What’s wrong with Kroger?

Kroger used to be my favorite grocery store. However, the recent experience did shock me:

1) misleading price tags: for example, the white nectarines were tagged with a huge 99c , but I was charged $2.49/lb, later when I was in customer service, and was told it was the price after you first apply the digital coupon. The same for the fruit bars, listed as $5.49, but there was a very small fine print on the side which was not so visible to most of us: ” when you buy 5 or more”;

2) dishonest practice: when I went to the car, I found that the customer service refunded the price difference only for 1.95 pounds of white nectarine while in my original receipt I purchased 2 pounds, it’s just about $.13 short so I did not bother, but seriously not sure how would this have happened?

3) customer service is getting worse When we went to buy the birthday cake around 7:30pm and asked if someone could write something on the cake, the lady who was packaging the cookies saying we were too late for this, even if all the materials are nearby and all it took is just a minute or two! We never experienced in Kroger like this before. In addition, when we were in customer/ money service waited for quite some time, no one was there. I had to ask a staff nearby to let him find someone in customer service. When I mentioned the misleading price tags in the store, the lady in customer service didn’t seem to care, saying “I was only working here”. No wonder the Kroger is not the Kroger we used to visit!

死磕比利·戴维斯

“我们要求在这个大家庭里,在生活的竞赛里,有平等的机会。”。

– 19世纪美国华人平等权利联盟主席、美国民权运动先驱王清福

据美国福克斯电视台印第安纳频道“Fox 59”当地时间1月12日报道,印第安纳布卢明顿警方逮捕了一名56岁女子比利·戴维斯 (,后者坦承于当地时间11日下午用一把折叠刀刺伤一名18岁亚裔女子头部七次。嫌犯宣称,她的作案动机是因为认为受害人是“中国人”,杀死她“就会少一个来炸我们国家的人”。

报道称,就读于印第安纳大学的受害人是在下公交车时被袭击的,涉案女子与受害人同乘一辆公交车。受害人被送往医院后,医生称其头部有多处刺伤。法庭文件显示,受害者是亚洲人,此次袭击的作案动机或出于种族歧视。

报道援引调查人员的说法称,根据监控录像,可以看到嫌犯从口袋里取出刀具,刺伤受害人七次,然后把刀放回口袋,并能若无其事、旁若无人、不受任何阻拦地回到自己的座位上。受害人和涉案女子在袭击发生前没有任何互动。警方称,在他们到达前,袭击者已经逃走,但另一名公交车乘客跟踪了嫌犯,并帮助警察找到嫌犯下落。目前,执法部门指控比利·戴维斯涉嫌杀人未遂。目前还不清楚她是否也会被指控实施一次仇恨犯罪,因为受害人是一名亚裔(而不是中国人)。

比利·戴维斯

在美国,不知道这是第几次针对亚裔和华人的仇恨犯罪了。

但是,既然这一次比利·戴维斯是专门冲着华人而来,我们别无选择:

我们必须

死磕比利·戴维斯。

因为这起案件的受害者可能是你,可能是我,可能是我们从大学校车刚下车的儿女,甚或是远道而来探望我们的父母。

如果这次我们不去阻止,不能让正义得以伸张,某一天在我们乘坐公共汽车的时候,头上被刺的可能就是我们。

因为仇恨者如比利·戴维斯,他们要杀的是华人或亚裔,不管你来自大陆,台湾,韩国或亚洲任何地方,也不管你的职位或地位。他们针对的是一个族群。

死磕比利·戴维斯, 意味着我们要关注该案的进展,确保公检法要将比利·戴维斯绳之以法,让正义真正得以伸张。特别需要注意的是,该案明显是针对华人的仇恨犯罪,因为嫌犯宣称,她的作案动机是因为受害人是“中国人”,杀死她“就会少一个来炸我们国家的人”。如果最终的法院判决中没有仇恨犯罪,对华人群体将是非常不公平的。

死磕比利·戴维斯,意味着华人作为一个群体,每人做自己力所能及的事:

— 在美国社交媒体和主流媒体发出自己的声音,谴责针对华人的仇恨犯罪;

— 在美华人特别是印第安纳州的华人,尽量在本案开庭日旁听法庭庭审,展示华人的团结和对该案的关心;

— 对被害人表示慰问并表示关切,因为被害的可能就是你我,比利·戴维斯对她的犯罪就是对你我的侮辱和伤害。

随着中美关系降温,这种仇恨犯罪如不及时制止,必会变本加厉。

死磕比利·戴维斯,我们别无选择。

有人说,美国华人人口太少,我们也许做不了什么,“人为刀俎,我为鱼肉”。

果真如此吗?

让我们看看历史上华人对美国民权运动的特殊贡献。

益和诉霍普金斯案

美国南北战争胜利后,通过了三条宪法修正案。其中第十四修正案被称为平等保护条款,规定各州在其保护范围内不得拒绝给予任何人法律的平等保护。但是此后的许多年里,美国最高法院都非常狭隘地解释这一修正案。结果,地方政府在其管辖范围内可以很大程度地侵害少数族裔的自由和权利。

1886年, 旧金山被美国白人打压的一位华裔洗衣店老板被旧金山警官抓捕。当时在加州仅仅有不到5万华人,而官方性质的排华让华人任何抗争都难上加难。但是我们的先辈们团结一致,以巨大的努力把案件一直诉讼到最高法院。此案在美国最高法院得到了开先例的裁决,彻底改变了对第十四修正案的传统解释。在这个判决中,美国第一次在法律上明确写下“原告人的权利。。。并不因为他们是异族或中国国民而减少”。

益和诉霍普金斯案的判决是美国宪法史最重要最著名的25个判决之一。

黄金德诉美国“出生公民权”案

美国公民权之认定,兼采属地与属人,即承认出生于美国的、及父或母是美国公民的子女的公民权。这一原则的法律依据来自1895年华人黄金德一直打到美国高法的司法判决。正是黄金德案的判决明确并巩固了美国宪法第十四修正案中的“属地主义原则”。美国非裔人口一半以上来自二战后移民美国的非洲人。这些人的子女所以能获得美国国籍都源于黄金德对抗美国政府诉讼案的判决。而不是“正是因为非裔美国人反对种族主义归化法,亚裔美国人才获得了公民身份”。

在一百多年前美国全面排华的大环境下,人单势孤、财乏位卑的在美华人进行法律诉讼,其压力即使不能说比一百年后的我们更大,也绝对是同等难度的。除了这些成功的诉讼,也有一些没有成功的。正是这些努力的结果,构成了美国60年代实力可观的民权运动的前提。如果他们在那样恶劣的环境下能够团结一致,为自己的权利抗争,今天的我们没有理由沉默,任由仇恨亚裔的情绪在美国蔓延。

让我们比利·戴维斯死磕到底。

写于2023年1月15日,马丁路德金纪念日前夕

腾远海外中文《腾远海外中文》杂志。 中文、科技、趣味与中文教学 Chinese learning, Sautéed with fun and technology公众号

友情提醒:轻触上面的“腾远海外中文”,订阅该杂志

相关文章:

寻找古代中国国菜 – 葵 (一)

寻找古代中国国菜 – 葵 (二):今日一睹芳容

注:我所说的诸多种种,都是不可置信的。

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图片授权基于:CC0协议

作者:绪蜚
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QQQ snapshot, as of August 20, 2022, Saturday

QQQ YTD Return Table
Start date:
12/31/2021

End date:
08/19/2022

Start price/share:
$397.85

End price/share:
$322.86

Starting shares:
25.14

Ending shares:
25.21

Dividends reinvested/share:
$0.96

QQQ YTD return:
-18.60%

Annualized Gain:
-29.51%

Starting investment:
$10,000.00

Ending investment:
$8,140.00

QQQ YTD return is presented with the assumption of reinvestments of any dividends on ex-date.

SPX:

QQQ snapshot, as of Jul 13, 2022

SPY is still trending low, no reversing trend present, yet.

QQQ YTD return as of Jul 13, 2022: (source: https://www.ytdreturn.com/qqq/)

Market depth:

History persective (source: macrotrends):

Historical daily share price chart and data for Invesco QQQ since 1999 adjusted for splits. The latest closing stock price for Invesco QQQ as of July 13, 2022 is 285.65.

  • The all-time high Invesco QQQ stock closing price was 403.99 on November 19, 2021.
  • The Invesco QQQ 52-week high stock price is 408.71, which is 43.1% above the current share price.
  • The Invesco QQQ 52-week low stock price is 269.28, which is 5.7% below the current share price.
  • The average Invesco QQQ stock price for the last 52 weeks is 352.97.

为什么投资美国股市|卖房买股|Schwab

分享几个最近听的Podcast (本人声明跟以下网站和个人没有任何关系):

1. https://clark.com/podcasts/03-29-22-affordable-cities-for-renters-where-the-deals-are/

1a Clark提到Schwab是美国唯一一家承诺对网络欺诈给予赔付的证券商;

1b 主持人列出全美房租最低的城市,其中北达科他州有些城市月租低至800美元,这更坚定了我们卖房投资股市的信心。如果目前可Pledge的3%不够多,可以从这些城市住起,等到市场成长、qqq助推我们资产上涨可以Pledge更多3%时,可以租更满意的房,最后达到全世界随便选房、甚至住五星酒店的崇高境界:-)。

2. https://www.choosefi.com/why-does-the-stock-market-go-up-brian-feroldi-ep-371/

Brian Feroldi 是投资界新星,著有《Why Does The Stock Market Go Up?》一书。他分享了为什么投资股市,为什么市场一直会涨,从另一个角度坚定我们投资qqq的信心,尤其他在Podcast中提到,美国自有股市以来,如果拟投资股市、指数20年,你的成功率是100%,对,百分之百!

About housing- to rent:

1. Wichita, Kansas

Wichita is more than the birthplace of Pizza Hut and White Castle (both true), it also happens to have the lowest weighted average rent on this list — at $765 a month. Low rent paired with a healthy median household income of $52,620 gives this city in south-central Kansas a super-low rent-to-income ratio of 17.4%. – source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/eviecarrick/most-affordable-cities-for-renters-in-2021

About housing – to buy:

1. Indiana

Population: 6,805,985

Median household income: $58,235

Median home price: $148,900

From the cool city vibes of Indianapolis, to the hip college town of Bloomington, to an area known affectionately as “the Region,” which is home to the wonderfully wacky annual Pierogi Fest and is just a short train ride from Chicago, the Hoosier state has a lot to offer.

It’s also the most affordable place to live on our list, with a housing cost ratio of 24%.

— source: https://www.rockethomes.com/blog/home-buying/cheapest-state-to-buy-a-house

Market Snapshot 8/3/21

SymbolClose Price$ Change Today% Change Today21′ YTD Change %
IWMIWM220.860.910.4112.65
QQQQQQ366.812.210.6116.92
DIADIA351.092.730.7814.81
SPYSPY441.153.560.8117.99
VBRVBR171.281.450.8520.44
GLDGLD169.49-0.16-0.09-4.97
SGOLSGOL17.400-4.81
TLTTLT150.750.080.05-4.43
VGSHVGSH61.540.010.02-0.10
VIOGVIOG228.150.750.3316.00
VIOVVIOV174.451.460.8424.23
UUPUUP24.750.010.042.10
VIXVIX17.93-1.53-7.86-21.19
XLEXLE49.860.841.7131.56
XLFXLF36.940.411.1225.31
XLVXLV134.171.841.3918.27
XLUXLU66.860.380.576.63
XLREXLRE46.590.190.4127.43
XLKXLK153.830.980.6418.31
XLBXLB83.860.861.0415.84
XLIXLI103.991.361.3317.44
XLPXLP71.550.340.486.08
XLYXLY182.291.340.7413.38
XLCXLC81.83-0.37-0.4521.27
ARKKARKK120.22-0.9-0.74-3.43
VXUSVXUS65.640.430.669.11
EEMEEM52.190.220.421.01
VWOVWO51.660.130.253.09
VEAVEA52.40.370.7110.99
VGKVGK69.330.50.7315.09
INDAINDA45.811.052.3513.90
FXIFXI40.81-0.31-0.75-12.10
DXJDXJ60.680.330.5511.50
ILFILF30.140.240.82.69
MCDMCD236.95-3.11-1.310.43
HDHD331.944.721.4424.97
LOWLOW193.952.991.5720.83
TJXTJX68.981.031.521.01
EMNEMN111.77-0.11-0.111.46
COPCOP56.641.262.2841.64
UNHUNH421.96.331.5220.31

Market Snapshot from DengSoft, 06/25/21

SymbolClose Price$ Change Today% Change Today21′ YTD Change %
IWMIWM232.280.390.1718.47
QQQQQQ349.46-0.43-0.1211.39
DIADIA344.452.470.7212.64
SPYSPY426.611.510.3614.10
VBRVBR176.091.320.7623.82
GLDGLD166.590.550.33-6.60
SGOLSGOL17.080.040.23-6.56
TLTTLT142.01-1.49-1.04-9.97
VGSHVGSH61.41-0.01-0.02-0.31
VIOGVIOG229.260.180.0816.56
VIOVVIOV185.20.220.1231.89
UUPUUP24.69001.86
VIXVIX15.62-0.35-2.19-31.34
XLEXLE55.340.290.5346.02
XLFXLF36.930.441.2125.27
XLVXLV125.70.570.4610.81
XLUXLU63.980.681.072.04
XLREXLRE44.690.320.7222.24
XLKXLK145.23-0.17-0.1211.70
XLBXLB82.130.010.0113.45
XLIXLI102.350.20.215.58
XLPXLP69.680.530.773.31
XLYXLY177.931.120.6310.67
XLCXLC80.650.10.1219.52
ARKKARKK125.490.210.170.80
VXUSVXUS66.410.30.4510.39
EEMEEM55.50.460.847.41
VWOVWO54.560.440.818.88
VEAVEA52.220.170.3310.61
VGKVGK68.330.140.2113.43
INDAINDA44.460.030.0710.54
FXIFXI47.110.881.91.46
DXJDXJ61.850.260.4213.65
ILFILF31.83-0.45-1.398.45
MCDMCD232.42-0.91-0.398.31
HDHD313.631.790.5718.07
LOWLOW192.660.910.4720.03
TJXTJX67.530.560.84-1.11

Market snapshot, 6/15/21

SymbolClose Price$ Change Today% Change Today21′ YTD Change %
IWMIWM230.36-0.66-0.2917.49
QQQQQQ342.26-2.25-0.659.09
DIADIA343.41-0.89-0.2612.30
SPYSPY424.48-0.78-0.1813.53
VBRVBR177.740.310.1724.98
GLDGLD174.05-0.66-0.38-2.42
SGOLSGOL17.85-0.08-0.45-2.35
TLTTLT141.05-0.17-0.12-10.58
VGSHVGSH61.5200-0.13
VIOGVIOG227.73-0.09-0.0415.79
VIOVVIOV187.020.790.4233.19
UUPUUP24.350.020.080.45
VIXVIX17.020.633.84-25.19
XLEXLE56.191.051.948.26
XLFXLF37.240.070.1926.32
XLVXLV124.70.040.039.93
XLUXLU66.450.20.35.98
XLREXLRE45.28-0.42-0.9223.85
XLKXLK142.53-0.88-0.619.62
XLBXLB84.88-0.18-0.2117.25
XLIXLI103.480.440.4316.86
XLPXLP70.73-0.17-0.244.86
XLYXLY172.34-0.92-0.537.19
XLCXLC79.88-0.46-0.5718.38
ARKKARKK115.09-3.24-2.74-7.55
VXUSVXUS67.44-0.06-0.0912.10
EEMEEM55.06-0.38-0.696.56
VWOVWO54.51-0.37-0.678.78
VEAVEA53.30.010.0212.90
VGKVGK70.360.010.0116.80
INDAINDA45.01-0.19-0.4211.91
FXIFXI45.58-0.63-1.36-1.83
DXJDXJ62.50.330.5314.85
ILFILF31.68-0.07-0.227.94