Blagojevich Impeached!

It’s official - Gov. Blagojevich has been impeached by the Illinois House of Representatives.

Booyakasha.

2.6 million jobs lost in 2008

Annual loss is biggest since the end of World War II. Payrolls shrink by 524,000 in December, and unemployment rate rises to 7.2%.

My heart goes out to everyone affected last year, and those who have already been hit in 2009 (including my own household).

Bove’s owner to cook lasagna today on ‘Today’

 

I haven’t been into Bove’s since my freshman year of college, but I have gotten the Bove’s sauce at the store a few times recently and it is pretty good – so congrats to Mark Bove for his scheduled appearance on the Today Show this morning!

Mark Bove is scheduled to appear on the Today Show at 10 a.m. today, according to the NBC morning TV show.

Bove, owner of Bove’s sauce company, will make lasagna live from the studio in midtown Manhattan. He will be on the show with Hoda and Kathie Lee, demonstrating that people can prepare quality meals at home.

Mark Bove is the son of Dick Bove, owner of Bove’s Restaurant. The restaurant opened on Pearl Street in 1941. The business plans to start selling frozen lasagna in supermarkets later this winter, according to Dick Bove.

[Courtesy of the Burlington Free Press]

Obama and his Blackberry

I understand the security concerns Barack’s staff may have with him keeping his BlackBerry, but I agree with a Democratic strategist Paul Begala when he says that Barack’s BB is what keeps him “normal”.

“I’m still clinging to my BlackBerry,” he told CNBC. “They’re going to pry it out of my hands.” He does not want to succumb to the isolation of the presidential bubble. I applaud that. And so I’m on his side in the Battle of the BlackBerry.

Presidents can stay in touch with their pre-presidential friends, but they have to work at it. In the pre-BlackBerry age, presidents gave their friends their special, secret ZIP code, listed their names with the White House operator, with instructions to put the calls through, even gave out the cell phone numbers of close aides.

The president-elect said his staff has cited both security and legal concerns, and I’m sure they’re real. But one of the many strengths Barack Obama brings to the White House is that up till now he’s led a pretty normal life.

As president he’ll need to hear from the folks who made it normal: the point guard on his state championship basketball team or a gifted student from his days as a law professor, or better yet one of the scores of folks he helped through tough times when he was a community organizer.

As a senior White House official, it was part of my job to resist the temptation to become a Praetorian Guard, but rather to keep the president in touch with what he called “walkin’ around people.”

President-elect Obama is wise to want to keep in touch with them as well, even as he’s riding around in that presidential limo.

Here’s hoping Barack Obama wins the Battle of the BlackBerry.

Amen. I really want to see Barack texting during a meeting on the news someday – I think it would be classic.

[Thanks to Paul for this article on CNN]

 

Even more layoffs, closings

Welcome to 2009 – you’re smack in the middle of the recession! It has been announced that even more closings will be happening (locally and otherwise). Vermont Teddy Bear is laying off 35 people, as well as closing the retail store in Waterbury (where the Dunkin Donuts and Lake Champlain Chocolates are) by the end of the month. Macy’s has also announced it would be closing 9 stores (not sure which ones yet).

I wanted a running tally of the major closings since November, so here’s a tentative list of some of the big ones (I’m sure there are a ton more I’m missing, but this is depressing enough!):

• Circuit City – Filed for bankruptcy on November 10, 2008 and announced the closure of 155 stores. 
• Ann Taylor – Earlier this year announced it would close 117 stores out of approximately 966 locations. 
• Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, and Catherine’s – Nine months ago parent company Charming Shoppes Inc. announced the closing of 150 stores. 
• Eddie Bauer – Closed 31 retail and outlet stores
• Cache – Announced early in the year it would close 21 stores
• Talbots – Closed approximately 100 stores in 2008 but is still in business and has no more closings planned. 
• J. Jill – Owned by Talbots Inc., which wants to sell the chain but has not announced the closure of any J. Jill stores. 
• Gap Inc. – In mid-2008 revised its projected number of store closings (including Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy locations) upward from 85 to approximately 115 stores for the year.
• Foot Locker – Closed 274 in 2007. Projected closing 140 stores in 2008. As of Nov. 20, had closed 129 stores.
• Wickes Furniture – Filed for bankruptcy in early 2008 and already closed down all retail stores. 
• Levitz Furniture – Filed for bankruptcy in late 2007 and is still in the process of liquidating assets. 
• Zales – Last February announced the planned closure of 105 stores in 2008. 
• Whitehall Jewelers – Filed for bankruptcy in June 2008 and is closing all stores.
• Piercing Pagoda – Owned by Zales. Some, but not all, Piercing Pagoda locations were among the 105 planned closures announced by Zales in Feb. 2008. 
• The Disney Store – Announced in May 2008 it would close 98 stores. 
• Home Depot – Announced in May 2008 it would close 15 stores nationwide.
• Macy’s – Closing 9 stores. 
• Linens ‘n Things – Filed for bankruptcy in May 2008 and is closing all stores.
• Movie Gallery/Hollywood Video – Filed for bankruptcy in 2007, after plans to close 520 stores. In Feb 2008, announced 400 more store closings and in April 2008 announced 160 closures. 
• Pacific Sunwear – In Jan. 2008 announced the closure of 154 “demo” stores nationwide.
• Pep Boys – Closed 31 locations in 2008. 
• Sprint Nextel – In Jan. 2008 announced it would close 125 stores. 
• Ethan Allen – In Jan. 2008 announced plans to consolidate 12 retail design and service centers. 
• Wilson Leather – Already closed 160 of its stores and is converting the remainder to sell women’s accesories. 
• Sharper Image – Filed for bankruptcy in early 2008 and announced plans to close all 184 stores.
• KB Toys – Announced closure just before Christmas with going out of business sales effective immediately. Closing all stores.
• Dillard’s – Closed at 20 stores in 2008. New CEO says the company will continue closing underperforming stores. 
• The Charming Shoppes chain stores of plus size womens clothing has closed 150 stores.
• CompUSA – Sold to Gordon Brothers for restructuring in Dec 2007 with most of its 103 outlets subsequently closed.
• Kirklands – Expecting to close 130 out of 335 stores by middle of 2009
• Washington Mutual – Cut 1,600 jobs.
• Rolls Royce – Cute 2,000 jobs worldwide.
• Citigroup – Cut 40,000 jobs worldwide.
• Levitz Furniture – Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Nov 2007 and began store closings.
• Benningans – Closed 150 restaurants overnight in July 2008.
• Walgreens – Laying off 1,000+ employees.
• Bank of America – Announced they would cut up to 35,000 jobs in the next three years.
• Sara Lee – Laying off 700 employees.
• Sony – Laying off 8,000 employees.
• EZ Lube – Filed for bankruptcy. 
• Anheuser-Busch – Laying off 1,400 employees. 
• AT&T – Laying off 12,000 employees.
• Vermont Teddy Bear – Closing Waterbury retail location, laying off 35 employees.

 

Windows 7 = Hitler > Vista?

Oh, XKCD, how I love you.

[For anyone that doesn't get the reference to Windows 7/Vista, check this out.]