A loyal reader clued me in to the fact that one of these was up for auction and I got it! My good friend Mr. Dale packed the damn thing up and shipped from CA to here. It weighs about as much as my Underwood #5 and Oliver #9 combined. Now to try and [...]
Archive for November, 2009
Guess what arrived in the mail today! A CHINESE TYPEWRITER!!!
Posted: November 30, 2009 in China, TypewritersTags: Chinese, Typewriter collecting, Typewriters
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Lies, Damned Lies and Black Friday sales figures
Posted: November 26, 2009 in Black Friday, Economy, Journalism?, Wall Street JournalTags: Black Friday, black friday sales, Economy, Journalism?, Sales
Stories about the success of Black Friday/Cyber Monday are as inevitable as taxes and death but nowhere near as reliable. It goes like this: "Great Black Friday sales numbers mean a big shopping season. Insert somebody’s numbers to support this and then a quote or two from an analyst." Publish, forget, and hope no one [...]
The silver lining: “Amid Higher Unemployment, Fewer Workplace Injuries”
Posted: November 25, 2009 in Great Recession, Recession, Recession? What recession?, unemployment, Wall Street Journal, WSJTags: Great Recession, injuries, Labor Department, Recession, unemployment, Wall Street Journal, WSJ
One more reason I love the Wall Street Journal. The Labor Department’s report of occupational injuries and illnesses that required days away from work mimicked the shifts the recession caused in the labor market in 2008. Hard-hit sectors, such as construction and retail, reported fewer injury and illness cases. Older workers experienced more injuries as [...]
“Smartbook Says Bloggers Can’t Use The Word Smartbook Anymore. Smartbook.”
Posted: November 25, 2009 in Copyright, Marketing, Marketing blunders, TechCrunchTags: Copyright, Marketing blunder, Marketing blunders, Smartbook, TechCrunch
I really can’t top that TechCrunch headline. For most of us, the term ’smartbook’ (a device that’s somewhere in between a smartphone and a netbook) is nothing but the latest tech buzzword du jour. For German company Smartbook, however, it’s apparently a chance to score some free publicity by vigilantly defending a multinational trademark and [...]
The end of the end of the Great Recession
Posted: November 24, 2009 in black death, Economy, FHA, Great Recession, Housing bubble, Journalism?, Recession, Recession? What recession?Tags: Black Friday, FDIC, FHA, Great Recession, Housing, Recession, recovery
It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place. – Mencken Remember all that robust economic activity we heard so much about last month? The stuff about the economy expanding at 3.5% for the third quarter of this year [...]
Pumpkin pies follow Eggos on to endangered foods list
Posted: November 20, 2009 in Food, humor, Kellog's, Recession, Recession? What recession?, thanksgivingTags: Eggo, Food, Food shortages, Kellog's, pie, thanksgiving
It looks like a grim winter for Americans who will now have to get through the coldest months without two of their favorite food groups. Nestle, which owns the Libby’s brand of pumpkin pie and announced this week that heavy rain has hurt its pumpkin farms in Morton, Ill., to the point that it will [...]
They report, you decide – because they can’t make up their mind
Posted: November 20, 2009 in humor, Journalism?, MSNBC, Washington PostTags: humor, Journalism?, MSNBC, Washington Post
MSNBC: Ethics Committee clears Sen. Burris (D-Ill.) of wrongdoing over appointment Washington Post: Senate ethics committee admonishes Burris OK, all those of you who find the idea of a Senate ethics committee hysterical signal by saying “aye.” The motion passes by a vote of 270,000,000 to 100.
Congress waffles in face of national Eggo shortage
Posted: November 19, 2009 in congress, Kellog's, Obama, SatireTags: congress, Eggo, Kellog's, Obama, Satire, Silly
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is calling for swift action in response to a national Eggo frozen waffle shortage. In a speech today at the International House of Pancakes, Pelosi (D-Not Amused) said the nation could not wait while the nation’s children were forced to pick something else for breakfast. “This poses a threat [...]
Veterans’ Day reflection on two military cemeteries in France
Posted: November 11, 2009 in Veterans, Veterans' Day, World War IITags: D-Day, Normandy, Veterans, Veterans' Day, War, World War II
“To the living we owe respect, to the dead we owe only the truth.” — Voltaire There are 28 military cemeteries in Normandy. Sixteen for British & Commonwealth troops, two American, two Canadian, one Polish, six German and one French. The best known is the American Cemetery and Memorial at Omaha Beach in Colleville-sur-Mer, featured [...]
Goldman & Citi have Swine Flu vaccine, do you?
Posted: November 6, 2009 in CDC, citigroup, Corruption, goldman sachs, Obscene, swindle, swine fluTags: citigroup, Corruption, goldman sachs, swindle, swine flu, vaccine
In the event of revolution I have some thoughts about who to put up against a wall. Some of New York’s biggest companies, including Wall Street giants Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, received doses of swine flu vaccine for at-risk employees, drawing criticism that the hard-to-find vaccine is going first to the privileged. [emphasis added] That’s [...]
