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+--- Thread: Whaaaa? (/showthread.php?tid=181)
Whaaaa? - Dark Jaguar - 31st January 2003
Well, AOL-TimeWarner lost 99 Billion dollars. Discuss how on Earth a company that has a horrible service like AOL and also gives out free months JUST for calling them and saying "I might stop getting this service now" could possibly fail, even with the silver tongue of Ted Turner himself!
"The white people live in the north and the black people live in the south. That's the way bears are, ya know the white bears live in the north, and the black bears live, in the south. That doesn't *heh* mean they aren't both bears right? Heh, yeah that's right." ~ a Ted quote I saw on the Daily Show. I too challenge you to put that IN context!
Whaaaa? - A Black Falcon - 31st January 2003
But Ted Turner has said he's leaving the company, DJ...
http://money.cnn.com/2003/01/29/news/companies/turner/index.htm
Though this article says he may still try to buy back CNN.
http://money.cnn.com/2003/01/31/news/companies/turner_departure.dj/index.htm
Whaaaa? - Dark Jaguar - 31st January 2003
Yeah the Daily Show told me he's leaving too, but that doesn't change that he's just a rat leaving a sinking ship.
On another note, who else gets all their news from parody news shows? I think that maybe it's a bad idea :D.
Whaaaa? - Great Rumbler - 31st January 2003
That's insane!!! They lost more money than Bill Gates has!!
Whaaaa? - Dark Jaguar - 31st January 2003
Yep, over the course of the last year. This just goes to show that just because AOL claims to be #1, they aren't. It also prooves capitalism works and that bad products in the end do badly.
Whaaaa? - OB1 - 31st January 2003
Damn, we's gots lots of peoples at Tender City now.
DJ: I also get my news from the Daily Show. :D
Whaaaa? - geoboy - 31st January 2003
The Daily Show is the best damn news source around. ;)
And AOL lost more money than Australia's national gross income. Just some food for thought.
Whaaaa? - Laser Link - 31st January 2003
I feel like I did when I learned Nintendo Next and Daily Radar went under. I almost feel bad about it too. Now if only we could get rid of Wal*Mart.
Whaaaa? - Weltall - 31st January 2003
Quote:Originally posted by Laser Link
I feel like I did when I learned Nintendo Next and Daily Radar went under. I almost feel bad about it too. Now if only we could get rid of Wal*Mart.
Wait a second, buddy. Walmart may be evil embodiment, but they do pay me a paycheck, part of which goes to Tendo City. :p
Whaaaa? - Dark Jaguar - 31st January 2003
Heh, I was about to make that point, that Walmart pays for this forum, but I decided against it. I wasn't sure if you moved on or decided to go for getting all the promotions needed to be RULER OF ALL. I think it's just 3 more right?
Whaaaa? - A Black Falcon - 31st January 2003
Wal-Mart is a awful company... I'd never shop there. Between the way they force local chains (poor Ames and Bradlees...) out of business by undercutting their prices and use all kinds of unethical practices and sell clothing made from sweatshops and destroy downtowns across America, I'd LOVE to see Wal-Mart fail... but they won't. And they are growing. :(
Oh, and I've said it many times before, but NintendoNext/Nation was good. :)
DailyRadar of course I certainly agree on... that site was awful...
Whaaaa? - Dark Jaguar - 31st January 2003
Undercutting means having prices lower than the competition right? If that's so, then I as a consumer have NO problem in the entire UNIVERSE with that practice, at ALL. If the competition wants to succeed then just price match.
If undercutting means keeping the prices lower than the competition just long enough for them to die, then I still say why couldnt' they just lower prices?
Destory downtowns? Um, what?
As far as sweatshops, where's the proof? Sounds like hearsay.
Unethical practices isn't too specific.
Whaaaa? - A Black Falcon - 1st February 2003
They lower prices REALLY low by buying in bulk (the more you buy, the cheaper you get it) then selling it at a bare profit at best... so that other chains CAN'T compete -- they have to pay more and can't keep up. If that doesn't work they sell at a loss until the other guys are gone... this isn't just Wal-Mart, thats standard practice in other induestries, like video stores. I know some big video rental chains lowered prices just until the competition went out of business (from losing money if they do try to pricematch, or otherwise just losing money), then raised them a lot...
And when cheap stuff means you're getting stuff made in Asian factories that either are sweatshops or are barely better than them, I'll take the better products, thanks. Especially on the clothing issue... their clothing is cheap, but bad quality...
And by destroying downtowns, I mean that Wal-Marts in many areas draw people there to shop instead of shopping at local stores in downtowns across America. Thus helping to lead to the continuing failure of many downtowns as retail areas...
Whaaaa? - Dark Jaguar - 1st February 2003
That must have happened early in Tulsa. I had always thought that the "local store" was just something from the 50's myself. Seriously, I am not exxagerating at all to say that local stores here are pretty much non-existant. There's Vintage Stock and it ends there.
Whaaaa? - A Black Falcon - 1st February 2003
Well some parts of the country actually have downtowns... :)
In the South (and spreading from there) Wal-Mart has those Supercenters -- the ones with supermarkets in them. There aren't any up here in the north, but those will threaten the grocery store chains too... and I don't want to see Shaw's and Hannaford go the way of Ames and Bradlees... :(
Whaaaa? - Dark Jaguar - 1st February 2003
Sure we have downtown, but it's littered with either franchise chains or business and apartment buildings.
Oh, you don't have supercenters yet? Wow, now I get to hear paranoid delusions about the afteraffects of this future threat looming on the horizon. It's like I'm from the future :D. Supercenters are everywhere here, to the point where a normal walmart sounds barberic. Really, even in these small 2 mile towns near Tulsa there's super centers. However, as far as killing grocery chains goes, so far they are all still around. Akins, Albertsons, Reasor's, all still here even though the super centers have been around for like 6 years. Oh, one thing though. Fear this announcement from the future "We here at Mistensoft feel that trusting our entire lives to one big AI construct is the smartest thing we ever did", because it doesn't end as well as it sounds.
Whaaaa? - A Black Falcon - 1st February 2003
Supercenters are coming soon... they might have one in Maine and a couple in New England, and I know that they want to get supercenters into New England in a big way in the next few years.
Hey...remember, we only got standard Wal-Marts up here in the last 10-15 years or so... 15 years ago I'm not sure if there was one in the state, and look now... one in every semi-major town... and they're building more fast...
Wal-Mart started in the South... the Northeast has always been the last and toughest market for them to get into. Vermont was the last state in the US without a Wal-Mart until a few years ago... but they're here now and have already killed multiple once-big department store chains... the once major Northeast chains Ames and Bradlees. They both died from competition, most of that from Wal-Mart... I think Ames, which went out of business last year, was one of the last major regional department store chains left. :(
Oh... in the past few months I remember reading several newspaper articles about Wal-Mart and its supercenters and how they want to build them up here then get them into the way of life of New England and the Northeast like they have successfully done in other parts of the country. The scary thing is, I think they will end up succeeding... Not good. Wal-Mart is evil...
Downtowns? Most towns have one... not all (many are too small to have much... hey, this IS Maine...), but many. But this is New England, and that's the Plains... or the South. Either way, I don't think of those areas as having as much downtowns left... they're fading in places here (and of course many chains are in them, like anywhere), but unlike some places haven't all died off yet. I know they've survived Wal-Mart so far, but as it gets bigger... :(
Whaaaa? - Dark Jaguar - 1st February 2003
I just told you we do have downtown. It's just not this big conglomerate of mom&pop "boy I tell ya what" stores you seem to have a lot of.
Whaaaa? - A Black Falcon - 1st February 2003
Big conglomorate? Hmm, that doesn't sound accurate... not when I'm talking about small towns here... :)
Remember, Maine's biggest city is 65,000 people and the whole state is under 1.3 million. Small and rural...
Whaaaa? - Dark Jaguar - 1st February 2003
Oh, you guys... Wow, it's weird to compare this big southern city to that small hick town up north isn't it?
Whaaaa? - A Black Falcon - 1st February 2003
My hometown is big for Maine since its over 20,000. Now in college the town (not counting the college) is quite a bit smaller than that... but it doesn't affect me because I don't go anywhere anyway. :)
Yeah, it is a very rural state. There are other rural states (like some out west...) and like all of them, I bet, not many people stay here after graduating if they want a decent job... I doubt I'll be able to... its not like there is much here. I'm just here because its where my dad got a job as professor here... I was the first person in our family born in this state as far as I know.
Oh, at least I'm not from northern Maine. Aroostock county up there is bigger than some states (like Delaware) but has like 50,000 people in it...
Anyway, 4 of the 6 New England states have under 1.3 million people... and 2 are under a million (Vt. and RI). Compared to other areas, no, not that many people... but thats not so bad.
Plus, we get lots of snow and its not very hot much. Both of which, BTW, are IMO good things. :)
Whaaaa? - geoboy - 1st February 2003
I can definately relate to ABF. I live in a small town of 4000. Our town <i>thrives</i> on business downtown from tourists. Almost every single business downtown is family owned. Last year Walmart wanted to build a super center (the smallest of the super centers) here, and get this: <b>they asked for a tax break from the city</b>. Now, I don't fear that Walmart would put an end to the shops downtown because as I stated earlier, most of their business comes from tourists and not from the locals. They offer novelty items and other things that you would expect to get on a vacation. I'd actually enjoy having a Walmart because I have to drive 20 minutes to a bigger city to buy video games and other stuff you can't get here at the local shops. It's just the fact that a fortune 500 company driven by greed would even dare ask for a tax break. They've now delayed construction by a couple of years, but I'm glad our town was smart enough to vote against the tax break.
Whaaaa? - Laser Link - 1st February 2003
The Target SuperCenters are coming as well.
Sorry Weltall. :)
Whaaaa? - Great Rumbler - 1st February 2003
There are three Super Wal-Marts in my area...
Whaaaa? - A Black Falcon - 1st February 2003
Target? They just opened their first store ever in Maine last year...
And I know the Super Walmarts are coming... they want to build a few (as well as more standard ones)... I just wish that Wal-Mart would die off or something... :(
Whaaaa? - Dark Jaguar - 1st February 2003
Never seen a Target before eh? Well, welcome to the main rivalry of super stores. If a Wal-Mart isn't nearby, a Target is.
Whaaaa? - Laser Link - 1st February 2003
Except that Target isn't nearly as bad as Walmart. Every Walmart in Colorado Springs is a Stuper Walmart, so that's 3 + 1 in a smaller city about 10 miles south + 1 brand new store that opens real soon + another that will be built too close to my house (there goes the neighborhood) = too much bogosity radiation.
And Target is from San Diego, so that alone makes it better than Arkansas-based Walmart. Sorry to any Arkansas fans out there. :)
Anybody here ever heard of Shopko?
Whaaaa? - Fittisize - 1st February 2003
I live in a town of about 2500 that thrives on all the farmland around. Also it's only a 90 min. and a 2 hr. drive from the two cities that make up close to two million of the 2.2 million people province...or so (Edmonton, Calgary). No Target's around here, but plenty of Wal-Marts. Oh, soon a Best Buy is coming to Edmonton too. Whoo-hoo. Good time to be a Canadian.
Whaaaa? - Weltall - 2nd February 2003
Well this summer I'm beginning a journey that I hope will one day lead to Tendo City being financed by my own law firm... and if I end up making the money I'm led to believe, I'll start paying people to come post here :)
Until then, you're posting here by the grace of Wal-Fart. Assuming I don't get fired or something :D
Whaaaa? - EdenMaster - 2nd February 2003
Makes me glad to be an admin, we won't have to payto come here, because we'll already be getting paid to do our jobs!
...right?
Anyhow, you'll be the only lawyer who owns a Nintendo site...then again three-time Middleweight champion Hazard was built by a lawyer, so I guess it's not so bad.
When I need a lawyer who won't ask questions about why I'm there, I'll go to Ryan :).
Whaaaa? - Laser Link - 2nd February 2003
When I start my own videogame development company I'll hire you to be my lawyer. You can be Howard Lincoln and I'll be Shigeroshi Aramiyamuchi or something. Yeah. :D
Whaaaa? - Dark Jaguar - 2nd February 2003
Can I be the new guy with all the crazy original game ideas? I know there's someone Nintendo releated in there, but I frogert who...
Whaaaa? - Great Rumbler - 2nd February 2003
And when I become the world's most talented game God and after I've had my tenth multimillion seller [after two years of making games!!], I'll come work at LL's game development company!!