Some Randomness for Thanksgiving

My husband talked me into picking up a new TV last night. The prices really were amazing, with features like built-in Roku, an WiFi recognition. The machine, a 43-inch screen size, was $299. 

And the light weight! I remember a mid-80s TV, that 2 men were needed to move it in. Any fewer meant a likely hernia. 

But the biggest surprise to me was the price of running it. Older TVs ran HOT. I used to use the top of those boxes as a food warming tray. You can see the difference in the Energy Guide:

That’s a bargain, and more than justifies the cost.

Have you been looking at the locations of "random" violence perpetrated against non-Black people lately by people of other ethnicities?

It's cities, with 'vibrant' downtown shopping.

Why?

Because the Government controls the security of the cities, and is remarkably resistant to providing adequate protection to Actually Non-Violent People using those spaces.

In contrast, the malls and shopping centers are Privately Controlled, and the customers' security is protected by Mall Cops. Which, despite their reputation, are generally pretty good, not inclined to hassle people without cause, and quite responsive to theft and threats of violence. YMMV, but that's generally what I've seen in my experience.

The one mall that had major issues of theft, violence, and other problems, was - at one time - the most luxurious mall around, the Randall Park Mall. There, the problems were:

• Teens/20-somethings using it as a hangout place.
• Roving groups, walking 3-5 abreast, forcing shoppers aside, and often causing injury. I actually experienced this, twice, before re-directing my shopping dollars to safer venues.
• Theft. A MAJOR issue. The 'kids' casually took stuff, often using the 'blitz method' - multiple kids coming in, some of them taking stuff, others being used to shield others from cameras or clerks. Then, quickly, all leaving, often handing off the stolen merchandise to still others, leaving them with no evidence on their person, and threatening court action for bias against them if the stores tried to pursue charges. It didn't have to happen very often for the stores to decide not to renew their lease. At that point, Randall owners had a hard time finding other stores to fill that space.
• The other big theft attraction was the high-value merchants - jewelry stores, electronics stores, and those selling high-priced merchandise. Those were attacked with a blitzkrieg smash and grab tactic. Very effective in chasing away both stores and customers.
• The other theft issue, and a major reason they lost customers, was the presence of large male people, often in groups, who would swoop down on customers when they reached their cars, and take the shopping bags. Sometimes took the entire car/SUV. Threatened violence, and - too often - delivered on that threat.

As the reports usually involved Urban Youths, the publicity centered on the demonstrated bias of the mall - how DARE they identify the crooks as Not-White!

Which, they were. Didn't matter, the lawyers got involved, and it was Open Season for People Who Were Not-White to take advantage of the mall's hesitancy to act to protect their merchants.

So, the mall died. And, thanks to similar tactics, many of the malls are no longer in operation. A bonus is that the shopping strips have managed to pick up the niche. It's more work and less payoff to hit those stores, so they have lost opportunities to steal after the demise of many malls across the country.

The central cities, with their efforts to increase shopping within a very small area (as the cost is high in the central cities, and competes with office space), have - once again - created The Perfect Place for Crooks and Vandals to Congregate. Leading to the massive losses in many major cities, as well as accusations against cops, followed by pulling back the cops from acting, leading to - you guessed it - more violence and looting.

This was delayed, as I had some ambition, but no follow-through. I'm clearing up old tasks today, so here it is.