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From Blorge and Engadget: the iTunes Store has passed Best Buy to become the number two music retailer in the USA. Wal-Mart is still number one.

Apple says 50 million customers have bought over 4 billion songs, with 20 million sold on Christmas day alone.

USA: Researchers claim that the state of California provides indirect subsidies to Wal-Mart of $86 million, in the form of government assistance to underpaid Wal-Mart employees. Sounds like a reasonable set of assumptions to me. Can you hear those prices falling? Or do you hear your taxes rising? Yet another reason to avoid Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club.

Hawaii: Removal of ancient bones halts work at Wal-Mart - The Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii’s Newspaper: Wal-Mart lies, and the past is coming back to haunt them. Is northern Arkansas urbanized, too? “An archaeologist has determined that some of the 42 sets of remains that have been found at six burial spots on the Wal-Mart property may be from the 1853 smallpox epidemic that struck Honolulu. The state has determined, in consultation with the O’ahu Burial Council and cultural descendants, that those remains will be moved to a reburial site on the property, rather than left where they were found or grouped with other iwi kupuna at another location. A preconstruction survey of the site had concluded that the property had been urbanized for so long, it was unlikely any remains would be found. Wal-Mart repeatedly has said it met or exceeded state requirements, including performing an archaeological survey of the site, hiring an archaeologist to be on hand during digging, stopping work immediately when any bones are found and notifying the State Historic Preservation Division of the find.”

USA: The New York Times > National > Treading Carefully, Wal-Mart Enters Labor’s Turf: “‘In Chicago, you have to be willing to step out of your so-called comfort zone and what you’re used to doing,’ said John Bisio, a spokesman for Wal-Mart. ‘We recognize that there are experiences there that are different from other places. Organized labor is very strong there. We know we’re going to be subject to great scrutiny, and we really want to adhere or conform to the spirit of how things are done in Chicago.’ Mr. Bisio said that in Chicago, Wal-Mart would work with local leaders in choosing some of its employees and buy products and services from local and minority-owned businesses. He said he doubted the company would soften its opposition to labor unions, ‘but that’s not to say there won’t be times when criticism or scrutiny might make you better focus on what you really need to do for your own people.’”

Hawaii: Honolulu Weekly - On The Cover: “While the citizens of Inglewood, Calif., voted to keep Wal-Mart out of its city limits, in Hawaii, the retail Trojan horse entered Honolulu’s gates largely undeterred. “There wasn’t very much concern from the actual community. It was clear it was going to happen from the very beginning”, said John Breinich, chairman of the Ala Moana/Kaka’ako Neighborhood Board. How did the big-box budget giant, normally a city-fringe staple, come to erect a beige monolith on 10.5 acres smack-dab in the middle of Honolulu?” And we are talking right in the middle. It’s traffic armageddon.