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Posts for March 2007
What's so great about William Wrigley Jr., anyway? Sure, he founded his own company at age 29. And he was plucky, too, we suppose. He started as a soap salesman, wooing his customers with free baking soda. The baking soda became more popular than the soap, and Wrigley changed his business. He gave away chewing gum next, but again the freebies proved more popular. Sounds like Mr. Supersalesman didn't even know what his customers really wanted. Granted, he did learn from his mistakes. He switched to gum sales, launching products like Juicy Fruit and Wrigley's Spearmint in 1893. But how big could the gum business be? Well, he invested wisely and made good use of advertising, turning his small company into an international confectionery empire. And then there are the skyscrapers, mansions, hotels, and university research centers. And that island he bought and preserved from overdevelopment. And that Chicago neighborhood that's named for him. And the baseball team -- wait, teams. Okay, we confess -- now that we've chewed it over, we're impressed.
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Directory categories:
William Wrigley Jr., Chewing Gum, Wrigley Field, Wrigley Building, Ballparks |
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Archived under: American History, Ballparks, Baseball, Chewing Gum, Chicago, Food and Drink, Wrigley |
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The Corner Store in Waterford, VA
(Photo by Pete Modi) |
When I was a kid I used to go with my mom to Cedar Tree Market, the local grocery store down the street, to pick up whatever she was cooking for dinner that night. We would maneuver our cart around on wobbly wheels and chat with neighbors in the bread aisle before moving on to see what local vegetables looked good that day. Harold, the butcher, would explain the best way to cook the roast he'd wrap up for us, and throw in extra bones for our dog. We'd eventually make our way over to Marie at check-out, who kept us up-to-date on all the local happenings. Cedar Tree Market is no longer there. As the bigger, national supermarkets moved into town, many neighborhood markets went the way of the Dodo and disappeared. Independent bookstores, toy shops, and clothes boutiques are now up against the same kind of competition from "big box" one-stop shops. Who doesn't feel the lure of lower prices and miles of products you never knew you needed? But today, on National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day, why not stop in at that little shop around the corner and see, if we're not careful, what you might soon be missing?
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Directory categories:
Community Development, Small Business Development Centers, Wal-Mart Consumer Opinion, Urban Planning and Design |
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Archived under: Business, Fast Food, Money, Restaurants, Shopping, Work |
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Acrophobics, beware! March 28 is your worst nightmare come true, for today marks the opening of the Grand Canyon Skywalk, the highest man-made structure ever built. The Skywalk sits higher than the Taipei 101 building; higher off the ground than three Empire State Buildings or four Eiffel Towers. So high that one has to wonder if even Superman could leap it in a single bound. And the worst part? The only thing separating those who dare to venture out on the catwalk suspended nearly a mile above the Canyon floor is a thin sheet of clear Plexiglass. Oh, sure, they say it'll hold the equivalent of 71 747s, but who wants to take the chance? The idea of watching helicopters fly under our feet gives us the willies. While it may seem tempting, unless we suddenly develop an uncanny ability to float in midair, we'll stick to terra firma.
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Directory categories:
Grand Canyon Skywalk, Grand Canyon National Park, Skyscrapers, Architecture |
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Archived under: Architecture, Outdoors, Parks, Recreation and Travel, Roadside Attractions, Travel |
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You may have a perfectly beautiful lawn, but you can't eat it. The folks behind Edible Estates want to change that. They want you to ditch the front lawn and replace it with something tasty, like a vegetable garden. Instead of being a slave to the green monster, devote your weekends of outdoor servitude to planting and maintaining something that will give back to the dinner table. Just think: no more belching mowers, noisy edge trimmers, or nasty brown spots. It seems simple enough; but getting Americans to do away with their front lawn could be difficult. The perfect lawn is as American as apple pie and a powerful symbol of prosperity. Maybe that's why Fritz Haeg, the creator of Edible Estates, calls it "radical gardening." Radical or not, it seems like a good idea to us. With all those fresh tomatoes from your new garden, you could make some killer salsa. And no one says you have to get rid of the gnomes and flamingos.
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Directory categories:
Urban Agriculture, Composting , Container Gardening, Community Gardening, Plant Propagation |
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Archived under: Environment, Gardening, Hobbies, Home and Garden, Lawn Care, Outdoors, Vegetables |
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Who the heck are the Whovians? Well, these Doctor Who fanatics have plenty to brag about. Their hero has traveled in the TARDIS to the top of sci-fi entertainment by withstanding a record-breaking 43 years on TV. Since the first series of "Doctor Who" in 1963, the time-traveling star of the show has regenerated through 10 renditions, including curly-coifed, scarf-wearing Tom Baker and buzz-cut bad boy Christopher Eccleston (also known as the invisible guy in "Heroes"). The Doctor has been the heartthrob for a series of seductive sidekicks, from the bodacious Barbara Wright to the ravishing Rose Tyler, and battled with evil enemies like the campy Cybermen and the horrid Hoix. Although his show never dominated broadcasting in the U.S., the U.K. ranked it third in the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes and nominated the 2006 version for several BAFTA categories. If you're new to the whats, whys, and hows of Doctor Who, brush up with a beginner's guide, and get set for a new series starting March 31. You'll soon see that time traveling never grows old.
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Directory categories:
Doctor Who, Sci-Fi TV Shows, Time Travel Movies, Time Travel |
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Archived under: Aliens, Doctor Who, England, Entertainment, Science Fiction, TV |
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