McDonald's

McDonald's Sales are up for the year, as is the stock price.  What is going on with McDonald's?The big news at the end of the year is that McDonald's stock price is up 35% for the year.  Sales are up for the year - by 5%...

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What is all the hoopla about Facebook?

The Facebook interface is really poorly done.  And for that reason, I cannot fathom why there is all the hoopla about it.For example, if I try to find a person, say "John J. Jacobheimerschmidt" - it might actually find that person, as it is an unusual name.  But "John Smith"?  No way.  It will find hundreds of "John Smiths" or go to the "top result" but not find the one I am looking for.OK, you say, no big...

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Explosion Movies

One of the biggest exports the U.S. has is culture, in the form of Hollywood movies.  And for Hollywood, an Explosion Movie is a safe bet.  You don't have to translate 'Bang!' and  'Ka-Pow!'We just rented, through Netflix,...

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Fear of Banks

Many people, particularly the poor and minorities, are afraid of banks.  Why is this?I have addressed this phenomenon before here, the tendency of the very poor to not only get raw deals in life, but to apparently seek them out. ...

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Some Inexpensive Wines

A good wine, at a reasonable price.Life is pretty good in the USA!Fred Franzia, the head of Bronco Winery (the world's largest winery) once famously said, in a New Yorker interview, that there is no reason any bottle of wine should...

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Cristalino

Cristalino is an inexpensive Brut Cava (Spanish Sparkling Wine) that sells for $6.79 a bottle at BJ's wholesale.Note:  This is an updated Posting for New Year's Eve.  If you are looking for a good inexpensive sparkling wine,...

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Occupy Jekyll Island (OJI)

The sidewalk near my home.  Why would anyone want to live here?Why would anyone want to live anywhere else?I live on a resort island.  It is a State Park, and by law, two-thirds of the island has to remain undeveloped wilderness. ...

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Fighting Depression Through Self-Actualization

When a monkey can manipulate his environment, he is less depressed.Recently, I finished some home repairs that I had been putting off.  And finishing these small projects made me very happy - literally ecstatic.  Being able...

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2012 the end for Sears? We'll see....

What is taking so long for Sears/Kmart to die?Companies take a long time to die.  About a year ago, I wrote about Sears/Kmart and wondered what the heck was keeping the place in business.  The stores are old, disheveled,...

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Personhood

 ''We can choose to use our growing knowledge to enslave people in ways never dreamed of before, depersonalizing them, controlling them by means so carefully selected that they will perhaps never be aware of their loss of personhood.'' ...

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