What’s in a name?

Tough week for Wal-Mart.

First The Los Angeles Times wins a Pulitzer Prize for its unflattering series "The Wal-Mart Effect."

Then Wal-Mart loses a ballot measure to build a store in Inglewood, Calif.

I am a disciple of George Bailey and Frank Capra. Almost any political question in America can be subjected to the It's a Wonderful Life Test: Is this action good for Bedford Falls? Or is it only good for Old Man Potter? Old Man Potter would've loved Wal-Mart.

But anyway, I mainly just wanted to draw your attention to this quote:

''We are disappointed that a small group of Inglewood leaders together with representatives of outside special interests were able to convince a majority of Inglewood voters that they don't deserve the job opportunities and shopping choices that others in the L.A. area enjoy,'' Wal-Mart spokesman Bob McAdam said.

I would suggest that if you are the world's largest company and are criticized far and wide for paving over vast tracts of land, thus creating drainage and traffic-flow problems for miles around with acres and acres of pavement, maybe it's best not to have a spokesman named "McAdam."

Update: (after minor grammatical fix) Okay, that was probably a bit elliptical.

John Loudon McAdam was the Scotsman who more or less invented pavement. His name lives on in such words as "tarmac." (And I've always found it evocative that the man who made it possible to pave paradise and put up a parking lot was named, literally, "son of Adam.")