Compelling.
This will not run during the Super Bowl.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
East v. LaFollette
Last night I watched the East v. La Follette boys varsity high school basketball game at La Follette. What took place in the second half was absolutely ridiculous in my eyes. And I'm not talking about the game.
The East High student section was standing, as was La Follette's group. As they were chanting "Scoreboard!" after a big shot, a supervisor from La Follette decided to make them all sit down. Nevermind her own students were shouting "USA" which in kid-term means "You Suck Ass." Four of the East High students were asked to leave for causing a ruckus.
Not Ok.
This was after she harrassed them for eating popcorn in the stands, and took away their food from them. She monitored them as if they were animals in a cage, and had help from one of the East High principals.
Then, as the clock ticked down in the fourth quarter, East with a solid lead, the announcer made the distinction between which door the students were to exit from. La Follette to the east side of the gym, East to the west door. "It's so they don't fight," I heard a few people say.
How about giving these students a bit more credit. We expect them to behave like animals, like children fighting over a toy, and so they do. Separating their exits? How about we treat them like adults and see if they can actually walk thru the same door.
If not, what does it matter-they continue to fight outside anyway. It is a direct result of the behavior of their instructors, who do not raise the bar for their behavior.
Little Women said it best: "When you hit and humiliate a child, the only lesson she will learn is to hit and humiliate." Granted these children aren't being hit, they are being caged and underestimated. They are, in many ways, being humiliated.
You wonder why there are thugs and gangs in high school, why no one can keep a child under control. We are asking them to act out, asking them to disobey authority. How about letting kids be kids at games. Let them wear a baseball hat after the bell rings, and chant loudly for their varsity boys. How else to suck the life from a teenager, than to rob them of their teenage fun?
The East High student section was standing, as was La Follette's group. As they were chanting "Scoreboard!" after a big shot, a supervisor from La Follette decided to make them all sit down. Nevermind her own students were shouting "USA" which in kid-term means "You Suck Ass." Four of the East High students were asked to leave for causing a ruckus.
Not Ok.
This was after she harrassed them for eating popcorn in the stands, and took away their food from them. She monitored them as if they were animals in a cage, and had help from one of the East High principals.
Then, as the clock ticked down in the fourth quarter, East with a solid lead, the announcer made the distinction between which door the students were to exit from. La Follette to the east side of the gym, East to the west door. "It's so they don't fight," I heard a few people say.
How about giving these students a bit more credit. We expect them to behave like animals, like children fighting over a toy, and so they do. Separating their exits? How about we treat them like adults and see if they can actually walk thru the same door.
If not, what does it matter-they continue to fight outside anyway. It is a direct result of the behavior of their instructors, who do not raise the bar for their behavior.
Little Women said it best: "When you hit and humiliate a child, the only lesson she will learn is to hit and humiliate." Granted these children aren't being hit, they are being caged and underestimated. They are, in many ways, being humiliated.
You wonder why there are thugs and gangs in high school, why no one can keep a child under control. We are asking them to act out, asking them to disobey authority. How about letting kids be kids at games. Let them wear a baseball hat after the bell rings, and chant loudly for their varsity boys. How else to suck the life from a teenager, than to rob them of their teenage fun?
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Facebook and Advertising
Is Facebook too crowded for ads?
For the record, I believe that social media has permanently changed the landscape of marketing. Tools now exist for consumers to control the conversation with companies, and smart marketers can participate and engage with customers more directly and honestly than ever before. That's a reality.But who's right? then there's this comment:
The sacred cow is the belief that Facebook and Twitter are the premier platforms for this revolution. As those platforms become mainstream, marketers like us turn them into forms of traditional paid media and they become less valuable as social networks. Facebook is already starting to resemble a tacky mall cluttered up with unwanted advertising and promotional noise. As time goes on, I predict that people will want to protect their closest community of friends and will find ways to block out everyone else. They will leave mega networks for smaller, more focused communities. If you really care about the principles of social media, start looking for the next generation of platforms because as far as Facebook and Twitter go, the neighborhood is getting too crowded.
i just love it when people talk dirty...about Facebook. Let's get serious about all of this social media. it is fast becoming one of the great time wasters of our age. As time becomes more valuable to employers and productivity becomes more in demand, time-wasters will diminish from monitored at-work key strokes. Twitter and Facebook will be the first to go. Moments later paranoia will set in as layoffs set heads to roll. No one will be wanting to be seen with LinkedIn or Plaxo on their screen if it is perceived as a network-me-outta-here activity. Social Networks are just that. "Social." It will take a quantum leap on the part of client cultures to "get" the ways to leverage social media. And then it will be the client, not the agency calling the shots on how it is used. As long as advertisers continue to regard the Audience as prospective customers, they will never get it right.I guess we'll see.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
The Wreckers
What ever happened to the Wreckers?
You're not sure that you love me
But you're not sure enough to let me go
Baby it ain't fair you know
To just keep me hangin' 'round
You say you don't wanna hurt me
Don't wanna to see my tears
So why are you still standing here
Just watching me drown
And it's alright, yeah I'll be fine
Don't worry 'bout this heart of mine
Just take your love and hit the road
There's nothing you can do or say
You're gonna break my heart anyway
So just leave the pieces when you go
Now you can drag out the heartache
Baby you can make it quick
Really get it over with
And just let me move on
Don't concern yourself
With this mess you've left for me
I can clean it up, you see
Just as long as you're gone
You not making up your mind
Is killing me and wasting time
I need so much more than that
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Leave the pieces when you go
Oh yeah
Leave the pieces when you go
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Leave the pieces when you go
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Bush was right
Rove delves into what Bush was right about...
To start with, Mr. Bush was right about Iraq. The world is safer without Saddam Hussein in power. And the former president was right to change strategy and surge more U.S. troops.
A legion of critics (including President Barack Obama) claimed it couldn't work. They were wrong. Iraq is now on the mend, the war is on the path to victory, al Qaeda has been dealt a humiliating defeat, and a democracy in the heart of the Arab world is emerging. The success of Mr. Bush's surge made it possible for President Obama to warn terrorists on Tuesday "you cannot outlast us."
Mr. Bush was right to establish a doctrine that holds those who harbor, train and support terrorists as responsible as the terrorists themselves. He was right to take the war on terror abroad instead of waiting until dangers fully materialize here at home. He was right to strengthen the military and intelligence and to create the new tools to monitor the communications of terrorists, freeze their assets, foil their plots, and kill and capture their operators.
These tough decisions -- which became unpopular in certain quarters only when memories of 9/11 began to fade -- kept America safe for seven years and made it possible for Mr. Obama to tell the terrorists on Tuesday "we will defeat you."
Pelosi sure a class act
How rude.
In the meantime, "said she will move far-reaching climate change legislation this year." Awesome, more worthless legislation for Americans to fund.
Pelosi said one of her favorite moments from Inauguration Day was when Marine One lifted off the Capitol grounds, signifying former President George W. Bush's exit from Washington. "It felt like a 10-pound anvil was lifted off my head," she said.Ugh. What a horror. I hope Congress rejoices when she's finally gone.
In the meantime, "said she will move far-reaching climate change legislation this year." Awesome, more worthless legislation for Americans to fund.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Homegrown W Love
Chippewa Falls contributes.
A product made by a Chippewa Falls company will follow George W. Bush throughout his final day as president and first day in eight years as a private citizen.Cool.
The Poem and the Prayer
I thought Obama's speech was fine. He had a few good lines, and it'll be better in hindsight. Not as pleasing to the literary ear as I had hoped, but we'll see...
But I must espouse upon the after-speech ceremony. The poem? Hardly poetic. A million other choices could have been made. And the benediction?!?!? WHAT?
I am proud of our nation for coming so far to elect a half-black man to the Presidency of the United States. It is quite the distance from the days of hosing people down in the streets like animals, barring them from cafes and schools. We all should be proud, for letting go of the prejudices and wrong-doings of the past.
But it baffles me, that the people pointing out the discrimination and racism in the world, are black people. When I look at Barack Obama I do not see a black man. Sure, the color of his skin is darker than mine. But I've always seen a well-educated, eloquently spoken, devoted husband and attentive father who has the ability to move people with speech. It is all the black people that remind us he's black.
Well the discussion ends here. No one can tell me that black people have to start from further behind, that America doesn't give them a fair chance, that white people are still discriminating against them. No black man can back out of his responsibility and blame it on the government that doesn't support him, or the neighbors that don't understand his minority status.
I will simply point to our Commander in Chief and silence them.
But I must espouse upon the after-speech ceremony. The poem? Hardly poetic. A million other choices could have been made. And the benediction?!?!? WHAT?
Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around - when yellow will be mellow - when the red man can get ahead, man - and when white will embrace what is right.Can't get much more offensive than that.
I am proud of our nation for coming so far to elect a half-black man to the Presidency of the United States. It is quite the distance from the days of hosing people down in the streets like animals, barring them from cafes and schools. We all should be proud, for letting go of the prejudices and wrong-doings of the past.
But it baffles me, that the people pointing out the discrimination and racism in the world, are black people. When I look at Barack Obama I do not see a black man. Sure, the color of his skin is darker than mine. But I've always seen a well-educated, eloquently spoken, devoted husband and attentive father who has the ability to move people with speech. It is all the black people that remind us he's black.
Well the discussion ends here. No one can tell me that black people have to start from further behind, that America doesn't give them a fair chance, that white people are still discriminating against them. No black man can back out of his responsibility and blame it on the government that doesn't support him, or the neighbors that don't understand his minority status.
I will simply point to our Commander in Chief and silence them.
Paint on George H W
A vandal got to a bronze statue of President George H W Bush. Not Ok.
Defacing statues or any imagery of political figures (minus all dictators) should automatically cause people to lose their right to vote.
I don't understand why he was so upset. Our new President is now formulating the plan to lift him right out of his homelessness.
Shortly before 2pm, Houston police got a call of criminal mischief in progress at the George Bush monument on Bagby at Preston in downtown Houston. Witnesses say a man who appeared to be homeless was using paint to vandalize the monument.Hey dumbass: wrong Bush! My guess is he just wasn't smart enough to notice.
The man was described as having long blond hair, possibly in a ponytail, and wearing a plaid shirt. He may still have some yellow paint on him.
Defacing statues or any imagery of political figures (minus all dictators) should automatically cause people to lose their right to vote.
I don't understand why he was so upset. Our new President is now formulating the plan to lift him right out of his homelessness.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Emotions run high
Dana Perino cried.
The pentup emotion of the moment was too much for some of Bush's loyal staff, who stayed true as the ratings of their boss sank to historic lows.Good thing I wasn't the only one!
Laura Bush cheerily waved and said "Bye, Dana" to White House press secretary Dana Perino as she entered the White House after greeting the Obamas. The moment was too much for Perino, who burst into tears.
White House officials said the Bush administration was over. There would be no last-minute executive orders or pardons, and the remaining staff began turning in their BlackBerrys.
Moving vans began pulling up right after Bush and Obama left for the Capitol at 11 a.m. Before leaving, Bush left behind a note for Obama in the top drawer of the Oval Office desk.
The custom is not to disclose the contents, but Perino said the general theme was "about the fabulous new chapter President-elect Obama is about to start, and that he wishes him the very best."
Monday, January 19, 2009
Good Madisamaritans
A shout out to Patrick, the UW student who witnessed a hit and run (only casualty was a bumper), and not only left a note on the victimized car, but memorized the perpetrator's license plate.
Kudos, Patrick, kudos. You're a good man.
Kudos, Patrick, kudos. You're a good man.
News 5
Tonight after 24, the local news featured a Martin Luther King Jr. news story and all those heading to Washington for the Inauguration of our newly elected black (and yes, he is African and American but I will still call him black) President, titled "Taking Part in the Dream."
Wow. Can you say, Biased? I understand the pun and play on words from the famous speech from a man we all do truly admire - BUT equating it to the dream of electing Barack Obama?- NOT ok.
Wow. Can you say, Biased? I understand the pun and play on words from the famous speech from a man we all do truly admire - BUT equating it to the dream of electing Barack Obama?- NOT ok.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Questions about the Inauguration
Were past supporters of past presidents on the eve- eve's eve- or week before the Inauguration, peeing themselves in the streets the way the liberals are this week?
Did the Bushies do it in 2000? Not really...as far as I can remember, since it was after the long drawn-out drama in Florida.
Did the Clinton lovers do it in 1992? I mean, we were out with the first Bush, and after all, Dems hate that family...
But there's going to be a nationally televised concert, and Faith Hill (who was a Bush supporter in '04) is performing with the likes of U2 and Bruce Springsteen, and Oprah will be cheering and Will Smith, crying.
Not to mention, people botoxing and other craziness.
Let's just hope Michelle's outfits and her Inaugural night's dress is better than the Election night fiasco!
Did the Bushies do it in 2000? Not really...as far as I can remember, since it was after the long drawn-out drama in Florida.
Did the Clinton lovers do it in 1992? I mean, we were out with the first Bush, and after all, Dems hate that family...
But there's going to be a nationally televised concert, and Faith Hill (who was a Bush supporter in '04) is performing with the likes of U2 and Bruce Springsteen, and Oprah will be cheering and Will Smith, crying.
Not to mention, people botoxing and other craziness.
Let's just hope Michelle's outfits and her Inaugural night's dress is better than the Election night fiasco!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Where are the protestors?
I'll be watching Tuesday, but will there be any comment about the President of Climate Change?
The carbon footprint of Barack Obama's inauguration could exceed 575 million pounds of CO2. According to the Institute for Liberty, it would take the average U.S. household nearly 60,000 years of naughty ecological behavior to produce a carbon footprint equal to the largest self-congratulatory event in the history of humankind.
The same congressfolk who are now handing out thousands of tickets to this ecological disaster only last year mandated the phased elimination of the incandescent light bulb — a mere carbon tiptoe, if you will. The whole thing seems a bit unfair.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Missing Bush
I'm going to miss him terribly.
Bush's poll numbers aren't good, but that doesn't mean he is completely without fans. The BBC looks around the globe and finds a list of countries that might feel a bit sad when the Bush administration is no more.
Whether they loved him or not, some people might look back on the Bush years with wistfulness. Take a look at this post from Bright Hall blogger Joshua Sharp. He points out that the Bush presidency has shaped the lives of many members of his generation, the millenials. Sharp refers to Bush as "our first president" -- the man who was in charge when many twenty-somethings started following politics.
And they called it...
Climate Change.
Cold is invigorating. Just ask the polar bears.
Arctic air extended its grip Wednesday with below-zero temperatures stretching from Montana to northern New England and frost nipping the Gulf Coast.Bring it. We're acclimated.
It was so cold Wednesday in northern Minnesota - 38 below zero at International Falls, with the wind chill during the night estimated at 50 below - that a couple of ski areas closed for the day.
Cold is invigorating. Just ask the polar bears.
Maybe I will see his movie
Actor MICKEY ROURKE sympathises with U.S. President GEORGE W. BUSH
The Hollywood tough-guy spoke out about his political views in a candid interview with Britain's GQ magazine, and admits he doesn't understand why so many people blame Bush for a string of world issues - including Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism in the West.Kidding, I would have seen it for Marisa Tomei's performance if at all. And I'm glad celebrities- of whichever kind- are speaking out pro-Bush. It's unusual, and refreshing.
And the actor, who claims he didn't follow last year's (08) historic U.S. election battle between Barack Obama and John McCain, urges the public to consider the tremendous pressure the controversial president was under following the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.
He tells the publication, "President Bush was in the wrong place at the wrong time, I don't know how anyone could have handled this situation.
"It's too easy to blame everything on one guy. These are unpredictable, dangerous times, and I don't think that anyone really knows quite what to do."
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Doubt
The opening sermon scene in the movie, Doubt, sets the stage for the remainder of the film. The interlacing of Father Flynn's words of "When you're lost, you are not alone," and Sister Aloysius's irritated walk along the pews silencing the whispering and slapping the sleeping children alike, went unnoticed for me until the movie had ended.
But it is that- the old ways of the church and the new ideas of one priest-that clash with a force stronger than lightning. Nevermind the boy who triggers it all.
Doubt features provoking performances by Streep, Adams, Hoffman, and Davis. And of all the questions, I am left wondering "How can we be sure of anything - or anyone- at all?"
But it is that- the old ways of the church and the new ideas of one priest-that clash with a force stronger than lightning. Nevermind the boy who triggers it all.
Doubt features provoking performances by Streep, Adams, Hoffman, and Davis. And of all the questions, I am left wondering "How can we be sure of anything - or anyone- at all?"
Friday, January 9, 2009
Coalition formed to....
distract Dane County voters from the shoddy job their County Executive is doing. From earlier this week, Dane County Executive Kate Falk launched a coalition to combat underage drinking.
Nonetheless, what concerns me is that Kate Falk is finding new ways to draw attention away from the 911 center that has recently come under attack, and deservedly so.
And today, when the Zimmerman tape has been released missing 68 seconds, pointing once again to the delinquent response of the 911 operator, I can't help but find a priority to be somewhere else.
Falk needs to get her priorities straight. Or Dane County will say "no more" in April, and I hope we do.
If underage kids are drinking- and heaven forbid they might drive or stumble somewhere and end up hurt- how can we promise Dane County 911 will even be concerned with answering their call?
In Dane County, more young people between seventh and 12th grades are abstaining from alcohol than regularly using it, according to a 2005 assessment. Still, the fact that nearly 30 percent of local youth are considered regular drinkers is a cause for concern for many.I'm all about reducing underage drinking. I support MADD and SADD and did not drink myself until I was out of high school.
About 30 people turned out Monday night for the first meeting of a new coalition looking to combat alcohol abuse in Dane County. Every seat was filled in an upstairs meeting room at the Exhibition Hall of the Alliant Energy Center.
Participants included nurses, teachers, alcohol and drug counselors, school counselors, administrators, local officials, religious leaders, business people, activists and community organizers....
County Executive Kathleen Falk put the coalition together as part of her initiative in 2009 to combat alcohol abuse.
Falk called the coalition's work incredibly important. It is "standing up and saying enough is enough and we can do something about this," Falk said. "The biggest factor that will make a difference is you."
Nonetheless, what concerns me is that Kate Falk is finding new ways to draw attention away from the 911 center that has recently come under attack, and deservedly so.
And today, when the Zimmerman tape has been released missing 68 seconds, pointing once again to the delinquent response of the 911 operator, I can't help but find a priority to be somewhere else.
County officials say they can't explain what happened, but insist they can find no indication of equipment failures.Um, yeah, NOT good enough.
Falk needs to get her priorities straight. Or Dane County will say "no more" in April, and I hope we do.
If underage kids are drinking- and heaven forbid they might drive or stumble somewhere and end up hurt- how can we promise Dane County 911 will even be concerned with answering their call?
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Funny anecdote
My friend, also known as Kitty Kat, is the most hilarious person I've met. And tonight, the best yet anecdote.
Her toilet overflowed this morning and due to her request of her landlord, someone was to be sent while she was at work to fix it.
Returning home, she discovered dirt tracked into her apartment and...the kicker, the toilet still not running properly.
Upon further inspection, she noticed there was some red sticky material on her floor. Only to be attributed to JAM. The plumber got some jelly on the floor.
He probably sat down to have his PB&J, took a dump and re-plugged the toilet, and left people jelly on the floor. Gross.
People jelly. Hahahahah. It could happen.
Her toilet overflowed this morning and due to her request of her landlord, someone was to be sent while she was at work to fix it.
Returning home, she discovered dirt tracked into her apartment and...the kicker, the toilet still not running properly.
Upon further inspection, she noticed there was some red sticky material on her floor. Only to be attributed to JAM. The plumber got some jelly on the floor.
He probably sat down to have his PB&J, took a dump and re-plugged the toilet, and left people jelly on the floor. Gross.
People jelly. Hahahahah. It could happen.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Laura the librarian, and author
This, I can't wait to read.
First lady Laura Bush has sealed a deal worth millions with Scribner to publish a memoir that will encompass her recollections of personal and historical moments, including her eight years in the White House.
The publishing house, in announcing the agreement on Monday, said the memoir is expected to be released in 2010. Sally McDonough, first lady Laura Bush's press secretary, declined to say how much Bush is being paid for the book but past deals involving first ladies have carried multimillion-dollar payouts.
McDonough said the first lady would work with a collaborator though one hasn't been selected yet.
"As a rare witness to the private moments of one of our country's most consequential presidencies, and as a first lady who has maintained a notable level of discretion, her memoir will provide a candid and personal perspective, and an enduring record, of the years that have already determined the course of the 21st century," said Susan Moldow, executive vice president and publisher of Scribner.
Carnival
I really want to go to a carnival. and get a pretzel, and a hot dog, and a cheese stick, and popcorn, and a caramel apple, and a funnel cake, and chicken kabobs, and...
oh no
Blah.
MINNEAPOLIS (Jan. 4) - The state Canvassing Board was posed to certify the results of the recount in Minnesota's grueling Senate election in Al Franken's favor — but that doesn't mean the race is definitely over.
The board was to meet Monday and was expected to declare which candidate received the most overall votes from nearly 3 million ballots cast. The latest numbers showed Franken, a Democrat, with a 225-vote lead over Republican Sen. Norm Coleman.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Just like Jim
Richardson in pay-to-play deal too?
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, tapped in December by President-elect Barack Obama to serve as secretary of Commerce, has withdrawn his name for the position, citing a pending investigation into a company that has done business with his state.
"Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact," he said Sunday in a report by NBC News' Andrea Mitchell. "But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process."
A federal grand jury is investigating how a California company that contributed to Richardson's political activities won a lucrative New Mexico state contract.
Female suicide bomber
Wow.
A female suicide bomber blew herself up on Sunday among a crowd of pilgrims worshipping at a revered Shiite shrine in northern Baghdad, killing at least 38 people and wounding about 72, the Iraqi army and police said.'Blowing up worshippers, in the name of God. Worshippers. Unbelievable.
The attack during one of the holiest periods for Shiite Muslims came just as Iraqi forces took the lead on security under an agreement with the United States that went into effect on New Year's Day. Under that agreement, U.S. forces take a back seat on security issues in much of the country following the Dec. 31 expiration of a U.N. mandate for foreign troops.
The woman, wearing a traditional black cloak, approached the gate to the shrine of Imam Mousa al-Kazim, one of the holiest men in Shiite Islam, witnesses said. She apparently blew herself while among a group of Iranian pilgrims in front of the shrine's main gate, they said.
Oh, Woe is the Oneida Tribe
Reminder, they don't pay taxes.
ONEIDA — Tough economic times are trickling down to the Oneida Tribe of Indians.
Fewer people are spending money at Oneida Bingo & Casino and more members of the tribe are looking for financial help.
While the casino in Ashwaubenon, a huge part of the tribe's financial success, isn't facing the same type of slowdown that has forced massive layoffs in the gaming industry in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, its numbers are down, general manager Neil Cornelius said.
Marley and Me, the movie
Go see it. Dog lovers will laugh and cry. Pet lovers will connect. Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston both do a great job capturing the spirit of the real Grogans (well, as the book suggests them to be).
You won't learn anything about teaching a dog new tricks, but you'll begin to understand how animals can weasel their way into a human heart and change it for the long haul.
Two paws up!
You won't learn anything about teaching a dog new tricks, but you'll begin to understand how animals can weasel their way into a human heart and change it for the long haul.
Two paws up!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
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