Kenneth Cole: Don't Bother

Some time ago, say 6 months or so, my wife got me a nice looking Kenneth Cole "Reaction" belt. It was soft brown Italian leather, and appeared to be well made.

After a few months of use, the leather split near the buckle. Since I didn't keep the receipt and tag, I couldn't return it to Kohl's or wherever my wife bought it, so I called Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. on the phone and asked if I could have the belt exchanged. The customer service lady took my information, and told me to send it in.

I sent the belt in. And waited. A long time. Then, after about a month, I get a box from Kenneth Cole. And what did they send me? A wide, black, "bluejeans" type belt. Nothing like the soft, brown "business casual" dress belt that I sent in.

You'd think Kenneth Cole's people could tell the difference between a brown dress belt and a black casual belt.

I also discovered that Kenneth Cole supports a slew of liberal causes, including being aggressively anti-gun.

So, I have learned my lesson. No more Kenneth Cole junk for me.

Avoid Chinese Engines

Did you know that 3.4L V6 engine that GM puts in its Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent compact SUVs is build in China?

A much better choice would be the Saturn Vue or Ford Escape. Less of your hard earned dollars will wind up paying for AK47's for the Janjaweed in Darfur.

China's Thanksgiving Present

The government of China, organizer of the 2008 "Genocide" Olympics, coddler of Sudan, and friend to oppressive regimes everywhere, today administered a childish slap to the U.S. Navy.

The USS Kitty Hawk, an aircraft carrier, and her strike group were scheduled to dock in Hong Kong for Thanksgiving. In preparation, Americans living in Hong Kong were busy setting up Thanksgiving dinners for some sailers, and relatives of some sailers had flown to Hong Kong to spend the holiday with them.

Because the British (stupidly) gave Hong Kong back to China, China must give permission for the U.S. Navy to dock. China denied the Kitty Hawk strike group entry this Thanksgiving, ruining the plans of numerous sailers and their families.

Thank you, China, for your Thanksgiving present. I will give you a small gift in return: I will boycott your goods every chance I get. I will not visit your country. If my employer asks me to go to your country for business, I will refuse. And I will remind everyone I meet about your bad manners, and your support for genocide in Darfur.

More Jeep Darwinism

Another Jeep, done in by Darwin.


When Off-Roading Goes Wrong - Watch more free videos

Konichiwa, Chevy!

Check out this gem (Jalopnik via Dublin Saab). It's a photo of a Toyota racing trailer being pulled by... a Chevrolet.

Ethanol Vs. Beer

One of the market distortions that is being caused by the government mandate for ethanol in transportation fuel is the rising cost of all kinds of food, including one of my favorites: beer.

According to the WSJ in a fascinating article from October 5th, 2007, small beer brewers are getting squeezed by dramatically higher prices of barley and hops.

Consumers could pay 50 cents to $1 per six pack more in the coming months for many small-batch "craft beers," as brewers pass on rising hops and barley costs from an unpalatable brew of poor harvests, the weak dollar and farmers' shift to more profitable crops. Other makers of craft beers, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. brewing industry, say they may eat the higher ingredient costs, which will pare their profits.

...

Craft beer makers have faced escalating costs over the past year. Prices for malting barley, which accounts for a beer's color and sweetness, have jumped as farmers increasingly shifted to planting corn, which has been bringing higher prices because of high demand from makers of biofuels, like ethanol. The weak dollar also has made it more expensive for U.S. brewers to buy commodities from Europe.

The price of malting barley has increased by a whopping 75% in the last several months, from around $4/bushel to about $7/bushel. As a result, the price of small-batch beer is expected to increase, and some small beer makers are actually in danger of folding.

Wouldn't it be better to allow importation of Brazilian sugar beet based ethanol, tariff free, and leave more of our agricultural capacity for the tasty stuff?

Addicted.

I'm addicted to this free "tower defense" type game. It's really good.

http://onslaught.playr.co.uk/