Category: My 2 Cents

My two cents … Make it two cents

On 60 minutes this week, they had a section that discussed the need for the penny. In this segment they explained that it cost nearly double want it is worth to make the penny and nickel. But to get rid of the penny would have an adverse effect to the economy because everything would need to be rounded up to the nearest nickel. My two cent are to make the penny worth what it cost two cents and get rid of the nickel. That way you are getting rid of both coins that cost more than they are worth but only need to round up a single cent. Your thoughts?

A Few Words on VT

A lot of bloggers like to comment on whatever is the hot topic in the news for various reasons; I do not. I typically try to stay way from topics like this because I feel that there are already enough people covering it much better than I ever could. That said, please consider the following.

I have been appalled at the initial coverage from many of the media outlets. They must still be hung over on all the Republican scandals. The first day of coverage, in which they didn’t even know the name of the shooter. They where already trying to crucify anyone related to situation. Not closing the campus, no mass email to the student, slow response by the police. I am sorry but sometimes tragic things happen and trying to blame anyone but the lunatic who did the shooting is just plain uncalled for. They are doing the best they can to protect the students with smallest amount of intrusion and I am sure if they could go back and do something different they would. Right now everyone involved has to concentrate on the matters at hand like the rest of the students of Virginia Tech, the parents of the departed, and figuring out all the details of the case. Then once things have settled back down they can look back and see how the problems of the young man could have been better handled, how to better inform students of campus concerns, etc. But no, the media likes to live in the world of perfection using their 20/20 hind sight vision to scrutinize, criticize and blame. The thing to do is to learn from this tragedy and take steps to insure, to the best of their ability, that something like this doesn’t happen again. One coverage I found very informative without the typical blame game was ABC’s Nightline.

The second part of this is the inevitable discussion of gun control and the radical idiots from both sides of this debate. In light of the recent events in which both guns were obtained legally. The current gun control measures obviously are not good enough. Seeing how a mentally unstable person can buy a weapon with no questions asked. That said stupid knee jerk reaction type legislation like the current PA House Bill 760, will do nothing but penalize law abiding citizens and further polarize the issue.

AJSPS

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Did Sprint make Bono mad?

About a month ago I saw a Sprint commercial with Ron Livingston promoting their Product(red) Razr. This inspired me write about the Product(red) Campaign. Ever since then I have neither seen the ad again nor have I been able to find the ad online. I didn’t think much off it until today when I read this blog chastising the creators of the commercial.

…I am sure that the delivery leaves a lot to be desired here but to boil it down, Sprint has decided that their customers are so shallow and self-centered there is a good chance they would rather care that the phone is red rather than helping children with AIDS.

Did I miss a memo? Did I have a stroke and no one told me? When the advertising industry decide that insulting their customers is a good idea? Maybe it is that I saw this ad so shortly after the kissing mechanics Superbowl Snickers ad that showed two auto mechanics accidentally kissing while eating the same candy bar and then ripping out some chest hair to do something “manly.”. How can Snickers watch that ad and not think that Joe small-brain male American would not be turned off by the sight of two men kissing? And then how did they think that gay Americans wouldn’t be pissed off at having that act be portrayed in such a negative light? They managed to piss off all of their customers – so who are they trying to sell to?…
Stephen Gates, Sprint decides screwing up their brand isn’t enough

That got me thinking maybe Bono and the Product(red) group were none to happy with the people at Sprint. Also, that my first article wasn’t to far off the mark. So, they are fine with the fact that sex sells but don’t tell the world that is what you are doing they might get insulted.

AJSPS

P.S. If anyone can find this commercial please send it to me. I think it is great that a company would come out and say exactly what we all think.

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Two Week Hodge Podge

Ugh, I can’t believe it has been two weeks plus already. First, week I got a nasty case of the flu or some other virus. The next was just insanely busy. In the middle the annual horse shoe Tournament at Calfin’s Restaurant (Lavery’s Corner, Rt 98 & 6N). Thats right horse shoe tournament in the middle of February. I think this was the 14th year. It would have made a great first episode for iPeatVB (more on this later). However it snuck up on me and I don’t have any of my equipment ready yet. Plus my brother needed an extra man for their team. We were not to successful but fun was had by all (I always wanted to say that). I think it is pretty safe to say If your idea of a good time is to play horse shoes in 30 degree weather in the rain you might be a redneck.

All you good Catholics out there probably also notice that Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday has come and gone. This commences for me the only time of year in which it is ok to eat at McDs. Thats right during this time of fasting is the only time I will eat at the glutton’s paradise. Why you ask? Because of two Filet-o-fish and a Shamrock Shake. The glorious all glorious, Greatest McDonald’s creations of all time the Shamrock Shake. To my surprise though we in northwest PA are but a lucky minority. In my attempt to see if these seasonal treats where available, McDonalds does not even admit to selling the Shamrock Shake in the US. As I researched further I came upon a stunning tale of whoa. read for yourself and feel lucky you live in Erie County http://www.x-entertainment.com/articles/0948/.

Listening to the Science Friday Podcast this week and their story about the shrinking ice cap, one thought came to my head Panama has to be shitting itself. If the long searched for Northwest passage opens up far fewer ships are going to be sailing through the locks. Especially as they continue to build bigger and bigger ships.

A new, well not often heard, interesting perspective on western civilization, those that oppose western civilization, and the war was heard on “The Blog Week in Review” this week. If you are not a frequenter of Pajamas Media and/or don’t listen to Blog Week in Review I highly suggest checking out both as well as specifically this week’s guest Victor Davis Hanson he definitely made me rethink some things.

Finally, did anyone else find incredibly humorous yesterday on the Dan Patrick Show every time Reggie Miller called Dan Patrick “Daniel” in that motherly voice. I was laughing my ass off.

AJSPS

P.S. Oh the iPeatVB alluded to above is the next venture I am working toward. And if you have followed any of the Amanda Congdon projects you are well aware that TV is a dirty word in the world of blogging, but Video Blog or Blogger is just to much of a mouthful so hence I will be bringing you iPeatVB. A wiki will be going up shortly to gather ideas past the first several episodes I have mapped out in my brain. Say tuned. (wow I guess that phrase is going to have to change to now that we aren’t tuning anything nor are we staying having it delivered directly and reading, listening, watching whenever we please.)

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Oxymor(red)

If you haven’t notice yet U2’s Bono has started (red) which spawned product (red). This campaign colors all america’s over priced merchandise red tells you it’s sexy, I’ll get to this in second, and tells you that you are doing good for the world. And in turn you can feel great about yourself and let everyone else know how great you feel about yourself. Not only that but let everyone know how sexy you are. Check out GAP’s campaign. Oh and don’t forget to tell them how bad they should feel for not wearing red. Now don’t get me wrong this a great way to con a bunch of self-centered brats to giving to a good cause and to spread broader awareness. But please don’t get all warm and cuddly about these big brand companies who give half of their profits, keyword there is profits people not half. These companies have a million ways to measure production costs include all the wonderful ads. Also, don’t forget how much more money they are going to make with the jump in sales and free word of mouth advertising. So, if you want to feel good but don’t want to pay GAP for their crappy T-shirt or brag to rest of world and rather donate 100% of your money. Then go to where they are sending the money they drum up The Global Fund and donate direct. Oh, finally the point of the title of this article I find it humorous that they are using the cause of AIDS, sex.. granted unprotected, to raise money to defeat it over there. Which could potentially spread it over here, granted highly unlikely and have no data to back that up just one and one makes two. I mean think about it red is the color of lust all the red products they going be selling. You think somewhere in america somebody in a night club isn’t going to catch some ones eye. One thing leads to another and … Think about it.
AJSPS

P.S. You don’t have to sell designer merchandise or sex to make a campaign like this work look what the LiveStrong campaign was able to do with nothing but yellow band.

P.S.S. This article was brought on by the great Sprint ad with Ron Livingston. Smart. So by all means if you are buying an iPod or Razr any ways buy the red one and don’t let my snide remarks influence your purchase. I won’t think less of you honest.

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Sports vs Politics racial perspective

For two weeks I have been avoid writing about a certain topic that has just been annoying me to no end. Today it reached its boiling point thanks to something from the political sphere. Just before the Conference Championships there was a mention, on one of the sports show that I listen to or maybe it was one of the pre-game shows, that if both the Bears and the Colts were to win not only would it be the first time an African-American head coach would take a team to the Super Bowl. It would also be the first time two African-American head coaches would face each other in the Super Bowl. My first reaction to this was surprise that there hadn’t already been a black head coach in the Super Bowl, I guess I was thinking Art Shell had accomplished this feat. Anyways at this point I got the feeling this was a semi-historic moment deserving of the recondition it was getting. But then the Colts and Bears did win and the flood gates opened, and every ESPN analyst and their mother was talking about it. They brought on Marcus Allen, Doug Williams, Warren Moon, and every black athlete that was a guest on any of these show were asked by these analyst the same inane questions about its significance. Now I am your typical Caucasian/European mix but I found this terribly offensive as if it was a surprise that these coaches made it this far. These are two of the best coaches in football. It was only a matter of time until one of them, or if not them Marvin Lewis, would make it to the Super Bowl. Quite frankly Dungy should have been there a while ago but he was scammed out of it when Tampa Bay let him go and he had to watch Gruden take his team to the promise land. What as Gruden done with that team since. Now at this point I had had it but then I listen to an interview with Doug Williams. He brought up whether this issue was getting to much attention, let me stress he brought it up the analyst just followed the same typical line of questioning. He talked about his experience coming through Grambling and compared that to Warren Moon’s experiences, in reference to a collaboration session they had with the creators of the book “Third and a Mile.” Basically, I saw his point of view, decided (internal dialogue): “what does this white kid know anyways,” and pushed the thought to the back of my brain. Watched the Super Bowl, as die hard Marino fan, was happy to see Peyton get his Super Bowl. Victory was great the moment had past.

Yesterday on the The Big Show though, Dan Patrick decided to stick his nose in the goings on of the political scene, as he often does with Keith Oberman. The issue was senator Joe Biden’s failed attempt to compliment his competition, senator Barack Obama. Basically they were talking about the different words that we use when talking about different races and how a normal complimentary word comes out as condescending. The fact Biden called Obama “clean” as if expecting something different from a person in his position; when was the last time you heard someone describe a white politician as clean. While that was the extreme example of this, it was the same feeling I got when they were talking about Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy and grilling every black athlete that came on the different shows.

I agree this was a significant moment but, the way the media was beating it over the head, I felt was highly disrespectful and just furthers the racial gap. We need to look to the future and congratulate these coaches for what they have accomplished as coaches not keep tying us to the past by magnifying a difference which should be looked upon no different than the color of their eyes. While this maybe a very optimistic stance pessimism will never get us there. We have to create a culture where there isn’t differences otherwise the next generation will grow up with the same preconceived ideas.

AJSPS

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