Hello World

Have you ever taken a horrible stereotype, applied it, and been shamed into realizing the error of your ways? Well let's just say that doesn't happen in this clip:

The saddest part is how for a brief moment it actually appears that the butt of the joke (the owner of the gas station) appreciates the irony--she describes it as a "hick town" and more or less nails the premise (that the guys are baiting the rednecks). But then she calls in the rock-throwing country bumpkins and sets back America's international reputation yet again. It's hard to like anyone in this video, though; if you're going to try to get each other killed, it's no fair wiping off the paint when it looks like you might actually succeed. And honestly, "rubbish"? Are you havin' a laugh? Maybe that kind of language flies in Wee Britain, but in the US of A we call it "trash."

In summary: America = dumb hicks. Britain = mincing pansies.

[Dethroner]

Cross-posted from my other blog.

Home Depot CEO Robert Nardelli suddenly stepped down today.

Analysts said Nardelli's surprise resignation was almost certainly due to the fact that he had become a lightning rod for critics of hefty corporate executive pay. They said the Home Depot board was under great pressure to make a change.

At a disastrous Home Depot annual meeting last May, Nardelli, the only director present, refused to answer questions or respond to criticism from shareholders about the hundreds of millions in pay, benefits and stock options he had pulled down since he took over leadership of the chain in 2000. During his tenure, Nardelli earned some $240 million in salary, bonuses and stock options.

. . .

[Nardelli] will walk away with a severance package of $210 million, the company announced.

Well, that should certainly quiet the critics.

Full story here.