Posts Tagged ‘Black Friday’

2017: Have a Lethal Christmas!

December 17, 2017

Have a Lethal Christmas!

Francis X. Clines in the New York Times:

“For the single-day binge of gun sales measured annually after Thanksgiving, the F.B.I. received 203,086 requests for background checks. This is the most ever in a single day, topping last year’s Black Friday high of 185,713 requests. (No immediate tweets from President Trump, the candidate of the National Rifle Association, that this is huge in making America great again.)

There were undoubtedly even more guns actually sold, since an F.B.I. request can cover a buyer’s multiple purchases. All seasonal evidence indicates that AR-15 assault rifles, the battlefield knockoffs familiar to so many Americans in the relentless tales of mass shootings, will be under many Christmas trees. ‘Bang for the buck!’ enthused the blog post of one seasonal shopper. ‘I picked up a Bushmaster carbine with rebate for around $400 … I couldn’t be happier.’”

More:

“Guns were Black Friday must-haves, going by the FBI’s record 203,086 background-check requests,” Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Washington Post

Related:

“Sandy Hook mom slams Trump for hosting NRA head on anniversary of shooting,” Jacqueline Thomsen, The Hill

“Americans Don’t Really Understand Gun Violence,” David Bernstein, The Atlantic

“America’s gun problem, explained,” German Lopez, Vox

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

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Big Savings!

November 24, 2017

Big Savings!

The Friday after Thanksgiving or ”Black Friday“ is reserved by global corporations for whipping Americans into a frenzy of over-consumption.  Millions camp out and line up for hours hoping for bargains. Most end up buying things they don’t need at prices they can’t afford.

Save big today. Don’t buy a single thing. If you want to spend something, spend the day with friends and family. Spend time at the library; borrow a book and spend time reading it. Spend time making something. You’re not what you buy. You’re not a “consumer.” You’re a human being.

(more…)

Black Friday 2016: High-Caliber Sales

November 29, 2016

Black Friday 2016: High-Caliber Sales
‘Tis the season. As the world prepares to wish for Peace on Earth, Americans spent Black Friday 2016 stockpiling firearms. On the day after Thanksgiving the FBI processed a record 185,713 background checks for gun transactions, more than any single day since the NICS system launched 18 years ago, up from last year’s 185,345 background checks. Jingle bells, pass the shells.

The Trump campaign got $30 million from the NRA, which claimed a Clinton administration would ban the assault-type weapons prized by militias and mass murderers, and would confiscate all privately-owned  firearms. The Obama presidency has been good for gun merchants, who predicted a Trump victory would see a slump in sales, but it hasn’t happened. There are anecdotal accounts that the 2016 election prompted a rise in gun purchases by anxious African Americans. See, Donald Trump is boosting the economy, even before his inauguration.

More:

“FBI runs more background checks than ever after gun sales soar on Black Friday,”Alex Yablon, The Guardian

Related:

“Burglars rob militia family bungalow of guns, machetes, grenades and body armor,” Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

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Down In the Mall

November 25, 2016

“Down In the Mall,” Warren Zevon‘s 1989 paean to consumerism. David Lindley is on the lap steel guitar. Happy Black Friday.

Warren Zevon website
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Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

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Big Savings!

November 25, 2016

Big Savings!

The Friday after Thanksgiving or ”Black Friday“ is reserved by global corporations for whipping Americans into a frenzy of over-consumption.  Millions camp out and line up for hours hoping for bargains. Most end up buying things they don’t need at prices they can’t afford.

Save big today. Don’t buy a single thing. If you want to spend something, spend the day with friends and family. Spend time at the library; borrow a book and spend time reading it. Spend time making something. You’re not what you buy. You’re not a “consumer.” You’re a human being.

More:

“Buy Nothing Day,” AdBusters

“Buy Nothing Day,” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“The scientific explanation of why people kill each other over TVs on Black Friday,” Laurence Ashworth, Reuters

“5 Great Reasons to Celebrate International Buy Nothing Day Instead of Black Friday,” Amy Mendosa, TIME

“Anti-Black Friday Movements Gain Traction With Patagonia Clothing Swap,” Meagan Clark, International Business Times

“A Brief History of Black Friday,” Ethan Trex, Mental Floss

“Annual ‘Buy Nothing Day Winter Coat Exchange’ bucks consumerism,” Michelle R. Smith, AP via Providence Journal

“Great Ways to Spend Black Friday Not at the Mall,” Brad Tuttle,CNN Money

“Fight Black Friday by joining a Buy Nothing group,” Lisa Hyma,Grist

“Websites promote Buy Nothing Day,” Kevin O’Neil, Scranton Times-Tribune

“Buy Nothing Day 2014: Black Friday Anti-Consumerism Backlash Facts and History,” Lydia Smith, International Business Times

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Short link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-oDa

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

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Report: Black Friday, 2015

December 3, 2015

Report: Black Friday, 2015
It’s the season when we prepare to wish “peace on earth and goodwill to all” by buying gifts and decorations. Americans spent Black Friday 2015 stockpiling firearms. On the day after Thanksgiving, the FBI processed a record 185,345 background checks for firearms purchases, 2 every second. That’s the same day an armed American attacked a women’s health clinic in Colorado Springs and shot to death a police officer, a mother of two, and an Iraq War veteran.

On Wednesday two shooters armed with assault rifles killed 14 people and wounded 17 others at a San Bernadino nonprofit social service center.

God bless us one and all.

More:

“Black Friday saw most federal gun background checks ever in a single day,” Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post

Related:

“Gun background-check database missing vital information,” Anita Kumar, McClatchy Newspapers

“How ‘active shooter’ became a depressing part of our vocabulary,” Emily Badger, Washington Post

(more…)

Big Savings!

November 27, 2015

Big Savings!

The Friday after Thanksgiving or ”Black Friday“ is reserved by global corporations for whipping Americans into a frenzy of over-consumption.  Millions camp out and line up for hours hoping for bargains. Most end up buying things they don’t need at prices they can’t afford.

Save big today. Don’t buy a single thing. If you want to spend something, spend the day with friends and family. Spend time at the library; borrow a book and spend time reading it. Spend time making something. You’re not what you buy. You’re not a “consumer.” You’re a human being.

More:

“Buy Nothing Day,” AdBusters

“Buy Nothing Day,” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“The scientific explanation of why people kill each other over TVs on Black Friday,” Laurence Ashworth, Reuters

(more…)

Big Savings!

November 28, 2014

Big Savings!

The Friday after Thanksgiving or ”Black Friday“ is reserved by global corporations for whipping Americans into a frenzy of over-consumption.  Millions camp out and line up for hours hoping for bargains. Most end up buying things they don’t need at prices they can’t afford.

Save big today. Don’t buy a single thing. If you want to spend something, spend the day with friends and family. Spend time at the library; borrow a book and spend time reading it. Spend time making something. You’re not what you buy. You’re not a “consumer.” You’re a human being.

(more…)

Big Savings!

November 29, 2013

Big Savings!

The Friday after Thanksgiving or ”Black Friday“ is reserved by global corporations for whipping Americans into a frenzy of over-consumption.  Millions camp out and line up for hours hoping for bargains. Most end up buying things they don’t need at prices they can’t afford.

Save big today. Don’t buy a single thing. If you want to spend something, spend the day with friends and family. Spend time at the library; borrow a book and spend time reading it. Spend time making something. You’re not what you buy. You’re not a “consumer.” You’re a human being.

More:

“Buy Nothing Day,” AdBusters

“Buy Nothing Day,” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“The Dirty Secret of Black Friday ‘Discounts,'” Suzanne Kapner, Wall Street Journal

“Black Friday: 5 reasons to skip the madness,” Erik Sherman, CBS Money Watch

Updates:

“Holiday shopping mayhem and misadventures across the U.S,” AP vis St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Everything You Know About Black Friday is Wrong, Amy Merrick, The New Yorker

“Why Black Friday Doesn’t Matter,” Danielle Kurtzleben, U.S. News & World Report

“Holiday sales are a dirty lie,” Lydia DePillis, Washington Post blog

“The Economic Case for Ignoring Black Friday,” Matthew O’Brien, The Atlantic

______________

Short linkhttp://wp.me/p6sb6-bFj

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Big Savings!

November 23, 2012

Big Savings!

The Friday after Thanksgiving or ”Black Friday“ is reserved by global corporations for whipping Americans into a frenzy of over-consumption.  Millions camp out and line up for hours hoping for bargains. Most end up buying things they don’t need at prices they can’t afford.

Save big today. Don’t buy a single thing. If you want to spend something, spend the day with friends and family. Spend time at the library; borrow a book and spend time reading it. Spend time making something. You’re not what you buy. You’re not a “consumer.” You’re a human being.

Related:

“A Brief History of Black Friday,” Ethan Trex, Mental Floss

“Black Friday In 41 Absolutely Horrifying Photos,” Scott Lamb, BuzzFeed

(more…)