don't buy your christmas ornaments at walmart!

[Running Mommy]

Yes BMC, I do. I worked for the company back then. It was a source of pride with Sam that he was giving so many Americans jobs.
And then Sam died.... Unf the company is a sad shell of what Sam had founded and what he stood for..

I do shop at wal mart, so I guess I'm the spawn of evil. But Wal Mart is just the big fish sticking out of the pond. Target, K Mart, and all of the other large chains- clothing stores included- are just as bad. They just put a nice wrapping on everything. Just like politics- it's all about the spin.

FWIW I do try to shop at the smaller shops whenever possible. I prefer the local ace or tru value hardware over Lowes or the Depot anyday.
And I shop at the locally owned natural grocer, but sometimes I do shop at wal mart.
As a soon to be bike shop owner I cringe when I walk by the 49.99 bikes... OY. And in the same vein I try to give the mom and pop places my business whenever I can. Esp. the restaurants. Around here we have so many chains that it's hard for them to compete.

[Starfish]

what're we going to do- boycott the healthcare industry? Who puts people in charge of this sh!t?

I talked once to a friend of my mine who is a physician. She totally defended these types of hours, saying that it really culled out the weakest links, so that the ones who made it through were the best. (I'm not saying I agree with her, just that she was defending it.)

She's an OB/GYN. She said, do you really want someone delivering your baby in the middle of the night, after delivering a bunch of others that week, who wasn't good at thinking and working under zero sleep conditions? (Again, just passing along what I was told.)

[bmccasland]

I talked once to a friend of my mine who is a physician. She totally defended these types of hours, saying that it really culled out the weakest links, so that the ones who made it through were the best. (I'm not saying I agree with her, just that she was defending it.)

She's an OB/GYN. She said, do you really want someone delivering your baby in the middle of the night, after delivering a bunch of others that week, who wasn't good at thinking and working under zero sleep conditions? (Again, just passing along what I was told.)

Obviously this Doc doesn't have much experience working weird hours for months on end. Statistically more night shift workers have more on the job injuries than any other shift. The main problem, they're chronically sleep deprived. I know I was when I worked nights. Oy don't even get me started.

[smilingcat]

NON walmart shopper.

I do go to the local farmers market for my gorceries. small farm organics mostly. Okay so the fruit doesn't look perfect but its not coated with wax to make it look pretty. Okay so the tomato is slightly bruised but its vine ripened.

smilingcat

[Trek420]

Any of you remember when Sam Waldon (Walton?) - the founder - was alive and Walmart advertised that much of their merchandise was "Proudly made in the USA"? Many of the changes were made after he died.

Yes, if you listen carefully the whirring sound in the background is his rapidly rolling in his grave.

It's hard to be politically (whichever that means to you) correct. I sometimes am stopped in my tracks looking blankly at the shelves for hours trying to decide:
this coffee is in a biodegradable paper bag
but that one's organic
ooh, ooh, shade grown (happy migratory birds ) but it's not....
fair trade.

but wait, here's fair trade, organic shade grown, happy birdies STARBUCKS do I get the Peets next to it that's not shade grown?

groan.

I agree we should keep this positive. How do you find alternatives? And it's really not that hard or more expensive.

Today on the way home I stopped for gift wrap, tape, wrapping paper, paper plates, and a new birdfeeder ....all made in the USA. The feeder it took some looking through the shelves. The stuff is out there.

I do go to the local farmers market for my gorceries. small farm organics mostly. Okay so the fruit doesn't look perfect but its not coated with wax to make it look pretty. Okay so the tomato is slightly bruised but its vine ripened.

smilingcat

My Dad, a small family farmer used to say "If the bugs won't eat it neither will I"

And I think we can all agree that as well as the juicy tomato tasting better, local farms protect rural areas and rural areas are great places to ride! I'm sure overseas farmers are great (no offense to any Chileans etc on the board) but I .... ride .... here. And I breath here too.

Really no reason to fly stuff in from wherever when it can be grown here. We need our farmers for many reasons, green space, protecting wetlands, strengthening rural communities.

I read somewhere it only takes 8 families to support a small family farm. Can you imagine if more people bought local?

[mimitabby]

I'll take it one step further. They are harassing a lady in a Seattle neighborhood because she won't decorate her lawn. They have a "tradition" of 3 weeks of LASVEGAS Lights in their neighborhood for the last 25 years (it's called Candy Cane Lane). Hundreds of cars slowly drive through every night for 3 weeks, polluting the air while the home owners burn hundreds of kilowatts of energy to celebrate Christmas.
I'm pretty grinchy. I begrudge myself idle car trips. I turn off lights constantly.
Solutions? Do your best I guess.

[Trek420]

On the calendar of S.F. Bike Coalition

Night Ride: Holiday Lights Ride
Put on your finest blinky lights and join us for our annual tour of holiday light displays around the city. Bring snacks to share or a thermos with something warm to drink!

They also have a Holiday Lights Walk

Both much better ways to see the lights. I hear that many clubs do this.

[teigyr]

I remember reading about something called a "100 mile diet" or maybe 300 miles or 50 miles or something. Anyway, you can eat/drink whatever is locally made and grown. It's not as easy as it sounds!

Ok, 100 miles. Here it is:

http://100milediet.org/

If I ever decided to do this, I'm for sure glad that we have wineries around here

[Trek420]

I remember reading about something called a "100 mile diet" or maybe 300 miles or 50 miles or something. Anyway, you can eat/drink whatever is locally made and grown. It's not as easy as it sounds!

Ok, 100 miles. Here it is:

http://100milediet.org/

If I ever decided to do this, I'm for sure glad that we have wineries around here

That's relatively easy to do here. But I recall a funny encounter overheard at a farmer market in Winter.

shopper "where are the strawberries?"
farmer "they are out of season"
shopper "but Safeway has them "
farmer "they don't grow at this time of year "
shopper "but Safeway ...."
farmer "they fly them in"
shopper "so why don't you have them? "

I really like feeling in touch with the season (wooooo, new age'y music in the background), the first cherries, peaches, winter squash ....

www.slowfoodusa.org

[Mr. Bloom]

You'll be hard pressed to find ornaments that weren't made in China.

ALL of our ornaments are from Ireland

In 1986 when we married, we started a tradition of buying a Waterford ornament each year, then we backfilled what we didn't have from prior years. Now, we have EVERY waterford disc ornament ever made (and some others)

Until we got into cycling, it was the ONLY indulgence we allowed ourselves. Now, after 21 years of marriage, we've a got 90 of them...and I can definately say - I prefer the days of a strong $...

[Trek420]

Now you need the matching Waterford bikes

[Mr. Bloom]

Now you need the matching Waterford bikes

ohhhh! Hmmm... That would require a VERY strong $ and a very weak euro and a road with NO POTHOLES!

[silver]

ohhhh! Hmmm... That would require a VERY strong $ and a very weak euro and a road with NO POTHOLES!

Uhhhh, Mr., she's talking about Waterford bikes:



http://www.waterfordbikes.com/

Made in Waterford, Wisconsin, USA

[Mr. Bloom]

Uhhhh, Mr., she's talking about Waterford bikes:



http://www.waterfordbikes.com/

Made in Waterford, Wisconsin, USA

I knew that! oops!

[Dianyla]

Another non-Walmart shopper here. I also try to avoid big box stores, large non-local chains, chain restaurangs, fast food, etc. Yay farmer's markets, coops, and locally grown and produced food and goods.

(Um, well... except fine woolen garments, that is. Only NZ's finest merino wool will do. Though, wait!!! Now that we have an Icebreaker store in Portland can I claim it's local?? )