“Sign Up Here! “ “Pay Us Now” No, I haven’t “signed up” to get unlimited, online access to The New York Times, to the tune of $200 a year. Why not? My reasons, in no particular order: •Double-dipping. I’m not privy to The Times’ business model, but as a long-time reader, it certainly appears two-pronged: 1) sell more — and more intrusive...Read More
Macro Matters If you want an excuse to simply tune out the news altogether and remain (blissfully) ignorant, look no further than yesterday’s dueling headlines in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times: Focus on Obama as Tensions Soar Across Mideast —The New York Times (5/19/2011) Gas Prices Fall as Mideast Jitters Ease —The...Read More
Marketing Gone Awry There are parts of town where seeing “Lovesac” in big, bold letters in a storefront window wouldn’t make anyone raise an eyebrow. But Bloomington’s family-friendly Mall of America — on the 3rd floor near Nordstrom’s Closet and Pearle Vision — isn’t exactly one of those neighborhoods. The explanation? (apparent once you get closer to the store’s...Read More
An Embarassment of (Caloric) Riches Minneapolis is becoming a phenomenal baking town. Everyone here is really into quality. Not to say that other cities aren’t, but people here have the patience to wait in line for quality and freshness. Plus, I think people like to stay true to their town’s historical roots. They are proud this...Read More
Call it a Lapse Five of the six innings in my son’s little league game tonight were well-pitched, well-fielded and otherwise closely contested. And then there was the second inning, when my son’s team walked in 18 — as in “o-n-e e-i-g-h-t” — runs. Final score: 20-5. Oh, well . . . . P.S.: eleven year-old pitchers...Read More
The 5% Solution In keeping with my Mad magazine motif this week . . . remember the Spy vs. Spy comic strip they used to run? That came to mind reading a Wall Street Journal article almost two months ago that presaged the latest upward spike in gold prices (now over $1,500 an ounce). See if you can tell who’s...Read More
