When I was growing up, funerals in my hometown were always the same. People would come to the family home with casserole dishes and offer condolences. The next day, many of those same people would arrive at the mortuary to pay their respects by participating in the funeral. I don’t know how many times growing up I’d answer the phone at our house only to be greeted on the other end of the line by our local undertaker, Ron Hodge, asking if my father was available to be a pallbearer for someone we knew. I thought that was “just the way it was” and, at the time, the way it would always be. But, as I got older, those phone calls from Mr. Hodge to my father slowed and all but stopped. Friends and family were still dying but all that remained to mark their life was an obituary in the paper with one added line: “No funeral services are planned”/Henry Johnston, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.

Question: What do you want done for your funeral?

During her address the Mayor also announced population growth of 3,000 residents over the course of eight years.  That’s equivalent to about 375 new residents per year, every year. The mayor believes that by limiting population growth Moscow can escape “rash decision making” and the undue influence of “special interests.” Overall, I think our local economic problems really lie in what we consider a “local business.” According to the “Buy Local Moscow” organization, they consider a business to be local if they are “locally-owned independent businesses that are headquartered and located in Moscow, Idaho” The group also believes that local is better because “a new chain store typically is a clone of other units” and that the “store’s profits are promptly exported to corporate headquarters.” /Henry “Digger” Johnstone, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.

Question: Does it matter to you as a shopper whether a business is locally owned or part of a chain?

Just this week I’ve received more than a dozen application packets, most of which aren’t even properly addressed to my store, let alone to me personally. You’d think that if you receive a business card with the manager’s name you’d at least take the time to transcribe it accurately on your cover letter when you return. I guess my definition of “simple” escapes some of the folks who want to be gainfully employed. I can be a little bit forgiving when applicants don’t take the time to print their applications on decent quality paper. It is the content, after all, that is important. But I’m not so forgiving when spelling and grammar errors stand out like a turgid zit.  Case in point - an objective listed on a résumé I received stated “I seek to gain a position to gain a position within the company.” I guess I could creatively interpret that to mean I’d be hiring a go-getter who wants to advance quickly but considering the cover letter was addressed to “Dear To Whom It May Concern” I’m not holding out hope/Henry Johnstone, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.

Question: Have you had a similar experience with job applicants?