Hoboken Quiznos Suddenly Closes

Last week the Quiznos location at 1st & Hudson in Hoboken was open for business like it always was. Today when I went over there to get a chicken mesquite for Steve, the door was locked, lights off, and signs were on the door and window with "Retail Space Available" in big letters. There was no drop off over the past few weeks in the quality of the items or service, which is usually how business closings are proceeded. I'm very sad, as I will miss having a small chicken carbonara on white. If anyone knows anything about why the store suddenly went out of business, I would love to know. I called the non-emergency number for the Hoboken Police to ask if there was a robbery or break in that caused the store to close, and the officer said he had not heard of a robbery/break in at Quiznos, but that he also had not heard that the store was no longer operating. (I found that odd given how it is less than a block from the station, and I have seen many officers in Quiznos eating lunch over the years.) When I searched for information about how corporate works with their franchises, which are privately owned, I found this link: http://www.bluemaumau.org/6939/quiznos_management_team_attempts_answer_questions
Nothing mentioned in the article would seem important enough to result in the 1st & Hudson location closing its doors though. I am very shocked because the closing is so sudden and without warning. I notified Hoboken 411 and would be interested in any info anyone may have.
To see where the location used to be, click on the link and google maps will show you the corner, with the Quiznos sign visible. (It wouldn't let me save that pic and upload it onto the posting.)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Hudson+St+%26+1st+St,+Hoboken,+NJ+07030&sll=40.739535,-74.029806&sspn=0.006666,0.013561&ie=UTF8&ll=40.738982,-74.029806&spn=0.006666,0.013561&z=16&iwloc=addr&layer=c&cbll=40.737262,-74.029797&panoid=rue84Suo3vV_dtrMyZlTXQ&cbp=12,315,,1,5.000000000000001

Objectives for Obama: Part 2

The election of 2000 was historic, and the election of 2004 also had rumors of "irregularities". The coverage by Rolling Stone was excellent, while much of the mainstream media was too shy to really grab all of the facts and run with them. The 2008 film Recount keeps this issue in the public eye, where it deserves attention.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1000771/
Is looking into the irregularities and possible questionable practices of the Bush campaign and Diebold something that the Obama admin might add to their "To Do" list? As I have previously mentioned, Rolling Stone has been very persuasive in suggesting that both elections require another look from those in a position to do something about the potential evidence they may find. I read a blog posting once by someone who lived in Toledo, Ohio in 2004 who said local media reported finding abandoned cars with trucks full of votes for Kerry. Once re-elected, I am sure the Bush admin made those articles "disappear". When it comes to "Change" and "Hope" one thing I would like to add to the list are the misadventures of the 2000 and 2004 elections. Has anyone looked at the chart for Diebold, DBD, from 2000-2004 lately?

Objectives for Obama: Part 1

President Obama has been in office for a bit more than a month, and he has been getting quite a bit done. One tidbit that I heard is that at his sit down dinners with wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia, each person at the dinner table talks about the "roses" of their day, being good things, and "thorns," being of course bad things. Its great that Obama has time to eat a family dinner each night, given how much there is for him to do.
One topic the blogosphere is abuzz with is that Obama should have someone investigating the various contributors of the housing/credit crisis for securities and ethics violations. So far, the Bear Stearns hedge fund managers Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin were indicted on charges of conspiracy, securities fraud, and wire fraud. Mr. Cioffi was also charged with insider trading. http://www.nysun.com/business/us-sees-crime-in-the-credit-crisis/80408/
The indictment happened almost a year ago. The Madoff matter has had the SEC on the defense since last November, since he surrendered to them, and whistler blower Harry Markopolos has been telling the SEC that Madoff was a fraud since 1999 without anyone at the agency taking sufficient action to unearth the fraud over the past 9 years.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28310980/
What I would be interested in would be an investigation into what the CEOs/CFOs/COOs of AIG, Wachovia, Countrywide, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, Citigroup, and Bear Stearns were doing with their own portfolios of their company's stock and options while they were going on CNBC reassuring investors their firms were well capitalized with nothing to worry about, when that couldn't have been farther from the truth. (Each situation has differnt details, but the overall ongoings were similar.) Although the fate of each firm and CEO is different, were the CEOs selling or speeding up the sales of their stock along the way during their reassurance proclamations? (This reminds me of the Joe Nacchio situation.) Since most of that info is public, I would be surprised if any of that had gone on and it not been unearthed by the fabulous CNBC reporters by now. Yet it wouldn't surprise me if someone who knew what they were looking for were able to dig something along the lines of this up. Does Obama have this on his "To Do" list?

The Majestic Beagle

Lately I have come to appreciate the majestic beauty, skill, and excellence that is the beagle. Captain of the scent hounds, the beagle has one of the best noses on planet earth, and when trained accordingly makes for a great hunting dog. My dog, Daisy, pictured in the large pictures above, is a retired hunting dog abandoned in 2005 in upstate New York. (The smallest pic is of an unknown beagle, what I imagine Daisy looked like in her youth.) Daisy had at least one litter of puppies, never saw the inside of a vet, and by all likelihood had a great life hunting rabbits in some rural setting as a hunting dog prior to 2005. Why anyone would not want her is beyond my ability to comprehend. She is such a good girl, wanting only to please and be with the pack. I am in awe of her handsome form, soft coat, and cute moves that she does looking for food. A champion beggar and curb shopper, Daisy attacks trash with reckless ambition determined to find a snack. She has been my dog full time for a year and a half now.
What I love about her is her quiet confidence, how she has "plans" when we go out for her walk on the yards that she wants to hit and grills she wants to patrol. I love it how she cheats death, both via overcoming illnesses (a tumor in her chest, liver problems, pancreas problems, a neck injury, accidental overdose of breathing medication, collapsing trachea, irregular heart issue, ear infections, and those are only the things I can think of now) as well as refusing to give up when she was chained to a pole in a grocery store parking lot awaiting a dog catcher. I love it that she can and will use deception on other dogs to get what she wants. I love her little quirks like being afraid of thunder and lying in laundry strewn on the floor. She is a great dog and it breaks my heart to think of all of the shelter dogs that are put down everyday. I encourage everyone: please do not buy a puppy without at least visiting a shelter once. Given the economic downturn, many pets are being surrendered that deserve a second chance. Daisy got a second chance and her loyalty, company, and love have changed my life forever.

Book "The Secret" and the net haters

For some reason people love to hate Rhonda Byrnes' book, "The Secret." My own opinion on the book is complicated. The short version is that I do think there are some truths in the book, universal truths if you will, but I think that they are told through the lens of the author and make little sense to a lot of readers. The author was in a tough spot of trying to back up the principals with examples, so of course the examples were isolated situations with the reader lacking facts. (Like the part about visualizing checks coming in the mail. That really only makes sense for people who don't have direct deposit, you know?)

The net is full of blogs of people ranting about how infantile the book is and how it doesn't work. I don't need to post any of those excerpts. I did find a poem that I liked from an author that passed away in 1933 that summarized some of what was enclosed in the principals without getting too specific:
http://lvcsb.com/blog/2008/11/03/the-secret-controversy/

“THOUGHTS ARE THINGS and wings: And that we send them forth to fill the world with good results, or ill. That which we call our secret thought speeds forth to earth’s remotest spot, Leaving its blessings or its woes. Like tracks behind it as it goes. We build our future, thought by thought, For good or ill, yet know it not. Yet so the universe was wrought. Thought is another name for fate; Choose then thy destiny and wait, For love brings love and hate brings hate.” Henry Van Dyke

I think a lot of people read the book and take it literally. Or, find it childish. One author that I really like and respect, James Kunstler, has suggested a la "The Secret" that wishing for things is a child's pastime and adults shouldn't be thinking anything besides productive activity is what creates wealth. http://www.kunstler.com/
That is the link to his site, although I forget in which posting he mentions his view. I don't disagree with JHK entirely, however, there are aspects of it where what is now wealth creating, a company like google, was once someone's idea, and only an idea. The person had to do the work of creating the company, but it did start out as one idea. In short, there is a lot of wiggle room on the topic of whether "The Secret" works. My investigation into it all has been mixed. I am looking forward to hearing the experiences of others.

Season Finale of "Real Chance of Love"

Season Finale of "Real Chance of Love" on VH1

I knew that Real never had romantic feelings for Bay Bay Bay. That was obvious. She doesn't have a soft side that would be appealing to most guys. I thought Real genuinely cared for MILF, and so that's why I was surprised that he eliminated her and kept Bay Bay Bay in the previous episode. Chance eliminating both Risky and Cali at the end was a surprise, but only a small one since this opens the door for a season 2. I didn't get a read on either of those 2, since Risky didn't open up much and Cali seemed sort of average, which is funny since that is what she called Risky.
All in all, the best parts of the season were the funny clips of Real and Chance, their baby pictures slide show on the drive in date, their jokes, etc. In the episode where the girls pimp out 2 BMWs as a challenge for dates with the brothers, Chance is repulsed by the sight of a decal of his brother's "big ass head" on the driver's side door of the car. That was awesome.
I wish Risky and Cali the best of luck moving forward. I had hoped at some point in the season someone would call out Bay Bay Bay for being judgmental, two-faced, and aggressive, however it didn't happen. Since I hear that Bay Bay Bay will be returning for "I Love Money 2" my hopes for her being called out continue. I wonder who will be the one to tell her how annoying she is and how rude she speaks to people and about people. As far as "break out stars" from the series, I can only guess that Bubbles, MILF, and Bay Bay Bay will be invited back to do more "VH1 Celeb Reality" shows with Chris Abrego and Mark Cronin producing. Also, what ever happened to "My Fair Brady"?
(pics were hard to organize: from the top going down: MILF, Bay Bay Bay, and Cornfed. The last 3 girls Real had. Cornfed, short blond hair, was the only winner of the show and picked by Real.)

Dr. Pepper Info

I wonder what Axl thinks? Info for contacting Dr. Pepper:

Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc.
Attn: Consumer Relations
P.O. Box 869077
Plano , TX 75086