They Distort, You Decide July 19, 2004February 27, 2017 BETTER THAN MILES? This is new – who knows if they will stay in business. But between the rebates they promise on merchandise, and the 2% promised from their no-annual-fee MBNA Visa card, Stockback could conceivably pay you more than enough to cover the cost of your subscription to this column. It’s sold as a way to channel rebates straight into your mutual fund or other investment account. But you can also just have them send you a check every time your credit reaches $25 or more. Spend $1,000 at the Gap and get $70 back (5% rebate plus 2% from the card). Hmmm. REMEMBER FISH? To those to whom all this environmental carping seems so tedious, this may be of interest. Snippet: “This is no sudden crash, but rather an extremely slow-speed fatal collision,” Carl Safina, founder of the conservationist Blue Ocean Institute on Long Island in New York, told The Associated Press. For decades, he said, the world has moved blindly toward a precipice. “We have been confronted with signs and warnings and a clear view of the danger. And now we have fallen off. We may deserve it, but our children do not.” Safina reflected views heard in a broad range of interviews in North America and Europe, from environmental activists to government-funded specialists charged with helping to set fishing limits. Some are more optimistic, arguing that careful management can restore stocks to sustainable levels, but none dispute that urgent action is essential. So, okay – who do we bomb? Actually, it’s one of those world-cooperation problems we just might come to grips with under a new administration – but only if people do become sufficiently alarmed. In the meantime, here’s something you can put in your wallet to remind you whether it’s okay to order anchovies on your pizza. THEY DISTORT, YOU DECIDE I watched Outfoxed tonight. It’s a faced-paced $10 DVD horror movie. Buy one and throw a house party to watch it. Ask everyone to bring a bottle of wine but conveniently ‘forget’ where you keep the corkscrew and serve Dr. Pepper instead. (It’s so good for you!) That will keep them wide awake during the movie and you get to keep 15 bottles of wine that would have cost $150. You net $125 on the party ($150 less the $10 DVD and the case of Dr. Pepper) and open some eyes to what Fox News really is. Tomorrow: Just Because He’s Smarter and Got More Votes Doesn’t Mean He’s Wrong