I watched a purported news video from the CBS TV station in Chicago and the obsequiousness of the two Channel Two employees — I won’t call them reporters — is so thick, I wanted the camera to pan down to see Mike Duke’s arms up their asses playing puppeteer. First, we meet Loreal Calloway, identified […]

How do you really feel about Walmart? Here’s your chance to express your true feelings — pro and con — about the world’s largest retailer. Write whatever you like in the comments section and engage your fellow readers in the conversation. Jeff Hess: Have Coffee Will Write.

Let the fun begin. I don’t know that anyone has made the connection yet, but yesterday’s shocking 5-4 United States Supreme Court decision invoking the 14th Amendment in McDonald v Chicago could trump all medical and recreational marijuana laws. Could the 14th itself be in danger? Jeff Hess: Have Coffee Will Write.

The Communist leadership of China believe that they can flirt with Capitalism and remain true to Chairman Mao’s principles. Perhaps they can, but as recent labor unrest demonstrates, when bosses get wealthy, workers get pissed. From the BBC: Industrial unrest has been spreading through China’s factories, with strikes breaking out in the south, east and […]

I’m a little late to the party on the Walmart Chicago wage story, but Progress Illinois points out that obvious problem: Who will ensure Walmart holds up its end of last week’s tenuous agreement that apparently cleared the way for a second Chicago store? Ald. Howard Brookins Jr. (21st Ward), an ardent supporter of Walmart’s […]

Canadians can now request and carry the official Walmart MasterCard courtesy of the federally licensed Walmart Canada Bank. The first question I have is does it work in the United States (it should) is there any prohibition of an American getting one? I’m betting there isn’t, specially if there is a bank online option. Walmart […]

Apparently the problem in Chicago is not a lack of spine but rather anatomically much lower, in the knees. I’m still not seeing explanation the cheerleaders are getting 12,000 full-time jobs from 24 stores. I think their shoulder stink from reaching up so far. From the Chicago Sun-Times: After six years of stonewalling labor’s demand […]

Our co-blogger Robert Feinman passed in July 2009. Jonathan has already posted a best of series taken from Robert’s more than 600 posts to The Writing On The Wal. But Robert wrote elsewhere as well and, for some time, I’ve enjoyed a Sunday morning tradition of reading the essays he posted to his personal blog. […]

Only New York City is a more important market for Walmart than Chicago. I’m still seeing conflicting and vague reports coming out of Chicago about exactly what was agreed to and who is getting what, so I’m happy to have a little distance from the story. Stephanie Clifford at the New York Times writes: What […]

I sincerely hope everyone appreciates what we do for you. This morning I’ve downloaded Jeremy Wilson’s Statutory Interpretation in Wal-Mart Stores East, Inc. v. Hinton and Why North Carolina Courts Should Apply Anti-Tax Avoidance Judicial Doctrines in Future Cases. The TaxProf Blog abstracts: In its 2009 decision Wal-Mart Stores East, Inc. v. Hinton, the North […]

Every urban area where politicians, community leaders and workers (employed, underemployed and unemployed) are concerned about Walmart can do to their neighborhoods is studying what happened this week in Chicago. Skepticism is the rule, but it needs turning up a few notches. From a Bmore Local news release: Yesterday’s agreement is a starting point for […]

Organized labor gave away the stores in Chicago. Yesterday WBBM TV reported that Walmart and the unions had agreed on a raise of 60-cents per hour on the first anniversary of an employee in Chicago. Just Me let us know that that was no big deal. After all the fuss Chicago has put up about […]

Cross-posted from my other blog. “[For-profit colleges] serve a purpose and some do a good job, but there’s obviously an incredible number of bad actors and I would like to shut them down.” – Senator Al Franken (D-Minnesota), at yesterday’s Senate hearing on for-profit colleges. While you might discount this because you think that Franken […]

…but one Home Depot parking lot on Long Island has its own graveyard.

I agree with Bmore Local. The city and residents are getting sold a bill of goods, specially considering that Walmart intends to close a failed store at Port Covington. Any jobs realized at the 25th Street Station project will simply replace those at the existing store. Jeff Hess: Have Coffee Will Write.