Etsy Sells Out to Resellers

"Etsy is the world’s handmade marketplace."

Yup that is what they claim. So tell me Etsy: Why are you allowing people that buy pre-made items  (most often imported from Asia) to even have a shop on your site? It completely contradicts what you are supposed to be!

Case in point: Go to Etsy and do a quick search for 'Pashmina'. Wow! Can you believe how many fiber artists there are that had the exact same idea? And can you believe how productive they are? They must never sleep....what with all those colors, and designs! They must pass that throttle with the speed of light to be able to sell that "handmade" scarf for under $20!

Ah...but here is the loophole. Etsy sellers are allowed to "alter" an item and make it their own. So if you look closely at those scarves, you might see a flower shaped piece of felt or yarn that is pinned to it. One wedding favor seller prints a paper tag with with the bride and grooms name, wedding date, and thank you for sharing their special day. Ok, so what are they selling exactly?...The wad of felt, yarn or the paper tag?  And are they really altering the item to make it their own? I don't believe they are, in fact I am almost positive (especially with the wedding favor) that that little add on gets tossed, and that altered pashmina miraculously reverts back to its original form....a pashmina scarf that was made in China for a couple bucks.

Virgin Atlantic Class System

Just a note to Virgin Atlantic Airlines...

Perhaps you should not call your first class ticket holders 

"Upper Class"

because it insinuates that the rest of us peons are 

"Low Class".

Flying the (Un)Friendly Skies

I have heard quite a few comments from people who think that airlines should have a section for all children and their parents so that those without children don't have to put up with them.  I never paid too much attention to these complainers and just thought that they are just grouchy. After my last vacation, I have joined their ranks and am all for separation. 

I just got back from a trip to Kenya, my once in a lifetime trip, that I have been dreaming of since I was a little girl. We scrimped and saved and finally went on safari. The air fare alone was around $2200 USD a person for economy!

Our flights to Nairobi were nice and uneventful...even got some sleep. Returning was another story though.

Leg one: Nairobi to London.
Our seats were in a mid section of around 50
seats. In these seats there were 14 children under 6 years old. And a bunch more under 12, but they weren't usually the problem. (Unless they were fighting with each other) Now I am pretty patient with babies that cry because their ears hurt, and well....they are babies. This was pandemonium for 8 1/2  long hours. Kids were screaming non stop (not all crying, just screaming), climbing over seats, running around, standing on the trays, throwing food, kicking seats, and anything else they could think of. All this time, the parents sat idly and ignored them. Finally after about 4 hours) a teenage boy who was directly in front of one of the worst groups turned around and told them to shut up and quit kicking his seat back. The mother of the unruly actually got mad at him and told him not to tell her kids what to do! A flight attendant was called and she  had to discipline this woman's children. They were quiet for about 10 minutes.

Leg two: London to Newark.
A respite. We did sit next to a family, but they all slept. I complimented the parents on how well behaved their kids were.

Leg three: Newark to Minneapolis.
 Two rows in front of us were 2 little boys with their permissive parents. Replay Nairobi flight, except throw in a DVD player on at full blast because they didn't want to use headphones. After landing, the Daddy says, "Wasn't that a good flight?"

Leg four: Minneapolis to Salt Lake City.
Another replay...a large "Utah" family..5 kids under 8 years old, and I am assuming another on the way because the mother was vomiting the entire trip. More screeching, kicking, climbing, nonstop babbling (isn't that cute?) and for a new obnoxious twist give your kids empty water bottles and see how much noise they can make with them!

Once again...I do not blame the children...they don't know better..

Steal a Buck for Healthcare

A man from North Carolina recently robbed a bank of $1.oo. He needs health care, and can't afford it so so figured that if he goes to jail, he will get treatment for free (sort of .... afterall, he will be in jail) . 


        "Richard James Verone is 59 and was unemployed with multiple health issues before the crime.    Varone says he robbed the RBC bank in order to go to prison and get treatment -- he said it was the only way he could get healthcare."


Not sure what to think about this, except that desparate times call for desparate measures.....

The 3/50 Project

I work in retail for a lovely couple .... a true mom and pop business which is a rarity today with all the competition from the big box stores. All the shop owners I know are really struggling just to keep their doors open and to earn a living. Many have closed their doors.

For quite awhile now we have had a lot of "customers" come in to "just look" and then go home to make their purchases online to save a few dollars and sales tax. (I know this because I am invisible to them and they don't realise that I can hear what they say.) They don't seem to understand (or care) that there is a lot of overhead to run a business, and if they don't start supporting their local small businesses they will no longer have store fronts to visit and actually see the merchandise.

We and other small business deal with this mentality on a daily basis and it is hard to be polite and cheerful when you just want to scream. There is a movement going on by Cinda Baxter, a retail consultant. It is called the 3/50 Project, and I hope everyone who reads this takes it to heart and passes it on to their friends, relatives and acquaintances. If we as Americans don't consciously make some changes, our quaint and unique small businesses will just be a fond memory.

"R E S P E C T Find Out What It Means To Me"

 I was out in Washington DC last week and got a little sightseeing in.

Learned some history, some government stuff, and even how to get around on the metro. Mostly I learned that (a very large number but not all) Americans are pretty rude and disrespectful. So much in fact that there are signs posted all over the place telling people how to not be rude and disrespectful.  But as "entitled Americans" that must be meant for someone else...after all, we are a free country and can do whatever we want!

Anyway, here are a just few simple etiquette tips:

1. Don't let your children or school groups run and scream through museums.
2. Adults also, tone it down.
3. When someone is looking at something, don't step right in front of them to block their view...wait your turn.
4. Don't take too long viewing something so others get their chance.
5. This may be old fashioned, but if you are young and able-bodied and an elderly or otherwise less able-bodied person gets on a crowded metro..be a gentle(person) and give them your seat. You will be them someday...sooner that you think.
6. When visiting a cemetery: Do NOT walk on the graves, sit on the headstones, talk loudly, or make derogatory and judgemental comments about the deceased. 
7. This one is easy....just show a little respect...

HP Wants YOU to Feel Good About Recycling!

I had to get more printer ink for my printer. In the past I have found that it is more cost effective to just buy a new printer because the ink is obscenely expensive. ..and new printers come with new ink. But for now, I have a semi decent printer/scanner set up, and the replacement ink cost about half of what a comparable new printer would cost, so I just got a two pack of black ink at Costco, for about $53.

HP asks their customers to recycle. Once you struggle with all the packing material, you can read about how you can feel good about recycling.

That is all and good, but maybe they should stop using so much packing material in the first place! I got two printer cartridges.

                                          They aren't very big:  

       

But look how BIG the pile of packaging is! Are they really serious about recycling?