Interesting story today....Question of the Day -- Consumer Reports Takes on Pushy Holiday Retail Practices

With the traditional holiday shopping season officially kicking off on "Black Friday" at the end of this week, Consumer Reports has launched a public education campaign aimed at pushy holiday retail practices. They're boosting it with a full-page ad in today's USA Today highlighting three of the top holiday shopping annoyances -- extended warranty sales pitches; cashiers that ask for your phone number or other personal information; and pushing store credit cards at the register.

The full list of holiday shopping annoyances, as determined by a nationally-representative survey of Americans, is:

72 percent -- Stores that never open all the checkout lines
68 percent -- Fake sales. If something is always 20 percent off, it's not on sale.
67 percent -- Coupons that exclude almost everything in the store
62 percent -- Being hounded by extended warranty sales pitches
58 percent -- Cashiers that ask for your phone number or other personal info
56 percent -- In-store prices that don't match the same company's online prices
53 percent -- Employees required to up-sell you at the register
52 percent -- Pushing store credit cards at the register
50 percent -- Mail-in rebates
48 percent -- Stores that require loyalty cards to get discounts.
43 percent -- Stores that have a minimum purchase requirement for credit cards
26 percent -- Receipt checkers


Hopefully shopkeepers will read it, think about it, and change.

Please help

WBSM's annual food drive is tomorrow. CANS ACROSS THE PARK is what we call it. We make a line of canned goods through the middle of Buttonwood Park from Brownell Ave to Rockdale Ave. We used to go the other way until one of our volunteers, an engineer, figured out that when we get down near the pond, the sun is going down a bit and we were freezing! Now we go the other way so that in the afternoon we are standing in the sun. (Thanks Frank Gracie!)

This year the food items will be donated to the American Red Cross, the First Congregational Church in Fairhaven, St. Martin's Episcopal Church and Damien's Pantry.

I hope you can come by!

Random thoughts

MISSED IT AGAIN!
Johnny Depp has won his 2nd "Sexiest Man Alive" title from PEOPLE magazine. Oh well. My wife will be happy. With him...maybe not me.

WHO KNEW?
Just found out Kevin Spacey's brother is a professional Rod Stewart impersonator.

ANY END TO HER SUCCESS?
Just found out Taylor Swift, the teen singing sensation, Country Music Enteratiner of the Year, will now have her own greeting card line.

LIFE IS BETTER THAN FICTION
Just read a "tweet" from my friend Peter. His daughter was selected for jury duty. She's 9 years old. Gotta love it!

What if it worked?

The fall out from Bill Belichick's decision to go for it on 4th and 2 on the Pats 28 yard line is AMAZING! Yes, I know, it doesn't make much sense. Everything in our football background tells us when you are that deep in your own territory you punt. His thinking, according to the sound bytes, was that they could make it and then they could run out the clock and win.

In hindsight, it was the wrong decision. But I ask ya....what if it worked? Would we have still thought he was a football genius?

Flash Forward

I LOOOOVVVVEEEE this show! I watch it every Thursday at 8 on ABC along with my younger daughter and son. We're really getting into it.

I also found this recap. It's from MTV published every Thursday late-night.

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'FlashForward' Episode 1.08: 'Playing Cards With Coyotes'

Synopsis: A break in the Mosaic case could offer Agent Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) the chance to catch a mysterious gunman and change the course of his own flash-forward. The enigmatic Simon (Dominic Monaghan), meanwhile, pays Lloyd Simcoe (Jack Davenport) a visit, leading the two to a high-stakes game of cards. Elsewhere, Aaron Stark's (Brian F. O'Byrne) reunion with his long-missing daughter Tracy (Genevieve Cortese) offers a new conspiratorial angle.

Change You Can't Believe In: The suicide of Al Gough (Lee Thompson Young) in last week's episode seems to have changed the landscape for the characters of "FlashForward." All of the sudden, everyone thinks that the future can be changed. While that's certainly true — Gough did have a flash-forward and his suicide effectively put the kibosh on that — it's dangerous to believe that everything about the future is suddenly cast in doubt. Which leads us to Exhibit B...

The Three Star Guy(s): Mark kills a masked gunman with three stars tattooed on his forearm, the very same tattoos seen on one of his would-be assassins in the future. With this guy dead, Mark is utterly convinced that he's changed the future — but as the episode's ending indicates, there are several men with the same exact tattoo. I don't need to point out that Mark's sudden belief that he changed the future is misplaced, but more than that, it's simply out of character. Mark has proven himself a sharp guy thus far — does he really believe that such a tattoo isn't the mark of a group of mercenaries, ala Coral Snake in season two of "24"? Maybe it's just me, but this felt like a sudden change in mentality for Mark.

The Purpose Of My Visit: Thankfully, this episode brought the conflict between Simon and Simcoe — two of the guys allegedly responsible for the blackout — back into the forefront. Unthankfully, we had to get their interaction by way of a ludicrous card game. How long were they playing for, anyway? Hours? Days? At least a day or two passed in this episode, but their game didn't stop until towards the end. That narrative inconsistency is bothersome to me, and I doubt I'm the only one who feels the same way.

We Shall Be As Gods: Still, credit where credit's due: the dynamic between Simon and Simcoe is glorious. These actors feed off each other quite well, but more importantly, the tension between Simon and Simcoe is so thick that you'd need an adamantium-laced knife to cut it. Simon may have lost the card game, but don't expect him to acquiesce to Simcoe's urges — my hunch is that the world won't find out about their culpability in the blackout for a good chunk of episodes, if ever.

The Walls Come Tumbling Down: The other major development in this episode is the introduction of Jericho, the outside contractors that ambushed Tracy Stark and left her for dead. Somehow, some way, these guys will tie into the blackout and the flash-forwards — my guess is that they're related to the three-star guys — but as I mentioned in this week's "V" recap, series regulars are rarely cast without a specific purpose. In the case of "FlashForward," Tracy's tie to Jericho is Aaron's reason for being on the show.

Best Quote: "Twenty million deaths on our shoulders — isn't that what you said? If that doesn't qualify us for godhood, then what does?" – Simon

Verdict: Tonight's "FlashForward" was an unbalanced affair with certain interesting components — the introduction of Jericho that may or may not involve the three-star guys, the pure evil that is Simon — but also some unbelievable leaps in logic, like Benford's sudden willingness to accept the future's malleability.

The Future: Dr. Bryce Varley (Zachary Knighton) pursues the woman of his dreams, while Agent Demetri Noh (John Cho) chases down the killer of his nightmares.

MTV

Go Dolphins! But, my money's on Pats

Yes---the biggest Dolphin fan in New England checking in here. "How COULD you?" you ask????

I've been a Dolphin fan since the early 70s. Just ask my brother Jeff. I was a fan of Bob Griese, Don Shula, but my biggest fave was #39 Larry Csonka! I had a helmet like his (with the horseshoe over the nose.)I never changed. I stayed with them through the David Woodley years (though often wondered why.) I was with them during the Dan Marino years, even the year they almost lost em all!

But----I'm not stupid. (I know,some would say that's debatable.) The Pats should win this week. They are playing well, they're unbelievable in November, and if it wasn't for the special teams last week----the Jets would have beat Miami. I just hope it's a good game.

OK. I'm Ready.

Bring it on! I can handle it now. I'm talking about Christmas.

I know it seems they start earlier and earlier with the Christmas displays in the stores and the Christmas ads. I cut my first Christmas commercial about three weeks ago, that was weird. But I'm ready now.

Halloween is my starting point. Now that the costumes are put away, the weather's cooler, the pumpkins are rotting, I can handle it.

I was grocery shopping Sunday in Walmart and I heard Christmas music on the PA. Some people would be upset....but I'm ready. I'm waiting to see which music station goes all-Christmas first. I'm ready for "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!" Sponge Bob Christmas should be on soon.

Here we go!!!!!!