johnrpierce.info blog

"The Vermont Country Store's future is in your past. The mostly mail-order business specializes in selling things that have all but disappeared from store shelves but not from people's memories: Dick and Jane books. Tangee lipstick. Ship'n Shore clothing. Charles Chips. Beeman's chewing gum. Pants stretchers. Horlick's malted milk tablets. Men's opera slippers."--from an Associated Press article by Christopher Graff at timesleader.com.

May 27, 2005

Retro-Stripe Mat Bag by Gaiam
The Wall Street Journal Catalog Critic describes this bag in an article "Yoga Bags With Room to Breathe" as "Best Value. A simple but cute cotton bag, with enough room for a mat and a towel. There's a small outer pocket, too."

May 25, 2005

The first season of Desperate Housewives is scheduled to be released on DVD on September 20, 2005, and can be ordered in advance from amazon.com.

Swing Parade of 1946, with Gale Storm and the Three Stooges, has been released on DVD. As aspiring singer tries to stop her father from shutting down her boyfriend's nightclub. The Three Stooges (Moe, Larry, and Curly) are waiters.

May 24, 2005

"Everyone knows M&S underwear is legendary," writes Tom Geoghegan in an article for BBC News about Marks and Spencer.

May 23, 2005

"Italians drink more bottled water than anyone else in the world does--but they don't drink it on the go. Italian mothers tell their children that it's bad manners to eat or drink anywhere but at the table. Strict licensing laws make it nearly impossible to sell food or drinks at place like newsstands.

"Now Nestlé SA, a giant in the bottled-water business, is trying to build a new market [in Italy] by changing deep-seated Italian habits."

--from an article by Deborah Ball in The Wall Street Journal.

"GEORGE Bush yesterday launched a probe into how pictures of Saddam Hussein in his underpants were leaked.

"His spokesman said: 'He has been briefed. He wants to get to the bottom of it.'--from article by Tom Newton Dunn at Online Sun.

May 18, 2005

The television shows with the highest concentration of viewers aged 18 to 49 from households with income of $75,000 or more are: West Wing, The Apprentice 3, Boston Legal, The Office, and Desperate Housewives, according to Nielsen Media Research as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

May 16, 2005

"The New York Times announced today a new online offering called TimesSelect, which for a modest fee will provide exclusive access to Op-Ed and news columnists on NYTimes.com, easy and in-depth access to The Times's online archives, early access to select articles on the site, as well as other exciting features."--from a press release by the New York Times Company.

I certainly don't expect to pay to read the New York Times columnists. There are so many opinions available for free on the internet. The Times might preserve its prestige better by keeping the columnists available for free. The archives are another matter. I can understand that people might be willing to pay for access to the archives for specific research reasons.

May 15, 2005

Madras Wrap Robe
Vermont Country Store

Go Softwear Black/White Lo-rise Briefs, International Jock
Go Softwear’s colorful low-rise briefs are sure to become your favorites. With a super low-rise cut, a soft blended fabric of cotton/lycra and a distinctive, plush Go Softwear waistband, these hot briefs are comfortable, fun and perfect under today's low-rise jeans.

May 14, 2005

Carter Cramer writes for the Johns Hopkins News-Letter that "despite what far too many insecure men wrongfully believe, messenger bags are not solely reserved for girls and metrosexuals.

"On the contrary, the messenger bag is not only a stylish accessory effective at spicing up a lackluster outfit, but it's also a utilitarian addition to any guy's collection. Rather than tossing your laptop, books, and cell phone into a geeky, sloppy-looking back pack, throw everything into a sleek-looking, streamlined messenger that comfortably rests across your body. They're convenient, chic, and, best of all, evoke no second-grade reminders of yellow school buses and lunch boxes, unlike their L.L. Bean counterparts."

May 13, 2005

Next week the New York Times will "unveil" a redesigned business section and "will expand its coverage of consumer gadgets, blogs and venture capital, among the hottest subjects in financial news," reports reuters.com.

"In a photo taken just after [his Wednesday bike] ride, Bush is holding what appears to be a copy of 'I Am Charlotte Simmons,' the Tom Wolfe novel about debauchery on a college campus. In early February, Bush told reporters he was reading that same book -- which, if he is almost done, averages to about seven pages a day," says the Washington Post.

"St. Lawrence University is trying to force disclosure of the names of bloggers behind a site they say ridicules and harasses students and faculty members.

"The blog Take Back Our Campus!, which says it is 'dedicated to fighting the right-wing assault' on the university, posts often raging criticisms of administrative policy and of students in conservative groups, and other faculty members and students they consider conservative.

--from article by David Epstein at insidehighered.com.

"I am a modern man, live a full life, do not feel any barriers inside myself," Ricky Martin says, as quoted at planteout.com. "I perceive the contemporary world as an open forum, where nothing is taboo except criminal activity. If I were gay, why not admit it? ... I am a normal man. I love women and sex. I am a real hot-blooded Puerto Rican, but have never been attracted by sex with a man."

PlanetOut

Get $1 off Neutrogena sun care! (Ends 06-17-05)

May 12, 2005

Kevin Bleyer reports at the Huffington Post that the final episode of "Dennis Miller" will air this Friday, May 13.

The show had its moments, but on the whole I didn't like it very much. I watched it only occasionally when I couldn't find anything better in the time slot.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has allowed the Chicago city hall to install five waterless urinals on a trial basis, reports chicagoist.com. The waterless urinals are normally illegal in Illinois.

Anne Marie Squeo writes in the Wall Street Journal that "more than half of the U.S. still lacks the technology to find cellphone callers in distress. Though the federal government is spending billions of dollars annually on homeland security, the 911 system that Americans rely on to report an emergency hasn't benefited."

"'Apprentice' winner Bill Rancic has signed a deal with Penguin to write a children’s book! According to the press release, 'Beyond the Lemonade Stand is an advice book for children ages 8-12 who are looking to get ahead. It will offer guidelines on how to be successful, ethical, and profitable in business. The book will also contain anecdotes from business leaders, "Apprentice'"’ cast members, and business-savvy kids who all lend guidance to business-minded children already thinking of how to make "money, money, money, money"…'"--reports gawker.com.

"Has Harvard Law departed so far from its former intellectually rigorous high standard by caving into sub-standard Crit vagaries that it should be avoided altogether?," asks Rachel Alexander at michnews.com in her review of Andrew Peyton Thomas's book The People V. Harvard Law: How America's Oldest Law School Turned Its Back on Free Speech.

May 11, 2005

Whole Foods markets have "joined the gym and the concierge as a must-have amenity in luxury-condo towers that are sprouting up in cities across the country," writes Ryan Chittum in the Wall Street Journal.

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May 10, 2005

ET has confirmed that Oscar®-winning actress RENEE ZELLWEGER and country star KENNY CHESNEY have tied the knot!

"The better a writer is on the page the worse he or she is likely to be on the air. What TV requires is not someone who is authoritative but someone who looks authoritative," says Tina Brown, of soon to be defunct Topic A, at huffingtonpost.com.

"It's official — the L.A. Times' ill-conceived experiment with charging a fee to read stories about film, music art, culture, style, and books ends at 5 a.m. Tuesday," reports L.A. Observed.

"Nationwide, the market for organic foods has soared from $3.57 billion in 1997 to $10.38 billion in 2003, according to Organic Trade Association," reports Rick Callahan, Associated Press Writer, in an article at yahoo.com.

Expandable Messenger Bag
eBags.com

Clever, convenient and definitely utilitarian. You cannot beat a bag that travels in whatever size you need.

May 6, 2005

"Labour have done disastrously in London," writes Lewis Baston at the Guardian's Election 2005 Blog.

"There has probably been a pincer movement - some people responding to the Conservative message on crime and immigration, some people voting with their liberal consciences against Iraq."

May 5, 2005

Simon Keenlyside in Lorin Maazel's opera 1984 at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
Photo: Alastair Muir.

Review excerpts

May 3, 2005

The Motorola Ojo Personal Video Phone will be in stock soon, says amazon.com. The manufacturer says that the "implementation of advanced telephony, compression, and multimedia technologies enables Ojo to deliver the highest quality images and eliminate the breakup and distortion normally associated with video phones."

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Crave: The Feast of the Five Senses
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