SEARS: The end of the era of Brookdale Mall

I remember watching Brookdale Mall (Brooklyn Center, Minnesota) being constructed as we all eagerly peered out the school bus windows, on our way to  Northport elementary.  (It was my kindergarten year, and everything was bustling with “newness”.)

It was magical – Just imagining a mass of stores, under one cover, in a luxurious setting with restaurants attached – called:  A MALL!

So many shopping firsts and fashion firsts were acquired at Brookdale Mall: Dayton’s, Penney’s, Donaldson’s, Snyder’s and……..Sears. I worked at Sears throughout High School….. it was a grand place to work.  I can’t remember a time as a little girl when I didn’t look forward to the “Christmas Wish Book“, or going with my Dad to get a “Craftsman” tool.  And when Mom’s washer went on the blink – off we’d go to Sears for a replacement.  Sears was the store for the Everyman.   

The demolishing of Brookdale Mall a number of years back left one vestige standing: Sears. But now – it will soon be demolished as well.

I visited my flagship job/store/memory maker  –  in the last final days, and it was heartbreaking.  Below are a few pictures on the history of Sears – as I remember it and photographed  it.

Nothing stays the same.
And, at times, they simply vanish. 

        

“Ignorance and Want” What will this Holiday season bring?

Everything that is being written today is smoke and mirrors. Orchestrated to confuse what is “normal” living, or human behavior – with deviant behavior, and justifying it with the confusion. A person would have had to live in a vacuum not to have had some sexual flirtations or advances – people are sexual creatures.

But as my mom would say – “Mind your manners and respect other’s boundaries. AND if you don’t like the lifestyle – take yourself out of the given situation that causes you pain. Be responsible and accountable for your actions, Donna!””

Having lived within theater and music circles all of my life – I understand the lifestyle – it’s more familiar than a business setting. I accept (and welcome) it. But I’ve chosen those circles – nobody forced me to. Do I have boundaries and enforce them? Of course I do.  I also enforce my boundaries in business. Have we become so brain dead that we can’t decipher our own life choices? Or so robotic that we force all behavior to fit in or out of a “shaped” box which is dictated through tyranny or fascism?  This is playing conveniently into the Anti-Net Neutrality bill that the GOP is trying to force through.  Suppress and control.

In oppressed societies, historically – confusion, limited access to music or dancing or theater, what we read, how we speak and the economy – is controlled.  The entire planet fights against this…. Except the United States.

A huge fraction of social media lemmings, the GOP and those that vehemently defend their “vote” in this past Presidential election are welcoming (and orchestrating) losing our freedoms.  Those that oppose are sent to the gallows. How soon will it be that these supporters lose their personal freedoms and bellow to the heavens that they were duped?  Too late….everyone loses.

Sound familiar?  Follow your history from the ancient empires to Cuba to the ultimate terror: Nazi Germany.  It’s not new – it simply has a sleazy new coat and underneath?:  Ignorance and Want …… Ignorance and Want. 

The “Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future” are going to be very busy this holiday season….we can hope.  

RETAILER’s: Open on Holidays? Are we outraged or are we ignorant?

…… This is my take – Holidays mean 3 things to the average citizen:

• A paid day off from work (but not in retail)
• Football, Family, Food (But not in retail)
• Traditional family time (But not in retail).

So perhaps we shouldn’t leave it up to the hard working employees to suffer the consequences for our greed – perhaps we should support the retailers that choose to honor those employees with quality family time off, visit their stores (after the holiday) and simply NOT SHOP on holidays…..

There is the flip-side to this coin: Employees that don’t have or want family time.  Should they be forced to lose the income for those holidays?  Should the employer pay holiday pay to all that don’t work on holidays (this will never happen – perhaps for management – but not for the hourly workers) – or give them the choice to work?

There are always two sides (or many) to the coin.  Opinions??

The “CFPB”: Who they are and WHY we must protect this Financial Bureau!!!

Support the AG of MN Lori Swanson in protecting, yet another, much valued agency in citizen’s protection – in jeopardy of abolishment under the current administration:

“With all this greed, it is troubling that the financial industry wants to abolish the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”). The Bureau was established to be a consumer watchdog over the financial industry at the federal level. The industry says the CFPB needlessly intrudes into the free market with unnecessary consumer protections. Really? Let’s take a look:”……………………

Letter from AG Lori Swanson with Links

Please give the pdf above a moment of your time and write to your Congress and tell them we want protection from the banks and financial institutions to continue!!

Minnesota Members of Congress

U.S. Representatives	U.S. Senators
First District
Timothy J. Walz 1034 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-2472 Contact: Tim Walz contact form	Senator Al Franken United States Senate 309 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-5641 Contact Senator Franken
Second District
Jason Lewis 418 Cannon House Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-2271 Contact form: Jason Lewis contact form	Senator Amy Klobuchar United States Senate 302 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-3244 Amy Klobuchar contact form
Third District
Erik Paulsen 127 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515-2303 (202) 225-2871 Fax: (202) 225-6351 Erik Paulson contact form
Fourth District
Betty McCollum 1714 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-6631 Betty McCollum contact form
Fifth District
Keith Ellison 2244 Rayburn Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-4755 (202) 225-4886 fax Contact form: Keith Ellison contact page
Sixth District
Tom Emmer 503 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-2331 Tom Emmer contact form
Seventh District
Collin C. Peterson 2109 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-2165 Collin C. Peterson contact form
Eighth District
Rick Nolan 2447 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-6211 Rick Nolan contact form

Is the Legacy Marketing Professional extinct in today’s business arena?

I recently read a job posting for a
“Digital Marketing Coordinator” position (and have seen these increasingly over the past 10 years or so) which describes the position as follows:

“You will be a part of the Marketing Communications team and will
take on the launch of their new site as well as take on responsibility
for digital marketing strategy, campaigns, platforms, etc!  The right
fit will have;

– 2+ years’ experience in the digital marketing space
– Experience working in a very technical industry
– Strong background in all things digital (email, website, social,
SEO/SEM, Google AdWords, etc!)
– Writing chops

This team is looking for someone to come in and own the digital
marketing space, drive demand, and bring ideas to the table in a
knowledgeable and collaborative way. ”

Nice position, Right??

But….Note: The company is REALLY looking at 2 very separate positions – for the price of 1.
Don’t get me wrong – most creatives have a strong technical background (or at least, many do) but the true Marketing role is intense: Analytics, marketplace knowledge, market development and strategies, copy, print knowledge and MAJOR copy writing and visual placement “chops” – not to mention KILLER networking broad base knowledge and connects.
Now…throw in “all things digital”….Website maintenance? SEO/SEM, social media (daily, hourly, minute by minute – add Hootsuite and some of that is managed) – but you still have to come up with the copy and visuals.   ANYWAY………………

The point of this lengthy review is:

SHOUT OUT TO COMPANIES:  Hire what you need – know WHAT you need – and PAY for the expertise.

Defending Peace Production Services

Howling to the Moon…(as in Congress.)

Thought of the Day
(or 143 days to be exact)

We are working under a madman – a lunatic and coup – a rogue Congress that does NOT serve the people, and our planet is up for grabs. The press keeps trying to make SOME sense to this madman, his nonsensical speech, his…..crazy – and there is none to be had.

Are WE all insane? Is that what was and IS wanted by the Republican National Committee? What is the purpose of driving this country, its’ laws and respect into the ground and taking the rest of the planet with it?

Moral compass and humanity is in decay and we are being herded like Lemmings off the cliff – with evidently no voice or power to our millions of voices, as we howl to the moon (while there is one).

Let them eat cake….New Mantra

Today I read a response to a meme that shook me to the core.
By now, we’ve all seen the meme:

 

I wasn’t enraged because the response was vicious or cursed – on the contrary: It was elitist and dismissive and only one sentence:

“Mountains,out of mole hills….typical.”

Thus…it garnered an immediate response.  But NOT my typical response.  NO:

“It might be an entirely different “mole hill” if your daughter, wife or son was: black, gay, Jewish, disabled, sexually assaulted or abused, killed or raped.

Of course that never happens, does it? Or maybe it just doesn’t happen to you. And the defense of the assaulter can always state that “It’s just a mole hill” – can’t they? Now they can – now they have a green light.

THAT may now be the “typical” – let them eat cake. The Twitter feeds were lit up with “The minute T wins, I’m gonna grab me the nearest pussy.” (Hundreds literally) NONE of this is typical – and I’m offended to my very core.”

YES: I’m offended.
YES: I’m scared that hate, bigotry and permissiveness is the new Mantra of our highest office.  

And if YOU’RE not scared – your mountain must be very high indeed.

 

Do we STAND with the Water Protectors at Standing Rock or bow to corporate Dakota Access [DAPL]- rotters of our Planet?

 I believe that those who are invested in, or control the enterprises of, OIL look aside for the dividends that will eventually come – but how can we continue to step back from corporate control and enterprise, and watch the rest of the planet and peoples expire through abusive greed.

The common man surely is not benefiting from investment, and certainly not the Sioux …. and we will all suffer most severely after these rotters have long gone and lived high. How can they look at their children and grandchildren and say “But WE lived large, by destroying your future?” How can any of us?

     And where WHERE is our government? What are their stances on this and the other pipelines that are being laid??

So I throw this down to you legislators:  STEP UP!!! Show your worth!!!!!

Your Political Legacy

I believe that there must be – in each state a leader, an appointed official, a Governor or Representative – that the members of said state recalls as a “big mistake” – due to distrust of current leaders or recent or past economic/legislative undermining.

Please do not make the same mistake with Donald Trump. He is not anti-establishment, he is not anti-government.  He is anti-American Humanity.  This would be like handing the country over to Castro or Mussolini.  Who he is against will perish or go to war within the country and community.  Who he is for economically will gain.  Our military will turn into a gorilla mechanism – with no leader of experience – the humane military will leave the service and when war ensues the draft will be put back into place.

With no social or diplomatic skills, our allies will turn their backs on America.

The horror of this possibility unravels my sense of any security or faith in the America that I love.  How can the land of greatest opportunity and liberty blithely hand over our liberties to this media clown and look their children in the eyes and say
                                            “I’m voting for your future”.  

                                                                                                      – Donna Freeberg

Gun Control, Political Agenda, Human and Disability Rights…….

To all of my FB, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram followers and friends:
Hereby unfriend, untweet, unpin and unchat me……if you want to sway
my opinions and convictions on:

A) Massive gun control for assault and automatic
weapons – I believe that they do kill people. Period.
Also, If you spend more time defending your
weaponry than you do defending and assisting the
daily rights and options for disabled, homeless and
poor – or fighting bigotry
………….Please unfriend me.

B) Women’s rights and Planned Parenthood: I believe
that women have the right to own their reproduction.
Period. I believe that the organizations that uphold
these hard earned rights and medical services should
be supported and upheld.

C) That political agendas should be unmasked
(on all sides) and only work for the benefit of all people – not the wealthy –
but for the average working American.  I also believe that there
will never be a true democracy without socialized medicine and
uniform drug and pharmaceutical regulations.

If it is your opinion that the thought of the day is more important than a friendship or a human’s well being – if you think that your “post” will sway ethical and moral convictions that have taken 60 years to develop………..absolutely, unfriend me.  I’ll survive…. guaranteed.