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Erica's Graduation!
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As part of work (eh. . ) I visited my brother Matt before heading back home.
Now that he has had time to think about it, I'm sure he has determined that I was right about whatever political topics we covered to Angie's horror
Too celebrate my new job with Nestle Erica and I went to Chicago. It was bittersweet. . .(the new job was fine, my boss was a little bit. . .difficult)
We returned to Tru and had a fantastic FANTASTIC meal.
There is nothing quite as cool as new york. .well Chicago isn't half bad I guess ;). We had a great time and stayed with Erica's Aunt and Uncle.
Right after Mike's Bachelor party I went to Las Vegas for work.
Between you and I, there really is nothing redeemable about Vegas. . except, maybe, being able to shoot Automatic rifles. It is too hot, they smoke to much, and they cut the Broadway plays down to the abridged version.
March was busy, because we also had a family Reunion
We also went to Nashville to Visit Erica on her awesome Cummins Internship
Great stuff. . .Mostly New York and the Holidays.
Here is the painting I did over the holidays in Ann Arbor
October 2006
includes: Chicago trip and my work trip to Phoenix.
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Spacca Napoli: Chicagoans take pride in deep-dish, but recently, they've discovered the crispy goodness of thinner-crust Neapolitan pies. At Spacca Napoli, people queue up for the chance to order funghi (mushroom) and quattro formaggi (four cheese) pizzas that are cooked to perfection in an Italian-made, oak-burning oven. 1769 W. Sunnyside Ave., Ravenswood, 773/878-2420, closed Mon. and Tues., pizzas from $8
Hopleaf: Leaving deep-fried fare to every other corner bar, Hopleaf takes beer and food pairings seriously. Its mighty collection of Belgian beers—around 100—complements a menu of moules frites (a bucket of steamed mussels and fries accompanied by aioli dipping sauce), salt-cod croquettes, and veal sweetbreads. 5148 N. Clark St., Andersonville, 773/334-9851, entrées from $15
Avec: Next to his marquee restaurant, Blackbird, celebrated chef Paul Kahan runs a more casual spin-off that serves the kind of small-plate Mediterranean fare he seeks when he punches out: mixed olives, homemade salami, blood-sausage pizza, braised octopus. The first-come, first-served communal tables mean strategic diners snag seats before 6 p.m. 615 W. Randolph St., West Loop, 312/377-2002, plates from $5
West Town Tavern: Good-time Charlies past their beer-pounding prime dream of a tavern like West Town: exposed brick walls, a vintage oak bar, a well-priced wine list, and a chef who knows how to do gussied-up comfort food—from a cheese ball flavored with, among other things, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, and cumin, to a satisfying zinfandel-braised pot roast. 1329 W. Chicago Ave., West Town, 312/666-6175, closed Sun., entrées from $18
]]>Wal-Mart is up first. First off, I am biased against wal-mart. I hate the store layout, I hate the consumer experience. To me that is the most important part of my shopping experience. That is why I will not shop at Fry's (Rules to shop, no $%#ing way).
Wal-Mart Pro(s)
efficiency. Wal-Mart is credited with driving down consumer prices. According to Global Insight Wal-Mart drove down prices by 3% when compared to a world without wal-mart.
Jobs. Multiple sites state (including the above global insight) that Wal-Mart is a net gainer of jobs within an area. (Wal-Mart jobs - local jobs lost).
cons
Healthcare. Wal-mart health care, though comparable to companies like Target, isn't great. Employees wait a year for service and must undergo high deductibles. These health care costs are often passed on to local economies.
wages. Wal-Mart doesn't pay well, and drives down wages by 2% in a given area (per global insight study).
analysis
Wal-Mart's wages vs. the reduction in consumer prices balance each other out. Wal-Mart has allowed families to buy more with less. This is great for an economy and the real reason wal-mart has succeeded. The companies before it bled money and did no service to their consumers by doing so.
Healthcare. This is the biggest problem, but I feel not wal-marts fault. The US government needs to be involved (which they won't). Without changes I list below Wal-Mart can't offer healthcare and I think companies like COSTCO will have to give in and drop healthcare, due to price pressures.
The much ballyhood "destruction" of small town america doesn't look like it happened. Economic impact has been minimal and positive (mostly because of cost-cutting and wal-mart passing savings to consumer). Wal-Mart did change the name of the game - but according to NPR, the real businesses find a way to succeed.
How to fix healthcare and help all free markets
Do your homework
helpful links
Wikipedia - WalMart
http://www.npr.org/news/specials/walmart/
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