DOUCHEBAG OF THE WEEK: NETFLIX

Another no brainer this week. Let see them runner ups.

1)Heroin- While I do advocate the decriminalization/legalization of drugs, don't think they won't come with consequences. One of the worst offenders of this is, without a doubt, heroin, a drug that destroys lives and the people near them. I found out this week that a kid I know, all of eighteen years old, is hopelessly hooked on heroin. He's stealing from his friends and is now a marked man for the most part. Having had to leave the one safe place he's been at for the past few years, he's been forced back into living with an abusive, alcoholic dad and the grandfather they both regularly rip off for drug and alcohol money. The horror stories I've heard how this family operates is nothing short of disturbing. I feel bad for the kid, knowing that he's thrown any chance of a normal life away and the almost certainty that he'll be dead before the end of the year. Either he's going to rip off the wrong person or the drug lifestyle will simply catch up to him. Just plain sad.

2)Rupert Murdoch- In tomorrow's post, I am going to eviscerate Fox and Friends for the douchebags they are by sticking up Rupert Murdock. The police there arrested Rebekah Brooks, Murdoch's surrogate daughter and former newspaper chief for Newscorp just as the police chief stepped down due to impropriety on his part. The whole thing reveals a close bond between the police, newspapers and the government which should make any free man tremble. These three separate areas conspired together to do every bit of wrong doing they could think of and hope not to get caught. Oops. The editor for the Wall Street Journal resigned the other day as the scandal looks to be heading here next. What will we find out if it does? Either way, his empire is in tatters.

3)Any movie out this week that wasn't Harry Potter- Shattering records, Harry Potter pulled in 168 million dollars in the box office this week and almost 500 million worldwide. Way to go Harry.

4)Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher- Cruise signed on to do the Lee Child book One Shot, a Jack Reacher novel. An ex MP, Reacher is described at 6'5 and 250 pounds of muscle. Tom Cruise doesn't exactly come to mind. Nice casting.

5)Republicans- Only outdid this week by Netflix absolute stupidity, the GOP announced this week that were ready to make a deal. Unfortunately for everyone else, it is exactly the same plan foisted about and rejected weeks ago. It's Groundhog Day with this bunch. Bill Maher made the same comparison I did with the Republicans acting just like Arafat getting the best deal he could have hoped for with the Israelis who then spit it back in their face because he didn't get everything he wanted. Since then, Palestine life has been a living hell due mostly to one idiot. The GOP is doing the exact same. Time is running out to avoid Armageddon. If there is no deal by Friday, we are so screwed. Bet on it.

6)Sarah Palin-Her new movie opened this week to the thunderous applause of, well, nobody. The film tanked in limited releases, grossing less than three thousand a theater for a gross total of 30,000 dollars. Yuck. Even if the film cost 100,000, which is unlikely, it's still a huge failure. One theater critic said the only people in his showing were two women who walked out 20 minutes in and a couple more interested in making out than watching the film. He said he had tears in his ears, it was so unintentionally funny. Sounds like a great movie to rent one day and laugh and laugh and laugh.

7)Netflix- One of the worst run companies in America right now is without a doubt. Reed Hastings has badly misjudged the market again which seems odd given the earlier success of the rental outlet. He crippled his market earlier when he agreed to delay some new releases by 28 days, buoyed by the theory that people would buy more DVD's rather than rent. Wrong as people just waited the extra 28 days or worse, left Netflix for every other company that had no such policy. No comes word that Netflix is separating their streaming from rentals and jacking the price 60% for both. In a struggling economy people are looking to streamline their costs. Raising prices will give every person who had been on the fence a good shove to get rid of the service. Worse, people mad at you are going to jettison your company for Red Box, Blockbuster or On Demand. 5000 people quit the first day this was announced and shares fell 4% already. Great business model. What's next? Set the place on fire and what a week to decide to call the fire department? You're and idiot and douchebag Reed Hastings. So congratulations for being douchebag of the week.