There is a national emergency, America. There is a Slim Jim shortage in America right now!
"An explosion last month destroyed the only Slim Jim plant in the U.S., the Post reports. And the company that makes Slim Jims, ConAgra (CAG), hasn't produced any since then and won't do so for at least another month. Industry analysts say that Slim Jim loyalty is very high, and that people aren't going to be OK with substitutes if the real thing is gone. That's why some fans may be hoarding the remaining supply.
Analysts tell the Post that ConAgra could produce as many as 500 million Slim Jims every year. ConAgra said it won't return to full Slim Jim production until the fall. 'The sooner, the better,' writes the Post. 'Yesterday one convenience store in Midtown Manhattan was still selling foot-long Slim Jims that expired in February.'" (msn.com)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Slim Jim Shortage in US
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
An Election of Hope
Where to begin? I've struggled to write this quite a bit.
The scope and depth of this election extends so much that it would be foolish for me to think that I can cover it in a few paragraphs. I'm just one kid from Jersey. Late into the night of November 4th, 2008, as a group of friends and I were flipping through election coverage, we saw Jon Stewart announce that Barack Obama had won the presidency of the United States of America. We quickly changed to CNN to confirm and then to FOX News to remove all doubt...and then joy. High fives were given all around, bottles were popped, phone calls and texts were made.
For us and for most of liberal America this was vindication. In 2004 we saw how President Bush used fear to win an election. We've seen how this Republican administration has scared Americans into thinking that war can be rejustified if the original motive doesn't fit, that torture is acceptable under the "right" conditions, that everyone who disagrees with America hates America, that this as good as the USA can and will ever be. Perhaps worst of all, they divided the country by allowing the demonetization of liberalism to be propagated. In doing so, a rift the size of the Grand Canyon was made between conservatives and liberals. This election was the hope of the end of this. The hope that America can discuss issues such as health care, rights for all, abortion, etc... without questioning the patriotism or faith of the other side.
I don't want liberals to view this as their opportunity to punish conservatives. Although it is highly unpopular, the Bush administration has done many good things that we can all be proud of. I also believe wholeheartedly that John McCain would have made a fine president.
However, I do believe America made the best choice. Barack Obama. A half black, half white, All-American man who was elected not because of the color of his skin, but for the merit of his character and his ideas. We've come a long, long way baby. The first time I heard Barack Obama was during his speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. In that speech he talked about hope. "Hope -- Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!" At the time I thought that someday he'd have a bright future in the Democratic party, but I had no idea how bright a future it would be and how quickly it would come. When he announced his candidacy in 2007 most people didn't give him an iota of a chance to win his party's nomination let alone the presidential elections. Unfazed, he continued to inspire people with an ability to speak unmatched by any of his counterparts. He convinced people with a set of ideas and plans that spoke directly to a hurting country.
An election based on the audacity of hope that started on a cold day in Chicago fittingly ended on a cold night in Chicago with the belief that together YES WE CAN change for the better.
Barack Obama is not the Messiah, however. Though I'm excited for the time being, once he's in office, I want him to be held accountable. I want him to be criticized when he errs. I expect him to do right for this nation. After all, this election was never about him.
Friday, September 12, 2008
The Results Are In..
"The" is King! "I" Settles For Talking About Itself
According to the Wall Street Journal the most used word in the English language is "the." "The" is the most frequently used word in newspapers, the Oxford English Corpus, and the the British National Corpus. The latter two are compilations of texts such as the 9/11 Commision Report. However, it is only the fourth most used word in conversation behind "I", "you", and "and".
Miami, Most Attractive City In America
Miami was chosen as the city with the most beautiful city by Travel and Leaisure Magazine. New York finished first shopping, arts, diverse residents, and skyline. And yet, it still can't help but wonder if wearing a little more lip gloss would have swayed the beautiful vote to its side.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Pack your bags, kiddies, we're moving to Utah!
In an effort to reduce commuters' gas expenses and state energy costs, Utah will switch to a 4-day work week starting next month for thousands of state government workers. In other words, my dream come true. Basically, it's a yearlong experiment in which around 17,000 out of 24,000 state employees will put in 10 hour workdays Mon-Thurs and have Fri off. Sweet. The idea is that turning off heat, air conditioning, and lights in government buildings on Fridays will save the state about $3 million per year. The Department of Energy also estimates that employees of six buildings will save themselves more than $300,000 on gas to commute to work. Those figures add up to a lot of money saved, if all goes according to plan.
Of course, there are downsides, such as working 10 hour days (starting at 7am) and uprooting already-set daily routines such as babysitting/daycare arrangements and train schedules. And of course, not all will be able to take advantage of this- state police officers, prison guards, court employees, etc are exempt. But it is a bold move on Utah's part to try to cut mounting energy costs, and we'll see how successful it is. Other states will probably follow suit if it indeed is successful. In the meantime, I'm considering getting a state job in Utah.
Friday, July 4, 2008
You've Come A Long Way Baby
Happy 232nd birthday America. Almost as old as Larry King! From 13 colonies to 50 states you've come a long way baby. And still, there's so much about you that we don't know. America, did you know...
-Thomas Paine originally proposed the name "United States of America."
-The USA's top three ancestral roots come from Germany (15.6%), Africa (12.9%), Ireland (10.8%).
-The White House if officially called the Executive Mansion
-One in an every 4 Americans has appeared on Television.
-52 Percent of Americans drink coffee
-27 Percent of Americans don't believe we landed on the moon
- America has never lost a war in which a mule was used
-More people are killed by donkeys annually than in plane crashes (OK. This is not USA specific but still an awesome fact),
Thursday, June 26, 2008
West Coast Perspective Part I
Hello from the West Coast ya'll. I've been here since Monday and this is the first amount of extended computer time I've got. (Rest of LIB=-_______- me=x_x) This is my first time in Cali and already I've noticed some key differences.
1. American Airlines planes going to the West Coast are drenched pee, apparently, before anyone is allowed to board. The smell took its toll before take off and upon arrival when the air was not being vented. Maybe they don't pee on their planes. Other possible suggestions include R. Kelly previously owned and it was made from the clothing of those nice people that sleep on the subway. As my friend fittingly put it, "It smells like someone peed on top of a pile of dried up pee."
2. Purchasing things with credit cards requires ID. I never questioned why they don't check back in the East. This practice ranges my emotion from "I guess it's safer" to "Holy crap, this is annoying!"
3. There is no humidity. Goodness, I am going to miss this the most. It was 106 in Vegas and I still felt more comfortable than any day during the summer in Jersey. I ran/walked three miles around the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and not a bead of sweat. Suckers.
4. Mexican food is actually good. There's this place called Sharkey's Grill. Freakin' awesome! Taco Bell, kys.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
We're all doomed.
The $2 Trillion Nightmare
Trillion is a word you use to describe something so great that the word billion just doesn't cut it:
"This fabulous bag cost me a trillion dollars and a half."
"Yo, there were trillions of people at that party, it was off the hook!"
"How much do you think the ozone layer is worth, a trillion dollars?"
It is not, however, a word that should ever be used to describe the national debt, or how much the war is costing American taxpayers. EVER. But that's what it's come down to. The cost of this war is bordering on $3 trillion (!!!). Trillion! Can you even wrap your mind around that?? And with these kinds of figures and facts swimming around, I just can't take seriously anyone who genuinely believes that pulling our troops from Iraq is not the thing to do. There is no simple solution to any of this. But the fact of the matter is, the quality of American life is being sacrificed because of a war we shouldn't have been involved in in the first place. It's a price we're going to be paying for a very, very long time. Like a trillion years-long.
Friday, February 29, 2008
I lost to THESE guys?
Monday, January 21, 2008
I Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Thank You
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Greatest and/or Sickest Marketing Ploy Ever?
According to CNN.com, the teen birth rate is up for the first time in 15 years. Reasons for the rise are not clear; however many attribute it to the federal-funded "abstinence is the way to go" health education in schools that urge kids to skip sex altogether, rather than teaching them the fundamentals, such as the use of condoms and other forms of contraceptives.
This issue will certainly bring back the debate on whether teaching abstinence-only health education in schools is efficient or not.
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In other not-so-relevant news (cough), I really want to watch "Juno," which finally opens in theaters next week. You know, the movie about a pair of naive teen friends who end up having sex, thus resulting in a pregnancy. Looks like a pretty decent film.
