So just about the same time the American Journal of Health is reporting a new study from Carnegie Mellon University that says:  "Menu labeling does not help consumers make better food choices," Starbucks is announcing plans to post calorie information on menus nationwide.

Dear James, do you remember back in 1970 when our lives were still ahead of us and only our idyllic youth could be spotted in the rear view mirror? That was an awesome time.

We know Sam Walton. We respect Jim Sinegal. We admire Sol Price. But there was another retail giant – a true pioneer – who is too often forgotten or overlooked in today's crowded marketplace: John F. Geisse. To know John Geisse is to love him.

Sometimes I think the further we advance, the closer we come to where we were... and that's a good thing. Consider Google Glass or the Apple iWatch. These technologies are more than simply amazing.

In case you haven't noticed, Walmart is angry – presumably on our behalf – that grocery store chains are selling groceries at "regular" prices and incentivizing consumers with fuel discounts.  So Walmart is running a bunch of TV ads comparing its discount grocery prices to the regular grocery store prices.  And when I say a bunch of ads, I mean about 1,500 different TV spots for local market consumption.  According to the ads, Walmart prices – head-to-head – are better.

Seriously, I am not a nut about privacy.  I mean for the most part, like Popeye, I am what I am... not a lot of deep, dark secrets (though I am sure I have a few).  And once I get to know people, I tend to open up relative to how much I like and/or trust each person I meet.

So you're planning a grand opening in a new market.  Market research, media announcements, ground breakings, local sponsorships, advertising, hiring events, community breakfasts and luncheons, celebrity spokespersons, ribbon cuttings and tours.  So little time and so much to do with such small budgets.

Let me start by saying that of all the social media platforms, including YouTube, I love the idea of Vine best.  Seriously, what could be better than a six-second video?

Remember that classic Seinfeld episode in which Java World offers Kramer free coffee for life to settle a lawsuit?  Poor Cosmo had no idea they were also prepared to give him $50,000. And eventually the effects of all that caffeine forced Kramer to swear off the java juice, netting him a fairly valueless settlement.

And by "lost" I mean Gilligan's Island. I mean seriously, what in the name of Neptune and Poseidon is going on at JC Penney? First you fire the skipper (Myron Ullman) because the S.S. Minnow is lost at sea.  Sales are flat, the JCPenney image is out of touch and Ullman just isn't getting the job done.