Newspapers are fighting for survival. Home deliveries and newsstand purchases are way down in recent years.

It comes down to the bottom line, especially when ad revenue decreases. The worst thing to do is to raise prices. That happened to my local newspaper which announced a 50% increase from $1.00 to $1.50. 

When the Boston Globe raised their price, I switched to the epaper format and reduced my monthly cost from $68 to $29. 

I need to explore the epaper for my local one, although it's not in the format as the Globe.

I think it's only a matter of a few years before most newspapers collapse. 

 

Former landfills have almost no practical use, even after they are capped. 

A nearby community turned theirs into athletic fields, but nobody ever uses them. There is a toxic recipe of chemicals underground. 

Locally, there is a proposal to install a solar farm. I think this is a good idea. The city will get some revenue out of it.

Opponents say it will ruin the view along the Merrimack River. They have a point, but what do they want done with the land? They could let it sit for decades, but getting some financial return seems like a better idea. 

 

I think most people want to look younger when they get older. I always get a kick out of those who say they were "carded" for something to do with alcohol. 

Many places have mandatory ID inspections, especially if the don't know you. They are doing their due diligence to protect themselves.

Some people don't look their age, but it's part of dong business involving alcohol. 

 

LL Bean makes great products and stands behind them. I have three pairs of their boots. They always seemed indestructible until today.

The outer sole on the left one has become unglued and is flapping. I plan to bring them back to the store. They will end up giving me a gift card for their full value. 

I was surprised to see how much of the sole peeled back. That should never happen. 

 

Local elected officials should stick to issues that pertain to its citizens and community. They don't need to make statements about issues outside of their realm. It's an easy way to generate publicity when they jump on the band wagon.

We have city councilors who now want to ban plastic bags. Where did this idea come from all of a sudden? The Boston Globe ran a story on it today.

If they want to ban bags, it should be put on the ballot for the voters to decide. They should focus their time on the needs and concerns of the citizens.  

My local market allows shoppers to recycle plastic bags. I have returned 75 since October 1st. 

 

I can't imagine what the people of Hawaii felt today when they received a warning of an incoming missile from North Korea. It turned out to be a false alert. 

How did this happen? What type of system do they have in place that ends up sending out an alert in error?

The stakes are too high for nonsense like this. 

 

There seems to be an app for almost anything. It's amazing how they come up with some of them. 

One of them being tested in Silicon Valley allows people at work to order gasoline for their cars, have it delivered and pumped into their tank.

All they need to do is leave their gas door open for the delivery.

Are people that busy that they can't find a few minutes in their life to pump gas? The app claims to charge a cheaper price because they buy direct. I don't doubt that, but people are just getting lazier. 

 

 

There is always shoddy construction when it comes to public works projects. There is no excuse for it.

The New York Post had an article about the fiasco at the $1.6 billion transit hub at the Farley Post Office Building in New York City.

The $300 million concourse connecting to Penn Station is filled with cracks in the floor. Many are up to 20 feet long and 1/4 inch wide.

The contractor has filled the cracks with caulking and will pay to replace the terrazzo tiles.

This should never happen, but always does when doing a public project.  

 

I pay close attention to expiration dates on food and medicines. They are there for a purpose.

Apparently, printer ink cartridges also have expiration dates. My HP printer refused to work today. I tried to override the error message, but it was to no avail.  

I still have half the ink left, but I was forced to buy a new one. I have spent more on ink than the printer. It's such a scam. 

 

I would not go on a cruise ship even if the trip was free. It looks like such a boring time. 

Someone posted a video today about a ship being caught in the stormy ocean between Bermuda and New York City during last week's storm.

The ship was being tossed around in the high seas like a rag doll. Water flooded the various decks.

You roll the dice with the weather when you make a reservation. I can't imagine anyone had any fun. 

 

The Winter Olympics start on February 8th. NBC has been running promotions during their NFL game coverage tonight. 

The Games are over-hyped and a financial disaster for the host city. Why would any city want to face financial ruin by getting involved? 

 

Every time we get a storm like yesterday, we see the same stories in the news about coastal flooding. It was terrible to watch the damage inflicted on property. 

People who live by the ocean know what they are getting themselves into. They never expect it to happen. 

I could never live there. The ocean is nice until stuff like this happens. 

 

People go to great extremes when it comes to their pets. They treat them like children. 

A friend posted a video on Facebook of them sharing a bowl of ice cream with their dog. They alternated taking spoonfuls from the container. 

I thought this was wrong for two reasons. I would never stick a spoon in my mouth after a dog licked it. Having ice cream for breakfast doesn't make any sense to me.

 

It sounds like we will be waking up to a major snow storm tomorrow that developed over the last few days. 

People were panic shopping for too much stuff they don't need. It's like that every time.

Winter will come and go. Snow doesn't last forever. People complain way too much about it. 

 

I bought a SONY Blue-ray/DVD player at Best Buy for $69. It's amazing how low the price was for this item. It was made in Malaysia.  

I wonder what the hourly wage is for these employees. It's nothing like it would be if made in the USA. Companies manufacture overseas to keep the cost down.

It would be so expensive if it was made here.