Adios Pedro's. Hola Hooters. UGH

We learned last week that Hooters restaurant won the auction for the bankrupt Pedro's restaurant. So much for Brookfield's image. 

A Brookfield Hooters makes an Aldis* look good, doesn't it? 

And what concerns the City of Brookfield with the prospect of Hooters? What goes on inside the building? No, the design and the color.

The city that pushed to have McDonald's abandon its Golden Arches and a grocer to paint over an objectionable shade of orange may have new challenges with an unexpected national restaurant chain coming to Brookfield: Hooters.

... 

He [Hooter's VP] said the chain would work with Brookfield to meet the city's architectural requirements as it renovates the building's exterior.

Dan Ertl, city development director, said he expected that, like McDonald's and other national chain restaurants that have sought to operate in Brookfield, Hooters "will most likely have to adjust their corporate architectural design to meet the standards of Brookfield, if not the landlord."

The chain's trademark bright orange might draw complaints from city plan commissioners who insisted that Fresh Market, an upscale grocer near Brookfield Square mall, repaint an orange trim to a more yellow color.

Alderman Jerry Melone did express some concerns over the Hooters franchise; other aldermen might have objected too. But the bottom line is, I don't think there is much the city can do to deter them from locating here. I can't picture them denying a  liquor license.

Let's face it, many other Brookfield businesses might go on the auction block in this troubled economy. What other unsavory businesses might be the winning bidder that the City of Brookfield would never have given the time of day before?

My family frequented The Bombay Bicycle Club and then Pedro's for lunch after church. Needless to say, Hooter's will not inherit our past patronage of that location. How about you?

"What do you think of Hooters coming to Brookfield? Share your views in an interactive forum at BrookfieldNOW.com."

With so many other more tasteful choices on Bluemound, it will be interesting to see if Hooters makes a go of it. Looking through the comments, people are split on whether the food is good or not. Time will tell. 

*The controversial Aldi's was in the Town of Brookfield, not the City. 

Please, comment content should relate to the subject of the post. Although I try to respond to many, do not interpret my lack of a response as agreement.

Links: 

Barack Obama has an ad running about lobbyists advising the McCain campaign. In light of the Freddie and Fannie mess, and that Obama was the #2 recipient ($152,698) of Freddie/Fannie donations, if I were Obama, I don't think I would even bring this up. (McCain "has taken $16,400 from Freddie and Fannie employees since 2005.")

John McCain is fighting back against Obama's accusations with this new ad, "Advice"

"Obama has no background in economics.

Who advises him?

The Post says it's Franklin Raines, for "advice on mortgage and housing policy."

Shocking.

Under Raines, Fannie Mae committed "extensive financial fraud." ....

The McCain ad goes on to cite various news articles and some disturbing facts about Johnson and Raines. If you care to look at the news items the ad was based on, here they are:

"The Obama Campaign Has Solicited Franklin Raines, Who "Stepped Down As Fannie Mae's Chief Executive Under The Shadow Of A $6.3 Billion Accounting Scandal," For "Advice On Mortgage And Housing Policy." "In the four years since he stepped down as Fannie Mae's chief executive under the shadow of a $6.3 billion accounting scandal, Franklin D. Raines has been quietly constructing a new life for himself. He has shaved eight points off his golf handicap, taken a corner office in Steve Case's D.C. conglomeration of finance, entertainment and health-care companies and more recently, taken calls from Barack Obama's presidential campaign seeking his advice on mortgage and housing policy matters."

"...In October 2003, even as Raines was invited to the Bush White House to receive a leadership award on behalf of Fannie Mae, investigators were about to look into the company's accounting books. A year later, Congress held a hearing on accounting irregularities at the company. By the end of 2004, Raines was forced out by the board, accused by regulators of overseeing accounting manipulations to bolster his compensation. Both from On the Outside Now, Watching Fannie Falter

 

"The Washington Post: "Two Members Of Mr. Obama's Political Circle, James A. Johnson And Franklin D. Raines, Are Former Chief Executives Of Fannie Mae." From Tough Decision Coming

 

Under Franklin Raines' Leadership, Fannie Mae Committed "Extensive Financial Fraud" And Was Forced To Pay A $400 Million Civil Penalty. "In a May report, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight found that Fannie Mae under Raines perpetrated 'extensive financial fraud' so that executives could collect big bonuses. There have been no criminal charges, but the conduct of Raines and other senior Fannie executives 'was inconsistent with the values of responsibility, accountability, and integrity,' the agencies said. Fannie paid a $400 million civil penalty this year to the SEC and OFHEO." From Raines Claiming Accountability Isn't Enough,

Franklin Raines Received $114,000 Monthly Pension Benefit. "While disclosing the number and current value of stock options Raines was allowed to keep when he retired, as well as his $114,000 monthly pension benefit, Fannie Mae did not disclose any estimates of how much these benefits would ultimately cost shareholders."

Franklin Raines' Retirement Package From Fannie Mae Was Estimated To Be Worth As Much As $25 Million. "Raines was 55 when he retired, and the authors estimated that his retirement package could be worth as much as $25 million to him and his wife." Both from Study of Fannie Mae Cites 'Perverse" Executive-pay Policy

FYI,  "Obama's running mate, Joe Biden, took just one donation, for $500, from one Freddie employee. McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, is Fannie- and Freddie-free, having never run for federal office."

I am sure we will hear more back and forth on this subject. One thing is for sure, the lead time on new ad creation has certainly been reduced!

Brookfield District 7 Info meeting, Wed., Sept. 24, 2-3pm or 6:30-7:30pm

Please, comment content should relate to the subject of the post. Although I try to respond to many, do not interpret my lack of a response as agreement.

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Betterbrookfield, Mark Levin,  Vicki Mckenna

It has happened again. Tainted Chinese made baby formula* has caused 3 infant deaths in that country. More deaths will probably follow since 1,253 babies are already sick, and at least 10,000 infants have been exposed. (In 2004, 13 babies died from "drinking fake milk powder.")

Now the Chinese government is cracking down. China arrests 12 in milk scandal:

Suppliers are believed to have added melamine, a banned chemical normally used in plastics, to watered-down milk in order to make it appear higher in protein.

The additive is blamed for causing severe renal problems and kidney stones.

...Tests have shown that 69 batches of formula from 22 companies contained the banned substance.

If that chemical sounds familiar, it is because melamine was the same culprit in last year's dog food recall that caused thousands of American pets to die. It is not included by mistake; the toxic chemical is added because it is cheaper than producing the product properly. In other words, they do it to cheat. (I don't believe the Chinese have the same ethical prohibitions to cheating that Americans do.)

China's track record on producing safe products is shaky at best. 

It has also raised questions about China's ability to police its food production industries after a series of health scares - and fatalities - in recent years.

These have ranged from the contamination of seafood to toothpaste and, last year, to pet food exported to the US.

Not only are food products in question, but the lead paint on toys scandal last year makes me doubt their veracity on other fronts too.

My advice is to start reading labels--including mainstream American company brands. When you start, you may be as surprised as a family member was to see American Co. juice boxes marked, "Made in China." 

The tilapia I so enjoyed was also marked, "Made in China." Since tilapia is pond raised, I had to wonder, what are the Chinese feeding them? Do I trust them to do the right thing? No. I suddenly lost my appetite.

On non-food products with a more personal connection, such as sun screen, mouth wash, baby bottles and pacifiers, make-up, medications, toddler toys--anything that goes in the mouth or on the skin--I would avoid "Made in China" or made in the 2nd or 3rd world too. (Reputable countries such as Canada, Germany, UK, France, etc. would be probably be OK.)

It is one thing to purchase a pair of "Made in China" shoes that fall apart in a month, quite another to give a toddler a toy with lead paint! I don't mean to suggest that the Chinese are the only people motivated by greed, but your chances of getting what you pay for are higher when you buy "Made in USA."

Not only will you be protecting your family from possible harm by buying American, but you will also be helping our own economy. 

*OK, here is my chance to pitch breastfeeding, which is by far the best method for feeding an infant. La Leche League helps women worldwide to learn how to breastfeed their infants. Nursing provides better nutrition and immune defense to infants, be they in the USA or 3rd world country--and no worries of tainted, improperly, or inadequately configured formulas.

Brookfield District 7 Info meeting, Wed., Sept. 24, 2-3 or 6:30-7:30pm

Please, comment content should relate to the subject of the post. Although I try to respond to many, do not interpret my lack of a response as agreement.

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Betterbrookfield, Mark Levin,  Vicki Mckenna

According to Wednesday's USA TODAY Money section, the slight fall in gas prices has already influenced the type of car people are looking at.

It seems that now that the heat is off, rising gas prices wise, so is the interest in small cars.

The article, Hot ;small-car sales simmer down - Falling gas prices pull reins on stampeding buyers, stated that, "Car shoppers who panicked in June and July about gas prices are losing intrest in small cars and hybrids as fuel prices have declined."

This drop in interest was based on Edmunds.com users searching for certain types of cars--compacts and hybrids. A chart showed that although gas prices rose from $3.33/gal in April,  to a peak of about $4.10 in July, and have fallen to $3.81 now, the percentage of compact and hybrid searches is now just about where they were in April.

"In June, 31.4% of recent new car buyers surveyed said the purchase was motivated by a desire for better gas mileage, Acxiom says. That is up from 21.1% in February, but still less than a third of buyers. there is 'not this huge flood to one segmennt in the auto industry," says Tim Longnecer of Axiom's automotive practice. 'There's still going to be this hughe desire for utility.'" 

The article concluded with a quote from Jeremy Anwyl of Edmunds "At the end of the day, people need space."

We too toyed with the idea of trading in my PT Cruiser, which does not get great gas mileage, but concluded the cost to upgrade to a better gas mileage model was not worth it. We figured we could purchase a lot of gas, at a higher price, for the difference in sticker cost for that more efficient model.

The other influencing factor for us, just as Amwyl stated, was size. We needed a vehicle at least PT's size to use for a vacation car, so we did nothing. (Plus I still have 2 more years of warranty left.)

How about you?

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Betterbrookfield, Mark Levin,   Vicki Mckenna