Black Friday Tragedy, 2008

About one year ago, WalMart employees attempted to unlock the doors of a Long Island store at 5 o’clock a.m. on Friday, November 28th, otherwise known as Black Friday.But as the doors were unlocked and many anxious customers made their way to the clearances, employee, Jdimytai Damour, 34, was shoved to the ground and was painfully stomped on and crushed to death by customers barging through the doors.

At the time, Bruce Both, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500, the state of New York’s largest grocery worker’s

union said, “This incident was avoidable. This is not just tragic; it rises to a level of blatant irresponsibility by Wal-Mart.”

And it is true, this incident could have definitely been avoidable. It is such a tragic loss. But looking back on that day, has WalMart done anything different to ensure that this wouldn’t happen on Black Friday, 2009?

Wal-Mart Stores said on Wednesday November 11th, that its locations will stay open for more than 24 hours starting on Thanksgiving Day and will put into affect crowd-control measures on the holiday weekend to avoid any repeat of last year’s calamity. It is said that lineups would begin early in the morning to ensure that there were no large crowds for those in search of the 5 a.m. sales.

“Wal-Mart also said it has incorporated into its nationwide planning for Black Friday some of the crowd management strategies negotiated with the Nassau County district attorney’s office last May after last year’s trampling death of Jdimytai Damour,” (http://searchwarp.com/swa556173-Black-Friday-2009-Wal-Mart-Revisiting-The-Black-Friday-2008-Stampede-Death.htm).

As of this moment, I have not heard of any deaths from this years Black Friday shopping (2009). If you have heard differently, I would love if you could post a comment and let me know! Thanks!

Coca-Cola Co. and Costco Wholesales Dispute

According to Yahoo.com Finance, Coca-Cola drinkers will no longer be able to buy their favorite drink at Costco Wholesales. On November 17th, Yahoo posted an article explaining that the pair are fighting over prices (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Costco-nixes-Coke-products-apf-2225277826.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=6&asset=&ccode=). As shoppers continue to struggle with the recession taking place, retailers want to help their customers by giving them low prices. But that has been creating tension between product makers like Coca-Cola Co., who are working hard to maintain profit margins while meeting retailer demands.

“Beneath this surface of harmony, it’s a dogfight out there,” Gerry Khermouch, editor of Beverage Business Insights, said Tuesday at an investor meeting held by the soft drink maker at its hometown of Atlanta.

I can understand Coca-Cola Co.’s argument, but I do not necessarily agree with it. I like the idea that Costco Wholesales are giving back to their customers and that they understand that many people are struggling right now. Costco has been aggressive in putting up signs on store shelves and notices on its Web site and I think that is a very promising way of promoting this sale. At this point in time, Costco does not plan on taking down any Coke or Diet Coke products from the shelves, but they do not plan on restocking the shelves once the product is sold out, either.

“Costco is committed to carrying name brand merchandise at the best possible prices. At this time, Coca-Cola has not provided Costco with competitive pricing so that we may pass along the value our members deserve,” said a message on the company’s Web site labeled “Price Alert!”

Motorcycle Awareness Response

I am writing in response to Marto96′s blog. He wrote a response to Ryan (Eastie64) in which Ryan explained that he thinks there should be an awareness class for drivers of motorcycles. Marto96 agreed with this saying that his brother got into an accident and although, fortunately, he is still alive, this accident may not have happened if there was an awareness class before these drivers are put on the rode. Ryan says that “there is an ongoing issue with people getting in motorcycle accidents because other drivers arent aware of seeing them in time.” He thinks that a good solution is to have everybody that is taking the permit or licence test for either a car or bike, to take a course on motorcycle and other dangers class additional to the drivers education program. I think that this would be a good idea as well because many times, although I wouldn’t like to admit it, I have not seen a motorcycle on the road as I am driving. My cousin, Jason, got into a motorcycle accident two years ago and was in the hospital for weeks because of his injuries. Granted, the accident was his fault, but as he was falling to the ground, another car hit the bike and it then hit Jason. It was a traumatizing experience and I am happy that he is all right to this day.

Because of this experience with Jason, I wish that there were more awareness with drivers driving with motorcycles near them and I would like to see everybody that is taking the permit or licence test for either a car or bike, take a course on motorcycle and other dangers class additional to the drivers education program. I think that would be a very good start to an excellent change.

Jon and Kate Plus 8

Most people constantly hear about the drama happening with the hit television show, Jon and Kate Plus 8, even after it’s been taken off the air. Whether it’s through the television, the Internet, magazines, or through others, many of us love the gossip. But for the Gosselin Family, this drama and this entertainment is their everyday life and their constant, most difficult battle.

On Monday nights, my mom and I would grab a bag of popcorn, sit on the couch, and wait for Jon and Kate Plus 8 to begin. We were obsessed, to say the least. So, inevitably, seeing Jon and Kate’s relationship fail on national television was devastating. But it didn’t break our hearts to see Jon walk away from Kate. Of course, we both felt bad, having seen their relationship at its best and worst, but we felt for the eight children that didn’t have a clue what was going on.

In an interview by NBC’s Natalie Morales aired on November 2^nd, Kate got personal and honest. Kate stated that unlike herself, the kids took the divorce fairly well. The sextuplets, being five years old at the time, didn’t understand what was going on. Mady and Cara, eight years old, did understand though. Kate remembers Cara burying her face into her as she told her and Mady basically saying, “I’m not surprised.”

For Kate, though, the divorce wasn’t easy. I felt for Kate because she didn’t just have the divorce to go through. Tabloids were constantly exploiting her and the children, claiming Kate of stealing money and becoming a monster. But Kate held her ground and stayed strong. She didn’t let the tabloids get to her because she knew there was nothing she could do about them. She states in the interview that she has never exploited her children and that she would never put her children in harm’s way. The children have not had such an easy childhood and I hope that someday all members of the Gosselin family will endure peace and happiness.

Red Sox Fans Are The Best Kind of Fans

I read Kferris0622’s blog about how her favorite baseball team, the Red Sox having great fans and I completely agree with everything she said.

When I went to my first baseball game, I was only eight years old. I was happy to be there, but I didn’t pay much attention to the game. I was more concerned with the noises and the atmosphere of being at a place where no matter where you came from, if you were a red sox fan, you were united with the people around you for those few hours at Fenway Park. As I grew older and continued to go to Red Sox games, I finally understood the concept of the actual game. I didn’t have to look at the scoreboard to tell what the score was anymore. I understood what was going on each inning and I absolutely loved the games. But I realized that being a Red Sox fan isn’t always about knowing everything about the game. It’s about the dedication to the team you love. At these games, when the Red Sox don’t leave with the win, Red Sox fans everywhere are still cheering. Of course, we wished the game ended in another way, but winning multiple games is not why we love the team. No matter what happens, the Red Sox will always be our number one. We are cheering because when it comes down to it, we know that the Red Sox played a good game and although they didn’t win, they’ll get ‘em next time. So, I have to agree with Kferris0622 when she says there’s no question who has the best fans. It is clearly the Boston Red Sox!

U.S. Plans To Send Troops Home

 As I searched News Daily’s website searching for a topic for my blog, something amazing caught my eye. It was an article about the war being fought in Iraq and finally, more troops being sent home. The United States will withdraw about 4,000 troops by the end of October this year and word has it that by September 2010, the United States will withdraw all combat troops from Iraq. As of today, approximately 124,000 troops and 11 Combat Teams are operating in Iraq, but by the end of October, there will hopefully be just about 120,000 troops there. President Barack Obama would like the U.S. combat mission in Iraq to end on August 31, 2010, but would like a force of 30,000 to 50,000 troops to remain in Iraq to train Iraqi forces and protect provincial reconstruction teams, international projects and diplomatic staff.

 

I think that far too many troops have been fighting for our country for too long. I would hope that the plan to retract all 124,000 troops from Iraq by this time next year will be put into action and we can start seeing some change in our country. Personally, I do not think that the troops should have had to stay in Iraq for as long as they have thus far. In my opinion, the United States went into the war for the wrong reasons. Not all of the US allies believed in the war in Iraq, so the support was limited. I would like to see many of the troops come home and the war with Iraq to be concluded.