Black Friday: In the midst of the current Economic Toilet Bowl

Sawgrass Mills, the gargantuan shopping mall that sits across the street from our neighborhood, is opening it's doors at midnight on Thanksgiving this year. An obvious attempt to overcome the doom and gloom of the retail market of late.

My wife actually likes the sound of this idea though. She has never participated in Black Friday's madness, primarily because she is not about to wake up at 5:00 am for anything. But shopping at midnight is definitely a possibility. We'll see how it goes. Being awake is one thing, but avoiding crushing crowds of shoppers is also a concern.

At Concord Mills in Charlotte, N.C., last year there were crowds approaching 20,000 people waiting outside the mall at 11:15 p.m. for the midnight opening.

Chinese Democracy

Dr. Pepper said it before and is saying it again: Chinese Democracy means free soda for everybody.

The soft-drink maker said in March it would give a free Dr. Pepper to every living soul in America if Axl Rose finally stopped remixing and put out the fabled Guns N' Roses project sometime in 2008.

Now it's official: The soda comes Sunday, Nov. 23, at 12:01 a.m. (presumably Eastern Standard Time). Coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on Dr. Pepper's Web site, DrPepper.com. They'll be honored until Feb. 28.

"We never thought this day would come," Dr. Pepper VP of Marketing Tony Jacobs said in a statement. "But now that it's here, all we can say is: The Dr. Pepper's on us."

My favorite seasonal pop: Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash

Fall/Winter:

Pumpkin Pie, Carmel Apples, Candy Corns, Turkey and Stuffing, Cheeseballs with Crackers, Dark Beer, and ......

Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash. I love it.

Legal Drinking Age Throughout the World

No Minimum
Armenia
China
Fiji
Nigeria
Poland
Portugal
Thailand
Vietnam



Age 16
Austria
Belgium
France
Germany
Greece
Italy
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Spain
Turkey
Switzerland


Age 18
Argentina
Barbados
Bermuda
British Virgin Islands
Chile
Czech Republic
Indonesia
Jamaica
Israel
Latvia
Luxembourg
Mexico
Mongolia
Philippines
Russia
South Africa
United Kingdom
Uruguay
Australia
Bahamas
Brazil
Canada
Colombia
Denmark
Finland
Hungary
Ireland
Jamaica
Lithuania
Malaysia
Moldova
New Zealand
Peru
Puerto Rico


Age 19
South Korea



Age 20
Japan
Iceland



Age 21
United States



(ht: Pilgrims Pub)

McDonald's Sales rise 8.2% in October as more people switch to eating crap.

Times are tough, sure. But who are these people? I can't remember the last time I ate at McDonalds. And don't give me the line that goes - "Well, you don't have kids. Just wait until you have kids and then your tune will change". Uh, no. My kids won't even know that McDonalds exists. And the person that teaches them of its existence will die a slow death.

Now, Taco Bell, that's a different story.

How have your buying habits changed these last couple months? Cancelled anything? Changed allegiances? Downsized?

Guitar Praise

Taken in its entirety from my good buddy, Shane:

Christian kids with music-Gestapo parents won’t have to be disappointed by yet another Christmas with no Guitar Hero under the tree. Not this year!
Just in time for the holiday, the folks at Digital Praise bring you Guitar Praise - a less attractive, less fun, Christian sub-cultural version of its more popular heathen counterparts Guitar Hero and Rock Band!
Teens can get their praise on to over 50 tracks from some of today’s hottest Christian acts such as Bride, dcTalk, Petra and Whitecross! I’m kidding. Not about those bands being on the soundtrack, but about them being some of today’s hottest artists. (To be fair there are a number of current bands that are featured as well.)
Rejoice Christian kids, rejoice! No longer do you have to be embarassed by getting your friends booed off the stage in Rock Band because of your inability to keep up with System of a Down. You can now secretly master that fretboard controller in the sanitized confines of your own bedroom while rocking out to the tunes of Paul Baloche!

Could the same be said of Roe v. Wade?

More than 52 percent of Californians voted this week to change the state's constitution to define marriage as between a man and woman, reversing a state Supreme Court decision in May that made California the second U.S. state to allow gay couples to wed.

As of yesterday afternoon, more than 99 percent of the state's precincts had reported results. While some provisional ballots were still being counted, opponents acknowledged the ban had passed.

Proponents say the outcome shows that the law is ultimately determined by popular sentiment and that the Supreme Court is out of touch with the state's residents.

Could the same be said concerning Roe v. Wade? Out of touch? Or even out of date?

Granted, 52 percent, is by no means a large margin at all. And if the court was split in its decision, then it would indeed be in touch with the state's residents. But at the same time, there is a part of me that would rather be led by the majority instead of a small court of judges. Of course, I realize the peril inherent in being led by mob rule / majority vote, so I guess we're stuck either way.

Funny thing, is that I would gladly trade the right to marriage for everyone in exchange for the right to life for everyone. I think that it is obvious that one far outweighs the other. Too bad. Right now, it just seems like everyone loses.

Staying awake during a boring sermon.....

Recently, I've had to go to a few training seminars at my company. For the most part, they have been un-useful and pretty boring. So much so that I find myself zoning out where my vision starts to blur as I fight to stay focused and awake. You've been there right? You know what I'm talking about?

It's funny, because it reminded me of listening to sermons as a kid. As a kid, every sermon was mind-numbingly boring. My mom would usually let us draw on the church bulletin so that we could keep our sanity.

Since I became a Christ-follower in 1999, the large majority of sermons have held my attention. I'm sure that there have been a few times that I've zoned out during a sermon, but for the most part, I've become immune to the disease that I had as an adolescent. Either that, or I'm just listening to better sermons these days.

I just thought it was funny that - as I zoned out during our last training session - I was reminded of church.

How sad that the church worship experience would be synonymous with fighting to stay awake.