The Big Picture, Run Chicken Little!, -and- In the Doghouse

The Big Picture - Panasonic unveils 103-inch plasma screen
Run Chicken Little! - huge chunks of ice fall in California
In the Doghouse - over 200 dogs found in garden shed

It was 65 degrees in my office when I arrived at 8:30 AM! I am wearing shorts--my preferred attire, certainly--for the first time in many months. The forecast is for more rain this weekend, but it is certainly difficult to imagine this happening while contemplating the glorious sky!

Under pressure to boost growth, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is retooling its strategy to pry money from the hands of wealthier, more style-conscious customers by offering a broader array of more fashionable goods.

Wal-Mart Stores USA CEO Eduardo Castro-Wright said Tuesday that the world's largest retailer, whose famous tag-line is "Always Low Prices," would unveil an array of higher-priced lawn chairs and fluffy towels, as well as trendier clothing, including a new hip-hop brand for young males called Exsto.

I suppose this makes some sort of sense to the Wal-Mart marketing department, but to me it seems patently bizarre!