Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis |
- Jewel Food Store Amazing Software Glitch; Purposeful Action or Programmer Stupidity?
- Former US Senator Gordon Humphrey Thanks Snowden for "Exposing Astonishing Violations of the US Constitution"; Email Exchange Between Snowden and Humphrey
- Germany Election "Far From Over", Merkel Coalition in Trouble as Spotlight Shines on Snowden’s Revelations
- Blank Checks, Inflation, Buyer's Remorse
Jewel Food Store Amazing Software Glitch; Purposeful Action or Programmer Stupidity? Posted: 16 Jul 2013 10:48 PM PDT Tuesday evening I purchased groceries at a local Jewel food store. Hormel Cure 81 hams were allegedly on sale for $3.99 a pound. The sticker price said $5.99 a pound. I asked cashier "Kim", the checkout clerk, and was told discounts were automatic, that I no longer needed to enter my phone number or present a card to get a the discount. Kim notified me "the sale price was $3.99" and it was reflected on the receipt. Well, it was, sort of. Jewel Hormel Cure Ham Label Please note the net weight of the ham at 3.61 pounds. Next note the itemized Jewel receipt. Supposedly I "saved" $10.84. That's quite the savings. Please note "how" I save $10.84. The weight on the sticker was 3.61 pounds (verified by me at home). The weight listed on the receipt was 5.42 pounds. It appears to me that Jewel software assumed the price on the sticker was correct and then adjusted the weight of the product on the receipt to reflect the price on the label. Is this crazy or what? I called the Jewel store in question, they acknowledged the error, and will refund the difference. OK, but what about potentially thousands of other customers who had the same problem and did not notice? More importantly, what about the inane software program that changes the weight on the receipt to match the price on the label? Is this fraud? I leave it to the reader to decide if this is purposeful action or programmer stupidity. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com |
Posted: 16 Jul 2013 12:43 PM PDT A tip of the hat goes to former two-term GOP Senator Gordon Humphrey of New Hampshire who thanked Edward Snowden for exposing a "massive violation of the United States Constitution". Humphrey served in the United States Senate for twelve years as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, the Armed Services Committee and the Judiciary Committee. Glenn Greenwald at The Guardian has the email exchange between Snowden and Humphrey and his own email exchange with Senator Gordon Humphrey as well. Greenwald contacted Humphrey regarding the authenticity of the email exchange and received this reply from the former senator. Mr. Greenwald,Please click on the link above to see Humphrey's Email to Snowden and Snowden's reply to Humphrey. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com |
Posted: 16 Jul 2013 11:12 AM PDT A couple days ago Bloomberg reported Polls Indicate Merkel's Coalition Is Likely to Win Election. CDU/CSU will get 40 percent of votes, coalition partner FDP 6.5 percent, according to a poll conducted by Institut fuer Demoskopie Allensbach on behalf of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper. The total of 46.5 percent compares to a combined 44 percent of the other parties moving into parliament, comprising the SPD that polled 25.5 percent, Greens with 12.5 percent and Die Linke 6 percent.What About AfD? Neither poll mentioned the anti-euro Alternative für Deutschland party (AfD) as if it would not reach the 5% threshold for parliament. I asked Reader Bernd from Germany (not Bernd Lucke, AfD party leader) his take on the Bloomberg poll. Bernd responded ... Hello Mish,Election "Far From Over" Inquiring minds are reading a Mish-modified translation of a Focus Deutschland article regarding a coalition shift from the wiretapping scandal. Following the NSA scandal and Snowden affair, pressure grows on politics, and voters want answers.Lots of Time Left Bloomberg is way premature with its synopsis, even if AfD falters. As in Italy with Beppe Grillo, I believe mainstream analysts and polls far underestimate the support for AfD. Regardless, it's important to remember that even if CDU/CSU gathers the highest total of votes (which it most assuredly will do), it's coalitions that matter, not individuals. The price to pay in any coalition might very well be the ouster of Merkel whether or not AfD hits the 5 percent threshold. Confused about German politics? If so, please see Understanding German Politics for an explanation of the German political parties and what they stand for. The explanations are from reader Bernd. Wahl-O-Meter Update Here is a current election snapshot from Wahl-O-Meter. And there is lots of time left. AfD needs to hop on the wiretapping issue with a fiery message. And if the party does that, it would easily make the 5 percent threshold, if not a 10 percent threshold. In such a scenario, no existing coalition would come close to a 50% total, and Merkel would be put out to pasture. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com |
Blank Checks, Inflation, Buyer's Remorse Posted: 16 Jul 2013 01:01 AM PDT The Nikkei is soaring, and along with the Japanese stock market, so are expectations of the policies espoused by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Will this be a case of buyer's remorse? I think so, and so does Bloomberg writer William Pesek in Japan Prepares to Vote. Not That You Would Know. With elections to the upper house of parliament on July 21, Japanese voters seem ready to hand Prime Minister Shinzo Abe one of the bigger blank checks in memory.Apathy Sets In Apathy has clearly set in for the Japanese. Is there a lesson? I Think so, and it should be easy to spot. The average Japanese citizen is quite comfortable with deflation and falling prices. Only the financial elite and some corporations are upset about the matter. Yet here we are. The next election in Japan will likely give Prime Minister Shinzo Abe one of the bigger blank checks ever, simply because the Nikkei stock index has soared. Bloomberg writer William Pesek says "Japanese may be setting themselves up for buyer's remorse." Change "may be" to "will be" and Pesek is 100% accurate. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com |
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