Free Republic

Winemakers are pulling the cork on California. Another giant in the world-famous wine growing region is shutting down and slashing staff, making it the fourth since the start of 2026. Jackson Family Wines has stopped production at its Carneros Hill facility in Sonoma’s Carneros region, laying off more than a dozen employees, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice filed with California authorities on Feb. 12. *** Jackson Family Wines is known as one of the top US wine producers, the sixth-largest wine company in the country. *** It owns the Kendall-Jackson label and about 40 other brands, producing...

Video SummaryMatt Walsh argues that chain restaurant food quality has sharply declined in recent years, with nearly identical, poor-tasting food across major brands (Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s, etc.).Key points raised:Private equity is often blamed, but it’s not the primary or new culprit; PE has owned major chains for decades (e.g., Domino’s to Bain in 1998, Burger King in 2002) and typically buys either growing or failing companies with the goal of long-term profit, not deliberate destruction. Some PE turnarounds (e.g., Arby’s) have been successful.Cases like Red Lobster are more complex: it was already in steep decline before PE involvement,...

Learn about the man who transformed Japan and revolutionized the philosophy of quality. This episode dives into Deming's System of Profound Knowledge, his holistic management philosophy designed for continuous improvement and long-term success.

Bad Apple. New Yorkers rate the Big Apple’s quality of life — on issues such as public safety, cleanliness and mass transit — significantly worse than the pre-pandemic times and just slightly better than two years ago, a Citizens Budget Commission survey of more than 1,700 residents found. Just over a third of residents said quality of life in the five boroughs was good or excellent — a significant drop from 2017, when about half of New Yorkers surveyed gave it the top rating. The deep level of displeasure regarding crime and government services presents a challenge to whoever the...

Boeing's head of quality for commercial airplanes, Elizabeth Lund, who has spearheaded the planemaker's improvement plans, will retire in December, the company said on Monday. A 33-year veteran of Boeing, Lund had been named in February to the new position of senior vice president of quality for its commercial planes, after the crisis sparked by the Jan. 5 mid-air panel blowout of a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9. In June, the National Transportation Safety Board said Boeing violated investigation rules when Lund provided non-public information to media and speculated about possible causes of the blowout. The agency barred Boeing...

Running low on time and not sure what to make for dinner? Throw a frozen pizza into the oven. Need a late-night snack but don't want to order Uber Eats again? A frozen pizza is an easy solution. From healthier options to questionable, low-quality picks, you'll find an array of choices in your grocer's freezer. One of the most popular is, of course, the pepperoni pizza, which adds a dose of spicy meat to the classic plain cheese.

Coffee beans come in many different blends and roasts, but have you ever really considered the actual quality of the beans before buying a bag? Many people who are avid coffee drinkers tend to gravitate towards local coffee shops to buy their high-quality coffee beans. However, there are many great brands that you can find right in your grocery store that also offer high-quality beans, and we're going to let you in on which ones

Where Is the Beef? Americans chow down on a whopping 50 billion burgers a year — that’s three per person every week. This burger obsession has fueled a fast-food culture like no other, where chains constantly compete to deliver bigger, better, and beefier bites. But when it comes to quality, some spots go above and beyond.

CNN — The National Transportation Safety Board is issuing “urgent safety recommendations” for some Boeing 737s—including the embattled 737 MAX line— warning that critical flight controls could jam. The independent investigative agency is issuing the warning that an actuator attached to the rudder on some 737 NG and 737 MAX airplanes could fail. The move comes after the NTSB investigated a February incident where the pilots of a United Airlines MAX 8 landing in Newark reported their rudder pedals “stuck” in the neutral position. The warning is the latest black eye for Boeing. The company has seen a string of...

he sight of Bill Boeing was a familiar one on the factory floor. His office was in the building next to the converted boatyard where workers lathed the wood, sewed the fabric wings, and fixed the control wires of the Boeing Model C airplane. there is no authority except facts. facts are obtained by accurate observation read a plaque affixed outside the door. And what could need closer observation than the process of his aircraft being built? One day in 1916, Boeing spotted an imperfectly cut wing rib, dropped it to the floor, and slowly stomped it to bits. “I,...

EVERETT, Wash. — In the wake of Boeing’s KC-46A Pegasus topping $7 billion in losses, company officials have been eager to stem the tide of the tanker’s long-running woes — and resolve several critical issues that pose risks to its operations. The Pegasus currently has six category 1 deficiencies, Air Force terminology for problems that could cause loss of an aircraft, injury, or death. Spending money to fix those issues has helped drive Boeing’s staggering losses on the program, and is a key reason why company officials have sworn off fixed-price development contracts like those that govern the KC-46A. Work...

The five people gathered around the restaurant table do not fit the profile of colon cancer patients. They’re female, and they’re young. Two were diagnosed in their 20s, one in her 30s, two in their early 40s. Their colon cancer support group gathers about once a month to share stories, such as the one about the doctor who said you just need a laxative, the one about the oncologist who said there’s nothing we can do for you but give you chemotherapy the rest of your life, the one about friends saying, “You don’t look sick,” without realizing that isn’t...

Story HighlightsLess than half now rate U.S. healthcare quality as excellent or goodAmericans’ 72% positive rating of own healthcare quality also a new lowEvaluations of U.S. healthcare coverage, cost are more subdued but steadyWASHINGTON, D.C. -- For the first time in Gallup’s two-decade trend, less than half of Americans are complimentary about the quality of U.S. healthcare, with 48% rating it “excellent” or “good.” The slight majority now rate healthcare quality as subpar, including 31% saying it is “only fair” and 21% -- a new high -- calling it “poor.”The latest excellent/good rating for U.S. healthcare quality is just two...

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on Wednesday defended the GOP’s crop of midterm Senate nominees and pushed back on accusations that candidate quality was the reason for their downfall. Scott, who led the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, lamented the party’s losses following Sen. Raphael Warnock’s (D-Ga.) victory over Republican Herschel Walker in the Georgia runoff on Tuesday. The race handed Democrats a 51-49 majority, marking a net gain for the party in power.

A bridge in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) collapsed as officials gathered to inaugurate it, according to local Khaama Press news agency. Videos of the accident are circulating on social media where people are mocking the construction quality. The small bridge was built to help locals cross a river during the rainy season. The temporary structure that was there before the bridge used to break frequently, the news agency said in its report. One of the videos shows officials standing on the bridge to formally inaugurate it during an official event. The inauguration would have been complete with the cutting...

New documents obtained by TrialSite News suggest routine quality testing issues were overlooked in the rush to authorize use of the Pfizer COVID vaccine.By: Megan RedshawNew documents obtained by TrialSite News suggest routine quality testing issues were overlooked in the rush to authorize use of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine, and that U.S. and other governments are conducting a massive vaccination program with an incompletely characterized experimental vaccine.Regulatory documents revealed Pfizer didn’t thoroughly examine biodistribution and pharmacokinetics issues relating to its vaccine before submitting the vaccine to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for review.In fact, in key studies — called biodistribution...

A batch of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine failed quality standards and can’t be used, the drug giant said Wednesday. The drugmaker didn’t say how many doses were lost, and it wasn’t clear how the problem would impact future deliveries. A vaccine ingredient made by Emergent BioSolutions — one of about 10 companies that Johnson & Johnson is using to speed up manufacturing of its recently approved vaccine — did not meet quality standards, J&J said. J&J said the Emergent BioSolutions factory involved had not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make part of the...

To those who see no link between Lent and our failing economy, it might be the case to look again. Economics is about people. It cannot be reduced to numbers, formulae and analyses. “The subject matter of economics,” observes economic historian Odd Langholm, “is properly the habits, customs, and ways of thinking of producers, consumers, buyers, sellers, borrowers, lenders, and all who engage in economic transactions.” That means our moral habits can have a definite effect on determining if our economy grows — or fails. In my new book, Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian...

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told the New York Times Magazine that President Donald Trump is the worst United States president ever. “I think he is without question the worst president we’ve ever had,” Reid said. “We’ve had some bad ones, and there’s not even a close second to him.” Reid, who has pancreatic cancer and “does not have long to live,” spoke to New York Times Magazine writer Mark Leibovich about Trump. The former senator called Trump dishonest and amoral. “Trump is an interesting person. He is not immoral but is amoral,” he said. “Amoral is when you...

An evaluation of military space launch services revealed lapses in quality control that could compromise the schedule and performance of future missions, the Defense Department inspector general reported last week. The IG specifically called out the main contractors that support the evolved expendable launch vehicle program, or EELV, for failing to comply with standards required by AS9100 — a widely adopted quality management system for the aviation and space industries. Prime contractors United Launch Alliance (ULA) and SpaceX, and ULA subcontractor Aerojet Rocketdyne "did not perform adequate quality assurance management of the EELV program," said the Dec. 20 report signed by Randolph...