Useless Conversation

[Miasma]

We don't have the happy news thread anymore but I thought this was a neat story so I'll put it here.  Have you ever thought to yourself 'you know if the good people who make up most of this company stood up to the vultures at the top they could change everything'?

So there was a popular CEO of a successful regional supermarket chain.  This is a guy who the employees actually liked because he wasn't the typical sociopath CEO, he looked out for his employees and customers.  He recently dropped all prices across all stores by 4% because 'our customers need the money more than our shareholders'.  He got ousted by his infighting cousin.  The employees and managers actually rose up and refused to go along with the switch.  They asked customers to stop coming until the old CEO was reinstated, they held rallies.  The cousin and his people were dumbstruck.  Shelves started to go empty, stores emptied out, customers went elsewhere.  The cousin probably just wanted to sell the chain off to the highest bidder who would then implement 'cost-savings' but with all this turmoil the people who were eager to buy started to worry.  It looks like it's coming to an end and the cousin will have to sell to the original CEO.

These are nyt stories which has some limit on the number of articles you can read a month so I've spoilered the text.

Bad cousin takes over

After a couple weeks of rallies

Bad cousin starts to crack

A deal to reinstate

[Paelos]

Good for them. The long term of a business should come first. People forget that all the time now. You make so much more money not thinking short-term it's unbelievable. Ask Warren Buffett.

[Merusk]

I'm really surprised this story didn't get more national attention than it did.  I heard about it a few times on NPR but never really saw anything on the news at all.

I'm quite pleased it turned out the way it did, but as was pointed out yesterday this past 6 weeks may have really damaged the company. Customers had to find other alternatives and may not be back, supplier relationships were damaged and there's 6-weeks worth of debit accrued that the company didn't have to deal with before.

[Ironwood]

That's .... almost like a Union action.

 

[Khaldun]

Is there anywhere where the people are the main reason to move there?

I can think of things about some areas of the US where people on the whole are better about some stuff than they are somewhere else. People on the West Coast are usually better drivers than people in the Northeast for example.

NY-Washington corridor people are way bigger assholes about customer service than they are in most of the rest of the country.

But I don't think I've lived anywhere in the US where I've said, "People are so much nicer and more upstanding and tolerant and cool and shit here" on the level of "The weather is much better here" or "This place is way more beautiful than that place".

[WayAbvPar]

Austin does not have a proper fucking diner and it kills me. We have what could be best described as a twatty IHOP (Kerbey Lane for those wondering).

We do have the Waffle House though, so that's good enough in most cases. I do miss solid diners from the east coast though.

My only experience with East Coast diners is through the magic of Douchevision on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. I really want to try one some day. And I want to try scrapple!

[Yegolev]

Is there anywhere where the people are the main reason to move there?

Not that I am aware.

[WayAbvPar]

Is there anywhere where the people are the main reason to move there?

Not that I am aware.

I would say 'anywhere they aren't'. Unfortunately I need people to provide things like delicious food, entertainment, and other necessities. Otherwise I would be living in a shack somewhere in Bigfoot country.

[Khaldun]

P.S. you can try scrapple anywhere, any time.

Step 1. Eat lots of bacon, cheese and a few bits of semi-burnt greasy stuff you can scrape off your stove.
Step 2. Drink enough to vomit.
Step 3. Vomit.
Step 4. Collect vomit.
Step 5. Fry it! Congratulations, you have scrapple.

[rattran]

The 95F+ and high humidity didn't help. And I have to go back in a week. At least it's making me look forward to working in North Carolina next month, where it'll be cooler and less humid 

Could be worse, you could be going to TRF.

Doing TRF back in '91 as an entertainer was more than enough time there.

[schild]

P.S. you can try scrapple anywhere, any time.

Step 1. Eat lots of bacon, cheese and a few bits of semi-burnt greasy stuff you can scrape off your stove.
Step 2. Drink enough to vomit.
Step 3. Vomit.
Step 4. Collect vomit.
Step 5. Fry it! Congratulations, you have scrapple.

Fuck right off with that. Good scrapple is delicious.

[Lantyssa]

Doing TRF back in '91 as an entertainer was more than enough time there.

That long ago, huh?  We might have actually passed one another since that was my first RenFest!  My RA who organized the trip was one of the flower hat sellers at the entrance.

[rattran]

I was the 'Magic Box' guy just inside the entrance, so it's quite likely. My last foray in the entertainment side of ren fests, sales are much more comfortable.

[Khaldun]

I've only had good scrapple once, but it was indeed good.

Bad scrapple is common and WOW is it bad.

[Furiously]

Are we talking lung color?

It's Mississippi we're talking about.  Have you been there?  It's in a perpetual state of 1956.

Actually, that's not ENTIRELY true. It's mostly true, but in the more built up urban areas, it's more like 1985. Sometimes even like 2000. The casinos (like Tunica and Southaven, which are also near enough to Memphis to be suburbs) are diverse. The rural areas though? 1856 is closer. 

I mean, if you come here from civilization, yeah, you'd probably think it's all like that. It's a significant culture shock from the rest the north or the more populated metro areas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jG0D2nRGrQ or Alabama!

[Salamok]

Austin does not have a proper fucking diner and it kills me. We have what could be best described as a twatty IHOP (Kerbey Lane for those wondering).

We do have the Waffle House though, so that's good enough in most cases. I do miss solid diners from the east coast though.

24 diner is good, not sure what actually defines a fucking diner though, all I got is "the only place left open after last call where you can grab some cheap grub while you sober up" or "the only place open before 6:00am before you start your delivery route" if you aren't in one of those two circumstances I can't think of a legitimate reason to seek out a diner.   If you are looking for the Denny's experience go to Jim's.

[Abagadro]

I fondly remember Bill and Nada's which was a 24 hour greasy spoon where at 2 a.m. you could sit at the counter, smoke cigarettes, and order brains and eggs.  It's now the site of a gas station.  

EDIT: Oh, I forgot they had those tiny jukeboxes on each table. God, I sound like an old fuck but this was the mid-90s for fuck sake.

[Rendakor]

Austin does not have a proper fucking diner and it kills me. We have what could be best described as a twatty IHOP (Kerbey Lane for those wondering).

We do have the Waffle House though, so that's good enough in most cases. I do miss solid diners from the east coast though.

24 diner is good, not sure what actually defines a fucking diner though, all I got is "the only place left open after last call where you can grab some cheap grub while you sober up" or "the only place open before 6:00am before you start your delivery route" if you aren't in one of those two circumstances I can't think of a legitimate reason to seek out a diner.   If you are looking for the Denny's experience go to Jim's.

Diners are also a great place to eat out if you work 2nd shift and stay up all night after work (instead of waking up at 9a and going to bed right after); living in southern NJ we have several local 24h options in addition to our regular one. Now that I (and most of my friends) have a normal, dayshift job we don't go nearly as much as we did when we were younger, but it's still very nice to have the option.

[Lantyssa]

EDIT: Oh, I forgot they had those tiny jukeboxes on each table. God, I sound like an old fuck but this was the mid-90s for fuck sake.

I hate to tell you this, but we're old fucks.  The diner in the heart of Montrose that I fondly remember has been closed for over fifteen years.  No more entertainment by drunk queens after last call.  Disco Kroger is now a posh upscale signature grocery.  No more high and drunk queens wandering the aisles at three in the morning.  Houston's gay Mecca is now full of yuppies.  I miss it so.

[Samwise]

Mel's in SF still has those tiny jukeboxes but they're mostly inoperable these days.

[Teleku]

So on a whim I flew to Rome for Labor Day weekend.  So uh, any suggestions on shit I should not miss is appreciated.  Also food I must try before leaving.  Holy hell there is a lot to see in this city.

PM'ing Falcon and Strazos also.

[Merusk]

My top "I want to see" are all tourist traps and unimaginative.

Forum of Trajan
The Coloseum
The Pantheon
Trevi Fountain
St. Peter's Square
Sistine Chapel
Vatican
St. Peter in Chains (there's a sister chapel in Cincinnati so I want to compare)

[Khaldun]

Colosseum is just a must.
Sistine Chapel/St. Peter Square also.
Pantheon.

I love San Clemente near the Colosseum and you can hit St. Peter in Chains at the same time.

[Reg]

I agree with Merusk and Khaldun. If you're just there for a long weekend and it's your first time then hit up the main famous tourist attractions. They're awesome.

[Strazos]

My top "I want to see" are all tourist traps and unimaginative.

Do they really count as tourist traps if they are historically-significant sites? My vote is "no," of course.

[Teleku]

Yeah, I've been hitting up all the major stuff, and this city is amazing.  Right up there with Prague for my favorite capitals in Europe.  Just figured I'd ask here in case somebody had some suggests I didn't think of.  Never heard of the saint peter in chains, will make sure to give that a go along with everything else.

[Merusk]

My top "I want to see" are all tourist traps and unimaginative.

Do they really count as tourist traps if they are historically-significant sites? My vote is "no," of course.

Probably not, but I've been criticized before for being too pedestrian in my tourism.  I blame hanging in the effete circles of Architects and designers.

[lamaros]

So on a whim I flew to Rome for Labor Day weekend.  So uh, any suggestions on shit I should not miss is appreciated.  Also food I must try before leaving.  Holy hell there is a lot to see in this city.

PM'ing Falcon and Strazos also.

Check holiday closures carefully for anything not in walking distance, wasting half a day sucks!

[Yoru]

Mel's in SF still has those tiny jukeboxes but they're mostly inoperable these days.

Mel's is also obnoxiously overpriced and usually stuffed to the brim with conference crowds.

[Signe]

Don't eat the pizza.  It's made by Greeks.

[Samwise]

Mel's in SF still has those tiny jukeboxes but they're mostly inoperable these days.

Mel's is also obnoxiously overpriced and usually stuffed to the brim with conference crowds.

Mel's has been overpriced since I was a kid; you're paying for the American Graffiti branding and the free crayons.   

[Yegolev]

We've used this on some really huge databases; one to two terabytes!

[Ironwood]

 

[Hawkbit]

User comment to our site: 

"Love the creamed corn like no other."

[WayAbvPar]

Mmmm, creamed corn. Who knew there was a market for something that tastes like and resembles fresh corn that has passed through at least one digestive tract?