Here at the Bwog, we're fans of the underdog, the little guy, you know, the little train that could so to speak. So when it comes to consumerism, corporations and all that jazz, we support locally-owned independent businesses. As detailed in the current issue of The Blue and White, Morningside Heights unfortunately has succumbed to the fetters of the chain gang in recent years.

But today, November 22nd is America Unchained Day, a holiday celebrating locally-owned businesses that have remained free from corporate conquest. No holiday, however, can be properly celebrated without an obligatory sale. You've heard of Memorial Day sales, you've heard of Independence Day sales, you've heard of Labor Day sales, but today Book Culture brings you something new - an America Unchained Day Sale! From now until 8 PM, Book Culture, is hosting a special one day sale and book event: 10% off everything in the store, excluding text books and periodicals!

The sale offers an excellent way to get started on your holiday shopping and at the same to make the most of your money. And the best part is this is conscientious consumerism: you'll be supporting (and injecting potentially millions more dollars) into the local economy. Tis the season, after all.

Don't forget, you can also embrace the spirit of the holiday at other locally owned Morningside Heights establishments, like Janoff's, Mondel's Chocolate and if you're feeling particularly charitable, the Morningside Bookshop.

Today is Veterans Day, but the local RiteAid has already fallen victim to a vicious attack by Christmas decorations.

Bwog assumes the ladder is temporary.

RiteAid is not the first victim of this offensive -- others include Starbucks and Duane Reade (all the way back in September). If your friends or favorite establishment come down with this "early mistletoe" disease, please let Bwog know.

Oh look, here is a depressing thing: Duane Reade has already begun stocking up on Christmas decorations. In hopes that these were actually just leftovers from last year, Bwog checked with the salesperson who confirmed that yes, these are new for the season.

So if you're looking to start your Christmas paraphernalia collection early, at least they're really cheap, what with this being September and everything.

The Eye maintains that the following things suck:

Days on Campus sucks.

No, seriously, Days on Campus sucks. And it lies to you.

Conspicuous consumption sucks. (Unless it's a $355 bikini.)

Passover does not suck. But Wikipedia ... does?

Christmas shopping in New York is a bitch--there's so much, and it's so expensive, and expectations of wonderful gifts from the Big City are so high that it's tempting just to throw in the towel altogether. Christmas shops, then, can furnish a partial solution to the problem of finding ten things for ten people in the waning hours before your plane/train/parent's Subaru departs. And even if you're not out to buy, the seasonal clusters of small businesses that set up shop at Columbus Circle, Bryant Park, and Union Square every December are worth a gander for their wondrous wares.

Columbus Circle - 59th and Central Park West

This open-air smorgasord of jewelry, apparel, and other sundries may be overpriced, but it's a bargain compared to the sticker shockers across the street in Time Warner Center. With the Park next door and the narrow, curved aisles, it feels a bit like a labyrinthine mountain village. This year there is a disappointing lack of food samples.

Bwog correspondent Alex Weinberg couldn't pass up another 99 cent store, which called to him "like sirens beckoning Greek sailors towards the rocks." Here are the wonders he encountered:

- A toy CD player with 4 discs included. The discs don't spin, but they still manage to contain about 40 children's songs each, most of them Christmas carols. When I pressed a button on the CD player, it began issuing an intermittent metallic groaning. Imagine a robot with heavy asthma. The off button did nothing to stop the noise and people were starting to give me looks, so I left the store in shame.

- Some plastic tea cups with a note saying, "Welcome to Degustation / That's Great!!!"

- A large metal hoop draped with plastic chains. The chains are lined with clothespins, and they end with a startling metal hook. No explanation is provided.

- A squirt gun labeled "HHO Dream." I've never been good at chemistry, so I'm not certain if "HHO" is a technically correct way of writing H2O. However, I do know that it's a bad idea to inscribe "I have a dream. . . " on a plastic water pistol, especially when it's being sold in a dollar store on Martin Luther King Boulevard.

- Rubber balloons with the ominous warning, "Wash before inflate."

David Iscoe reports on secular advantages to Kosher-for-Passover food.

In many ways, for food lovers, religious dietary restrictions are horrible. It's not that I can't imagine a life in which I couldn't eat a cheesesteak, it's just that I imagine that life would suck.

The laws cut both ways, however. Sometimes, religious laws act as a de facto protest against the race to the bottom in terms of food quality. For example, halal and kosher meats are often considered to be higher quality, the difference due to restrictions on how the animals can be raised and slaughtered. In the case of Passover, which begins Monday night, laws proscribing processed grain include a ban on products containing high fructose corn syrup, which is cheaper than sugar in part due to us having far more corn than we know what to do with (the latest idea is to make fuel out of it, which has caused rising corn demand and crippling tortilla inflation).

Companies that value the kosher market more than the cost differential release a seasonal Kosher-for-passover variety. While Jewish purists need to buy these products for the duration of pesach, food and beverage purists choose to stock up on them for the rest of the year. One of the most common instances of this is Coca-Cola with sucrose (generally beet sugar) instead of high fructose corn syrup - identifiable by its yellow-capped two liter bottles, with the words "kosher l'pesach" written in Hebrew along with the kosher for passover symbol - check out this NPR interview with a Coke-head for an expert analysis of the difference in taste. Cane sugar Dr. Pepper has a similar fandom, although acquiring it is a regional rather than seasonable matter - Texas Jewboys and soda lovers alike can get the good stuff from the Dublin, Texas plant which produces Dr. Pepper the old way all year round.

The Quest for the Perfect Egg Cream After the Jump

If you are a typical broke college student — you know, the one who has reached the point of sneaking Tupperware into campus study breaks and gotten into the habit of scrounging for paid psychology experiments — chances are you're having trouble fulfilling the financial obligations of the holiday season. Luckily, our very own Columbia Bookstore is a burrow of cheapness just waiting to be explored (conveniently, most parents don't check whether your Flex dollars are going towards textbooks or trinkets). Not exactly Bloomingdales, but who has the time to fight the Madison Avenue matrons? Here are a few of Bwog holiday contributor Maryam Parhizkar's suggestions on what to check out in the holiday treasure trove below Lerner Hall.

Window decals. Last holiday season I thought my father was being generous when he gave me a hefty sum of cash for Christmas. I found out a week later that this was his very subtle way of saying, "Guess what you got this year: another semester of a college education!" This year, I am buying my father a Columbia University decal to put on the back of his car as a way of thanking him for his very considerate gift last year. These babies go from $2.48 to $5.98, depending on size and quality.

Neuhaus Chocolate Bars. These 45-gram chocolate bars from Belgium are a bit of a splurge at $3.50 if you're on a tight budget, but they are quite the treat for that special person in your life. There's a wide assortment of gourmet flavors, but I personally recommend the crispy gianduja (hazelnut) white chocolate bar. If you're feeling especially generous, take your pick of three and stack them together with a ribbon on top. Find them at the front of bookstore by the cashier's desk.

Columbia Pencils (3-pack). What better way to initiate that recent applicant into Columbia life than with their very own set of old-school wooden Columbia school supplies? Besides, they're much more subtle than a sweatshirt, so if April notifications don't go their way at least you won't feel as awkward. These are also ideal for that kid in your Calc class who always asks you for a writing utensil and never returns it. Columbia fat pens also available. $1.98.