Walmart Workers May Put a Damper on 'Black Friday'

Upset Walmart workers are planning strikes and protests over poor pay and mistreatment at the world's largest retailer, threatening the coming Black Friday peak shopping day.

Walmart store and warehouse workers began walking off the job Wednesday, in California and Washington state, to protest the company's efforts to silence workers seeking better pay and benefits, a workers group said.

Protests will hit 1,000 Walmart stores leading up to and on Black Friday, November 23, the Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart) said in a statement Thursday.

Kindle Free Pick of the Week - Memoirs of a Gas Station: A Delightfully Awkward Journey Across the Alaskan Tundra

This book is a quirky personal account of a summer trapped in a convenience store on the edge of Denali National Park. It is a journey across the Alaskan tundra and headlong into the ridiculous world of seasonal employment. The summer began with shock, horror, and denim shirts as Sam struggled to accept his new role as a gas station employee. To escape it, he took to the forests of Denali at every free moment, soon finding himself face-to-face with an angry adult moose, shivering numb trying to last the night on a frigid mountainside, and being seduced by a Mormon divorcee.

Often satirical, sometimes introspective, and always brutally honest, MEMOIRS OF A GAS STATION takes you on a raucous ride through the best and worst summer of one man’s life. From booze-soaked employee parties to one very awkward romantic episode in a tree house, Sam learned more than he ever planned about the Last Frontier. But weekends spent stumbling through seedy Alaskan bars and hitch-hiking to remote destinations gave him a unique perspective on life, and led him to find friendship, adventure, and love in the most unexpected places.

New Mexico Police Chief Resigns... Dog Takes Over

The police chief of the small eastern New Mexico town of Vaughn resigned Wednesday, leaving the town with just one remaining member on its police force — a drug-sniffing dog named Nikka.

Dave Romero, attorney for the town, said Wednesday that police Chief Ernest "Chris" Armijo decided to step down after news stories reported that he wasn't allowed to carry a gun because of his criminal background.  Seems reasonable.

State officials said Armijo couldn't carry a gun since acknowledging owing tens of thousands of dollars in delinquent child support payments in Texas. Armijo also faces new felony charges after being accused of selling a town-owned rifle and pocketing the cash.

Romero said Armijo is working to clear up the latest case and has not ruled out seeking the police chief's position again if his case is resolved and the position is open.

According to records, the only qualified member of the Vaughn Police Department is Nikka, a drug-sniffing dog. Vaughn's other officer isn't certified and pleaded guilty to charges of assault and battery last year.

Romero said town officials are considering whether to hire another police chief or keep the department staffed with just one officer. He said it's unclear whether the town will keep the police dog.

Mark Tauscher Now Behind a Mic Instead of Protecting a QB

Former Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Mark Tauscher has joined the Packers Radio Network as an analyst. Tauscher will give insight on the network's pre- and post-game shows and on the Packers TV network for pre-game analysis this season.

It's a natural fit.  Tauscher is a former University of Wisconsin player and one of the most popular Packer players in recent memory.  It will be interesting to see how he does.

Heavy Hundred of Sports Talk Generates Record Hits

The recently published Heavy Hundred of Sports Talk – The 100 Most Important Sports Talk Radio Hosts in America, has generated so much traffic to Talkers.com that – at times – navigation on the site slowed to a crawl, forcing the IT staff at Talkers.com to increase the site’s bandwidth to accommodate the visitors. 

This massive interest in America’s sports talk radio personalities is indicative of the format’s popularity with both consumers and from within the media industry.  TALKERS VP/managing editor Kevin Casey states, “Sports talk radio is off-the-charts popular in so many markets across the country – reflecting the importance of sports in American popular culture. 

The interest in the Heavy Hundred of Sports Talk from people working within the business is one thing, but the attention from consumers of sports talk and the rabid sports blogosphere is astounding.  The passion that exists for the format, the personalities, as well as the games and athletes themselves.

You can check out the Heavy Hundred here:

http://www.talkers.com/2012-talkers-heavy-hundred-of-sports-talk/