The Gay Thing: Gay Republican Group GOProud Going Out of Business

There is a long-running gay Republican group known as Log Cabin Republicans. They're kind of a go-along-to-get-along group of mostly fiscally conservative, socially liberal gay men and lesbians. At some point a few years ago, the really conservative folks in LCR decided to start their own group, GOProud. Get it? GOP and "proud," as in gay pride. Except that this group was far from easy going. They were confrontational, abrasive, arch-right wing, Sarah Palin loving, tea bagging, liberal hating conservatives who were--incidentally--gay. Arguing with a GOProuder was like arguing with any other arch-right-winger, except with an evangelical edge.

I should know, I got into several online arguments with the leader of RightPride, the Nevada chapter of GOProud. Between bouts of insulting me or screaming (virtually) at me, he'd keep trying to win me over, inviting me out for coffee or drinks. Hell, maybe he was flirting? But it was kind of short-lived. I haven't heard much about RightPride for years, but even at their peak, they had about 485 Facebook followers. They just seemed to peter out.

And now, the parent organization is going too. They'd already lost their founders, one after the other, and have mostly straight people on their board. They're claiming a "reboot" is coming, but I doubt it would do any good. The problem with GOProud is, they were so venomous to progressive gays, that they burned that bridge. And the tea party-controlled GOP wants nothing to do with them. Where in the world is there to go then?

[Excerpt]

LGBT Republican Group GOProud Going Out of Business

After five years in the often precarious space of being a gay conservative group, LGBT Republican organization GOProud is ceasing operations, according to a series of reports at Bilerico. Bilerico reporter Andrew Markle initially reported that GOProud was shuttering on Sunday, and following initial denials on social media from members of the group, key organizers confirmed to Bilerico founder Bil Browning Monday that the group is indeed planning to close up shop. . .

Read more at: The Advocate

I Has a Sad: Fresh & Easy May Close or Sell

Fresh  & Easy Down & Out? Image from source.

Well, poop. Fresh & Easy is a grocery store chain that has become a favorite of mine. They're in an unusual niche between a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's, with a dash of a small, urban grocery. They have a limited selection, and it took me a while to figure out quite what they were. But once you figure out what they specialize in, it becomes a real treat. They've got consistent, low prices on hamburger, cheeses and limited produce. They have a wide variety of prepared, plated meals--fresh, not frozen--perfect for grabbing on your way to work for lunch, or for an easy dinner on your way home. When they have sales on things like hams, I make a special trip. When I'm getting my hair cut next door, I invariably stop in to see what goodies I can find. They also have a markdown area that can yield amazing deals on all of the above.

So, I'm hopeful that the corporate parent finds a buyer who retains the character and products that Fresh & Easy currently carries. They may not be paying off for share holders, but they've got a lot of fans, particularly here in Las Vegas.

[Excerpt]

Tesco may sell all Fresh & Easy stores

British supermarket giant Tesco may soon be bidding bon voyage to its American problem child.
Five years after the company landed in California and opened 200 stores across the West, Tesco said it is preparing to sell its struggling Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market chain and retreat from the U.S. market altogether. . .

Read more at: Los Angeles Times

RIP Hostess Cupcakes & Wonder Bread

Image from source, Think Progress.

By now, you've heard the sad, sad news. Hostess, maker of Twinkies, HoHos, Sno-Balls, Suzy-Qs, Wonder Bread, Zingers, Dunkin' Stix, Cup Cakes, Ding Dongs, Fruit Pies and other tasty-but-bad-for-you treats, has passed away. As a child of the 70s, this is very sad new indeed, even if I've rarely purchased a Hostess product this century.

When I was a kid, Hostess and Dolly Madison marketed heavily to kids, in an era of much more limited media. We had three commercial channels on TV (especially Saturday mornings), we had the funny pages in the newspaper, comic books and that was about it. We got introduced to Twinkie the Kid and King Ding Dong along with all of the Kellogg's, Post and General Mills cereal characters. Since they were all animated characters, they blurred with our kids' programming. In the comics, they even had adventures with Superman and Batman! So, the Hostess company was really intertwined with 70s pop culture.

Image from New York Post.

My step-dad had a part time job at Kroger, and was able to liberate many products past their sell-by dates, and bring them home to us. That meant lots of fruits and veggies that needed the bad spots cut away. But it also meant a freezer full of wondrous things, and that included the Kroger version of Twinkies, Cup Cakes, HoHos and more. Nobody knew the difference when I pulled them out of my lunchbox, but I knew. By the time I got a paper route at 12 or 13, I was using my earnings to get the real thing: Hostess brands! There was also my Wise Cheez Waffies/Andy Capp's Hot Fries addictions, and my insatiable DC Comics lust, which was my eventual downfall as a paperboy, but that's beside the point. The point is, Hostess was as much a part of my childhood as The Super-Friends, The Six-Million Dollar Man, 45 records, Farrah Fawcett, ABBA and disco.

Image from MarsWillSendMore.
(Click to embiggen)

Much of the news has centered on a strike by union workers that effectively "killed" the company. But that doesn't tell the whole story. There were huge management salaries, and basic mismanagement for many years. Multiple bankruptcies. The company seemed close to death a couple of times before. So before you go finger-wagging at the unions, get the whole story. And be consoled by the fact that Hostess--as a whole, or in parts--will be revived by others.

You can pretty much guarantee that most if not all of their main snack cakes lines will be marketed by another company. Subsidiaries and offshoots may never come back, but who knows?  If you go to the Wikipedia pages for Kellogg's, Campbell's, Kraft Foods, Nestle, Hershey and others, you will find long lists of products you didn't realize were under one roof. You'll find brands that were bought and sold back and forth, consolidations, divestitures, spin-offs. Beatrice Foods at one time owned a bunch of popular brands, and they went under. Most of the product lines survived, still today produced by others. Kraft owns Nabisco, but it wasn't always that way. So, if the Hostess liquidation makes you sad, chin up. They'll be back. And, oh, it just hit me! Liquidation? Could that be the new variation of Twinkies, after fried? Liquid Twinkies! mmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Excerpt]

Hostess Blames Union For Bankruptcy After Tripling CEO’s Pay

Today, Hostess Brands inc. — the company famed for its sickly sweet desert snacks like Twinkies and Sno Balls — announced they’d be shuttering after more than eighty years of production. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Computer Upgrades: Good News for a Change!

I found out before Christmas from the Stupid Monkey that CompUSA was going out of business. Not a huge surprise, as that sort of "big box" store was probably too specialized to survive, with all of the options people have today. Truthfully, if I need computer stuff, I generally go online, or possibly to Sam's Club or Costco. CompUSA was sort of a dinosaur (and I'll bet stores like Circuit City will soon follow).

So I got a few things before Christmas, but deliberately waited for a return trip afterward. Today, I was extremely displeased to find out that the CompUSA on my side of town was already closed. No biggie, I thought, I'll just travel up to Sahara, and shop there. 50 minutes later, after enduring hideous traffic, I made it.

I ended up purchasing a 22" widescreen monitor (Envision G22LWk, if you're interested) for just over $250. Pretty sweet! As much time as I sit behind a monitor, I figured I should have a nice one. And this one is pretty nice. I'm digging it so far. I plugged it in, and it worked immediately. If you've ever done computer upgrades, you know this is not the norm (even some of those egotistical Cult of Mac people often have problems).

The Other Half gets my old Dell 19" (non-widescreen) model, and his older Dell 17"-er goes on out to the garage, so that we have a spare. So that's it. I just wanted to share a good computer story for a change!