KONG!!!

I know that some of you enjoyed Peter Jackson's cinematic version of The Lord of the Rings

Did you know that his next film is King Kong?

Want to know more? Want to explain how this knowledge makes you feel? Well, click on this link to read the Newsweek story and leave a comment or two.

Why Wal-Mart is struggling. By Daniel Gross

"The stock market unexpectedly cheered the Nov. 17 Sears-Kmart merger. For years, the two legacy chains had been seen by financial and retailing cognoscenti as hopeless laggards that would inevitably succumb to Wal-Mart's superior strategy and execution. But even before the merger announcement, the shares of both Sears and Kmart were walloping Wal-Mart. . . . [u]nited under the smart management of Eddie Lampert, a resurgent Sears and Kmart could become a more effective challenger to Wal-Mart.

Of course, Wal-Mart still dwarfs the combined entity in sales and profitability. And few predict that Kmart and Sears can realize the same kinds of efficiencies that Wal-Mart does. But in retail, distribution and low prices only take you so far. At some point, merchandising—selecting the right product mix at the right price at the right time—makes a difference. . . . James Cramer of TheStreet.com today dissed Wal-Mart: "The stores are dowdy. The aisles are ugly. There's nothing exciting or different or even colorful at Wal-Mart. It feels almost Soviet in its selection and presentation."

Ouch. The larger issue for Wal-Mart investors and management isn't simply decor. It's existential. Could it be that Wal-Mart has reached the limits of its cheapness?"

This is an excerpt from a story on Wal-Mart that appears in today's issue of Slate. I have posted some thoughts on Wal-Mart recently and figured this would be a nice counterpoint. (The full article is available through the embedded link on the post title.)

Of course, this doesn't mean that Wal-Mart is going away, but it is nice to hear negative news about the company now and again.

Thanksgiving is OVER. Bring it On, Christmas!!

Happy early Holidays to you all.

Yes, it has become a traditon of Tegan and myself to start putting up our Christmas decorations during the Thanksgiving day weekend. She used to do it with her family that way, so we started doing it also. My best wishes to all of you . . . early.

But if you make me angry, a surly holidays will surely come your way! (Only kidding, of course. I got nothing but love for everyone.)

"Lost" story

I took the liberty of typing the full cover story from this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly, which details the popularity of ABCs mystery island show, LOST.

Full disclosure: This article was written by Dan Snierson, an employee of Entertainment Weekly. I just had some time to spare during the holiday weekend and thought that those of you "Losties" who don's subscribe might want to read the article.

Click on the "WWYG Omnimedia" link in the sidebar to the right to be directed to the site.

Post-holiday comedown

Holidays are always exercises in ups and downs.

There is always build up, anticipation, expectations, plans as you lead up to THE BIG DAY.

Then the day arrives. You are either caught up in the moment, busy keeping kids happy, driving here and there to visit family and friends, cooking, eating, cleaning, straightening, washing, drying, whatever.

And then, you turn around and the day is over.

Where did it all go? You mean, that's IT? Tomorrow is just another day?

As a kid, of course, the biggest holiday letdown was Christmas. The buildup was almost beyond a child's comprehension--for most kids, anyway. The lights are twinkling everywhere, the presents gather under the tree, sometimes, for some people, in baroque proportions. The music assaults you everywhere, the Salvation Army bells are inescapable. You know what it it like.

Then the big day rolls around and most of the day is spent opening stuff, throwing away stuff, trying to construct stuff, learning how to play with stuff. Then the day after arrives and you have a pile of opened presents tucked away in your corner of the living room, all of which you have examined and played with once, and then you think . . . "Do I play with it AGAIN? Isn't there something new to do?"

It's a sad commentary on our commercial, materialistic world.

*****

Thanksgiving is a bit different. Because it is always on a Thursday and I have always had a job or situation where I could not have to worry about working on Fridays, the holiday delay is a bit different. This is especially true now because it seems that about one-third of today's Thanksgiving holiday is devoted to celebrating the day-after shopping events.

Which is where Tegan and her mom were today, from early this morning--while the rest of us slept--until about 3 o'clock this afternoon. When not cooking and helping prepare stuff yesterday, they were perusing ad circulars, determining which stores to visit, in which order, and what specific items they were aiming to purchase. It was a real battle plan--one they coordinated with precision, determination, and a clear focus--BARGAINS!

It worked, I am sure. They got lots of stuff and got lots of discounts. The girls were good for me while they were gone, and I managed to get some real work done while Ruth took a nap.

So, it has been a pretty good day. Maybe the post-holiday letdown comes tomorrow?