STRANGE DAYS IN THE TRIB
L and I get the Tribune at home. I know. The Tribune Company is a bunch of strike-breaking scumbags. I know. However, unlike the Sun-Times, the Tribune is not in tabloid form. Which makes it much easier to read on the fly. Anyway, there were a few really interesting things in the paper today.
First, for what must be the tenth time in six months, a newspaper in the Chicagoland area has ranked coffees by flavor. It turns out that some of the coffees people think are great are . . . great. Julius Meinl, Intelligensia, and Peet's all ranked in the highest category. Dunkin' and Starbucks both ranked OK. Burger King, Wendy's, McDonald's, 7-11 and others were ranked as bad. In the Red Eye article a few months back I seem to remember that Dunkin' and Starbucks were ranked higher. Sigh. Just try them and drink what you like.
Second, there is a huge article about the manufacturing conditions in China. You know what the Chinese say? They say "Do you want to kill yourself? Then do business with Wal-Mart." Interesting. As long as people are willing to chase the lowest price, rather than being willing to pay EVEN A PENNY for quality, you can expect the kind of recalls we have seen in the last six months. Pet food, toys, and all the rest are what happens in this environment. I understand that Wal-Mart's prices have been a tremendous boon for the poor, but if their kids end up with lead poisoning, or accidentally ingesting the date rape drug, the boon seems a bit less positive.
L and I get the Tribune at home. I know. The Tribune Company is a bunch of strike-breaking scumbags. I know. However, unlike the Sun-Times, the Tribune is not in tabloid form. Which makes it much easier to read on the fly. Anyway, there were a few really interesting things in the paper today.
First, for what must be the tenth time in six months, a newspaper in the Chicagoland area has ranked coffees by flavor. It turns out that some of the coffees people think are great are . . . great. Julius Meinl, Intelligensia, and Peet's all ranked in the highest category. Dunkin' and Starbucks both ranked OK. Burger King, Wendy's, McDonald's, 7-11 and others were ranked as bad. In the Red Eye article a few months back I seem to remember that Dunkin' and Starbucks were ranked higher. Sigh. Just try them and drink what you like.
Second, there is a huge article about the manufacturing conditions in China. You know what the Chinese say? They say "Do you want to kill yourself? Then do business with Wal-Mart." Interesting. As long as people are willing to chase the lowest price, rather than being willing to pay EVEN A PENNY for quality, you can expect the kind of recalls we have seen in the last six months. Pet food, toys, and all the rest are what happens in this environment. I understand that Wal-Mart's prices have been a tremendous boon for the poor, but if their kids end up with lead poisoning, or accidentally ingesting the date rape drug, the boon seems a bit less positive.
posted by David at 8:35 AM
1 Comments:
Way out west Wal-Mart is its own city, and the people flock to it. I live in a "remote" area, by UPS standards, but I refuse to shop at the "Super Wal-Mart" even if this means going without, or (gladly!) paying more $ to local business owners, or ordering online and waiting for something to come in the mail. Fortunately there are others like me. It's a movement. A happening. "Wal-Mart sucks life from our communities" (frequently seen bumper sticker).
Post a Comment
<< Home