"Disaster struck with no warning out of a faultlessly clear blue sky," writes Michael Dobbs, a reporter whose brother owns an island in Sri Lanka. At least 22,000 are dead, according to the LA Times, from a tsunami in Indonesia.

What can we say about that? It's an unspeakable disaster.

The Labor Organization "Jobs with Justice" has elected Wal-Mart the "Grinch of the year."

From their site: "As the United States' largest retailer and largest employer, Wal-Mart is a driving force in setting wage standards wherever its stores are located. Despite nearly $9 billion in profits, its wages are so low that many employees are eligible for food stamps. Even so, local taxpayers often finance Wal-Mart's expansion through tax breaks and development incentives. Wal-Mart has created such high barriers to qualify for its health care benefits, that many workers are left dependent on publicly financed medical services, a largely hidden taxpayer subsidy. According to a research study in California, Wal-Mart workers seek $86 million a year in state aid because of inadequate wages and benefits. In effect, Wal-mart cleverly shifts a portion of its labor costs to the public. Earlier this year, Wal-Mart admitted that it routinely locked overnight workers in its stores. Wal-Mart was also sued this year in the largest sex-discrimination case in history, brought on behalf of about 1.6 million current and former employees."

Always low prices. Always low standards.