BLMN, Fogo De, Brazil

☆ In the Heart of the Outback, Safeguarding a Sacred Land
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Anthony Ham | Photographs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Close to the geographical heart of Australia, Alice Springs feels like a true desert town. Pink-chested galahs wheel and screech overhead, and, lining the streets, gum trees give off the faintest smell of eucalyptus. Even by Aussie standards, Alice Springs is casual: People dress down, and many drive well-equipped four-wheel-drive trucks that are as much a part of the uniform as T-shirts, shorts and Akubra hats. By day, I visited Alice Springs Desert Park, with its extraordinary desert wildlife, and the city’s Aboriginal art galleries. It was a reminder that Alice Springs — or Mparntwe to its traditional owners, the Arrernte people — is largely an Aboriginal town.

Persons: Alice Springs, Alice, Springs Organizations: Hilton, Art, Papunya Locations: Australia, Papunya Tula, Central

☆ Outback Steakhouse Owner Draws Activist Investor
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Lauren Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/business/hospitality/outback-steakhouse-owner-draws-activist-investor-5fe62bd6

Persons: Dow Jones, 5fe62bd6

☆ After 10 Years of My Ride, Our Writer Reveals What He Drives. Hint: It’s Not a Porsche.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( A.J. Baime | Photographs Andri Tambunan For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

I have profiled owners of special vehicles from around the country nearly every week for the past 10 years. The one question people always ask me is: What kind of car do you drive? They expect Porsches in my garage, but no. On the 10th anniversary of My Ride, I present my family’s humble Subaru Outback, which we call Dougie.

Persons: Dougie

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Estee Lauder, Bloomin' Brands, Palo Alto Networks and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Palo Alto Networks — Shares of the cybersecurity company edged 1.8% lower in premarket trading Friday. Palo Alto Networks' fiscal fourth-quarter earnings are expected to come out Friday afternoon. Analysts surveyed by FactSet's StreetAccount called for $1.96 billion in revenue and earnings per share of $1.29. The company reported adjusted earning per share of 7 cents, while analysts surveyed by Refinitiv had forecast a loss of 4 cents per share. The electronic design company said it anticipates adjusted earnings of $1.83 to $1.89 per share on revenue of $1.29 billion to $1.31 billion.

Persons: FactSet's StreetAccount, Alibaba, PDD, Nio, Estee Lauder —, Estee Lauder, Refinitiv, Keysight, Jeffrey Smith's, — CNBC's Michelle Fox Theobald, Jesse Pound Organizations: Palo Alto, Palo Alto Networks, Ross, Ross Stores, Refinitiv . Revenue, Technologies, Street Journal

☆ Outback Steakhouse owner's stock rises after activist Starboard Value buys stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An Outback Steakhouse truck sits parked outside a restaurant in New York. Shares of Outback Steakhouse owner Bloomin' Brands rose 7% in morning trading Friday after an activist investor disclosed its interest in the restaurant company. Starboard Value now owns 9.9% of Bloomin's shares, according a regulatory filing. In addition to Outback, Bloomin' also owns Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar. Starboard Value has a proven track record of successful turnarounds at restaurant companies.

Persons: Bloomin, Jana Partners, Garden's breadsticks, Papa John's, John Schnatter, Jeff Smith Organizations: Fleming's, Wine, Bloomin, Barington Capital Group, Darden Restaurants Locations: New York

☆ Pooping, splooting, spitting: How wild animals beat the heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Hottest day, hottest week, hottest month, and – increasingly likely – hottest year; 2023 has garnered unwanted records as the climate crisis escalates. From peculiar methods like “splooting,” to changing physiology altogether, here are four ways different creatures are trying to beat the heat. Splooting is a popular method of thermoregulation for squirrels, especially among larger species, as they do not lose much body heat through sweating, Devitz explained. A 2021 report noted that some animals are developing larger beaks, legs and ears to better regulate their body temperatures. Spitting and snottingTwo Australian animals put their bodily fluids to good use in the battle to beat the scorching temperatures of the outback.

Persons: –, you’ve, ”, splooting, Charlotte Devitz, Splooting, Devitz, “, Celal, ” Sara Ryding, Jami Tarris, Christine Cooper, Klaus, Dietmar Gabbert Organizations: CNN, Collins, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Deakin University Locations: New York City, Washington ,, Australian, Australia

☆ Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Coinbase, Meta, Advanced Micro Devices, SoFi & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Here are Wednesday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Citi upgrades Advanced Micro Devices to buy from neutral Citi upgraded the chipmaker after its better than expected earnings report. Citi reiterates Home Depot as buy Citi said it's standing by its buy rating on the stock heading into earnings later this month. " Goldman Sachs reiterates SolarEdge as buy Goldman said it's standing by its buy rating on SolarEdge after its earnings report on Wednesday. "We maintain our Underperform rating as we remain concerned regarding the long-term prospects of the space tourism market. Needham reiterates Meta as underperform Needham said it's standing by its underperform rating on the stock.

Persons: Canaccord, Baird, Harry Sommer, BTIG, Wolfe, William Blair downgrades Bloomin, William Blair, Goldman Sachs, SolarEdge, Goldman, Bernstein, Uber, DJ Khaled, Mizuho, SoFi, SOFI, Rosenblatt, it's, Pinterest, Needham, underperform Needham Organizations: Citi, Devices, AMD, JPMorgan, Apple, Services, Oshkosh, Susquehanna, Mizuho, Bank of America, Virgin Galactic, underperform Bank of America, Meta Locations: 3Q23, Oshkosh, Norwegian

☆ Most cars still cost more to charge than to fill up with gas
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

While charging and fueling trucks cost the same, other cars and their electric counterparts differ. It's not yet cheaper to charge some electric cars than to fuel them with gas, a new study suggests. It's not yet cheaper to charge many electric cars than it would be to fuel their gas-powered counterparts up with gas, a new study indicates. Trucks cost about the same to fuel and charge, while entry and midlevel cars and SUVs cost more to charge at home and in public than they do to fuel at a gas station, the group found. Luxury-segment EVs may cost less to charge at home than their gas counterparts would cost to fuel.

Persons: Kelley, that's, Kia Forte, it's, Bolt, Kia, Kia EV6 Organizations: Anderson Economic, Trucks, Ford Trucks, Ford, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC, Chevrolet, Nissan Versa, Hyundai, Nissan, Mercedes, Benz, Lexus, Porsche Macan, Porsche, Volkswagen, Nissan Altima, Subaru

☆ Unusual type of stellar object discovered beaming out radio waves
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In those moments, it became the brightest source of radio waves viewable from Earth through radio telescopes, acting like a celestial lighthouse. The object, dubbed GPM J1839−10, released radio waves every 22 minutes. “The object we’ve discovered is spinning way too slowly to produce radio waves — it’s below the death line,” Hurley-Walker said. “Assuming it’s a magnetar, it shouldn’t be possible for this object to produce radio waves. The intense, millisecond-long bursts of radio waves have unknown origins, but magnetars have been pinpointed as a potential cause.

Persons: Tyrone O’Doherty, ”, Natasha Hurley, Walker, Hurley, ” Hurley, it’s Organizations: CNN —, Curtin University, Curtin, International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Giant Locations: Australia, Western Australia, South Africa, India, USA

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Persons: it's, you'll, Price, Robin, You'll, Price Dave, Dave, Buster's, you've, Elaine Benes, we've Organizations: Amazon Prime, Amazon, GameStop, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cheesecake, Regal, GAP Locations: Grubhub, California

Persons: you'll, Price, Robin, You'll, Price Dave, Dave, Buster's, you've, Elaine Benes, we've Organizations: Amazon, GameStop, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cheesecake, Regal, GAP Locations: Grubhub, California

lydia polgreenI’m Lydia Polgreen, and this is “Matter of Opinion.” Today, we’re going to do something a little bit different. And the great sort of brilliant twist of the show is at the end, the winner is chosen by the people that the contestants have voted off. Like, that just seems really, really American. I don’t think we need to go that far, but she is the best version of America, like America as it fancies itself to be. And if they happen to come out while I’m outside, I’m like, you!

Persons: michelle cottle, I’m Michelle Cottle, ross douthat I’m Ross Douthat, carlos lozada I’m Carlos Lozada, lydia polgreen, Lydia Polgreen, ross, departmentwide, carlos lozada, ross douthat, polgreen, ross douthat I’ll, Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, it’s, We’d, carlos lozada I didn’t, Lozada, Michelle, there’ll, you’ve, I’ll, ”, I’ve, lydia polgreen It’s, Lydia, — ross, Sue Hawk, winder, — carlos lozada Wow, Richard Hatch, he’s, Rudy, carlos lozada “, carlos lozada “ Survivor ”, Mark Burnett, — carlos lozada There’s, ” lydia polgreen There’s, ” ross douthat, “, — ross douthat That’s, Ross, you’re, Carlos, carlos lozada You, JD Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald, Tom, TD Fitzgerald, Standish, who’s, ” ross, — carlos lozada, ross douthat —, Donald Trump, JD, ” Michelle, I’m, Dolly Parton, lydia polgreen Legend, She’s, scrappy, she’s, “ Jolene, michelle cottle Don’t, Dolly, Dolly Parton’s, michelle cottle I’m, polgreen It’s, It’s, — carlos lozada Oh, lydia polgreen — Henry Grabar, Mother Teresa, Henry Grabar, carlos lozada Ross, we’re, Sienna, Sienna’s, we’re Honda Organizations: New York, ”, Harvard, “, Blacks, Navy, carlos lozada “ Survivor, Trump, Housewives, HBO, America, Survivor, City Hall, DC Locations: United States of America, America, United States, Trump, Utah, Northern California, Adenville, Lydia, Park City , Utah, West

☆ Molecular fossils open window on 'lost world' of primordial life
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The researchers discovered that the molecular fossils indicating the presence of these primitive eukaryotes were commonplace in rocks spanning from about 1.6 billion years ago to 800 million years ago. "It is a lost world in the sense that we had not been able to see or detect them - although there was an entire world of them. It is a lost world also because these forms are now entirely extinct, Brocks added. The oldest of the rocks bearing these fossils were unearthed in the remote Outback of northern Australia, near Darwin. Scientists long were puzzled about the seeming absence of molecular fossils from this time span indicative of primitive eukaryotes.

Persons: Jochen Brocks, geobiologist Jochen Brocks, Benjamin Nettersheim, Brocks, sapiens, Konrad Block, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Australian National University, Handout, REUTERS, University of Bremen, Thomson Locations: Creek, Northern Australia, REUTERS WASHINGTON, Canberra, Germany, Australia, Darwin

☆ I've made $98,000 in a month on OnlyFans. There's this stigma that it's just creepy dudes on there — but most of the time, my conversations aren't sexual at all.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Laura Lux transitioned to online sex work during the popularity of MySpace. Lux makes about $30,000 a month on OnlyFans, but she doesn't recommend it to everyone. My transition to online sex work happened with the popularity of MySpaceI kind of blew up on MySpace just posting photo shoots with local photographers. My content isn't full-on sex content, and it's actually kind of tame compared to other creators. There's this stigma that it's just creepy dudes on thereBut in reality, we talk about all kinds of things.

Persons: Laura Lux, —, I'd, Snapchat, I've, it's, It's, I'm Organizations: Lux, Service, MySpace, Twitter Locations: Australia, OnlyFans

☆ Olive Garden parent Darden Restaurants bets on fine dining with $715 million Ruth's Chris deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Olive Garden owner Darden Restaurants is betting on fine dining with its $715 million acquisition of Ruth's Chris Steak House . The average check at Ruth's Chris is $97, according to Darden's investor presentation. For comparison, the average check at Olive Garden, which accounts for roughly half of Darden's revenue, was $21 in fiscal 2022. Still, Darden executives emphasized that the Ruth's Chris acquisition is a long-term bet, and the decision wasn't made based on the current economic cycle. Cardenas also said third-party data shows that there is little overlap between Ruth's Chris customers and those who frequent The Capital Grill and Eddie V's.

☆ Starbucks earnings beat as China reverses same-store sales declines
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Starbucks on Tuesday reported quarterly earnings and revenue that beat analysts' expectations, fueled by better-than-expected international sales. In China, the company's second-largest market, Starbucks saw its same-store sales increase for the first time since Starbucks' fiscal third quarter in 2021 as customers returned to its cafes following the rollback of the country's zero Covid policy. The company's same-store sales climbed 11% in the quarter, beating StreetAccount estimates of 7.1%. Outside the U.S., the coffee chain's same-store sales increased 7%. Last quarter, Starbucks said it is projecting revenue growth of 10% to 12% and adjusted earnings per share growth on the low end of 15% to 20%.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: First Republic, Snap, Amazon, Intel and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Snap — The Snapchat parent company cratered about 18% after missing revenue expectations for the recent quarter. Intel — Intel shares rose more than 4% even after the company reported its largest quarterly loss on record and a 133% reduction year over year. Colgate-Palmolive — The consumer giant saw its stock rally 4% after the company reported quarterly earnings and revenue that topped expectations. The company reported 98 cents in earnings per share, above the 89 cents expected by analysts polled by Refinitiv. Newell Brands — Shares gained 2% even after the consumer goods company reported a wider-than-expected loss.

☆ Western Australia assesses Cyclone Ilsa's 'path of destruction'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, April 15 (Reuters) - Emergency authorities in Western Australia were assessing damage on Saturday from a tropical cyclone that hit the state's northwest, sparing heavily populated areas but affecting several remote communities. Ilsa, downgraded to a severe weather system, made landfall in the sparsely populated Pilbara region of Western Australia early on Friday with an intensity rating of 5, the highest. Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services Assistant Commissioner Rick Curtis said crews were surveying damage in the "very large area" hit by Ilsa. "It’s quite a remote part of Western Australia so getting support services to the area will take some time and effort." Australia's weather forecaster warned of possible severe weather on Saturday in parts of the neighbouring Northern Territory, including potential flooding in the outback town of Alice Springs, as the ex-cyclone tracked east.

☆ Asteroid discovery suggests ingredients for life on Earth came from space
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] The carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu is seen from a distance of about 12 miles (20 km) during the Japanese Space Agency's Hayabusa2 mission on June 30, 2018. Scientists said on Tuesday they detected uracil and niacin in rocks obtained by the Japanese Space Agency's Hayabusa2 spacecraft from two sites on Ryugu in 2019. Scientists long have pondered about the conditions necessary for life to arise after Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago. "It was directly sampled on the asteroid Ryugu and returned to Earth, and finally to laboratories without any contact with terrestrial contaminants." The U.S. space agency NASA during its OSIRIS-REx mission collected samples in 2020 from the asteroid Bennu.

☆ For Long-Term Health and Happiness, Marriage Still Matters
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Brendan Case | Ying Chen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

When European travelers first encountered the Warlpiri of Australia’s Outback or the Kalapalo of the Amazon Basin in the 19th century, at least one institution would have been familiar amid the welter of cultural differences. As in the West, life among the Warlpiri and Kalapalo is profoundly shaped by marriage. In their own ways, the members of both of these societies strive to attract desirable spouses and then to raise children and forge a life together. As anthropologist Joseph Henrich observes, despite important variation in its form across cultures, “marriage represents the keystone institution for most (not all) societies, and may be the most primeval of human institutions.”Marriage might be nearly ubiquitous, but does it still matter today? As reliable contraception has lowered the stakes of sex, and women have achieved political and, in some cases, economic equality with men, perhaps marriage has now become merely optional, a capstone rather than a cornerstone of a successful life.

☆ Berlinale film unearths traumas of Australian indigenous communities
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Zuzanna Szymanska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/8] Director Ivan Sen and cast members Rob Collins, Natasha Wanganeen and Simon Baker attend the screening of 'Limbo' at the 73rd Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 23, 2023. "Almost every indigenous family in Australia has had this kind of experience." The black-and-white film, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on Thursday, casts "L.A. Confidential" star Simon Baker as a detective sent to the opal-mining town of Limbo to review a 20-year-old unsolved murder. The film, one of 19 competing for the top Golden Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival, often lingers over a scarred landscape, seen from far above in lengthy drone shots that highlight the terrain's inhuman scale.

☆ Australia's radioactive capsule: searching scientists were quietly confident
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] A view shows the area where a radioactive capsule was found, near Newman, Australia, February 1, 2023. Western Australian Department Of Fire And Emergency Services/Handout via REUTERSSYDNEY, Feb 3 (Reuters) - The task was daunting: find a tiny radioactive capsule that had fallen off a truck somewhere in Western Australia's vast outback sometime in January. Western Australia is buzzing with low-level rays thanks to its A$230 billion ($160 billion) mining industry. The Australian Radiation Incident Register reported six incidents of material being found, lost or stolen in 2019. That year, a radioactive gauge was stolen in Queensland state, according to police reports.

At Sue Schmidt’s gas station and roadhouse off a remote highway in the Australian Outback, employees usually watch out for snakes when they are walking outside. But this week, they were looking for something else: A tiny capsule of radioactive material that sparked a search along a roughly 900-mile stretch of the road. The capsule, used in mine equipment, went missing while in transit from a Rio Tinto PLC mine to Perth, Western Australia’s state capital. As the search dragged on over the past week, Ms. Schmidt and her employees grew wary of cleaning up the bottle caps and coins that they usually find outside the roadhouse, fearing that any shiny object could be the capsule that would hit them with a dangerous dose of radiation.

☆ Australia's radioactive capsule to be moved to storage as investigation starts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A view shows the area where a radioactive capsule was found, near Newman, Australia, February 1, 2023. The week-long search retracing the truck's journey involved 100 people from at least five government agencies using specialised radiation detection equipment. Capsule was found south of the town of Newman after a week-long search. Western Australia's Chief Health Officer Andrew Robertson launched an investigation on Wednesday and said prosecutions would be considered under state radiation safety laws dating to 1975. A report for Western Australia's Health Minister is due in several weeks.

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