Take a look at this Los Angeles Times article.  I’ll quote a little here and you can read the rest:

The weekend is crowded with misleading promotions, including deceptive discounts off misstated “original” prices and deals that could have been had a year earlier, according to NerdWallet. More than 90% of Black Friday ads this year feature items being sold at exactly the same price as they were last Black Friday, the financial advice website said.

And some door-buster prices are available throughout the year, including a $79.99 Tommy Hilfiger jacket at Macy’s that NerdWallet said was also offered during the retailer’s Veterans Day sale. At Target, researchers discovered a KitchenAid mixer selling for less than its advertised Black Friday sale price.

“Consumers make poor decisions when they’re under duress, and this is most obvious on Black Friday,” Ong said.

I added the emphasis on the KitchenAid mixer.  If I read this correctly, retailers are actually raising prices on Black Friday after suckering you into their store with “door buster” deals that a small percentage of shoppers can obtain.

Why would Facebook loosen its teen privacy policy in the wake of yet another teen suicide connected to online bullying?  I suspect the answer is simple: to make more money.  Privacy and safety of teens be damned.  Profits come first in capitalism.

I wonder if in some sick way Facebook sees cyberbullying as a means to expand its brand and profit.  Maybe it will take more suicides and postings of drunk passed out girls for Facebook (and parents) to realize something must be done.

I don’t use Facebook simply because I don’t need to.  Hopefully parents with teens will share that belief.  If not, I hope they at least closely monitor their children’s internet activities.  You won’t be invading their privacy.  You will be doing your part to keep your child away from an increasing danger.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/16/tech/social-media/facebook-teens-privacy/

Where is our country going?  Traditions be damned?  After 155 years Macy’s has decided to open on Thanksgiving day.  I wonder if consumerism has gone too far.  I wonder if any of the executives who receive bonuses will work from 8pm to 5am then again from 8am to 1pm.  I wonder if the people shopping during those hours can truly afford what they are purchasing.  I also wonder if the reason for the season is completely forgotten.

To sum it up in one sentence:  i wonder if people who have forgotten the reason for the season are out spending money they don’t have at all hours, while laborers also are away from their families, so that executives who are in their expensive homes with their families can get another big bonus…

http://www.suntimes.com/23131496-761/macys-to-break-with-tradition-open-thanksgiving-at-8-pm-employees.html