Day: December 8, 2010

Ready for reform in Chicago?

You think you know achievement in your life?  Compare it with this, from pdb at Chicago’s long-overdue Department of Zoning Oversight Fellowship Forum:

Zoning dept-Pete

It’s as old as dirt, but what better way to nurture hope than through change, or the promise of change. Obama did it, see sweeping election. What comes after is open for analysis. The first and second quarter reports are in for the recent changes in the DoZ, and this Intern can’t find anything to complain about, although he’d like to.

Take this: interior renovation of a commercial storefront in a historic skyscraper down by M. Park. Only days before the scheduled appointment, the architect is able to push it back (2) days; no muss, no fuss.

Read the rest, a.k.a. Adventures of Super-Intern, saving the building world from mindless bureaucracy.

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Down-home cooking for Nigeria, Namibia, et al.

African arteries, get ready for clogging.

Good news:

The improved political stability of various African governments, the region’s vast population and a growing middle class in Africa—where chicken is a dietary staple—led [KFC owner] Yum to set its sights on the continent.

Why is there gold in them hills?

Approximately 40% of Africans live in urban areas now and the number of households with discretionary income is projected to increase by 50% to 128 million over the next decade, according to a recent study by the McKinsey Global Institute

It’s a trend:

“People are now focusing on the emerging world, with a bit of a gold rush going on,” says Graham Allan, CEO Yum Restaurants International.

“A lot of companies, especially Chinese ones, have invested in Africa,” Mr. Allan adds. “We share the general view that Africa over the next 10 to 20 years will have massive potential.”

Of the roughly one billion people in Africa, KFC estimates it currently reaches 180 million.

It’s what you call an emerging market, about to be served (exploited, say you class-warriors) by global capitalism.  Very good, but can cholesterol-reducers be far behind?  Maybe from a tree in India?

Maybe not, in view of African tastes:

The menus at African KFCs are similar to those in more developed markets, albeit with more chicken drumsticks and wings, and fewer boneless items such as sandwiches and nuggets.

“Africans are wary of processed food,” says Keith Warren, general manager of Yum’s Africa business. “They want chicken on the bone.”

Who doesn’t?

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