Category: Our Changing World

Creepy PSAs

Bobby

Your tax dollars at work – PSAs warning kids about how the Internet works.

How is it possible that high school kids don’t get that once you post pics of yourself on the net they will be there forever? I think it’s the parents, Ad Council and government officials that were shocked by this. Kids know it will be up there forever, but don’t care, just like they don’t care about the tattoos, nose ring or GPA.

The first video makes me wonder what Neil Flynn would think about the evil Janitor stereotype.

Rosie Leaving the View

Bobby 2 Comments

Looks like Rosie finally succumbed to my scathing postings, and The Donald’s repeated attacks and has decided to go hide.

The official story is that she couldn’t come to terms with ABC on a contract, but we all know better.

Not that I actually care. The only time I have EVER watched the view was when some brain-dead moron at ABC decided it would be a good pre-game show for the Super Bowl.

Sadly, I’m guessing Rosie isn’t actually going away and will still make annoying headlines…

The Lisa

Bobby

Lisa Barone at Bruce Clay, INC recently discussed positioning and branding. I find this interesting for two reasons. One because I am working hard to position my own company e-Marketing Partner, and two because I am currently reading

The Lisa comments on the sights and smells of Starbucks – a company who has mastered the art of branding and positioning. Starbucks has made their name synonymous with coffee and turned what used to be a 25 cent beverage into a multi-billion dollar empire. Their achievement is admirable and very difficult to achieve. The real goal here, when it comes to branding, is finding your niche. You have to put your product in the forefront of the public’s mind, above other bloggers, coffe shops, whatever. Unfortunately, most businesses out there don’t even have the focus to know what their niche is, let alone exploit it.

If you are trying to establish yourself out in the world, take Lisa’s advice. Find your brand DNA, focus it, develop it and put it out there for the world to find. With enough work you could be the next Starbucks.

Virginia Tech Comments

Bobby

In the last week there have been millions of comments, stories and analysis of the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech. Rather than post comments of my own, I want to offer a couple links to some interesting articles I personally agree with.

First is this posting that analyzes the role gun control plays in school shootings.

I have an acquaintance that holds a concealed weapon permit and he explained the process to me one day. He had to take a class prior to receiving his permit. In the class the students were instructed on the responsibility of having a concealed weapon permit. They were basically told that if they were going to carry, they should carry ALL THE TIME. There is no way to know when an event like what happened at Virginia Tech is going to happen, the only way to effectivly deal with a situation is to be prepared.

I used to think I would like to have a carry permit, but after the conversation I had with this person I changed my mind. It’s a lot of repsonsibility to shoulder and I applaud anyone that has strong enough convictions to go around the public armed with the knowledge that they may have to stop a deranged lunatic.

The second article discusses the warning signs that were ignored prior to the shooting.

The shooter had obvious mental problems and the problems were reported, but this individual did not get adequate help and disaster ensued.

One last comment. While I’m NOT an advocate of ANY legislation undermining our constiutional right to bear arms, this is clearly an incident where current gun control failed. Laws were followed, firearms were purchased legally, no one beside the shooter was armed in the gun free zone, yet tragedy struck. In many cases, like columbine, gun laws were circumvented, additional laws would not have made any difference. This time, it is possible that different laws may have impacted the outcome.

Bong Hits 4 Jesus

Bobby

Back in 2002, as the Winter Olympics Torch passed by on the street in front of Juneau-Douglas High School, in Juneau, Alaska, 18 year old Joseph Frederick held up a sign that read “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” in an attempt to get his picture on TV.

Bong Hits 4 Jesus

Deborah Morris, then principal of Juneau-Douglas High School, subsequently suspended Frederick from school for 10 days for violating the district’s ‘anti-drug policies’. Frederick appealed ths decision and filed a lawsuit against the principal and school board for violating his 1st Amendment free speech rights. This case has now found it’s way to the United States Supreme Court.

The interesting thing about this case is it’s absurdity. On the surface, this appears to simply be the principal and school board using a policy designed to curb drug use in students as a punishment for a student that embarrased the school and the district. The sign hardly encouraged drug use any more than it encouraged religious practices. The incident occurred on a public sidewalk, across the street from the school (which the courts decided made it a ‘school function’), where the school’s principal should have no jurisdiction. If the Supreme Court finds for Fredering, the principal and the school board will have probably the effectiveness of anti-drug programs across the country and opened the door for many new civil rights cases – all for punishing a student who wasn’t actually advocating drug use.

Peter Pan Recall Ongoing

Bobby

Becoming & Staying Debt Free has a post regarding the Con Agra/Peter Pan recall.

Sounds like Peter Pan is going to be gone for a while, which is too bad because it's my favorite kind of peanut butter.

When asked when consumers could expect to see Peter Pan back on store shelves, Childs replied that no Peter Pan product was available and that ConAgra is continuing to work with the FDA and their on going investigation and what steps will be required next to correct the situation.

Stupid Daylight Savings Time

Bobby

There are probably thousands (maybe millions) of posts today complaining about this, but I'm going to say it anyway.

I HATE Daylight Savings Time. Actually, it's not the DST that I hate as much as it is the TIME CHANGE. Not everyone has this problem, but I'm screwed up for at least a week after the spring change. Losing that hour out of my life is hard on my schedule.

My favorite thing about the whole time change is the idiocy of it all. We don't get 'an extra hour of daylight'. The amount of daylight is the same yesterday as it is today (except for the 30 seconds we gain going in to summer). The whole thing is just a nationwide gimmick used to trick us into going to bed an hour earlier and getting up an hour earlier. How dumb is that.

We save energy at the cost of thousands of hours of lost productivity due to sleep schedules being screwed up. Then in the fall, when we could really use the 'extra hour of light', they take it back. Why? 'Because of the children' who can't go to school in the dark.

The whole thing is just ridiculous and makes me irritable. I'm going to keep complaining until somebody puts a stop to the nonsense!