Some funny things I've seen lately.
Buy.com realized that their name is just too hard to spell or pronounce so they changed it to Rakuten.com (and yes, I had to check the spelling of that new name as I typed it).
I suspect they skipped the focus group to decide this one, or they got a bunch of NPR listeners in the group who felt that Buy.com was just too unsophisticated.
Speaking of NPR, I've been listening lately, thanks to my favorite morning show-- The Jim and Margery Experience being dumped from the airways by WTKK in Boston who changed from a talk format to an all Polka playlist, or whatever they finally decided on.
My liberal friends have told me they often watch Bill O'Reilly so they can get a sense of what the "enemy" is doing-- and I get it now.
NPR spent 10 minutes yesterday morning on a story about Ecuador blackmailing countries in the United Nations to give them $3.5 Billion of they will drill for the $20 Billion dollars in oil under their beautiful national forest (or jungle, or swamp- I wasn't paying that close attention, and I tend to doze off while listening to the whispering tones of NPR which has caused some problems in the shower).
10 minutes.
The shootings in Roxbury and Dorchester got Zero mention. The economy, still in the throws of what will eventually be dubbed the second American Depression got zero mention. The special election for John Kerry's seat as he spreads his ego across the world got zero mention.
Deval Patrick buying some $30,000.00 in CHAIRS that have sat UNUSED in a back office while he's asking for an increase in YOUR taxes to help pay for this nonsensical type of spending got no mention.
But we got 10 minutes of Ecuador's threats to the environment if they can't raise the dough.
I get it.
This is why liberals are out of touch. They think this is the biggest problem facing the world because they get their news in hushed tones from elitists who don't live in the real world. They live in a world where this non-story is actually important.
To the Obama Administration's credit, they have refused to give a nickel in to this ransom demand, but I'll bet after 10 minutes on NPR that will change.
Roving Rolling Reporter Joanie (Cronie) Gage posted a really interesting look at the Super Bowl celebrations in San Francisco on her blog. I'm not sure how much celebrating there was the day after, the 49ers lost to the Baltimore Ravens after several members of the 49ers were shot by the gang members who make up the Ravens team. I didn't see it, because I love football.
Because I love Football I don't watch the Super Bowl. I don't even watch much of the NFL with the exception of the occasional PATS game when I want to get my blood pressure up.
I stick to the college world of football where we don't have millionaires playing the game. It's easier to watch and there is a truer spirit to the game where a bunch of students are trying to become millionaires by getting a lucrative NFL contract.
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| You can bet Clooney doesn't shop at Wal*Mart |
I've had my fill this year of seeing people in sweat pants and pajamas with the baseball hat as an accessory so I'm not shopping at Wal*Mart any longer. I know you're skeptical, where else can I get a Chinese made sweater and a pair of sweat socks made in an authentic sweat shop?
I've had my fill of idiots too, so this is a two birder no brainer. Goodbye Wally World! I won't miss you. Although its going to get harder as this economy (did I mention depression?) continues to claim retailers. I was shocked to find out Wal*Mart had a book section-- not shocked to see that it was the only part of the store that looked as good as it did on opening day while the remainder of the store looked like Toys R Us at midnight on Christmas Eve. I think they save money from their stock crew by just hurling stuff from the back room towards the aisles rather than actually stock them on the shelves.
"I saw em, but I thought they was just thick DVDs" Said one shopper I interviewed. "I was pretty pissed when I got it home and I couldn't figure out what all that paper was inside it." She then coughed a loogie onto a nearby toddler who was running unattended in just a diaper down one of the aisles filled with debris.
I'm gonna miss you Wal*Mart.
Continuing on the economy-- the same source who told me a year before Borders closed that it would happen is telling me Barnes and Noble is going away too. I'm not sure I believe it, but it'll mean more locations for SPIRIT HALLOWEEN come October.
My most liberal friend who argued with me through the whole election season and was cool enough not to gloat when my side (and I say that loosely-- a lot of the National Republican Party is made up of complete morons) got our asses handed to us lost his job this week because those people who actually have jobs and pay taxes and who voted my way have decided to pull back resources and stop making donations to institutions that really need the money. I'm not gloating either.
The same thing happened in the 2008 election-- another friend got laid off shortly after. It's this simple:
Wall Street doesn't like Democrats because they are of the Tax and Spend variety. It's like a married couple (and you can flip the genders, it doesn't matter) with a spending problem:
The wife realizes you have to make cuts if the money coming into the house is suddenly less than you had anticipated. It's the cold hard truth of being an adult, and sometimes cutting things out hurts.
The husband doesn't want to cut anything, he doesn't want anyone to feel bad because they have to say no, so he goes out and opens up new credit card accounts, figuring he'll worry where the money comes to pay the future bills later.
It's tough to do. It's tough to think about-- maybe that's why NPR spends 10 minutes on the Ecuador Rain Forest.
