tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41400669457071282452024-03-05T09:17:17.902-05:00UrbanAdvertainmentWhere Digital PR, social communications, Media, pop-culture and entertainment converge.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-81111983763890529532009-03-03T23:29:00.010-05:002009-03-04T01:55:36.392-05:00GOP Chairman Michael Steele Apologizes to His MasterAfter boldly stating on CNN's D. L. Hughley show recently that conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh was nothing more than "an entertainer" and that the talk show-hosts comments were "incendiary and ugly," GOP Chairman Michael Steele went on to counter-claim with a hint of cockiness and his chest slightly puffed that he, not Limbaugh, was the leader of the Republican party.<br /><br /><embed src="http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1155201977" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=14523369001&playerId=1155201977&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed><br /><br />Limbaugh then fired back with a slap on the wrist as a reminder of who really wears the pants in the GOP family:<br /><br /><embed src="http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1155201977" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=14553900001&playerId=1155201977&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed><br /><br />A day later, Steele did a 180 degree about-face, and with tail tucked between legs, apologized to Rush Limbaugh, stating via an interview with <a href=" http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19517.html"></a><br /><br />Limbaugh is “a very valuable conservative voice for our party.”<br /><br />Steele went on to say to Politico: “He brings a very important message to the American people to wake up and pay attention to what the administration is doing; number two, there are those out there who want to look at what he’s saying as incendiary and divisive and ugly. That’s what I was trying to say. It didn’t come out that way. … He does what he does best, which is provoke: He provokes thought, he provokes the left. And they’re clearly the ones who are most excited about him.”<br /><br />Here's what I think really happened: Steele got caught-up in the moment. D.L. Hughley is a moderately known former King of Comedy and star of the ABC/UPN sitcom The Hughleys, who is currently the host of CNN's recently launched new program, D.L. Hughley Breaks the News. On this particular day, Hughley had on as a guest author/producer, American Muslim, and oh by the way, prolific leader of political and socially conscious rap rap group, Public Enemy. With two intelligent, urban, left-wing liberal African-Americans putting his feet to the fire and testing his metal as not only an African-American conservative Republican, but Chairman of the GOP, Steele wanted to "flex" and prove that he was nobody's puppet. <br /><br />I can't say that I blame Steele for trying to impress, given the platform (CNN) and the audience (Hughley, Chuck D, CNN liberal audience), but as was bound to happen reality stepped-in and Steele was quickly reminded of his place in the GOP food chain. Limbaugh did little more than give Steele a slap on the wrist, but it was enough to serve as a reminder that "those that giveth can taketh away" and given the apparent vacuum that currently exists at the helm of the GOP by qualified leaders (ie: Eric Cantor, Jewish Republican Whip for the 111th Congress), due to the all too public blunders of the likes of Romney, MCain, Palin, and Jindal - Rush Limbaugh - for better or worse and at least for the time being, serves as <span style="font-style:italic;">the<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span> de facto voice of the GOP.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-41801098901968933512009-02-19T15:37:00.008-05:002009-04-16T15:15:44.642-04:002009 Q1Social Media/PR Hits & MissesWhat a year 2009 has been for the Communications/Social Media industry, and we're only just ended Q1. Here's a quick recap of my list of the best of the hits, misses, stumbles, and blunders thus far:<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">President Obama</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.nymag.com/images/2/daily/2009/03/20090316_tonightobama_560x275.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 560px; height: 248px;" src="http://images.nymag.com/images/2/daily/2009/03/20090316_tonightobama_560x275.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />A whopping stimulus package; more bailout money for banks and the auto industry; homeowner bailout money, the AIG bonus debacle, and several botched attempts to fill vacant positions. It hasn't exactly been a smooth start to President Obama's first term, and his approval numbers seem to reflect the overall mood and discontent of the country. According to recent Rasmussen poll <a href="http://twitter.com/RasmussenPoll"></a>, Pres. Obama is at 56%-43% approval, with a third strongly disapproving of the president's performance. This is a substantial degree of polarization so early in the administration. Pres. Obama has lost virtually all of his Republican support and a good part of his Independent support. Be that as it may, the President continues to wield the power of both traditional PR and digital communications/social media to spread his message, shore-up consumer confidence, and continue his policy of transparency in Washington, DC. From several news conferences to small town gatherings to hitting the talk show circuits, Obama understands that unlike his predecessor, his greatest asset is actually himself.<br /><br />Aggregate Communications Grade: Politics and policy aside, we give the President an A+ <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Michael Phelps</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZZ-CqtHjAnk/SKwa6Tuo5RI/AAAAAAABLRE/BrY8PZvjA1k/s400/MICHAEL+PHELPS.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZZ-CqtHjAnk/SKwa6Tuo5RI/AAAAAAABLRE/BrY8PZvjA1k/s400/MICHAEL+PHELPS.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://s.buzzfeed.com/static/imagebuzz/web02/2009/1/31/19/michael-phelps-hits-the-bong-like-cheech-and-chong-11825-1233446819-5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 516px; height: 688px;" src="http://s.buzzfeed.com/static/imagebuzz/web02/2009/1/31/19/michael-phelps-hits-the-bong-like-cheech-and-chong-11825-1233446819-5.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Michael Phelps went from America's "gold" standard for hard work, dedication, focus and everything great about the US, to irresponsible slacker, derelict and marketing leper in the swoop of one bong hit. Phelps bypassed the traditional media route and instead in true Gen Y fashion, posted his message of contrition on Facebook:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Sunday, February 1, 2009 at 2:20pm<br />I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. I’m 23-years-old, and despite the successes I have had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner that people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public – it will not happen again.<br />Updated about 2 months ago</span><br /><br />The two notes he posted on his profile generated over 6,500 fan generated comments, most of them positive messages of support. He has since maintained a low profile focused on training and his more recent posts have generated mere human levels of fan comments (175).<br /><br />Grade: B+ <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />The NY Yankees</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://men.style.com/slideshows/mens/standalone/details/feature/0409/alex-rodriguez/00001f.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 480px;" src="http://men.style.com/slideshows/mens/standalone/details/feature/0409/alex-rodriguez/00001f.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />How does the most storied, accomplished franchise in all sports history manage to soil its image and possibly wreck its' brand? Hmmm...it started with Jason Giambi, then Roger Clemens, Andy Petite, and has all culminated with the highest paid player and the man who had been tapped as "the savior" of baseball, Alex Rodriguez. What do these (former and current) Yankee players have in common? Their collective admitted and/or suspected use of steroids. And if it wasn't bad enough that A-Rod admitted to using steroids (albeit, after lying to Katie Couric on 60 Minutes months earlier), he then called a press conference where he went on to lie about NY Times reporter Selena Roberts "stalking" him and breaking into his place, lied about his age when using the steroids, and lied about just about everything else that he talked about. Is this who the NY Yankees want as the face of their organization? They have a new stadium that will open this season, and if they make it to the playoffs as most expect them to it may help, but to have the caliber of Yankee players associated with "the steroid era" is a stain that may prove too deep to effectively expunge. <br /><br />Grade: F<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Yelp</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ec.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/yelp.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 450px; height: 387px;" src="http://ec.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/yelp.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br />2008 was a banner year for Yelp, the popular local consumer review site. After securing a new $15 million dollar round of financing - its' fourth round of funding since their founding in 2004 - and boasting some impressive stats to the tune of 22 million uniques and over 5 million reviews, it seemed as though Yelp was poised for even greater things this year; but alas, 2009 has seen the company embroiled in a massive PR controversy that undermines the very nature of what they do: fake reviews, strong-arm tactics, threats, and possible extortion. <br /><br />Jeremy Stoppelman, Yelp’s co-founder and chief executive,responded to these allegations via a few posts on the Yelp blog then basically went dark, only casually mentioning the crisis on his Twitter account. His lack of transparency, proactive communication and shady business practices has not set well with consumers, and while it has yet to be determined whether or not this will affect "business as usual" - in the court of public opinion that is social media, he may already be guilty. <br /><br />Grade: D<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Facebook</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiqxo258FzsYnvFcAr8L6Rt8UiVl04UArWrxtCwbV0u6ECjjiAcWBVuWODMDPgQJ7-Th_Bn01a5JsI187INEWN_2h8h39doUfu0zZndMijXqLg1tiI7sTwIGg6-oi9kftfIj-mmT19q-W/s1600-h/Face.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 194px; height: 75px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiqxo258FzsYnvFcAr8L6Rt8UiVl04UArWrxtCwbV0u6ECjjiAcWBVuWODMDPgQJ7-Th_Bn01a5JsI187INEWN_2h8h39doUfu0zZndMijXqLg1tiI7sTwIGg6-oi9kftfIj-mmT19q-W/s320/Face.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325364189704593794" /></a><br /><br />It's been an interesting, if not bumpy start to the year for Facebook. Aside from surpassing the 200 Million user mark and founder Mark Zuckerberg joining Twitter, the highlight thus far was when Facebook subtly changed the terms of service (TOS). After an article in the Consumerist highlighting the new terms,which essentially stated that anything you upload to Facebook can be used by Facebook in any way they deem fit, forever- a PR nightmare ensued with the works: consumer backlash, Facebook protest groups, media coverage, etc. End result: Facebook reverts back to the original TOS, and a democratic "for the people, by the people" attitude way of running the business. We'll see how much longer that lasts.<br /><br />Grade: B+<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Microsoft Layoffs Refund Debacle<br /></span><br /><br />Back in February, Microsoft made headlines when they laid off 1,500 employees. Adding insult to injury, news hit the web that Microsoft had "inadvertently" overpaid severance to some of these laid off employees, and was asking for some of the money back. <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/21/oops-microsoft-asks-some-laid-off-workers-to-send-back-part-of-their-severance/">TechCrunch</a> broke the story, and posted the following incriminating letters from Microsoft to the employees:<br /><br /><a title="View Microsoft Severance Repayment Letter on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/12722387/Microsoft-Severance-Repayment-Letter" style="margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block; text-decoration: underline;">Microsoft Severance Repayment Letter</a> <object codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" id="doc_632144326557542" name="doc_632144326557542" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" align="middle" height="500" width="100%" > <param name="movie" value="http://d.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=12722387&access_key=key-13oj24m32r6lgycuq0o&page=1&version=1&viewMode="> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="play" value="true"> <param name="loop" value="true"> <param name="scale" value="showall"> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"> <param name="devicefont" value="false"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="menu" value="true"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="salign" value=""> <embed src="http://d.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=12722387&access_key=key-13oj24m32r6lgycuq0o&page=1&version=1&viewMode=" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" play="true" loop="true" scale="showall" wmode="opaque" devicefont="false" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="doc_632144326557542_object" menu="true" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" salign="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="500" width="100%"></embed> </object> <div style="margin: 6px auto 3px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;"> <a href="http://www.scribd.com/upload" style="text-decoration: underline;">Publish at Scribd</a> or <a href="http://www.scribd.com/browse" style="text-decoration: underline;">explore</a> others: <a href="http://www.scribd.com/browse/Magazines-Newspapers/" style="text-decoration: underline;">Magazines & Newspape</a> <a href="http://www.scribd.com/browse/HowtoGuides-Manuals/" style="text-decoration: underline;">How-to-Guides & Manu</a> <a href="http://www.scribd.com/tag/severance" style="text-decoration: underline;">severance</a> <a href="http://www.scribd.com/tag/repay" style="text-decoration: underline;">repay</a> </div> <br /><br />How did this end? With the following formal statement from Microsoft:<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Last week, 25 former Microsoft employees were informed that they were overpaid as a part of their severance payments from the company. This was a mistake on our part. We should have handled this situation in a more thoughtful manner. We are reaching out to those impacted to relay that we will not seek any payment from those individuals.</span><br /><br />Grade: D-Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-3610957984413498632009-01-04T22:46:00.011-05:002009-01-22T03:22:10.507-05:00Happy New Year!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb__xj2iv7mYivvS2t-vqSscGZQ0KiyyDpMwCwS-wNbUij9i-YgRfwTJaH215yJpwnx-f2BE4aHl4XqEpLipUzaQ884QPXXjpQx_7EEKOq2PX20kT5YmH_XOmoEYsTzXt_2y8HlIBGknlZ/s1600-h/2009.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 207px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb__xj2iv7mYivvS2t-vqSscGZQ0KiyyDpMwCwS-wNbUij9i-YgRfwTJaH215yJpwnx-f2BE4aHl4XqEpLipUzaQ884QPXXjpQx_7EEKOq2PX20kT5YmH_XOmoEYsTzXt_2y8HlIBGknlZ/s320/2009.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294028983180927906" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />It's good to be back after surviving the roller-coaster year that was 2008 and unplugging for the better part of six weeks, but alas a New Year has begun, so time to get this party started with a few thoughts.<br /><br />First, just to clarify, I write this blog for me, and me only. Not for the purpose of flexing my social media IQ, but as a platform to express and share ideas and thoughts that are of interest to me, no matter the topic.<br /><br />I've happened upon this day to start writing again not by design, but because I actually have thoughts that I want to share and express, and this has become my personal soapbox. <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Digital Communications/Social Media/CRM</span><br />Will this be the year that PR evolves to finally take its rightful place at the grown-ups table? I say yes, with the caveat that PR pros and the industry as a whole embraces the inevitable change that has been happening for the last 5 years - a change from a one way "traditional" monologue with consumers to a two-way dialogue vis-a-vis social media. Those who get it will prosper; those who don't - won't. Social Media and all its touch points will allow Digital/Social Media Communications pros who command the strategic skills and adhere to the unwritten rules of consumer engagement to finally say "show me the money!"<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Twitter</span><br />Sighhhh. Back in 2007 during the SxSW conference, Twitter was tapped as "the next BIG thing" in social media. Well, strap-on your seat belts kids, 'cause barring any financial calamities (can they get a decent business model together that allows the platform to actually make money?), Twitter is about to get a whole lot bigger. You thought Twitter jumped the shark in 2008 once Rick Sanchez and the crew at CNN started using it with reckless abandon? The Twitter community has increasingly flexed its new found muscles for love of Mad Men, in disdain against Motrin, and more importantly as the most efficient platform to disseminate up-to-the-second eyewitness reports that have consistently scooped traditional media outlets in breaking news (Mumbai attacks, Miracle on the Hudson plane landing). You can be sure to expect more of the same in '09. With the increased number of new Twitter applications that continue to launch on a daily basis, it's inevitable. The one caveat is that Twitter will need to figure out a way to monetize and generate ad revenue. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Facebook</span><br />Has not only jumped the shark, but will continue to dominate mindshare and marketshare in the world of social networking, and in the US will continue to be the most <span style="font-style:italic;">active</span> social networking platform used by consumers (currently boasting 150 million active users), while maintaining steady growth. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Obama-palooza</span><br />Yes, the Inauguration of President-elect Obama is but a mere two weeks away, and the fact that the inauguration of an African-American as the 44th president of the United States comes on the heels of celebrating the observance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday is a feeling too powerful and overwhelming to describe. It's "one of those defining" moments, and the crush of people attending, the massive media coverage from even the likes of Nickelodeon, BET and QVC, and the various online tools, platforms and applications available to share the experience, the inauguration promises to make this the most watched, consumer engaged, <span style="font-style:italic;">and</span> covered event of the year. The Super Bowl, Oscars, heck, even the Olympics will pale in comparison. <br /><br />All-in-all, this year will be a challenging one, and time will tell just how bad it actually ends up being. Be that as it may, though he's no savior, at least we can take solice in the fact that we have sensible, strong, intelligent leadership at the helm of this country to help us navigate through these rough waters.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-10175240823970593442008-11-26T11:24:00.005-05:002008-11-26T11:54:30.723-05:00Holy Grim Reaper Batman!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheD3jK5-bpFzJxfz0L12b_zThmxtuIGppwBEfQTUQHmverbJFHQ_u_RIiNQIrFkpBcv7EDaMj1XvCkxsEM-BA2fkGr_pV5DjvpwSvdDIfVmmPUcYXYIBwXRNV1dcq-5NIh9oEbIKQtDiyc/s1600-h/Batman.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheD3jK5-bpFzJxfz0L12b_zThmxtuIGppwBEfQTUQHmverbJFHQ_u_RIiNQIrFkpBcv7EDaMj1XvCkxsEM-BA2fkGr_pV5DjvpwSvdDIfVmmPUcYXYIBwXRNV1dcq-5NIh9oEbIKQtDiyc/s320/Batman.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273005618296435954" /></a><br /><br />Rumor has it that in the next issue of Batman, scheduled to come out today, Bruce Wayne, the alter ego of Batman, may either retire from his duties or be killed by a mystery villain...holy RIP! The caped crusader's alter ego Bruce Wayne has reached the end of the line, according to an interview in Comic Book Resources (CBR)with writer Grant Morrison.<br /><br />In the controversial latest issue of the Batman story, written by Morrison, Wayne is rumoured to either die, or give up being Batman because he is so shaken up by a secret from his past, necessitating a hunt for a replacement.<br /><br />Key contenders to take up the cape include Dick Grayson, the original Robin who now protects Gotham City as Nightwing, Batman's son Damian and the current Boy Wonder, Tim Drake.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-13524280761725071822008-11-26T00:18:00.007-05:002008-11-26T00:37:44.352-05:00Obama Swag Moves Beyond the Streets to the Small Screen TV<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxPaSQ-kSc3GDYb24dpmYt7D4yHwTvijR2_1v1v_LEAgqiVBf499x8JAHahC8Hgu-5SRfKbP3ypzjEayAG6QA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />From Ojamas to Commemorative Plates - Brand Obama Is The Gift That Keeps on giving...and giving...and giving...Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-6192777334918750902008-11-21T16:50:00.003-05:002008-11-21T17:14:20.871-05:00The Power of President-elect Obama<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbzV1OoyJWHkWjoKmUL6i_C8YRqjVNLhyHOFeztFC0FO114Bc3qagDHjpglkZukTTx-T7YlTh9E8seO9mZpNiOfvaimt9NJHjZOBvC7kLbtj1PzzrWvgXk-o_3bPcgnXdK3zAmMRuf_5S/s1600-h/Gather.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbzV1OoyJWHkWjoKmUL6i_C8YRqjVNLhyHOFeztFC0FO114Bc3qagDHjpglkZukTTx-T7YlTh9E8seO9mZpNiOfvaimt9NJHjZOBvC7kLbtj1PzzrWvgXk-o_3bPcgnXdK3zAmMRuf_5S/s320/Gather.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271236181375378978" /></a><br />U.S. Stocks Rally as Obama Picks Tim Geithner to Head Treasury <br /><br />President-elect Barack Obama picked Timothy Geithner, head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, to be his Treasury secretary, with Lawrence Summers getting a senior White House role. Obama is also likely to nominate New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as Commerce Secretary, and Arizona's Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano to serve as the next head of the Department of Homeland Security. Reports have it that Obama plans to announce his picks on Nov. 24. Despite conflicting reports from the NY Times, Sen Hillary Clinton is not yet poised to accept the Secretary of State position. That said, stocks have rebounded sharply on the news of the Treasury pick. The benefit of choosing Geithner is that he has been intimately involved with the current financial crisis from the begining, so he brings continuity with little need for any major transitions.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-46287844825107915052008-11-21T12:33:00.011-05:002008-11-21T17:14:58.331-05:00Campbell's Soup is “Fond de Cuisine” For Americans During Tough Times...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioytE7-YSIgXY7b1ywTt8zkZIw7pzblROdnIRnJ93EVrWnKm1Qfrs5XyCHgFkNJSJKBiFgopYHJ0d5_c0Cf5FaWgmVdgIXC7ZOIaa_4xIlsqEwq1EWmDC2MTyHrzp3D_KRkcwVxjV-qv3Q/s1600-h/Camp.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 190px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioytE7-YSIgXY7b1ywTt8zkZIw7pzblROdnIRnJ93EVrWnKm1Qfrs5XyCHgFkNJSJKBiFgopYHJ0d5_c0Cf5FaWgmVdgIXC7ZOIaa_4xIlsqEwq1EWmDC2MTyHrzp3D_KRkcwVxjV-qv3Q/s320/Camp.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271179201850604610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlK1NDS3NscG8Bj7UeJwn7IPKWfPLsJurNxoWN7SoIMnuq_MI7odpAf6694CBqcytcpuSbNtloeROSKaivdVMkDU9NUwPB4HcyAoUmjRL5qxG0xVGgY9HrhQgIl3Dj1asZmOUZdHI67JV/s1600-h/Soup.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlK1NDS3NscG8Bj7UeJwn7IPKWfPLsJurNxoWN7SoIMnuq_MI7odpAf6694CBqcytcpuSbNtloeROSKaivdVMkDU9NUwPB4HcyAoUmjRL5qxG0xVGgY9HrhQgIl3Dj1asZmOUZdHI67JV/s320/Soup.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271166915837531282" /></a><br /><br />You may not "see" the lines of starving Americans outside waiting for bowls of free soup the way we did during the Great Depression, but make no mistake, the proof is in the "stock" - as in Campbell's Soup stock, which has led the Standard & Poor Packaged Foods Index over the past three months, and as recently as Sept. was the lone stock beat the S&P 500 (the remaining 499) by almost 48 percentage points. Shares of the venerable company fell today in response to an analyst downgrading it to "Neutral" from "Buy," but regardless, recent data shows Campbell's soup sales were up 14 percent in the latest four-week period in October, a pretty clear indicator of how priorities have shifted for American consumers. Let them eat soup...! <br /><br />Did you know that Campbell's has survived 28 recessions, two world wars and the Great Depression over its 139-year existence?Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-26604695047445352832008-11-19T01:47:00.002-05:002008-11-19T02:01:48.733-05:00CitySearch Takes off The Gloves<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxOMLPE-vnugBuWtA9jAuvsXsyy3yNGOe4GYXAurVqKZ_DyTU7PB5KQr6XNClQkYhnS75hu2uQnwsWHhgDkwz409v0DXN-LBVEPTyl57uSWGQlZbgRlqHHn0e-Qu9T6dPSgyqfjXv67rh/s1600-h/CitySearch.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxOMLPE-vnugBuWtA9jAuvsXsyy3yNGOe4GYXAurVqKZ_DyTU7PB5KQr6XNClQkYhnS75hu2uQnwsWHhgDkwz409v0DXN-LBVEPTyl57uSWGQlZbgRlqHHn0e-Qu9T6dPSgyqfjXv67rh/s320/CitySearch.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270260126818864194" /></a><br />After almost a solid year of heavy competition from Yelp, CitySearch is unveiling a test version of its new site today, the most exciting new feature involves integrating your Facebook account into Citysearch. When you browse the site, Citysearch can prioritize content written by your Facebook friends; you can import your Facebook profile into Citysearch; and you can also share your Citysearch reviews on Facebook and have them show up in your news feed. Citysearch will also try to provide more relevant information by focusing on individual neighborhoods, rather than entire cities. This leads to a huge increase in Citysearch pages, from 140 city guides to a combined 70,000 city and neighborhood guides. Pretty cool...Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-62795195979868422882008-11-19T01:23:00.004-05:002008-11-19T01:27:50.745-05:00Obama Picks First Potential African-American Attorney General<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoL5XP5W0s9no6s4pO3naExAQ2SoNeikW0eRjRevI7yosnETNWUnOYHJeXE_8HKJjWWADlZvOY_IFduhOD_8DSKWduaXErNWH1byKSl1DcsrGEN6pKTjAyPI4QY4_8zynHdx0GZOfAqrX4/s1600-h/Attorney+Gen.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoL5XP5W0s9no6s4pO3naExAQ2SoNeikW0eRjRevI7yosnETNWUnOYHJeXE_8HKJjWWADlZvOY_IFduhOD_8DSKWduaXErNWH1byKSl1DcsrGEN6pKTjAyPI4QY4_8zynHdx0GZOfAqrX4/s320/Attorney+Gen.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270250937653647858" /></a><br /><br />President-elect Barack Obama has picked Eric Holder to be his attorney general; if approved Holder would be the first African-American attorney general in US history.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-84945161393119692782008-11-05T11:48:00.005-05:002008-11-19T01:30:56.774-05:00Election Day 2008: A Change Is Gonna Come...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5n_dO8KwQghyphenhyphenQ0EgBQnIFh4JaSiA5Wh3ir_J8FzttTEoGYMLExUleB_Lz8SkUj3f8-rUejS02shlZTGlei2cQ5JQ1G5RnJcWB3gI8ZqtLtQ2Q841XPM11FxlI_yoBVK9Yzq1Nbu5pscM2/s1600-h/Yes+We+Did!.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5n_dO8KwQghyphenhyphenQ0EgBQnIFh4JaSiA5Wh3ir_J8FzttTEoGYMLExUleB_Lz8SkUj3f8-rUejS02shlZTGlei2cQ5JQ1G5RnJcWB3gI8ZqtLtQ2Q841XPM11FxlI_yoBVK9Yzq1Nbu5pscM2/s320/Yes+We+Did!.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270247861663997202" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWXzzFXkcbSUGg3k9FiwVlOsgxCgXErvT0iNmJiIXrSsXjKx201gLZe000hszWMjiYxOBmm_6KCYwYntBEAvFRycS9LwY-IYyuEd5b83WcnKuTskIZR7BhGNWnnS0R0Rsy5IUR-anrJjy/s1600-h/Obama.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWXzzFXkcbSUGg3k9FiwVlOsgxCgXErvT0iNmJiIXrSsXjKx201gLZe000hszWMjiYxOBmm_6KCYwYntBEAvFRycS9LwY-IYyuEd5b83WcnKuTskIZR7BhGNWnnS0R0Rsy5IUR-anrJjy/s320/Obama.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264845527457013186" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx11CKjb4OHXgr-py9gwOOQk88otc32gxSMIEdfL163wFaalIpqUOe_2HkTT6C3YRhaXMpYsq4PaEdGNj767GR18PeSfV_BOKA0BFIH-vuCo2pi-3TkFUFLwd2467eCCNtEvi7y3NB9buK/s1600-h/MLK.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx11CKjb4OHXgr-py9gwOOQk88otc32gxSMIEdfL163wFaalIpqUOe_2HkTT6C3YRhaXMpYsq4PaEdGNj767GR18PeSfV_BOKA0BFIH-vuCo2pi-3TkFUFLwd2467eCCNtEvi7y3NB9buK/s320/MLK.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264854953184076514" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZaAXp9OlojIMNR-zRjSXA-niYu-N9FXwOHr58NK93RZBx6iSgZBMsMGW8xuKFL90OgUrPLslYVex9hX7CQyECt4y7CgcOY6xuwBB2q23EsFe5F4JrUKDFQPinUYI5_jQ4nxLnRWRo-BL/s1600-h/Marshall.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 270px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZaAXp9OlojIMNR-zRjSXA-niYu-N9FXwOHr58NK93RZBx6iSgZBMsMGW8xuKFL90OgUrPLslYVex9hX7CQyECt4y7CgcOY6xuwBB2q23EsFe5F4JrUKDFQPinUYI5_jQ4nxLnRWRo-BL/s320/Marshall.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270247410713742578" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhK1Azdjfmte0PGos5or_KG1Zx6gGGALNBbyByk3D__YNWt16JuWSVwFTnGlzUBJjGdNcb8VsmNPVj2gNya31ghBdcQyZOpJ8dj5Imp6iYjL7cFBegKCiNFzrJAlxqHEi5Hk4I7rHSQiZM/s1600-h/68+Olympics.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhK1Azdjfmte0PGos5or_KG1Zx6gGGALNBbyByk3D__YNWt16JuWSVwFTnGlzUBJjGdNcb8VsmNPVj2gNya31ghBdcQyZOpJ8dj5Imp6iYjL7cFBegKCiNFzrJAlxqHEi5Hk4I7rHSQiZM/s320/68+Olympics.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270246394571649314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezA2f9p8KIdxZeZnYRM0DWfgAjuNZcI1OGL-QfmoH7OiIzrQfSpAck-z2usp9IzbOM5H3ilPCp1-fhdeSjF2RHHalis0hpXRzBdCvyVp5UAjif6BMOIvp1zbWMPBMev7jVSHun2Yarl-y/s1600-h/Jackie.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 292px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezA2f9p8KIdxZeZnYRM0DWfgAjuNZcI1OGL-QfmoH7OiIzrQfSpAck-z2usp9IzbOM5H3ilPCp1-fhdeSjF2RHHalis0hpXRzBdCvyVp5UAjif6BMOIvp1zbWMPBMev7jVSHun2Yarl-y/s320/Jackie.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270246391473829394" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfJ2iz8qAlpwxWTlg8YN7leDu6HAPBtpSwjM3stZVI95wTx183htkpKLlm06c6B0IsWzbeqLG_ZweiYqg70dCUnUcnvMI9XfORA4nW_3jQtnKxeUkQbhdMKes6M9bIYixN3R4JpS83fvp/s1600-h/MLK+cops.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfJ2iz8qAlpwxWTlg8YN7leDu6HAPBtpSwjM3stZVI95wTx183htkpKLlm06c6B0IsWzbeqLG_ZweiYqg70dCUnUcnvMI9XfORA4nW_3jQtnKxeUkQbhdMKes6M9bIYixN3R4JpS83fvp/s320/MLK+cops.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270246390529308178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vVeP5tHWlJ4jeiKRO7k8hPM4orZqyNptqSqmoV1bh520x2OKPUZyHjNfCAAZ23RuvrnI1Qu6xoTUWT5SN-x9-KTmG22Pr3fFW8aWXUpEoTlrIlwba6nQkjUvVIrG1hZQcL8U90FoFnhw/s1600-h/colored+fountains.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vVeP5tHWlJ4jeiKRO7k8hPM4orZqyNptqSqmoV1bh520x2OKPUZyHjNfCAAZ23RuvrnI1Qu6xoTUWT5SN-x9-KTmG22Pr3fFW8aWXUpEoTlrIlwba6nQkjUvVIrG1hZQcL8U90FoFnhw/s320/colored+fountains.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270246388152491730" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkLemgL5rNr6eVI4j6WxrP0S_6kJgBumyyG8X-I3x6TaRSb1R0mue1FhDhzP_Ppbjqe9rZwgNM0FWH2PL97-3QuVJ0AKhrjPnhQ-JV6e6jfn_cY33HOH7Z6aA1YigtJPIvXfJ34xDQbcn/s1600-h/Lynchings.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkLemgL5rNr6eVI4j6WxrP0S_6kJgBumyyG8X-I3x6TaRSb1R0mue1FhDhzP_Ppbjqe9rZwgNM0FWH2PL97-3QuVJ0AKhrjPnhQ-JV6e6jfn_cY33HOH7Z6aA1YigtJPIvXfJ34xDQbcn/s320/Lynchings.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270246387056938162" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVi5-IOsP-seLyIcrcOH-JKbzmYp_mrn_dPYEzYJUN3IPMbVG5Z0IcVSeGbKmQwiEncwhRDr2bgVJVdhYVHQvIi0XLIjHx0o2GOqrstCoQhqPij70w0sQXg5jDGIYNGfj-EDjmgeTfulL/s1600-h/30's+2.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVi5-IOsP-seLyIcrcOH-JKbzmYp_mrn_dPYEzYJUN3IPMbVG5Z0IcVSeGbKmQwiEncwhRDr2bgVJVdhYVHQvIi0XLIjHx0o2GOqrstCoQhqPij70w0sQXg5jDGIYNGfj-EDjmgeTfulL/s320/30's+2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270244594762895042" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzF_7B1oIYMoC2FiSVHPQWzN970cHuDuHiFw-pFb0SnNAaoM4VsFdsTajTD8ztYOvMBgfw_DOXXNE7Mc4RExFCqljs32luTDIJezZmnlRTeQ_vN-2SLba1eQ8Yxa_KilkuQ0bzTqYXQxGn/s1600-h/JackJohnson+-+1910.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzF_7B1oIYMoC2FiSVHPQWzN970cHuDuHiFw-pFb0SnNAaoM4VsFdsTajTD8ztYOvMBgfw_DOXXNE7Mc4RExFCqljs32luTDIJezZmnlRTeQ_vN-2SLba1eQ8Yxa_KilkuQ0bzTqYXQxGn/s320/JackJohnson+-+1910.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270244591716244994" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVgZLLnzq_XZ8Uqo2ljMHMbIiDmI41oivFk4aeeO2lrHf6v42-cZNLa6dAr-z9V0xs0Vda2plW5hrDh5p0SkoRbCMSQTJ-7e2n68vP7TCELz2BtefHx6Io7N1LCK1FzkK9OGkTfx1iMxp/s1600-h/whipped.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVgZLLnzq_XZ8Uqo2ljMHMbIiDmI41oivFk4aeeO2lrHf6v42-cZNLa6dAr-z9V0xs0Vda2plW5hrDh5p0SkoRbCMSQTJ-7e2n68vP7TCELz2BtefHx6Io7N1LCK1FzkK9OGkTfx1iMxp/s320/whipped.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270244591028347282" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitATw-eBBQNTx86T5DyXnlXGdFYR-IkqxUvOjJTzh0nJQ4YSLCGLNvf1TfNYse3zgsYO9aUxu4XYtJLerOPU06ysYghm13dyEFb-Z4YYZGtECP0iZ5V1yyu6GMnem66iWjdQuxktT16y6d/s1600-h/Slavery.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitATw-eBBQNTx86T5DyXnlXGdFYR-IkqxUvOjJTzh0nJQ4YSLCGLNvf1TfNYse3zgsYO9aUxu4XYtJLerOPU06ysYghm13dyEFb-Z4YYZGtECP0iZ5V1yyu6GMnem66iWjdQuxktT16y6d/s320/Slavery.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270244585601771922" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhci6rwVWdjIhPeMWZhfN0SItMpD0XI-YdSx-N2XyvHUb3718OpKuTAPLW2k5tCWRLYVO6Q1BlJ1qdbNDCskgRryiYyVwEqIIfmbyk6ovpE3Z1KmnHEY9kO0br044LMopWgGXvPfGrJH6Mh/s1600-h/slave+ship.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 178px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhci6rwVWdjIhPeMWZhfN0SItMpD0XI-YdSx-N2XyvHUb3718OpKuTAPLW2k5tCWRLYVO6Q1BlJ1qdbNDCskgRryiYyVwEqIIfmbyk6ovpE3Z1KmnHEY9kO0br044LMopWgGXvPfGrJH6Mh/s320/slave+ship.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270244583591981538" /></a><br /><br /><br />We are on the cusp of one of the most profound moments in this young nation's 232-year history. The first African-American US President...words simply cannot express the emotions, so I hope these images serve as a reminder of where we came from, where we are, and where we're going.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-36981845462979224012008-10-31T11:07:00.014-04:002008-10-31T14:58:05.710-04:00Lots To Catch Up On...Coldplay, Google Books, Economy...So I took a bit of a hiatus after a weekend away in the backwoods of upstate Pennsylvania (Potter County, aka: God's Country - Beautiful Mountains, Nice But Ass-Backwards Peeps, Great Fishing, Hunting), but time to get back to it...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">COLDPLAY</span><br />I went to the Colplay concert this past Monday at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ (right next to Giants Stadium); really good concert which I saw from a luxury skybox; glad I went (especially because it was free and I was with friends), but would never pay for the skybox experience and would be hesitant to do that again; concerts are supposed to be a visceral experience, an assault on the senses, and the box literally and figuratively puts a barrier up between that. That said, I had a great time, and I thank the peeps who invited me to attend...here's some video footage from the concert...enjoy.<br /><br /><br /> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxWavwY51nShDkGHol6AJBtM5TZCaCoqf2-azGbUz9cY0YHzhp9MJaqZ55SoAMOq0fY7iR0-Kn_ytj_EPm_Mw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Economy</span><br />Can we finally acknowledge that we are in fact in a RE-CES-SION? Not only did the U.S. economy shrank by 0.3 percent during the third quarter, but there was a 3.1 percent decline in consumer spending, the sharpest drop since 1980. And with the Holiday season right around the corner, it doesn't take a genius to see the writing on the wall that the upcoming holiday sales be one of the worst ever, further cementing the fact that we are indeed in a recession (despite The National Bureau of Economic Research still not officially labeling it as such).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE GREAT DEPRESSION, PART DEUX</span><br />This week marked the anniversary of the market crash of 1929, which triggered the Great Depression; the irony is clearly not lost on any of us, and frankly a bit eerie; let's hope it doesn't ever get to the point as it did in the photo below... <br /><a linkindex="22" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHQQFp12QEVninRe5yeZiqlSF9mTmjVUZnhJm3bI7KIzxgkLSFob0PnrEbq2MgQOvr2bNdobDXWQFf1TW0WwxroS5uIuV5Nw7jI2xiynyGNBaOlGMTw7dWcSsPTBo19TB6bLGas1sI9e5/s1600-h/Great+Depression.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHQQFp12QEVninRe5yeZiqlSF9mTmjVUZnhJm3bI7KIzxgkLSFob0PnrEbq2MgQOvr2bNdobDXWQFf1TW0WwxroS5uIuV5Nw7jI2xiynyGNBaOlGMTw7dWcSsPTBo19TB6bLGas1sI9e5/s200/Great+Depression.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263343134983780658" border="0"></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GOOGLE BOOKS?</span><br />This past week Google settled two copyright suits brought by book publishers and authors in a landmark legal case that allows them to continue to scan books and make them available on the Internet. The deal will make it easier for Google, publishers and authors to profit from the digital versions of printed books.<br /><br />Since Google announced this project four years ago, they've been working with the likes of Harvard, Stanford, the University of Michigan, and the University of Oxford as well as The New York Public Library to digitally scan books from their collections; Google has already scanned 7 million texts, including everything from classics to textbooks and how-to books. It will be interesting to see how this changes the publishing landscape as a whole, in addition to how this will affect Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Boarders, not to mention the longtail affect on technology gadgets (iphone, iTouch, Blackberry, etc.). <br /><br /><a linkindex="23" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxr-bCMeYMMrkK9HghFSgBeA-GL8bGDy7Q46F_hYLJk-XnkukLchJm5cuSeVFvjSAnHxoKZJbavQa_rCmTBDvyJwgqzbYAbdHEz6usBOUoOX4wrIayv5IO4KsvYcOgnF7C8Wnz2p-cLc9/s1600-h/Google+Books.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxr-bCMeYMMrkK9HghFSgBeA-GL8bGDy7Q46F_hYLJk-XnkukLchJm5cuSeVFvjSAnHxoKZJbavQa_rCmTBDvyJwgqzbYAbdHEz6usBOUoOX4wrIayv5IO4KsvYcOgnF7C8Wnz2p-cLc9/s200/Google+Books.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263361101889597778" border="0"></a><br /><br />and finally...<span style="font-weight: bold;">THE ELECTION</span><br /><br />Yes, I had to save the best for last. With four days until election day, there's not much to say that hasn't been said to-date. Regardless of who you're voting for, the most important thing to remember come election day is this...<br /><a linkindex="24" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha25JHP2E39Q0j8QW9qfcE1QZIvjVLKvP5ManMvPIFA6pX4Qo2BrB-uvLhuq4Gnq4CTvd56k9-INacv4gGwNEwPOkNFVbQbWP2f9BrFCAo-wbR3qCR65fZ4GkkrL8jUgsMBSZc5a_2i0yY/s1600-h/The+Right+To+Vote.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha25JHP2E39Q0j8QW9qfcE1QZIvjVLKvP5ManMvPIFA6pX4Qo2BrB-uvLhuq4Gnq4CTvd56k9-INacv4gGwNEwPOkNFVbQbWP2f9BrFCAo-wbR3qCR65fZ4GkkrL8jUgsMBSZc5a_2i0yY/s320/The+Right+To+Vote.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263382794317232402" border="0"></a>Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-3835160485465557892008-10-14T00:08:00.012-04:002008-10-14T01:56:56.645-04:00Clash of the Financial Titans<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHwn2-gy8HMJb654t5t5tCfH_t_E6dws899owVmwZu_JuVJaj6jQwB4VekBfxcBQVq8y1aEQztajItu7Le0PfzvYL4IlLMxNDzzfyiK-h-nhwwkGKG4C7XMp5qs64rqyo9inMY9tq8hg4/s1600-h/Clash!.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHwn2-gy8HMJb654t5t5tCfH_t_E6dws899owVmwZu_JuVJaj6jQwB4VekBfxcBQVq8y1aEQztajItu7Le0PfzvYL4IlLMxNDzzfyiK-h-nhwwkGKG4C7XMp5qs64rqyo9inMY9tq8hg4/s200/Clash!.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256883201826068162" /></a><br /><br />Looking to stabilize the economy and drum-up confidence, the treasury will be meeting with the big banks today to discuss the direct investment of $125 billion from the gov't in nine of the biggest U.S. banks. Led by Secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, the meeting - to be held at 3PM this afternoon - includes the likes of Ken Lewis, chief executive of BOA, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, Vikram Pandit, the CEO of Citigroup, Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs, and Robert Kelly, CEO of New York Mellon. Hmmm...how many bank CEO's does it take to fix a financial crisis? <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaR6wWr5bEYn289qm7F8T3GH9IhUO0fNJ6Lvv4q4o96ZyLpGn-xSRVOgve32Hkt-oOSYZWBthjG2_Zk4YUHC-f8Jf8Wl1RovT3y2mqyKW8lwkP2bEo3GZG0dp1rYEEJlLTPCwDnjozMckm/s1600-h/Titans+1.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaR6wWr5bEYn289qm7F8T3GH9IhUO0fNJ6Lvv4q4o96ZyLpGn-xSRVOgve32Hkt-oOSYZWBthjG2_Zk4YUHC-f8Jf8Wl1RovT3y2mqyKW8lwkP2bEo3GZG0dp1rYEEJlLTPCwDnjozMckm/s200/Titans+1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256883571223404690" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8G0lJGjyKVVFWx_9jMVgpz3U1b5xWHg0UvRtIuCCBen5j6HKu-9xW8JJI4D79syA4kgTkPRa3nxUwuTkCAZAGbPQzERzg4jyklEkJA_QIrCMY8kuRegbjC0L6Yyfr59vQcQiJ9-wuYABf/s1600-h/Titans+2.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8G0lJGjyKVVFWx_9jMVgpz3U1b5xWHg0UvRtIuCCBen5j6HKu-9xW8JJI4D79syA4kgTkPRa3nxUwuTkCAZAGbPQzERzg4jyklEkJA_QIrCMY8kuRegbjC0L6Yyfr59vQcQiJ9-wuYABf/s200/Titans+2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256883574331107938" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Wtcp2S0szAbL8vJliuZfZTdxDQC8ayvWjkOoFZv2errquk6vJ2AE7Cbb69W-V6uDc08dJ5vHIGBplAI8dJ5XTIZWw1lALvoCw-LIScdQqC0NWXAyBqsCNfCu5v7ofUqNMednmycqRtkG/s1600-h/Titans+3.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Wtcp2S0szAbL8vJliuZfZTdxDQC8ayvWjkOoFZv2errquk6vJ2AE7Cbb69W-V6uDc08dJ5vHIGBplAI8dJ5XTIZWw1lALvoCw-LIScdQqC0NWXAyBqsCNfCu5v7ofUqNMednmycqRtkG/s200/Titans+3.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256883579752464930" /></a>Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-35798638406440131392008-10-13T20:30:00.000-04:002008-10-14T01:42:34.524-04:00Warner Bros to release films online before DVD's...in S. KoreaWarner Brothers Entertainment has taken the first step towards what many think will be the future of the entertainment industry by releasing its films online in South Korea before they are released in the country on DVD. Why South Korea? Not only does S. Korea have a high percentage of broadband penetration, but it's also one of the global leaders in DVD piracy, lagging only behind China.<br /><br />Warner Bros is expected to reap the financial benefits by bringing forward the release of films online. Traditionally, DVD sales generate about $12bn a year, while rentals generate $7bn; the wrinkle is that studios take 20-25 per cent of the money from a rental but if the film is rented in digital form the share is closer to 70 per cent. Not too shabby...<br /><br />What are the chances of this happening in the US? Not anytime soon, as 55% of all adult Americans now have a high-speed internet connection at home, according to a May 2008 survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. While this is roughly 17% more than 2007, the US still lags behind 24 other countries worldwide when it comes to broadband penetration. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFehgkpDF0FQgpzTxACRDyUGgZtvrq1qicfdTK1vSsYRqbFZXgrQvxduM7xvWd4wryl4XaXj_jWnZM2nxdjGP4nNSBT1X7ooHFSHmeLOheyCOVfffAV-6w70iqsaYisyk9kWSFQF0lfczK/s1600-h/Broad+band+Penetration.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFehgkpDF0FQgpzTxACRDyUGgZtvrq1qicfdTK1vSsYRqbFZXgrQvxduM7xvWd4wryl4XaXj_jWnZM2nxdjGP4nNSBT1X7ooHFSHmeLOheyCOVfffAV-6w70iqsaYisyk9kWSFQF0lfczK/s200/Broad+band+Penetration.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256879651244257138" /></a>Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-14613074583775628202008-10-06T13:47:00.006-04:002008-10-06T19:16:39.348-04:00Just Another Manic Monday on Wall St.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGif26BMb8PRBDEvtzJyXg9PdLjWXaCexuf88oWn2kqFhoj7s9E_1BA-MwzeRCkvFZ8D5MOhX-j0MO4K7cbW_gs-0o50fgSWP8hlaZVq60X77Od8RFt_rEToPoJyI0SD8KMemZL654iQ_D/s1600-h/Oh+Shit!.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGif26BMb8PRBDEvtzJyXg9PdLjWXaCexuf88oWn2kqFhoj7s9E_1BA-MwzeRCkvFZ8D5MOhX-j0MO4K7cbW_gs-0o50fgSWP8hlaZVq60X77Od8RFt_rEToPoJyI0SD8KMemZL654iQ_D/s200/Oh+Shit!.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254103603015891682" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bXgYTp-4E7SZMLVud3qs6OCQBy4suNa-E7ijvyT4smbbfMlApbccOT4bQ8nQPdNpfX2UzUU0mTE3Hm3w3rikucFNH-wkYuDOUoKNkAqzXrNidXZtJ61USkIR4N93M8BI9vSz8tYKFq_C/s1600-h/Dow+Drops+Below+10,000+for+First+Time+Since+2004.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bXgYTp-4E7SZMLVud3qs6OCQBy4suNa-E7ijvyT4smbbfMlApbccOT4bQ8nQPdNpfX2UzUU0mTE3Hm3w3rikucFNH-wkYuDOUoKNkAqzXrNidXZtJ61USkIR4N93M8BI9vSz8tYKFq_C/s200/Dow+Drops+Below+10,000+for+First+Time+Since+2004.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254103607109294866" /></a><br /><br /><br />And the hits just keep on comin'...the weekly sh*t-astic Monday financial news continues to suck as today stocks tumbled around the world, the Dow dropped below 10,000 for first time since 2004, the euro fell the most against the yen since its debut, oil dropped below $90 a barrel, and the US is still reeling from the news that the American economy lost 159,000 jobs in September, the worst month in five years. Oh yeah, and that Citi/Wachovia deal - fuhgetaboutit - Citigroup has sued Wells Fargo and its takeover target Wachovia for $60 billion (peanuts right?), citing "the unlawful conduct of Wachovia, Wells Fargo, and their officers and directors and outside advisers." So much for shoring up consumer confidence with the financial crisis...great timing boys.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-23136730619936685622008-10-01T19:30:00.001-04:002008-10-01T19:30:00.392-04:00New Pew Poll Shows Obama Lead Growing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlWEbRSW0MjYvZPgvuovO5lC5GdnHqIXfBMIQ8_OiQTkxQEwiBgwYgzJgrM4JZEpUv5UwwCYy_xirTUJjZt2LKYJxkIjzY_QsL9IJ6NUZAjA7hW7kGnvLPV1ogg6no3hIN-zFjnNiN-dd/s1600-h/Obama+Regains+Lead.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlWEbRSW0MjYvZPgvuovO5lC5GdnHqIXfBMIQ8_OiQTkxQEwiBgwYgzJgrM4JZEpUv5UwwCYy_xirTUJjZt2LKYJxkIjzY_QsL9IJ6NUZAjA7hW7kGnvLPV1ogg6no3hIN-zFjnNiN-dd/s200/Obama+Regains+Lead.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252295490115679698" /></a><br /><br /><br />I'll caveat this post by saying that I'm not a real big believer in political polls. That said, according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has gained a 7-point lead over Republican rival John McCain in the wake of their first presidential debate. Pew cites several factors for what it calls Obama's "significant lead" over McCain, including Obama's performance in the first presidential debate, as well as voter confidence in Obama's ability to deal with the financial crisis.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-52826154469054406272008-09-30T00:33:00.005-04:002008-09-30T01:25:58.281-04:00Cow Patties & Marshmallows...M-Mm Good!<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz0UlS2z2OkLTqu_03Qr7yC5YOTWXm45A9mda27mYLug13gl7sCI20BUe_nRVVXm8icaUZvMKEwWOaViZCjeg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Here's the clip in its entirety...<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tKgx5FlVStQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tKgx5FlVStQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <br /><br />I actually agree with Rep. Paul Broun, (R) Georgia...but they still should've passed the bill.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-26963905513611055752008-09-29T14:50:00.002-04:002008-09-29T14:52:07.212-04:00HOUSE FAILS TO PASS BAILOUT... 228 NAY, 205 YEA... DOW PLUNGES MORE THAN 600...Citi Buys Wachovia<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBdzL0C4JdlGUlh3s9EEHfdNgMFUGmHCElpPRubv4txDBiNPKiauD9F9esKEk4qEObV6eCXzS3Jbzy8g4CWnL6t_Iqnq4Nnv3pcQqm0rmHj36WYokTJZNOGJ6vvXFnkcIhgkG9JuFmQUj/s1600-h/Bailout.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBdzL0C4JdlGUlh3s9EEHfdNgMFUGmHCElpPRubv4txDBiNPKiauD9F9esKEk4qEObV6eCXzS3Jbzy8g4CWnL6t_Iqnq4Nnv3pcQqm0rmHj36WYokTJZNOGJ6vvXFnkcIhgkG9JuFmQUj/s200/Bailout.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251517648037825186" /></a><br /><br /><br />It's another wonderful Monday in the financial world.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-71933517094329689492008-09-23T18:39:00.007-04:002008-09-23T19:02:12.860-04:00I'm Just a Bill, Yes I'm Only a $700 Billion Bill, and I'm Sittin' Here On Capitol HillTreasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke say that a recession is "unavoidable" if the Wall St. bailout bill isn't passed, while the Senate Banking Committee calls the proposed $700 billion plan "unacceptable." As a refresher, let's review one of my all-time favorite School House Rock segments on how exactly a bill is passed...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mEJL2Uuv-oQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mEJL2Uuv-oQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-16654723850907149962008-09-23T00:43:00.005-04:002008-09-23T01:04:20.289-04:00Nancy Hicks Maynard, Pioneer for Newsroom Diversity, Dies at 61<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytygkTxuvKpelPGwcNkIbpIoZ1ywmIM1Fu0NePMdwBG_5sgFhx5uvsXaW2xJZI8OPDmCxKN-wbC2r41wLHCNPec8arzttrwLf_d1GHmgzCQRM3bKMemRiRvgHbhG-Fk9FDhcwZvy7IqDW/s1600-h/Maynard.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytygkTxuvKpelPGwcNkIbpIoZ1ywmIM1Fu0NePMdwBG_5sgFhx5uvsXaW2xJZI8OPDmCxKN-wbC2r41wLHCNPec8arzttrwLf_d1GHmgzCQRM3bKMemRiRvgHbhG-Fk9FDhcwZvy7IqDW/s200/Maynard.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249077844751306610" /></a><br /><br /><br />Veteran journalist and author Nancy Hicks Maynard died this past Sunday after a long illness. Maynard was a staunch advocate for newsroom diversity. In 1968 at the age of 23, she became one of the youngest reporters and the first black woman to report for the Metropolitan staff for the New York Times, and went on to a life of outstanding and distinguished work for the Times, New York Post, and occasionally the McNeil-Lehrer News Hour, before co-founding The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-43478732147163706232008-09-16T01:34:00.008-04:002008-10-14T17:29:16.693-04:00The Wall St. Meltdown...Greed is Good?<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JaKkuJVy2YA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JaKkuJVy2YA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />Let's just recap the timeline of events from this year on Wall St.:<br /><br />- February 2008: The U.S. Congress approves a 150-billion-dollar spending package to stimulate the economy.<br /><br />- March 2008: On the verge of collapse and under pressure by the Federal Reserve, the U.S. central bank, Bear Stears is forced to accept a buyout by U.S. investment bank JPMorgan Chase at a fire-sale price. The deal shakes confidence and sends seismic ripple effects throughout global financial markets.<br /><br />- July 2008: The California mortgage lender IndyMac collapses. <br /><br />- September 2008: The U.S. government takes over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The crisis at U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers deepens. Stock prices of other financial institutions also fall sharply, including those of the U.S. investment bank Merrill Lynch, the insurance giant American International Group (AIG), and Washington Mutual, the largest U.S. savings and loan bank.<br /><br />- September 15, 2008, '<span style="font-weight:bold;">Black Monday</span>': The investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after 158 years in business; Merrill Lynch, the world's largest stock broker agreed to be bought by Bank of America (BoA) for $50 BILLION. And finally, AIG, the world's largest insurance company, searched for ways of raising $40 billion in cash from the FED. Oh, and the Dow closed 500 points lower for the worst point drop in more than seven years...<br /><br />FLASHBACK:<br /><br />On the original "Black Monday" (October 19, 1987), the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 508 points, losing 22.6% of its total value. The S&P 500 dropped 20.4%. This was the greatest loss Wall Street ever suffered in a single day.<br /><br />FLASHFORWARD:<br />...it's only Monday folks. Strap on your seatbelts 'cause it's going to be a bumpy ride. Next on the docket: stocks continue to fall (investors continue to dump due to a lack of confidence in the market); Washington Mutual and Wachovia, the clock is ticking and more than likely either JP Morgan or Goldman will snatch them.<br /> <br />On the flip side, the price of oil finished below $100 a barrel for the first time in six months...buuut gas prices rose to $4 a gallon in large parts of the South affected by Hurricane Ike.<br /><br />This is a tragic day folks, and not only will it get worse, but the recession (yes, we are in one) will get deeper and last for the next year. This is what the next President will inherit...think about that this November 4th when you cast your vote.<br /><br />UPDATE: So according to The Hollywood Reporter<a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ibc7ed676383467c204a6c20ba3fbfca9"></a>, "Fox is ready to revisit if greed is indeed good by pushing anew with its "Wall Street" sequel, titled "Money Never Sleeps."Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-17261792032372459772008-09-15T10:10:00.000-04:002008-09-15T11:15:17.472-04:00Palin and Clinton on SNLGreat skit from SNL this past Saturday where Tina Fey returned to play non other than her twin, Sarah Palin alongside Amy Poehler's Hillary Clinton.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QnRUKIMegn8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QnRUKIMegn8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-29017765432761001112008-09-11T19:06:00.002-04:002008-09-11T19:40:31.599-04:00Gina Girshon Spoofs Palin...<object width="464" height="388" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://www2.funnyordie.com/public/flash/fodplayer.swf?af2c813e" /><param name="flashvars" value="key=61410aa4ff" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed width="464" height="388" flashvars="key=61410aa4ff" allowfullscreen="true" quality="high" src="http://www2.funnyordie.com/public/flash/fodplayer.swf?af2c813e" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><div style="text-align:center;width: 464px;">See more <a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/gina_gershon">Gina Gershon</a> videos at Funny or Die</div><br /><br /><br />Gina "Bound" Gershon does some of her best acting in years in this Palin spoof on FunnyorDie.com...Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-28762870955640666842008-09-10T05:51:00.004-04:002008-09-11T17:22:01.232-04:00Google Crawler + Human Error = United Airlines Stock Frenzy on Wall St.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREyzJHcjtYBMobtI-sBILNOUrnLST9taqhCq04_yxCITwNK7iOJnFDTE3SkRbkuDLJ63esQMfLHQdLvneoN4bv9Rl5GQxxP7NEQE6I4-8Ij48ew-Qbz2x4-mUGUwX05P3fZuHGiSsrqXV/s1600-h/Trading+Places.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREyzJHcjtYBMobtI-sBILNOUrnLST9taqhCq04_yxCITwNK7iOJnFDTE3SkRbkuDLJ63esQMfLHQdLvneoN4bv9Rl5GQxxP7NEQE6I4-8Ij48ew-Qbz2x4-mUGUwX05P3fZuHGiSsrqXV/s200/Trading+Places.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244863956651279042" /></a><br /><br /><br />Back in 1994, a computer "hiccup" disrupted Nasdaq trades for 2 1/2 hours and caused a slight panic amongst traders. Having interned on Wall St. back in the day for two summers (ForEx, Swiss Francs), I can unequivocally attest to the fact that computers are the heart and soul of Nasdaq and Wall St. by allowing buyers and sellers to post prices and execute trades; billions of dollars are exchanged daily and every second counts. That particular day of computer malfunctions reduced the day's brokerage commissions (and put-off buying that yacht by a week), but fortunately not much else.<br /><br />Fast-forward 14 years - computers are still wreaking havoc on Wall St. This past Monday (Sept. 8th), an article popped-up on the web that declared that United Airlines had announced that it was filing for bankruptcy and, taken as gospel, sparked a mass frenzy of selling/dumping of UA stock on Wall Street. The problem is, the story was false.<br /><br />Why or how did this happen? Simple answer: Google search. Google discovered a six-year-old story on the Web site of a South Florida newspaper that did not have a date on it.<br /><br />When Google found the article via its crawler, it applied the date of the search on that story and posted it on Google news. A reporter for a securities investment firm saw it, took it as being a new story, "United Declares Bankruptcy," punched it into Bloomberg, and it hit Wall Street like a tsunami where within a matter of minutes, more than 15 million shares had traded and United Airlines had lost 75 percent of its value.<br /><br />Fortunes have been made and lost from rumors on Wall St. for longer than I've been alive, so that in itself is nothing new. What IS new is that these rumors can now be ignited and posted by anyone with a working knowledge of search and/or SEO, and Wall St. Now granted, this had a lot to do with human error, so the fault lies not just on Google; but realist that I am, I have to wonder if this could possibly serve as a blueprint for some unscrupulous bloke who wants to manipulate the system and short a stock (betting that it will go down) by planting a fake story that would cause the stock to crash. And if you had shorted that stock, you could stand to make a lot of money.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-23014246491888085392008-08-25T01:53:00.006-04:002008-08-25T10:49:31.324-04:00Obama Continues To Leverage Digital to Fuel WOM , Reaps Media Dividends<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNWoYczrk_zG_1p9izAus948mbooG7t3Q4kyDlIC2My0VZ9QKGLyU1luBljBYNQnoWadd-VZ58iiEOFrbFpAiwiGz-oRUDRhzQ1XAH1lP9NIMQzBXoCkf2NG_NlDBrZ-ys27yrvUcj9VV/s1600-h/cnn.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNWoYczrk_zG_1p9izAus948mbooG7t3Q4kyDlIC2My0VZ9QKGLyU1luBljBYNQnoWadd-VZ58iiEOFrbFpAiwiGz-oRUDRhzQ1XAH1lP9NIMQzBXoCkf2NG_NlDBrZ-ys27yrvUcj9VV/s200/cnn.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238335573498280226" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjasbnV_8wbL4aenbrJNPaPW1YISfTFfDOC8-_PKIco_H1-NKDCKRd3gmGd9QmEvbF0LXLk3vU4iHr4pvwU3atJkAFSU4M1TCTjc_dFFKXT8UWT_25m63Zt4VfuG0xnir91bE9InGmF_ptz/s1600-h/barack.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjasbnV_8wbL4aenbrJNPaPW1YISfTFfDOC8-_PKIco_H1-NKDCKRd3gmGd9QmEvbF0LXLk3vU4iHr4pvwU3atJkAFSU4M1TCTjc_dFFKXT8UWT_25m63Zt4VfuG0xnir91bE9InGmF_ptz/s200/barack.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238335574343654914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyllG_NK4jTEVwG5yASnzyk_nP0DrLwT_7_C7g8jlxNG8t5ToOpI02WtZI0s4sSrRgJeqJUFV4hXCkMuOihqK9Avn9zfJuD86nObZtrM7_FcSF4EFEwI69-JiMAaFJXt7e0xrvH_juphoj/s1600-h/Biden.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyllG_NK4jTEVwG5yASnzyk_nP0DrLwT_7_C7g8jlxNG8t5ToOpI02WtZI0s4sSrRgJeqJUFV4hXCkMuOihqK9Avn9zfJuD86nObZtrM7_FcSF4EFEwI69-JiMAaFJXt7e0xrvH_juphoj/s200/Biden.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238335580890527058" /></a><br /><br /><br />While the BIG news that the traditional political networks and rags were talking about over the weekend was dominated by the Sen. Obama's choice for VP, Sen. Joe Biden, one of the interesting underlying stories is the role that digital continues to play in this election, and specifically by camp Obama. Yes, the blogosphere was all a-Twitter with conspiracy theories that Sen. Obama chose to notify both the media and consumers about his VP choice starting at 3AM on Saturday morning as a last "slap-in-the-face" response to not only NOT picking Clinton, but to her <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yr7odFUARg">3AM phone call ad</a><br />but as the string of emails (and SMS text messages) above indicates, Obama continues to deftly harness digital in a manner that time and again successfully informs and galvanizes at the grassroots level, and provides a halo effect that hits mainstream media and the masses. This continues to be a master class in the use and power of social communications in a way that will forever change the face of American politics, and takes the Howard Dean 2004 election online initiatives to a new level. Pay attention folks - video, viral, SMS, social networking, email - these tools are all being orchestrated in a grand way, as they continue to not only keep Sen. Obama in the news cycle, but continues the two-way dialogue direct and unfiltered with consumers. The interesting story will come in November and beyond if Sen. Obama wins, and if/how he uses the very tools moving forward that will have played such a critical role in his election.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4140066945707128245.post-65264667689128740302008-08-18T02:43:00.006-04:002008-08-19T19:52:04.040-04:00NBC Universal Launches Gemini Division, First Network Web Series<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD34mEJaB6lH4AF6KDOZqX7rgoUhdCVlhyfsFj_P3Vv0FDGEUNwwywarMQgDFWf9GZVWG8C-VlBrsXcQBC0UFbokh5qeohLtTT1Xmx0K6uLCALp8S_fWC8stWyvFBT794cAd-r16hhgmbu/s1600-h/Gemini.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD34mEJaB6lH4AF6KDOZqX7rgoUhdCVlhyfsFj_P3Vv0FDGEUNwwywarMQgDFWf9GZVWG8C-VlBrsXcQBC0UFbokh5qeohLtTT1Xmx0K6uLCALp8S_fWC8stWyvFBT794cAd-r16hhgmbu/s200/Gemini.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235749187382563890" /></a><br /><br /><br />Today marks the premiere of Gemini Division, a sci-fi web-only series starring indie-flick hottie, Rosario Dawson (<span style="font-style:italic;">Sin City, Clerks II</span>). <br /><br />This bold move by NBC Universal could very well change the face of original programming as we know it. A recent Advertising Age <a href="http://adage.com/madisonandvine/article?article_id=130332&search_phrase=gemini">article </a>claims that this is "perhaps the most significant original programming ever developed by a broadcast network specifically for the web."<br /><br />According to industry rags, "Gemini" will roll out as a 50-webisode series, with the first two segments premiering today on NBC.com, SciFi.com, and GeminiDivision.com, and will be featured on several video-on-demand platforms including Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS, Dish Network, Amazon Unbox, and Microsoft's Xbox Live and Zune. Wow, that's an exhaustive list of partners, not to mention a number of top advertisers who have signed up, including Microsoft, Intel, and UPS.<br /><br />It'll be interesting to see how this is received by the people who matter the most - the online audience and regular TV viewers. Supposedly, if viewers respond favorably to a given story line or character, the network will also be prepared to shoot ancillary footage and create social media spin-offs. They've apparently already released a series of blogs which you won't know until episode 30 are actually related to the show. Regardless, I for one intend on keeping close tabs on this endeavor, if not for anything else but to get up-close and personal with senorita Rosario.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06649880480153247239noreply@blogger.com2