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POPSOn becoming invisible More: I abandoned my cart, walked over to Customer Service, and asked if I could have a comment form to fill out. The Customer Service employee—who, bless his heart, could see me—said they didn’t have a comment form, but he listened to my complaint… He told me that if I wanted to talk to the Assistant Manager…I could deliver my complaint in person. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that the Assistant Manager had been one of the guys who couldn’t see me. What the hell. It was worth a try. I walked over to the Assistant Manager. When I was just a few feet away from him, I stopped, planted my cane, and looked directly at him. Damned if I wasn’t still invisible. It was weird—he was a tall man, but when his eyes moved from one side to the other I could see them making an upward bump in their travel path when they were passing over me. He refused to look directly at me for even a second. I kept looking straight at him. There was no way he could have missed me.
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POPSNew Online Dictionary Redefines ‘look it up’
Lexicographer Erin McKean’s interactive ‘Wordnik’ is projected to be the largest online dictionary ever. This week she is slated to launch what may be the biggest revolution in the printed word since, well, printed words. McKean was 8 years old when she decided that when she grew up, she wanted to be a lexicographer – the technical term for a writer or editor of dictionaries. She first found it in her daily scouring of The Wall Street Journal. Her father was a Journal devotee “I think I was really attracted by the fact that it was taking 21 years to make the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary,” she recalls. “I was 8. Twenty-one years was forever.” The lexicography bug stuck, in part because McKean loved language. She was a voracious reader, plowing through her local libraries’ stacks and devouring anything she found at home, she says. “If it was lying around, I read it. If my parents didn’t want me to read it,” she says, “they had to hide it."
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POPSSome Farmers Now Protected Against Monsanto Lawsuits
Monsanto’s Seed Police How would Monsanto know if farmers were reusing their seeds? They’ve hired an army of private investigators and agents to do just that. It’s difficult to say exactly how extensive this army of “seed police” actually is today, but as of 2005 Monsanto had 75 employees and a $10 million budget solely to investigate and prosecute farmers for patent infringement. Let’s just say, for argument’s sake, you were inclined to agree with Monsanto about their right to monitor their seeds. They have, after all, invested millions of dollars into these (typically toxic) genetically modified seeds, and they need to recover some of that money. Well, can anyone rationally say that a farmer is responsible for patent infringement if a seed blows onto his property? Of course not. And this is where the bill AB 541 will protect California’s farmers from this type of harassment. I don’t believe for one second, though, that Monsanto has any justification in any of these matter
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POPSObamas Runaway The stress of $100/lb steaks and cocktail parties simply must have been too much to bear. We're just lucky that in these tough times, we're graced with tougher leadership. Letter from Paducah, Kentucky (excerpt) Michelle Malkin • February 3, 2009 Michelle, I’ve been trying all day to get a hold of Senator McConnell but the line is busy. I guess that is a good sign. Out of frustration I called his local line here in Paducah, Kentucky What stands to me there no news anchors from any of the Big 3 or any cable news channel including Fox News; No Sheperd Smith or Greta or any satellite trucks to document the devastation or two hour gas lines or the mad rush for generators at Home Depot. Unfortunately they also won’t document that no one is crying for the federal government or FEMA as everyone is just taking care of business without them thank you very much… Tim Paducah http://michellemalkin.com/2009/02/03/letter-from-paducah-k
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POPSBe Very Wary of Conservatives
The rightwing is still trying to gut worthwhile projects that will allow people a bigger voice. They’ve been doing this for years with the backing of the very people who will be significantly hurt by such gutting. Such as Trickle Down Economics (The providing tax cuts to businesses and the rich, in the belief that it will trickle down to those on the bottom.) We are witnessing, the damage from this pipedream. Another is the Wolfowitz or later renamed Bush Doctrine (in so many words) a fantasy or belief that Democracy could be forced on other nations through pre-emptive war. Sadness abound from this one. Then the use of fear to gut our freedoms. Using newspeak to get the power they lust for, which was disastrous to our freedoms. Their plots have been exposed but we still need to remain diligent. The rightwing’s desire for status quo is still intact, and they will still pull the wool over our eyes to deny us the ability to protect what is best for us. http://seiu.org/employeefreechoice/
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POPSAuto Bailout Falls Apart in Senate But Nardelli is not alone in his floundering ineptitude. I do think that the UAW is being very foolish by refusing to make some concessions. We’ve seen it before and we will see it again. Companies closed down and then the union was gone –and all that was left was a boatload of unemployed people. Does the leadership of the UAW really think that middle class American taxpayers want to indefinitely pay their salaries and benefits while 50 million uninsured working Americans are praying to whomever they worship for some kind of Health Care Insurance reform so that they can eat and still get health care that won’t mean bankruptcy? I think that tough love is in order here and I applaud those in congress who are forcing this to happen. I read somewhere that George W. Bush tried to convince the Republican members of the Senate to capitulate and they told him to go take a flying…..um…. hike. Good, it’s about time. Duck walking with George created enough problems as it is.
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POPSFunny Money This is a terrible idea. People have less money and you want them to pay more for what they need by shopping at mom and pop stores instead of Wal-mart.
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POPSWarren Buffett's Q3 Moves Seems like he thinks U.S. automakers and retailrs are in for a long slump even though his public pronouncements elsewhere have been long term bullish on U.S. equities.
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POPS With a Wink and a Smile by Mark Steyn But, on Debate Night, the official Obama website was still boasting that he would meet Ahmadinejad “without preconditions”. “My friend John McCain voted 422 times against tax cuts for the middle classes. Let me repeat that so the American people are clear on this. My friend John McCain voted 673 times against tax cuts for the middle classes.” The problem was that it all sounded drearily senatorial. When Regular Joe Six-Pack Bluecollar Biden tried to match her on the Main Street cred, it rang slightly wacky. “Look,” he said, “All you have to do is go down Union Street with me in Wilmington or go to Katie’s Restaurant or walk into Home Depot with me, where I spend a lot of time.” As for Katie’s Restaurant, ah, I’m sure it was grand but apparently it closed in 1990. In the Diner of the Mind, the refills are endless and Senator Joe is sitting shootin’ the breeze over a cuppa joe with a couple other regular joes on adjoining stools while Betty-Jo...
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POPSLA forces businesses to support criminal activity Just when I think I can't be surprised by laws coming out of California, they go and prove me wrong. So they go and tell Home Depot that they must support crime by making cushy quarters for criminals and Home Depot says okay? Oh well, Lowe's is closer to home anyway.
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POPSStores Closing Dell – closing 140 stores. 84 Lumber – closing 140 stores. Directly impacting by the nation’s housing market. Closed 12 stores in December. Sharper Image – closing 90 stores. Filed for bankruptcy protection. Pep Boys – closed 31 stores in November. Ethan Allen – closing 12 of 300+ stores. Rite Aid – closing 28 stores. Sprint/Nextel Corp – closing 125 stores. Movie Gallery – closing 400 of 3,500 stores. Saks – closing 1 store. CompUSA – 103 stores will be shut down or sold. Kirkland’s – closing 30 to 130 stores. Fashion Bug, Lane Bryant and Catherine’s – closing 150 stores. Also, not in this article: Eddie Bauer - 27 stores Cache - 23 stores Lane Bryant - 150 stores Talbots - 100 stores Gap - 85 stores
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POPSGood for Home Depot This is a very responsible act. Good for Home Depot. I'll recycle my bulbs there and will undoubtedly wander into the store as well.
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POPSArizona Illegal Alien Laws Produce Far-Ranging Rewards Although Arizona’s Democrat Governor Janet Napolitano has vetoed most illegal immigration bills since 2002 when she entered office, Arizonans have bypassed her by sending initiatives directly to the ballot. In 2004, voters passed four illegal immigration measures with over 70% yes margins. A law targeting drophouses was signed into law earlier this month. An even stricter employer sanctions measure is currently underway to be on the ballot this fall. Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas are leading the local law enforcement efforts in Arizona against illegal immigration. Arizona is also home to State Representative Russell Pearce, who is responsible for spearheading possibly more laws against illegal immigration than any other state representative in the country. It is also home to Chris Simcox, President of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps.
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