Week In Review - December 17, 2011

The epic on-air meltdown of MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan perfectly expressed the anger that so many of us feel about the inability of both Republicans and Democrats in Congress to get anything meaningful accomplished. On the upside, the jobs chart we featured indisputably indicates our employment outlook is improving steadily under President Obama. What's not improving are Mitt Romney's poll numbers. Mitt skillfully conversed with a gay Vietnam veteran at a New Hampshire diner this week, but what he didn't say speaks volumes.

There was unwelcome news about sluggish December sales, but that wasn't the biggest retail story this week. Home improvement chain Lowe's got more press than they wanted when they failed to live up to their own stated diversity commitment and pulled advertising from the TLC program All-American Muslim. Perhaps Lowe's should take a look at this awesome interactive apology ad from the o.b. tampon company.

December isn't only about retail sales and rampant consumerism. There are also stories of giving and generosity, as we were reminded when anonymous donors visited K-Mart stores and paid off layaways for strangers. K-Mart shoppers weren't the only beneficiaries of the kindness of strangers this week - just ask the four deer who were pulled to safety from an icy Alaska waterway by passengers on a 62' charter boat.

Lastly, the holidays are about celebrating traditions like snuggling up and enjoying the myriad of Christmas movies on TV. My favorite Christmas film, Always Remember I Love You, has languished in obscurity for years, but I found a copy at an online retailer in England. I watched the holiday tearjerker yesterday, and as schlocky and sentimental as it is, the movie still made me feel as warm and fuzzy as a pair of old slippers.

As always, thanks for reading, and thanks for helping the website reach the 10,000 hit milestone!