John B. Marek

In the Frasier episode “A Tsar Is Born,” Martin, Niles and Frasier get into an argument (what are the odds?) about which television show to watch. Frasier and Niles want to watch a highbrow PBS presentation, while Martin wants to watch a game show. It takes them a few minutes to realize they are talking about the same program, “Antiques Roadshow.” There are similarly mixed opinions about my favorite online comedy show, which streams live daily and is watched by millions of people, many of whom believe they are visiting a shopping site.  I love “The Onion,” and the comedy specials on Netflix and Amazon Prime are often hilarious, but for my money, Wish.com is far and away the funniest thing on the internet. Whether consciously or not, the site combines humor, sex, violence, mystery, and gambling in one neat package. It is effectively the Las Vegas of online shopping: You can laugh at the ridiculous products, peruse hundreds of highly innovative X-rated goods, buy a variety of means t...

Five years ago this week, I interviewed for the job as economic development director for Anson County. It was a hot day in Uptown Wadesboro, even for late July, with the temperature sneaking into the mid-90s and an unrelenting sun beating down on the asphalt of Wade and  Greene streets.  My interview was scheduled for late afternoon, and I arrived in town 30 minutes early, not knowing for sure how long the drive would take, and determined not to be late. Since I had a little time, I parked on Greene Street in front of Lacy’s and strolled around town, ducking briefly into H.W. Little Hardware and Parson’s Drug Store. I was wearing a dark blue suit, which was great for an interview, but a little uncomfortable pounding the pavement on a sunny July day. I was just a little sweaty by the time I crossed the street to the Chamber of Commerce for my appointment.  The interview was conducted by what seemed like half the population of the county. I brought six copies of my resume, ...