Wondering on Wednesday (v127)

So, what are we wondering about tonight?

Well, let's see.  How about the president's reading comprehension skills? Seems the president thinks that former Vice President Joe Biden is threatening him. Take a look:

So, you wondering what's going on here? Well, back during the campaign Grandpa Joe took exception to Trump's Access Hollywood comments, and said basically if they were back in high school and Trump had said something like that in front of Biden's sister, Joe would have taken him out behind the gym. If they were in high school. Which would have been what, 55 or 60 some odd years ago?  

I know you must be wondering about this - 37% of people responding to a Public Policy Polling survey think Grandpa Joe would win this fight; 32% think the current resident of the White House would win, and 30% don't have an opinion on this one. 

Moving on to other important subjects, Walmart will cleanse the checkout aisles of their 5,000+ stores and move copies of Cosmo to the magazine aisle, which it sounds like could be anywhere in their stores.

Why the move, I wonder?

Walmart, in s statement, acknowledged that "the concerns raised were heard" but said that its decision stemmed from business reasons.

"As with all products in our store, we continue to evaluate our assortment and make changes," the statement said. When asked for further comment, Walmart indicated that there are a number of factors it evaluates when making in-store placement decisions, including customer feedback and sales data.  

Nevertheless, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, an advocacy group that has campaigned against what it calls Cosmopolitan's "hyper-sexualized and sexually objectifying" content, took some credit for the move on Tuesday, citing its "collaborative dialogue" with Walmart.

"This is what real change looks like in our #MeToo culture," said Dawn Hawkins, the group's executive director, in a statement. 

Now, there any number of legitimate reasons why a store might not want Cosmo in the checkout line, but I'm not sure the #MeToo movement is one of them. In the context of "no woman deserves to be sexually harassed, abused or victimized" I wonder if moving a magazine that focuses on empowering women to own their sexuality the way they want to, dress the way they want to, and so on, doesn't have a feel of victim-blaming? It might not have been intended that way, but still...

Staying with Walmart for just a second longer, I missed this story when it broke in January and only recently came across it, reading that a customer is suing the retail giant for racial bias.  Essie Grundy was shopping for a comb, only to find it locked in a cabinet - along with all of the other hair care products used by African American men and women.

We're sensitive to this situation and also understand, like other retailers, that some products such as electronics, automotive, cosmetics and other personal care products are subject to additional security. Those determinations are made on a store-by-store basis using data supporting the need for heightened measures.

I wonder whether this will have an impact on their bottom line, and if yes, in which direction?

Moving on, Remington, a gun company founded in New York over 200 years ago, has filed for bankruptcy and has secured loans that will help it continue manufacturing while they try and get their house in order.

If you're wondering whether fears of gun control changes have anything to do with the decision, the answer is no: it's actually the opposite.

Gun companies experienced record sales during the Obama administration, driven by fears among gun consumers of more restrictive gun control. But these fears largely faded, along with sales and profits, since the 2016 election of Trump, a Republican endorsed by the National Rifle Association.

So, let's review: the pro-job, pro-2nd Amendment president is the reason a 200+ year old American company is sort of on life support?  Interesting -- very interesting.

And finally, this Wednesday, in case you're wondering, Jared Kushner still has a job. And he may or may have been or is being investigated, but it doesn't matter because it's all good.