Wings of the Phoenix

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

2012-01-22T21:28:00.000-05:00

Part mystery, part psychotic—not-quite—thriller that leaves far more questions than it does answers is a suitable description of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. This film opened on Christmas Day of last year (OK, so not quite a month ago), but due to its limited release, took nearly a month to make it to the Phoenix area.

Starring Hollywood long-timers Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, Extremely Loud tells the story of Oskar Schell, a child too brilliant for his own good. He’s fascinated by scientific discovery but also plagued by intense, well-thought-out, if irrational fears. Playing off both, Oskar’s father (Tom Hanks) creates treasure hunts to stimulate his young thinker’s mind. These serve dual purpose in that they’re planned to force Oskar to overcome his fears. Growing up in New York City, Oskar has more than a few things to ponder and fear, but his inquisitiveness and phobias take on new meaning after September 11, 2001. His father is among those who perish in the World Trade Center.

Trying to solve one final mystery that he believes his father left for him, Oskar sets out to conquer the five burrows, believing his father has one last important story to share. Along the way, Oskar is forced to face his fears, while constantly tormented by his own inner voices and frustrations. And this is where we see the darker side of Oskar begin to show. He demonstrates cringe-eliciting rudeness and disrespect toward authorities, elderly people, and even his own still-grieving mother (Sandra Bullock). He resorts to self mutilation to deal with his anxieties. Unlike say, Donnie Darko, there’s nothing remotely amusing about this childhood psycho.

That siad, I did enjoy the attention to visual details in this film such as seeing the original iMac in all its multi-flavored glory (in one scene said indigo iMac is running an old version of Adobe CS—cool). However, and one can almost forgive director Stephen Daldry for this since it was shot in present-day NYC, some of the cars are quite a bit newer than 2001 models. They also have Empire Plates. While introduced in 2001, at that time the Liberty Plate would have still been phasing out. Picky details, I know.

Extremely Loud is also extremely long. It has no definitive ending, and it creates more questions than it does answers, leaving moviegoers uneasy, without a sense of resolution. I guess the bottom line is you’re left to draw some of your own conclusions. I suppose it provides fodder for discussion in the theater lobby.

I had also gone in hoping to see a vivid and dramatic re-creation of September 11. However, truth be told, Oskar’s father could have died any number of other ways, and the basic plot would not be effected. To date the only good September 11 movie I’ve seen was United 93.

So my take: Don’t waste your time and money on this one.

The Iron Lady

2012-01-15T20:17:00.000-05:00

Wars, people unable to pay their mortgages, protest movements in the streets, high unemployment—sounds like your typical morning news headlines. However, proving that what’s old is new again, British filmmaker Phyllida Lloyd demonstrates that such problems ravaged Great Britain just a few decades ago.

Americans today clamor for a leader who will turn this country’s economy around, putting people back to work and ensuring a stable middle class. Britons in the late 1970s elected who they believed would be the conservative savior of their Isle—Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The Iron Lady, currently in theaters, is a dramatic portrayal of the life and major political milestones that defined the legacy of Margaret Thatcher. The film opens near present-day* with an aged, hunched over, and unrecognized-by-most Thatcher—played by Meryl Streep—at a convenience store buying milk. She’s clearly bewildered as she observes the price of milk, people talking on cell phones, and the general rudeness of the public.

This sets the course for the rest of the film, which is defined by Thatcher’s ensuing dementia and subsequent flashbacks and hallucinations to her early life and political career. This choice of narration creates some confusion, as it jumps forward and backward in her lifetime throughout the film. It’s important to pay careful attention so as not to lose the plot.

Streep had her own makeup artist who is credited at the end of the film. He is responsible for making her appear a ghost-white figure with contrasting bright-red lipstick (and wrinkles galore when the plot switches back to the present) who clearly is on her eight of nine. I won’t even touch the hair, which probably could spontaneously combust there’s so much hairspray holding up that doo. All this is set against a typical London scene of dreary skies and even more dreary old buildings. Needless to say, this film has a stuffy, somber feel to it.

From a political standpoint, it’s tossed to debate whether this is left-wing propaganda. I couldn’t help but feel that Thatcher’s cries for smaller government, fiscally conservative budgets, and war hawkishness were portrayed in a negative light. Numerous scenes (using actual footage) show Brits rioting in the streets, pounding on the windows of her limousine, and in one scene—detonating a bomb at the hotel she’s staying in. At the same time, this film is certainly crafted to show the empowerment, advancement, and contributions of women in politics and society as a whole.

The Cold War has long been fascinating to me (USSR’s collapse was the subject of a term paper), so seeing this film was only natural. Anyone who lived through the Thatcher era (especially if—unlike me—you’re old enough to vividly remember it), and was into the political turmoil of the era, will definitely appreciate seeing this modern-day recounting of the Iron Lady of Britain.

If you’re not a history buff, it pays to go into the theater with some background on Thatcher and her major political milestones. Her Wiki is a great resource to gain context into the surrounding events, people, places, etc. seen in the film. Keep focused during plot switches, and you’ll find this is an entertaining historical drama that really makes you think about the 1980s and how this decade may very well have come to define today.

* I would put this film as being in 2008. In one scene Thatcher is watching the news where bombing of the Islamabad Marriott is the top headline. This occurred September 20, 2008.

Searing Words for American Retail Powerhouse

2012-01-01T21:26:00.000-05:00

A pioneer of the American department store model, Sears is closing locations in an effort to stop cash losses. Ok, this is nothing new…it’s been in the news since at least Christmas Day.

The other day a Facebook link to YouTube caught my eye. The video is by sales-training expert Grant Cardone, and in it Cardone explains why he believes Sears is failing.

If you don’t care to watch all nearly eight minutes of the video, here’s a quick summary: Cardone visits an LA-area Sears store with camera crew in tow. He loudly comments on how nobody greets him, often making comments like, “Can I get a little help here?” and just being a typical, needy retail customer who doesn’t understand that retailers have skeleton crews. A store like Sears is mostly self service.

Cardone receives less than willing, knowledgeable help as salespeople are immediately put off by the cameras. Finally, he is escorted out of the store, where, now standing in the parking lot, he proclaims he has unearthed exactly what is wrong with Sears.

As someone who worked for a retailer competitive to Sears, I don’t believe Cardone shares the whole story. What you see is the customer’s side, but I’d like to share a little from the employee side:

• Retail employees are tasked with merchandising, floor resets, fitting room recovery, etc. This is in addition to providing customer service.
• Some customers want to be greeted; some bite your head off with, “I’m just looking!” at the hint of a greeting.
• Needy customers don’t care that you have a million other things to juggle, they want help and they want it now. If you don’t have what they’re looking for, they believe it exists in a magical little land called “The Back”, which usually is nothing more than empty stockroom shelves.
• While trying to keep the store presentable, you have customers constantly trashing it. Retail is the only place I know of where we invite guests in, look the other way while they make a mess, and then the employees get hollered at when customers rank the store as “messy” on those stupid little end-of-receipt surveys.
• Credit card quotas are a must. It’s not enough to perform your everyday assignments to the best of your abilities. Never mind that credit is what got the U.S. economy in trouble…just meet your quota or expect to be berated, threatened with termination, etc.
• Backup cashiers needed? You best drop everything and run for the registers. And you’d better be able to pick up where you left off and have your tasks completed by the time you go home.
• Speaking of going home, no overtime allowed. This is both a blessing to some, and a curse to others. You better juggle taking all state-mandated breaks each day, too.

Now one disclaimer, the department store I worked for (I’ve posted it in other places on this blog, if you really need to know) has a slightly different business model than Sears. There are no power tools and lawn mowers. Salespeople are non-commission.

My point is that retail is a tough job. It’s like trying to bail water out of a sinking ship. It’s hard to ever feel a sense of accomplishment from. While I am glad for the time and project management, prioritization, leadership, and other invaluable skills I learned working as a retail supervisor, I am so glad my career took a markedly different turn in July of 2011. I am glad to no longer need to deal with annoying customers like Grant Cardone.

I thought this a fitting post as I start this new year and the first full year of my new career.

Facebook Your Next in-Flight Friend

2011-12-30T18:07:00.000-05:00

Over the past month, I’ve done a lot of air travel. There’s nothing I hate more than getting on the plane and not knowing who is going to be sitting next to/around me. I’ve had more than my fair share of coughers, sneezers, passengers of size, and one time—in the exit row, where there was no window seat in the row directly in front—an old man kicking his legs and yelling how all the extra legroom felt like a “dance floor”.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is demonstrating yet another potential way Facebook and social media are changing the ways of the world. KLM is allowing passengers checking in online to opt for having their Facebook or LinkedIn profile associated with their position on the seat map. This allows other passengers to get to know who their plane-mates will be and attempt to pick a seat next to someone desirable.

The original USA Today article flaunts this as some sort of dating service at 30,000 feet. However, I think it’s a great way just to ensure yourself a comfortable flight. If you had your potential seatmate’s profile in advance, you could friend the person and even chat to ensure this is somebody you’d feel comfortable next to. Perhaps airlines that sell seats in advance (or assign them at time of purchase—something more rare all the time) would let you link up your Facebook profile as soon as the ticket was purchased (as opposed to at check in, usually no earlier than 24 hours prior). And how about an email when someone has grabbed the seat next to you so you can check out their social media profile?

Since this is an opt-in service, and users need to have a Facebook or LinkedIn account, there’s still a good chance of not knowing your seatmate until departure time. Regardless, this is an innovative way to use social media, and one I would gladly take advantage of in the interest of avoiding the creepy passengers that seem to always get assigned the seat next to me.

As a side note, my last several flights of length were on Southwest where seating is open (a.k.a., a free for all). In this case, the airline who has won awards for its social media innovations will miss the plane when it comes to Facebooking your next seatmate.

Thanksbloggin...

2011-11-25T19:36:00.000-05:00

An interesting thought occurred to me regarding the recently celebrated Thanksgiving holiday. Call it a Thanksgiving epiphany of sorts.

Having moved across the country earlier this year, 2011 was the first time I haven’t spent Thanksgiving with my immediate family. Being fond of turkey dinners with all the trimmings anytime of the year, I wasn’t about to miss the turk of all turkey dinners. Since I had made non-dinner plans for Thursday, I cooked my Thanksgiving masterpiece Wednesday night. It was a pathetic affair really: turkey legs (love the dark meat), stuffing, mashed potatoes, plus something green and healthy.

Then Thursday came along and on an impulse, I got invited to Phoenix restaurateur legend Bill Johnson’s Big Apple for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It was an all-you-can-eat for $15 affair, but one plate of signature smoked turkey and all the traditional sides was more than enough. Plus there was some of the best pumpkin pie I ever tasted for dessert.

Anyway, this wasn’t meant to be a review of Bill Johnson’s Thanksgiving dinner (although I do highly recommend). Back to that epiphany. Not being surrounded by a smorgasbord of Thanksgiving delicacies made me realize how almost liberating it was to enjoy a small Thanksgiving this year. I never overate. I wasn’t sick to the point of hoarking (this has happened on some Thanksgivings!).

If it’s a day to give thanks for—among many other things—the plentiful food supply we enjoy in this country, then why do we gorge ourselves? Does that really demonstrate appreciativeness for good health?

It’s often stated that Thanksgiving is about spending time with family. We could all afford to spend more time with those that we love. So my thought is, why do we make Thanksgiving a single day? Why not make the celebration last a week? Write a list ahead of time of everyone’s favorite side dishes. Build several nights’—even a week’s worth—of dinners, preparing different side dishes and desserts every night. That way everyone gets to enjoy their favorites, and there’s no need to stuff oneself sick on the final Thursday of November. Make time to share several meals as a family. I know, I should talk…I didn’t spend this holiday with mine.

Regardless, that is what I learned this year. There is nothing pleasant about being so full that you’re sick. It’s hard to appreciate something when it makes you ill in the end. Here’s to a week—and an entire year—of thankful feasting and gratitude.

Crisis Communications—The Test

2011-11-05T13:31:00.000-04:00

Crisis communications had often been a case study in college. Most of my classmates did the usual cases, and in fact, by graduation, some of them became ad nauseam—Tylenol tampering in the 80s, syringes in Pepsi cans in the 90s, fingers in Wendy’s chili in the millennium decade.

I remember being bored by these textbook examples and trying to think outside the box, including one crisis-com study I did regarding Southwest Airlines. It was right after the previously fatal-accident-free carrier experienced its first wreck causing a death when a B737 skidded off a snowy runway at Chicago Midway.

Perhaps in retrospect it was preparing me for what occurred this week. US Airways was rocked last Saturday with reports that flight attendant Nick Aaronson was murdered while on layover in Mexico City. When I first saw the news reports, I knew my week was going to be hijacked like a jumbo jet. Since I work in internal communications, primarily to the flight attendants, this was going to be the real deal, no more case studies. The department manager was also on vacation for the first part of the week, meaning myself and fellow communications specialists were flying solo.

Granted, a 12+ hour workday on Wednesday was a little hectic, but what a sense of pride and accomplishment as we joined planeside with several hundred flight attendants while the casket was loaded for Nick’s final flight. The emotions were raw, but what a sense of dignity conveyed. While commercial aviation has become a cattle-car industry, what pride, professionalism, and unity our InFlight staff demonstrated as they gathered to remember a fallen colleague.

And how has this affected me? In a public relations/journalism environment, one needs to take a bit of an objective, detached view at times. Some coworkers expected me to be distressed over this. While saddened at this preventable tragedy, the fact is our lives are made up of choices. When Nick signed the paper—permitting the man who eventually killed him into the ultra-secure Hilton Reforma—he ultimately signed his death certificate. He took his life for granted and made a poor decision. I personally cannot let myself become too attached; you gotta have a little ice in your veins at times.

Speaking of journalism, aside from one little glitch (ABC15 Phoenix stated US Airways didn’t do anything to organize the remembrance ceremony—blatantly wrong), the media coverage of US has been positive. The crew hotel’s security wasn’t breached. And perhaps the most validating report of all: a letter from the victim’s brother to US Airways employees thanking each of us for the remarkable show of support. If this were just another case study, I’d say we earned a grade of “A”.

P.S. - I can be seen in the video at top. Those who know me, see if you can find me...

No Longer a Buffalo Blogger...

2011-10-30T19:15:00.001-04:00

Downtown PHX in the sunset

It’s been over four months. I had all but abandoned this thing. But I’m not without excuse: this past summer my life changed dramatically.

I left Buffalo with all its grey skies, cold weather, and chicken wings behind. It was a leap of faith: I packed my little Subaru Impreza to bursting and drove it across the country. My new home is Phoenix, Arizona. I came out here for an opportunity to advance my career with Phoenix’s hometown airline US Airways (formerly America West Airlines).

That’s right; after nearly three years of selling shoes and putting up with obnoxious customers, I left my job at Kohl’s. My mom and dad met while working for Allegheny Airlines (eventually became USAir and now US Airways). My uncle was a pilot for the same. So I guess a little jet fuel was always in my veins, and that’s why I’m carrying on the family tradition at US Airways.

It’s been a phenomenal opportunity to apply my background in communications in an industry that has always fascinated me. I work at InFlight Services. In any given day it’s kind of like working at a newspaper: I write articles, do graphic design, distribute crew memos, take photos, and answer Dear Abbys (it’s actually called “Ask InFlight” and is an email forum where flight attendants write in to ask questions, or more commonly, gripe about what went wrong on their last flight).

And as for Phoenix? It’s a great place to live. There’s no such thing as a rain date here. A rare day of cloud cover is actually a welcome change of scenery. If you’re an outdoors enthusiast (as I am), Arizona has no shortage of beautiful mountains, parks, and scenery that varies from desert valleys to mountain highland. Compared to Buffalo, the cost of living is a lot lower. Case in point: even with a 2% food tax (something NY doesn’t charge on groceries), groceries are still a lot cheaper here. Gasoline is much cheaper (comparatively speaking; there’s no such thing as cheap gas anymore).

So basically it costs less to live in a far nicer place. Makes sense to me. This was a move that was a matter of when, not if. I’m just glad that US Airways provided me the initial opportunity to begin my westward expansion. In the meantime, if I’m going to keep this little hole in cyberspace up, what should I rename it? Buffalo Bloggins isn’t going to work anymore…

Thoughts on my Planet

2011-06-24T14:39:00.000-04:00

I'll admit I'm usually not the earliest adopter when it comes to new technology. I figured a tablet was years into my future, if I'd ever even consider one. And then along came the under-$200 Pandigital Planet. A generous manufacturer rebate sealed the deal and I decided to explore the Planet.

The Pandigital Planet is definitely not an iPad, Acer Iconia, Moto Xoom, or any of the other new tablets seeming to hit the market every week. It's an off-label, stripped down version of the big concepts. If you're looking for 10+ inches of screen space, 3G connectivity, and 16+ GB of storage space, then you probably should stay off this Planet.

In fact, Pandigital describes the Planet as a tablet that specializes in e-reading. Among the apps included with its Android-based operating system is the Barnes and Noble eStore which allows users to browse for books, magazines, and newspapers; make a purchase; and then beam the goods right to their Planet. For reading, it includes useful tools such as a dictionary, notating features, and multiple zoom levels. It's also great for reading lengthy PDF documents rather than printing or viewing on a computer screen. Pages are turned with a quick right-to-left flick of the finger over the touch screen.

An Android app store is available and a slew of nifty widgets are included. Web browsing over the built-in WiFi is acceptable, but is geared toward email, social media, and browsing that isn't graphics-and-memory hungry. Adobe Flash is not available, just like on first-generation iPads, but a YouTube app allows some functionality on that site (gotta expect that on a Google Android-powered device).

Dual front and back cameras take still photos as well as video. All the popular music, video, image, and media formats are supported as well. The seven-inch 800x600 touchscreen, while not huge, is bright and clear and the touch sensor is remarkably accurate. Entering full URLs with the pop-up keyboard is quick and efficient. The screen also automatically orients itself depending on whether the device is held right side up, upside down, or sideways.

The Planet has a built-in speaker and also includes connectivity for stereo headphones. The relatively small 2GB of on-board storage is expandable to 32GB with a MicroSD card. A mini-USB port allows easy syncing with a PC. Battery life is acceptable, and an AC charger is included.

For the budget price I paid (Planets range from $179 - $220 on average), I got a lot of tablet for not a lot of money. Keep in mind that mainstream devices are running around $500 and up. The Planet is definitely not the leader of the pack. Its Android 2.2 is dated, and it certainly lacks the sex appeal of an iPad. But for the light user who wants an intuitive e-reading experience with the ability to browse the web on the same device, the Planet may be a good choice. It's also great for someone who wants to keep up to date on the “there's-an-app-for-that” phenomenon without shelling out big bucks for a smart phone and service plan.

Being a new contender, availability is currently limited on Planets, but I would expect more will hit the market soon. One gripe I have? I can't find a custom-fit protective cover for my Planet, but I assume this oversight will be fixed soon.

Overall, the Planet packs a lot of useful, well thought out features into a small and affordable package. It's an e-reading heavyweight and tablet light. Check out the manufacturer's website for more details.

Not Totally "Imprezed"

2011-06-07T19:48:00.000-04:00

Comin' at ya—2012 Impreza in sedan and 5-door body syles

I got a good deal last fall on a 2011 Subaru Impreza. No wonder, considering that due later this year the a fully redesigned 2012 model will hit showrooms. Bucking the new = bigger trend (at least in the power train department) displacement is down 0.5 liter to 2.0 while horsepower and torque fall to 148/145lbs. respectively. A CVT transmission replaces the aging four speed, and this dynamic duo promises gas mileage breaking the 30 MPG range.

Motor Trend got to try out an early model, describing themselves imprezed. As a loyal Subaru owner (I’m on number three), I’m not so sure. I don’t doubt the car is an engineering marvel, after all, it actually posts better performance in spite of its smaller power plant. But what about aesthetics? It looks to me like a freshening of the current model at best, with some definite styling cues from its bigger brother Legacy sedan thrown in for good measure. A couple cases in point? The flared fenders (previously a WRX denotation) and the rake on the headlamps. Headlamps that, might I add, no longer appear to have halogen projectors in them.

My car's "waterfall" dash. MIA on the 2012.

What happened to the interior? Where’s the signature black-on-chrome “waterfall” dash Subaru aficionados have come to know and love? The interior, while promising better-quality materials, appears cheapened, or at least plain.

Subaru’s been bucking the trends when it comes to auto sales, and I’m sure the 2012 Impreza will only add fuel to the fire. I don’t doubt that it’s a great car. But for those of us who love Subaru for their quirky, rally bred machines, the mainstreaming can be unpleasant to watch from the sidelines. Sometimes I want to go back 10 years ago when the bug-eyed Impreza WRX in electric blue made its debut, complete with Recaro racing seats and a Momo steering wheel. Not to mention a blown 2.0-liter mill pumping out north of 200 horsies from behind that hood scoop. Those were the days, and I’m glad to say I got to drive that car once: A cute blonde accompanied myself and a friend who had no business test driving a car like that. "I can't drive stick, you're up," he said. I ground the gears all the way down Southwestern Boulevard.

Check out pictures and what the manufacturer has to say about its upcoming new model at http://www.subaru.com/impreza/2012/index.html.

Will "Back to Our Future" be a hit, or will it crash and burn like DeLorean?

2011-05-25T19:24:00.001-04:00

I’m a product of the 1980s, having lived through about half the decade (oops…did I just date myself?!?). Naturally, I was intrigued when I read a review in Buffalo News of David Sirota’s Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain the World We Live in Now…

Buffalo & Erie County Libraries have multiple copies available, but I was wait listed. When it was my turn to check out an almost-hot-off-the-press copy, I was excited to delve in. What I expected was a recollection of the 80s I remember: Atari, InTelevision, Commodore 64, Apple IIe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Saturday morning cartoons, LEGOs, big hair, "Full House," the USSR…I could go on.

What I got was a deep and dark political analysis of the 1980s worldview and how the 1990s and 2000s grew out of this monster. Essentially from this Huffington Post contributor, it's a chance to posthumously bash Ronald Reagan. Sirota reconstructs how each decade roughly from the 1950s through the 1980s shaped successive mindsets prevalent in our politics, our wars, our media even to this day. While intriguing at times, his writing can get needlessly complex and heavy (read: hard to stay awake through).

One of the things I hoped for was thorough treatment of 1980s pop culture. That was one area Sirota did not disappoint, analyzing everything from Rambo, to Red Dawn, to E.T. and continuing on through popular television.

In fact, it’s 1980s TV that defines the last segment of Sirota’s work, aptly named “The Huxtable effect” after the fictional African American family of “Cosby Show” fame. Here Sirota dives head-first into the thorny issue of racism. He writes as an extreme advocate for all minority groups, of which he’s not a member of (judging by the dust jacket photo, he’s a regular white American male). Perhaps most shocking in today’s politically correct and ultra-sensitive world, he’s not afraid to bare the n-word in all six letters.

What does Sirota want? He seems to call out everything that he finds wrong with the 80s. Does he want an extreme-left nation? How do we deal with prejudice in our society? The fact is people have differences. Long on criticism, Sirota is short on solutions.

But I’m not here to totally bash Sirota's work. It’s cumbersome to read at times. It definitely doesn’t resonate with my personal politics. But perhaps I just didn’t get what I expected from this 1980s analysis. I wanted to read in depth about the technology (80s technology fascinates me; so much of what we rely on today was given birth during the decade), media, pop culture, and Cold War (another era I’m fascinated by and subject of a term paper). It’s like ordering steak and instead getting chicken; not bad, just not what you expected. Conversely, reading about the advertising campaigns (particularly Nike’s Just Do It) and public relations of the 80s was very interesting to someone with a mar/com background.

Perhaps the best audience for Back to Our Future is someone who actually lived through the 1980s and is old enough to remember more of it. More of the politics, more of the Cold War fear, more of the Reagan…Maybe someone who was old enough to grow a mullet or big hair (or a nasty combo of the two?!). That reader would probably better relate to some of the heavy concepts discussed.

GET IT

Back to Our Future just came out and is very up to date. Buffalo & Erie County Libraries have copies available (get on that wait list now!) as do major booksellers.

Three Dimensions Grab Attention Better than Two...

2011-03-19T19:57:00.000-04:00

Lookin' like a rock star in my CR-Z 3-D glasses...

It’s every advertisers’ dilemma: trying to stand out in an increasing soup of media clutter. As engaging the consumer’s attention continues to shift toward the web and social media, print advertising has all but been written off as so last decade. While declining revenues at magazines and newspapers back this theory up, print ads still have their place.

When a new magazine arrives, crisp and unwrinkled in my mailbox, the first thing I do is rip out all those annoying little cards. You know, the ones that advertise a two-year subscription for the price of one, mail in now for half-off Viagra—that sort of thing. In my April 2011 edition of Motor Trend I discovered a perforated insert that was a little different, however.

Seeing the world in the third dimension is all the rage now. Step aside 1080p LCD high-def television set; the techo-geeks are all after 3D TVs now, even if the full experience requires Buddy Holly glasses. So in the latest Motor Trend there was a pair of tear-out 3D glasses. One cellophane lens is blue, the other is red. They are for viewing 3D photos in an article about the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C. On the glasses themselves Honda bought some advertising space followed by a two-page spread for the new Honda CR-Z hybrid hatchback. The ad—you guessed it—is in 3D when you put on the glasses and hold approximately three feet from your head while viewing at a 30-degree angle.

How did it work out? In a word—awful. The blurry mishmash of blue and red lines visible to the naked eye doesn’t suddenly drive off the page when the wonder shades are put on. I can’t stand to look through colored cellophane for more than a few minutes before I get a headache. The ad, like any good advertising today, redirects viewers to a special website to watch a video in 3D and get more information on the CR-Z. The third dimension actually comes to life a little better on the computer screen (when wearing the glasses) than it did on the printed page. An intearactive app is also available at the iTunes store and on the webpage.

My point? It’s still possible to be relevant in print advertising, but it’s just a small tool in an ever-crowding toolbox. Honda’s team did a great job in combining print, web, and social/mobil media into a cohesive package. And while the print 3D viewing experience was lame, I think this one accomplished its purpose. It makes print interactive right off the page. It gives readers something to physically play with—a hook to really grab their attention—and it proves that there’s still a place for print advertising, even if just to ultimately send the consumer into the realm of new media.

Paul Clemens' "Punching Out" Hits Close to Home

2011-03-11T21:26:00.000-05:00

Budd Detroit former plant site, as seen on Bing Maps.

Detroit native Paul Clemens immersed himself for one year in his hometown’s Budd Company stamping plant. The purpose of this self-imposed assignment wasn’t, however, to observe the mammoth presses molding steel parts like a cookie cutter shaping a lump of dough. Budd used to stamp parts for the Big Three American automakers, but those days were done. As Chrysler, GM, and Ford continued to ship labor to other nations, America’s industrial backbone proceeded to break. In 2007, Budd Company was just one example of many such casualties. Clemens compiled his observations and insights into Punching Out: One Year in a Closing Auto Plant.

As the plant operations were winding down, a rag-tag crew was brought in to dismantle the million-pound-plus press lines and other salvageable equipment. Clemens introduces us to a colorful cache of characters that include native Detroit roughnecks, a crew of hillbillies from Arkansas, an Iraq war veteran, and an Eastern European immigrant. Throughout their year together, Clemens finds himself developing a bond with each of the dismantlers. His words are full of personal insight into the ironic nature of it all: These workers—many laid off from high-paying union jobs in manufacturing—are using their muscle, manpower, and mechanics skills on one final task. Conversely, some of the crew members made a living off the dismembering of Blue-Collar America, moving around the country for a few months’ wages each time another manufacturer closed up shop.

Perhaps the most startling detail of it all is not the loss of American jobs. Clemens captures in vivid detail the gruesome conditions inside Budd Company after operations ceased. There’s no heat to insulate from the Detroit winter. No electric. No running water. Working conditions are in an oil-soaked squalor. Add in the rag-tag band of workers and not only do you have labor conditions seeming of a Third-World country, but you have some of the roughest language and lifestyles as well. Clemens spares no four-letter word, often swearing needlessly, in my opinion. Stories of drugs, drunkeness, and other vices will make most readers cringe. If a movie gets made of Punching Out, it’ll get an “R” for sure.

One thing I found the book lacking was visuals. A small black and white photo introduces each chapter. Clemens’ word pictures fill the theater of the mind, but leave the reader wanting to see full-color prints. While the book fails to deliver, PaulClemens.com features a click-able schematic of the Budd Plant along with color pictures. Not high-quality, professional stuff, just point-and-shoot stills that do a fine job of capturing the gritiness.

Another insight Clemens shares is on organized labor. What timeliness, considering current events in Wisconsin. Some of the characters introduced are staunch collective bargainers, such as a local UAW representative, while others proclaim that, “Unions priced America out of a job.” As Clemens rifles through a box of old union grievances filed at Budd, the reader is left to decide whether collective bargaining strong armed corporations right over the border to cheaper labor.

The epilogue concludes with Clemens visiting Gestamp stamping plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Several press lines that formerly stamped at Budd were relocated to this Central Mexican facility. A stark contrast and brutal irony exist between this Third-World plant versus Budd: Gestamp is clean, modern, and bustling. Budd was old, dilapidated, and had unthinkable working conditions during its countdown to closure. Even more brutal: Budd used to stamp parts for the Big Three, including Chrysler, who was now using Gestamp to press steel for a Dodge model.

Punching Out is a sobering look at outsourced labor, collective bargaining, and the death of American manufacturing. It hits home for those of us in Buffalo where the auto industry still has a manufacturing presence, albeit a microcosm of what once was. While Detroit’s economy is decimated, Buffalo’s isn’t far behind. Surely laid off autoworkers, Bethlehem Steel workers—these can relate to what made the Northeast/Midwest great and what has turned these regions into the rustbelt. Sadly, Clemens’ tale is just one of thousands being written across America. While our manufacturing might is quickly crossing the borders to cheap labor, all is not lost. After reading Punching Out one must wonder, what is America’s next big thing? What will the picture of our new economy look like? Let us hope America’s best days are still ahead.

GET IT

Punching Out was just released earlier this year. Buffalo & Erie County library has it available in hardcover while major booksellers have both print and eBook editions. Amazon.com has an interesting video introduction.

Did I Just Earn an MBA?

2011-02-26T21:12:00.000-05:00

Josh Kaufman believes there’s a better way to understand the advanced world of business. He doesn’t think the hefty investment in an MBA is all it’s cracked up to be. While MBA holders and elite business schools alike may dispute Kaufman’s ideas, this 28 year old’s knowledge is worth exploring.

After finishing his undergrad in business at University of Cincinnati in 2005, Kaufman was on the fast track to corporate success with a good job at Procter and Gamble. However, Kaufman discovered the corporate world was not for him. The long days, the office politics—they wore him down. In his position, an MBA was almost expected, but with a six-figure price tag, Kaufman was less than enthused.

He set off on a journey to pick the best brains in business. This meant extensive reading from the top thinkers/authors on all categories of business topics. His do-it-yourself MBA inspired him to share his learning in The Personal MBA and has also allowed him to build his own consulting business.

MY TAKE ON THE BOOK

The Personal MBA is definitely geared toward entrepreneurs and small business owners, but that’s not to say other professionals can’t benefit from it. The book breaks down core business functions like marketing, finance, sales, psychology, personal interactions, and self discipline into individual chapters. Every chapter explores sub-concepts, each broken down by a sub-heading. A pithy quote from sources like business professionals, philosophers, and ancient literature introduce each sub-head and add a nice touch.

This structure makes for quick, easy reading and comprehension, but perhaps at the loss of depth. Many things are over simplified and leave the reader wanting more. However, says Kaufman, “…this book is organized in short sections that take less than ten minutes to read.” The idea is to introduce a plethora of business concepts and distill them down to their basic definitions all while maintiaining the reader's attention. It's a structure that works.

The chapters that deal with professional communication, organization, and time management are concepts that anyone can benefit from. However, some of the health and well-being chapters read like self-help and nutrition guides—seemingly out of place in a business book—but useful information for a professional seeking to develop the whole person.

KAUFMAN’S PERSONAL BUSINESS

Out of his explorations, Kaufman has built a Personal MBA empire at PersonalMBA.com. The overly simplified concepts discussed in his book are designed to encourage further reading, and from his trove of business research, Kaufman has outlined a reading list. Perhaps you don’t want to read all of the nearly 100 titles on the list, but if you’re looking to grow in certain key areas, Kaufman’s recommendations can certainly prove helpful.

The Personal MBA goes beyond just a reading list. Kaufman also offers workshops, lectures, and intensive courses to help boost the careers of business professionals. Perhaps that’s one of the things I liked least about his Personal MBA website: It reminds me of a website peddling get-rich-quick schemes. I know that’s not Kaufman’s intent; its just a personal observation on my part.

Josh Kaufman has created an interesting new concept and he’s built quite a business for himself, all before his 30th birthday. Will the Personal MBA catch on? Will employers accept it like they do a piece of paper from the hallowed halls of academia? That remains to be seen. However, for anyone interested in some easy reading that will teach the fundamentals of what makes a business tick, and how to find your place within that business, The Personal MBA is worth a glance.

GET IT

Buffalo Library has an eBook version available which is where I got mine. A print copy is not available through the library but may be ordered through Amazon or at any bookseller.

Making My Thoughts on This Weekend's #1 Known

2011-02-21T18:24:00.016-05:00

Let’s play Guess That Film:

Our brawny main character is suffering from a dose of amnesia and is struggling to remember his identity.
He finds himself with a cache of passports and other forged documents.
It takes place in Berlin.
In one scene a car flies off a bridge and into the water below.
High-speed chases in Euro-spec autos race down narrow Old World roadways ad naseum.
The main character hooks up with a cute, blonde Slavic gypsy and nearly gets her killed.

If you guessed the Bourne Supremacy, you’d be right and you’d be supremely wrong. Let’s rephrase the question: What film meets all these criteria and was this weekend’s top earner at the box office? The answer is Unknown.

Starring Liam Neeson as Dr. Martin Harris, this European thriller/drama has all the same elements that made Bourne Supremacy one of my personal all-time favorite films. (There’s actually one other huge parallel, but in the case of Unknown, it’ll spoil the ending.) Throw in a dash of the 2004 psychological thriller The Forgotten, and suddenly the premise for this film starts to become known.

The acting is well done and the storyline is engaging without being overly complex. Just try to avoid taking a restroom break; you’ll want to catch every detail. That’s not to say if you miss a few minutes you won’t be able to fill it in. But what really carries this film are the visuals. The clash of old Berlin with the modern day. European cars. Those fascinating German accents.

Just like the Bourne Supremacy, there’s plenty of high-flying action as the good guys race to defeat the bad guys, who often lurk around every graffiti-strewn alley. There are lots of surreal fight scenes, and of course those high-speed chases. In Euro-spec cars. Have I mentioned that enough yet? What can I say, I love watching a good chase that involves a Benz E-class. For you squeamish types who don’t like camera work a-la Blair Witch, you may skip the popcorn.

Overall, Unknown is a relatively light thriller. The storyline will captivate and the acting and camera work will deliver. It’s not overly involving emotionally, and of course good wins in the end. Refreshingly, this movie is light on swearing and sex (not that some didn’t get thrown in, of course), and earns its PG-13 predominantly due to intense and surreal violence.

For those like myself in the Buffalo Southtowns, only Dipson Theater at McKinley Mall has this film. For an additional half a buck, I’d gladly have enjoyed it at the Regal. Being a quasi-holiday week with kids off from school and all, I’d definitely recommend Unknown to bust up some late-winter boredom.

Get local show times and venues from Fandango.

The Company Men's Corporate Jet Lands in Buffalo

2011-02-14T18:15:00.000-05:00

We finally got The Company Men in theaters around here. When the film opened nationally on January 21 of this year, Buffalo was not on the “selected” cities list. What defined “select” markets anyway? Was it metros where the themes of corporate downsizing, job loss, foreclosure, and discovering there’s more to life than a paycheck would really matter? I was traveling home from Phoenix—a selected market—opening day, and I so wanted to do something I consider wasteful when on vacation: go to the movies.

While The Company Men is mainstream now, only a few Buffalo theaters are showing it. Check Fandango or your favorite listing service for venues and show times. That said, a Valentine’s afternoon matinee at Regal Quaker Crossing was the perfect gift to myself. With a cast plucked from the likes of Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Kevin Costner, and Tommy Lee Jones, anything is bound to be a good movie, and this company of men does deliver.

While last year’s Up in the Air focused on more middle-class Americans ("Main Street" as the press calls them, ad naseum) facing job losses and tough times, Company Men applies this same formula, only to executives. More is at stake here: million-dollar plus homes, country club memberships, fine European sports cars...

The main character of the film, Bobby Walker, is played by Ben Affleck. A wealthy, under-40 executive, Walker seems to have it all: an attractive wife (played by Rosemarie DeWitt), a lavish suburban-Boston cape, a beautiful family, a Porsche, and a six-figure sales job with a ship-building conglomerate. As the 2008 recession takes hold, producer John Wells felt it was relevant to include clips of actual news reports—Bear Stearns' failure, the Bush Administration's TARP, the run on Indy Mac Bank. These clips, delivered by the networks' talking heads, are all too fresh in many minds.

Along with several other high-level execs from this Beantown shipbuilder, Company Men details the coping methods Walker and his colleagues employ as they seek to come to grip with the loss, rejection, and agony of a layoff. Do they keep the house? The car? How to make use of severance-provided outplacement services? Is it time to take an entry-level job? While sounding a bit forced at times, their New-England grit and no-BS ways provide for many a memorable one-liner.

Surprisingly, at the start of the film Affleck is the spoiled executive who’s got a lot to learn along with a good dose of humility. His skinny-jean rockin’ wife, meanwhile, proves to be the level-head of the family, balancing the budget and forcing her husband to make the tough choices.

How each man plays the hand he’s dealt ultimately seals his fate as his next career chapter unfolds. Along the way each discovers what's really important in life—family, hard work, and sacrifice. The storyline is straightforward, but superb acting by Affleck and the cast is what really makes this film enjoyable. Assuming you’re into drama, especially that which deals with very current events, then you should definitely take the time to find one of the theaters in our area that is currently showing The Company Men.

Not-So-Subliminal Advertising

2011-02-08T16:38:00.000-05:00

I’m not much of a football guy and could care less about the Big Game. The highlights are all that really matter to me: Christina disparaging our nation’s hymn of unity, Fergie screaming at halftime, and of course, those commercials.

Thankfully for such party poopers as myself, there’s no shortage of websites where we can subject ourselves willingly to product pitches and hard-sells.

For as many commercials aired, there are countless critiques, analyses, and tweets flooding cyberspace and social media with just as many opinions. It doesn’t help that I’m two days late to this game, either. But after reviewing all the Super Bowl 2011 commercials, I’m going to share a few things that stuck out to me:

Skechers “Break Up 2 Shape Up”—This steamy ad was for chunky, rocker-soled shoes that promise you a miracle body. Skechers is ratcheting up the sex appeal in a play stolen from rival Reebok’s book. I sell these things at Kohl’s and think they look like ugly, bright-colored orthotics. Perfect for a clown that’s looking to tone her ass muscles.

Hyundai Sonata “Anachronistic City”—There was a TV spot similar to this a few years ago, with the retro cell phones and all. I guess it failed though; I have no idea what the former commercial was hawking. Hyundai took the retro humor a step further though by including a Victorian bicycle, typewriters, an Atari-esque video game…It was laugh-out-loud funny.

Chrysler “Imported from Detroit”—Stealing a play from GM with the gritty slice of working-class Americana? We’ve all fallen on hard times? The Chrysler 200 may be miles ahead of its predecessor in interior quality and power train, but the skin is still so Sebring. Eminem, a native son of Detroit, looks like an impoverished druggie.

Mini USA—Cram it in the boot!?!? “Josh, have you ever crammed it in the boot before?” A sick innuendo and play on Brit vs. American English.

CareerBuilder.com “Parking Lot”—I feel like the guy in the VW. Too bad submitting your résumé to careerbuilder.com only gets you enough spam/fraudulent email to fill a Golf hatchback.

BMW “Advanced Diesel”—I’m a car guy, and I appreciated this one. The black, smoking heavy-duty rigs, the old Euro-spec Volvo box wagon…clever.

Motorola “Empower the People”—A definite shot at Apple and its all-things “i” empire. I can relate—iPhone, iPod, these have never been my choice gadgets.

Teleflora “Help Me Faith”—Just a low, awful use of sex-sells advertising.

GoDaddy “New GoDaddy.co Girl”—Another cheap sex-sells spot. GoDaddy has been buying space on attractive model’s bust lines for years. I still use their domain registrar service. Hope my site doesn’t go dark now…

Hyundai Elantra “Deprogramming”—Awesome graphics. Just read Motor Trend’s first [positive] drive of this new compact sedan.

So there are a few of my opinions. Did any of these commercials actually move me to action? Well Sony’s gritty “Android Ready to Play” and BMW’s “X3 Defying Logic” spots have inspired me to look at their websites and check out the products they were hawking. Plenty of other spots made me laugh, and a few made me cringe. One spot that definitely was an epicfail was GoDaddy’s. I won’t be going to their website to see “unrated” GoDaddy girl content.

Need a refresher on 2011’s Super Bowl sells? I liked http://www.superbowl-commercials.org/ for chronological links to each of this year’s ads.

Midway Buffet at Hamburg Casino

2011-01-26T20:40:00.000-05:00

I might be beating Janice Okun to this one, and I’ll be first to admit to previously taking some low shots at the new Hamburg Fairgrounds Casino. However, like most good casinos, the Hamburg one features a buffet—the Midway Buffet to be exact. (Who am I kidding, Buffalo's storied restaurant critic has far better taste than a casino buffet!) Lunch at the Midway will cost you $13.95 + tax and tip, while dinner is $18.95. At those prices, this had better be one damn good buffet.

January, however, is a perfect month to try the buffet out. It’s just $9.95 all day, every Wednesday until January 31. Player’s Club members received a coupon in this month’s mailer that brings that price down a little further yet.

The Buffalo RV show is going on at the Hamburg Event Center, and after gawking at gross consumerism on wheels, I was hungry. A discounted buffet dinner was in order. Unlike lunchtime, dinner features all-you-can-eat king crab legs.

After waiting for an unacceptably long time—a lady who’d had too many visits from the cocktail waitress was flirting with the cashier—I was finally seated. Like everything at the Hamburg Casino, the Midway Buffet dining area is fresh and new. Tall booths flank the perimeter and provide a semi-private seating area, while I got stuck at a small table in the middle of the floor where everyone can watch you eat. Oh well, for the price I shouldn’t complain.

The food at Midway Buffet is certainly of a high quality. I overheard one diner exclaim, “For a change it’s actually good tonight!” For my first visit, I’d have to agree, the food was very good.

You can start at the salad bar and build your base from fresh, crisp romaine or spring mix. Some of the traditional salad fixings—julienne carrots, bell peppers—were lacking, replaced by grape tomatoes, raw mushrooms, and chickpeas. The dressing selection looked house-made, and I opted for an infusion of two Old World flavors—Italian with feta cheese. It was a rich, robust, tangy, cheesy delicious accompaniment.

Soup also flanks the salad bar, and I opted for an Oriental experience—hot and sour pork soup. It was not over salty, and the hot and sour flavors were ever so subtle. It was loaded with fresh vegetables and ground pork. There were long, pale strips of something that had a vegetal texture immersed in the golden broth. Was it Asian cabbage strips? Pig intestine? I have no idea and probably don’t want to know; the flavors worked together well.

For a main course, I skipped the carving station. While there were plenty of delicious looking roasted meats to choose from including lamb and beef, I opted for the king crab legs. For $9.95 you can’t even buy a pound of king crab at your local grocer. All the cracking supplies, pickle forks, and an array of toppings (melted butter, cocktail sauce, tartar sauce) surrounded the seafood station. King crab takes a lot of work to get every ounce of succulent meat out of those straw-like legs, but it’s a buffet, you’re supposed to pace yourself!

I also sampled Italian blend vegetables, a mix of artichoke hearts, green beans, and tomatoes in a vinegary marinade; carrots and pearl onions; and mashed potatoes, which were way too buttery.

While choices are abundant, Midway Buffet doesn’t overwhelm with thousands of low-quality items to pick from. International stations include Asian, Mexican, and Italian while American comfort food—roasted meats, mashed potatoes, sausage-studded macaroni and cheese, gravy—fill out the carving board area. On the Italian line, the pizzas looked particularly appetizing with thick crust and fresh toppings—certainly not your typical greasy, hours-old hotplate pizza. Fresh paninis were for the taking too, but hey, I’m one guy; I can only eat so much.

For dessert I opted for a slice of tiramisu and a hot, fresh blueberry cobbler—all topped off with vanilla soft-serve. The tiramisu was rich on chocolate flavor, while espresso seemed non-existent, and the blueberry cobbler was in a word perfect. Not overly sweet, the doughy puff pastry was an ideal accent to loads of large, succulent berries in a deep purple juice. The vanilla ice cream was a nice complement.

Midway Buffet’s menu does change from time to time and is available at Hamburg Casino’s dining website. A hit on a slot machine later that evening more than paid for dinner, but even so, this is one casino buffet that is worth its clams.

A Rent-a-Ride to Accent my Vacation

2011-01-25T11:02:00.000-05:00

From Piestewa (Squaw) Peak. My Accent fit tight parking spaces easily.

Last week I flew to Phoenix, Arizona which necessitated a rent-a-ride. Rental cars are generally perceived as boring, fleet vehicles, and normally I’d have to agree. (Unless I took the sales rep’s up sell and traded to a Camaro!) However, after declining all insurance coverages, fuel charges, and other ridiculous ways car rental companies try to gouge you, I was passed the keys to a 2011 Hyundai Accent. Couldn’t be more boring, right? After all, this is an econo-box with a starting price under $14,000.

But that’s exactly what impressed me. In this class of car you can’t come expecting much. If it can climb hills and maybe provide air conditioning, you’re doing pretty well (I used to drive a 1994 Honda Civic that struggled on both these fronts). With a 110-horse, 106 lb/ft four cylinder, the Accent didn’t exactly accomplish either of these feats quickly, but it was competent. The A/C blew cold, and while not overwhelming with pep, I was able to merge from a dead stop to highway speed on the Arizona-101. Around town this four-cylinder mill was plenty capable, if not a little noisy. The A/C didn't cause severe power loss.

The Accent's handling was far from impressive, and speed bumps could be downright unnerving. But with 14-inch tires and a basic suspension setup, what can you reasonably expect? Hey, at least this thing was easy to squeeze into tight parking spaces with.

The interior, on the other hand, was surprisingly well finished for this class vehicle. Nearly 40 inches of headroom accommodated my 6-foot-4 frame with ease. A height-adjustable driver’s seat helped too, and along with the telescoping steering wheel, I was able to find a comfortable driving position. Ergonomics allowed ample forward and aft visibility, and large side mirrors helped fill in blind spots. Soft-touch plastics covered the dash and all the switches and levers had a solid, quality feel to them. There were two sturdy cup holders beneath the well-placed driver’s armrest along with “water-bottle” holders in the door pockets.

Come night time, the gauges lit up in a brilliant shade of white while the rest of the dash lights glowed funky blue. I loved this readable, contrasty color combination far more than the flat shade of red that dominates all the dash lights in my personal 2011 Subaru Impreza. Two extremely bright map lights further chased away the darkness.

I should also mention that my rental was the GLS package, a higher-end trim. It had all the power goodies. Cruise and radio inputs were mounted on the steering wheel. With around 2000 miles on the odo, this was obviously a new vehicle, and hence the reason I believe it had XM satellite radio (new vehicles often come with a few months free). The stereo in the GLS was another thing that surprised me. Music sounded really good coming from those six speakers. Upping the bass tones provided clear, low sound without buzzing and distortion, one boast the “premium” stereo in my Subaru Impreza can’t make. iPod and auxiliary inputs are easily reached just under the stereo, with a handy tray to rest your MP3 player or other device on.

Of course the Accent is not without a few gripes. Start the engine, and not only is it noisy, it sounds coarse and unrefined. There’s no outside temperature reading, no fuel-economy computer, and no light or gauge indicating engine temperature (unless it overheats). While decked out with all the airbags, tire-pressure monitoring, and stability control, the Accent still hasn’t fared among the leaders in its class during crash tests.

What the Accent demonstrates is that basic transportation is getting really good. It’s a comfortable car with great warranty coverage, a fuel-conserving engine, and a nicely appointed interior. If you need something basic for getting around town without a lot of extra luxury, the Hyundai Accent may be something to consider. This car is continued proof of Hyundai’s surge in producing quality, affordable vehicles with a few little "cherries" on top.

Product Placement is Boss...

2011-01-19T08:57:00.000-05:00

Whether they know it or not, the public relations team for Kohl's Department Stores got a little added product placement this past Sunday in CBS' “Undercover Boss.” It seems when Belfor CEO Sheldon Yellen was getting ready to get down and dirty on the job site, he chose to wear work boots from the sportwear-inspired Kohl's-exclusive collection Sonoma life + style(R).

An opening shot in the program pictured Yellen in his closet, which looks more like a small clothing and footwear emporium. “He likes shoes...” quipped Yellen's wife. The thing is, Yellen has very expensive taste, preferring fine European goods to mass-market synthetics.

So perhaps I was a bit surprised when Yellen was getting ready for his first day on the job site that he chose work boots from Kohl's. Hey, I work as a Kohl's shoes department supervisor, and I know our stuff...those work boots were Woody by Sonoma. How can I be so sure—after all—couldn't they be a look alike? I can't know 100 percent that they were Woody, but compare the still frame of Yellen's feet to the Kohl's.com product photo following this post. The tan-with-red laces. The same-shaped toe and stitching. The faux dirt and distress markings. Convinced yet?

First and foremost, for a guy who confessed to having an affection for fine luxury goods, what is he doing wearing Kohl's merchandise? Woody, with its synthetic sole and upper, is not exactly Armani-quality footwear.

Regardless, Kohl's got a little bit of product placement. This is just like the incident I blogged about last spring when the seasonal Croft & Barrow misses sandal collection got some press in an AP photograph. Now the big question is, can Kohl's exploit this to its advantage? Perhaps a Facebook and Twitter mention of the product placement? How about a mini-blog entry featuring a model sporting a pair of Woody by Sonoma along with some Sonoma distressed denim and a complimentary polo shirt?

I'm just saying—Woody hasn't exactly been the most popular seller from this season's collection. It's not steel toed or waterproof—two virtues of a heavy-duty work boot—while the faux dirt has served to confuse some shoppers who think the boot is actually dirty. Kohl's has an opportunity to exploit this little bit of product placement and perhaps build some awareness for a product that, as its selling season quickly winds down, has not been the most popular shoe of the shelf.

Kohls.com product photo

CBS still frame

Decision Points—A Review of Bush 43's Memoir

2010-12-28T09:40:00.000-05:00

Former President George W. Bush was a controversial figure all throughout his eight years in office. With the bungled 2000 elections, some might argue the controversy began long before W stepped foot in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But perhaps he says it best when he describes self pity as, “…a pathetic quality in a leader.”

Since the family’s departure from the White House, Bush has been penning Decision Points—his account of those eight turbulent years. Of course this has exposed him to another round of shellacking from the media. In fact, Buffalo News book reviewer Stephen Watson describes Decision Points as “…a high school student's report on the Swiss banking system.” What follows is Watson’s negative review, written in a mocking tone, and crowned by a disparaging caricature of Bush. In Watson’s defense, he says Decision Points lacks the soul and grit of other presidential memoirs. In my short years, I haven’t had a chance to read many other presidential memoirs, thus giving me little benchmark for comparison.

Decision Points is a thoughtfully crafted account of former President Bush’s life, starting with his childhood in Texas, his service in the U.S. Air Force, his collegiate and post-grad years at Yale and Harvard, and his eventual ascendancy to the highest seat in the land. He often shares the special familial bonds of his privileged clan, not least significant is the father-son bond of time spent in the Oval Office.

While Bush’s moments in front of the camera were often spent with him butchering the English language—who can forget “mis-underestimated,” “strat-e-gery,” or the “building buildings” in his 2006 September 11 memorial speech—Decision Points presents him as an educated, thoughtful, and articulate man. I realize he had a team behind him (just read the lengthy post-script acknowledgements) making sure his work was its polished best, but Bush is far from the buffon the media ruthlessly portray him as. His writing style is readable, concise, and without a lot of overly big words. For a man who’s very open about his Christian faith, some of his language is surprising at times. The chapters follow a logical structure: each of his major decision points gets a chapter to itself. The big topics dominate such as September 11, 2001, Afghanistan, Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, foreign aid, and the 2008 financial crisis. Because of this structure, each chapter often flashes forward only to wind the clock back at the start of the next.

Each chapter provides further insight regarding what went on at the Bush White House, and what prompted him to make the often-unpopular decisions he made. Agree with him or not, Bush defends every choice he made, and at least helps the reader see things his way a bit more. A common theme that ends up dominating the Bush decision machine is domestic terror and safety. September 11 came to define his presidency and most everything he did. One has to wonder, what might the Bush presidency and its outcome have been if 9/11 never occurred?

While defensive at times about his decision making, Bush isn’t afraid to admit mistakes. He outlines his pre-politics years when he dealt with personal heavy drinking and subsequent DUI. He admits there was infighting and instability in his presidential administration. He admits flawed intelligence on weapons of mass destruction was a heavy influencer on his Iraq decision, but is quick to add he’s not sorry Saddam Hussein was ousted. In fact, the picture he paints of a new Iraq almost makes readers think our sacrifice there has not been completely in vain…

Bush is perhaps hardest on himself when he describes his response to Hurricane Katrina, although he’s quick to shuffle due portion of the blame to former Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco. In the aftermath, Bush describes rapper Kanye West’s comment that, “President Bush doesn’t care about black people” as the low point in his presidency. It’s an accusation Bush quickly refutes with facts regarding his aid and advancement initiatives for the black community. I’m sure it’s not by accident that following the Katrina chapter is a chapter describing Bush’s $15 billion dollar program to combat AIDS in Africa.

So many of the faces, places, and players outlined in Decision Points—in fact the very things that came to define the last decade—are clarified through Bush’s memoir. Most of these issues still make headlines today, but as someone relatively detached from the news cycle (I wasn’t even old enough to vote for W first time around) early in his presidency, Decision Points serves to fill in a lot of background information.

Sometimes Bush is laugh-out-loud funny. Other times he shares tender insights. Still other times his writing takes a very serious note. But one thing is for certain: readers of this well-written memoir will get an interesting perspective on the contemporary issues that shaped the last decade in America. You may not come away liking our 43rd president any better, but you’ll at least catch a glimpse into his mind and why love of his country often defined the choices he made. If it's a high school report, then I'd give Decision Points a grade of "A."

GET IT

Decision Points is available from major booksellers and in eBook editions. Buffalo Library had multiple copies on order, but I was impatient (the wait list was long) and bought the digital edition.

A lengthy color photo spread adds some visual appeal to over 400 pages of Bush’s words, and as a bonus in the digital edition, these photos follow their respective places in the text. Hardcover readers will have to put up with a mid-text photo spread.

Shedding Some Light on the Season...

2010-12-21T21:49:00.000-05:00

I know we’re getting late in the season for this post, but I’d still like to share my thoughts on a couple Christmas lighting spectaculars causing brownouts all around Western New York. I had been trying to decide: Olmstead Lights Winter Nights in Delaware Park or Hamburg Festival of Lights at the Fairgrounds? I ended up visiting both.

Since the internet was little help in finding pre-visit reviews and tips—and neither venue has a very useful website—I figured I’d make a small but valiant attempt to correct this problem. Both shows run into January, so even though Christmas is three days away, there’s still plenty of time to go light peeping.

Olmstead Lights Winter Nights

When the LEDs fade to blue, a frosty mood is cast over Delaware Park

Designed by a Buffalo State College professor of theater, this light show is the first to grace Delaware Park in eight years, reports the Buffalo News. To visit, park at the Buffalo Zoo entrance to Delaware Park. This simple tip is important; I got discombobulated here (not being a regular on Buffalo’s north side) and ended up at the Albright Knox Art Gallery. Those more familiar with the city, go ahead and laugh at me.

This show is pedestrians only, and entry is at the admission booth directly across the street from zoo parking. While $20 per carload is the advertised rate, it’s also $5 per head—whatever's cheapest. Make sure to bundle up warmly, as most of this is outdoors. Approximately 15 acres of parkland are lit up by high-mounted, constantly changing LED lamps. Their different hues, reflected off the snow, make for an intriguing and dynamic winter scene. Trees and fences flank the walking path and are decked out in colorful lights while Christmas music sets the mood over an outdoor sound system.

When you’ve had enough cold, head in to Parkside Lodge and warm up by the fireplace or take in live Christmas caroling. The Lunchbox Café is also open serving refreshments and light meals. A menu is available here.

Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable way to get in the Christmas spirit, but with one caveat. I’m a suburban boy, and driving nearly 30 miles from East Aurora for this is definitely not worth the time. If you’re in the area, however, the $5 is well spent, and hey, it goes toward a good cause—supporting Buffalo’s city parks.

Olmstead Lights runs Wednesday through Sunday each week until January 16, 2011. It’s closed Christmas and New Years—both eve and the holidays. More details at Olmstead Park’s website.

Hamburg Festival of Lights

Reflections—The Hamburg Festival of Lights

The defining exhibit here is the nearly two-mile long drive through an animated and illuminated winter wonderland. The website claims there are over 200 light exhibits ranging from a tunnel of lights to two-dimensional figurines. To set the mood, Christmas music and trivia are broadcast via your car’s stereo (a sign tells you what FM frequency to tune in to). The drive lasts for about 10 – 15 minutes depending on how often you stop, but it’s definitely worth seeing. I especially liked Bills and Sabres logos all made up in Christmas lights. I wish there had been more hometown displays in this vein.

While the light show is the crown jewel, once it’s passed there’s still plenty more to do. A North Pole village showcases miniature storefronts, each with a different window scene and an actual pole of ice in the center of the village. Brick walkways, nostalgic street lights, and decorations everywhere let you know it’s definitely Christmas.

There’s also a reindeer barn complete with several reindeer and interesting facts about them. Winterific is an indoor light show set to Christmas music. I’ll admit, it sounded hokey on the website, but was actually well done. It doesn’t last long, but is a good place warm up for a few minutes.

Since this is an event geared toward families with kids, there’s also a midway with carnival rides (indoors), a Christmas magic show, and visits with Santa. As you might imagine, I stayed far away from all these.

The Hamburg Light Show is much better marked and easier to find than Olmstead Lights. Enter at the Fairgrounds main gate on South Park Avenue where signs direct you to the admission checkpoint. Don’t pay $18 per carload; coupons for $3 off are everywhere including local Pizza Hut and Wendy’s restaurants and Delta Sonic car washes.

This one only runs until January 1, 2011 and is closed Christmas eve and day, so time is running out. It’s open every night from 5:30pm – 9:30pm and the other attractions stay open until 10. Since it’s a family event, mom and dad can have fun and support ~~New York~~ ~~State~~ their child’s education at the Hamburg Casino, conveniently located at the entrance/exit. There’s also wine tastings from local Lake Erie wineries.

Overall, I’d say this one, while pricey, was worth the money and a far more enjoyable show than Olmstead Lights. Being in the south towns might have helped sway my opinion a bit too. Check out more pictures in my Flickr gallery below:

The Story of the Auto Bailout, Told by the Man Who Orchestrated It

2010-11-28T19:53:00.001-05:00

Overhaul is an insider’s account of the auto industry bailout begun under former President Bush and completed on the Obama administration’s watch. It is a story told by the one and only man who can give such an insider’s view: Steven Rattner, President Obama’s “car czar.” In fact “car czar” was never officially Rattner’s title, and readers will discover he is not very fond of this media-induced nomenclature.

Rattner is a respectable Wall Street economist and a former New York Times financial reporter. I believe his journalism background is what allows him to take the complex inner workings of a one-of-a-kind crisis and share it in a format that is understandable to most readers. Overhaul definitely requires careful reading, and even re-reading in some spots, but it’s easy to get a grasp on the financial instruments, deal making, and other facets of the auto bailout.

Being a financial guru from the private sector, Rattner is quickly blindsided by the corporate culture of the U.S. government. The buildings are dated, dingy even. Technology and audio/visual equipment are often scarce. Just getting clearance to work in government cost Rattner a huge fortune, not to mention reams of paperwork. Entrance into public service is, inevitably, followed by the press’ ruthless reporting and criticism of Rattner’s every move thereafter.

Unyielding collective bargainers, feisty personalities, big-mouthed politicians, and inept corporate executives are just a few additional challenges Team Auto and Rattner are up against. Tight deadlines and dwindling corporate bank accounts add to the urgency and lead to late nights, weekends, and holidays of work for the task force. All the while, they toe a very fine line of avoiding the appearance of federal takeover of private industry while using government money to save private enterprise. “Government Motors” is not a term Rattner finds particularly flattering.

The story of the auto bailout is certainly a gripping one, but it is made even more so when one considers the shockwaves failure of GM and/or Chrysler could have sent through the already-damaged U.S. economy.

While Rattner gives fair treatment to many of the backroom dealings and deliberations that he and his team faced, perhaps none stuck with me more than just how close they were to letting Chrysler go. “I spent many hours revisiting our toughest decision, to save Chrysler. The company was moribund; under almost any other economic circumstances, I would have…let it go,” tells Rattner in his epilogue. I find that interesting as I personally consider Chrysler a company who's lost its brand image and creates brand confusion for consumers. I could fill another blog sharing those opinions.

Rattner concludes his insider account with some personal reflection on government and its role in a free-market society. He says the only reason Team Auto was able to achieve a largely successful bankruptcy and bailout for two of the Big Three was due to the “czar-like” status that allowed them to steer clear of Congress. Rattner spares no punches as he lambastes Congress for its gridlock, endless meetings, and lack of accomplishing work of value. He believes the federal government of today is far from what the Founding Fathers envisioned. If nothing else, his summary poses some food for thought.

Being a Buffalo-based blog, I need to mention that we also get a reference in the epilogue. On page 311, while discussing economic theory, Rattner describes creative destruction as being the “formula for extinction for Detroit and Buffalo and many other hard-hit cities.” Basically, while municipalities like New York City have reinvented themselves as their economies shifted away from manufacturing, Rattner notes that others have fallen into a downward spiral of urban decay. Rattner argues that this is caused by trying to preserve a former economy and way of life. Even if it’s not exactly positive, hey, there’s still always a Buffalo connection.

A few other thoughtful touches Rattner includes are a table listing how the billions of auto bailout money were disbursed and a character guide. In books with a large cast coming and going, I’ve mentioned before how useful a quick-reference guide of names and titles would be. Placed at the beginning of the book, I found myself using this tool often.

Overhaul just hit bookshelves this month and therefore is extremely up to date. Progress is being made in the auto industry with GM’s initial IPO and rebounding sales of Chrysler products. GM has launched a TV spot that thanks American taxpayers for their assistance, acknowledging that “We all fall down,” and, “Thank you for helping us get back up.” However, the story of whether or not GM and Chrysler will maintain competitiveness and profitability is a chapter that remains to be written.

That said, Overhaul is complicated at times, but otherwise a fascinating story with a colorful cast of players facing an never-before-seen challenge, and ultimately, achieving success.

Rappin' Rodents that Got Soul

2010-11-16T18:44:00.001-05:00

Effective advertising grabs your attention, keeps it, and is memorable. Generally in today’s climate, really great advertising does more than spur sales; it drives customers to the advertiser’s social media site(s) and/or goes viral on the web.

That’s exactly what happened with Kia’s Soul: A New Way to Roll campaign. Kia has been using hamsters as spokes-animals (to steal Frontier Airlines’ term) for quite some time. The Kia Soul is designed to compete with econo-boxes (i.e. Scion, Nissan Cube) that appeal to the younger crowd. In May 2010 Kia’s ad agency David and Goliath launched the “You can go with this or you can go with that” commercial to much fanfare and, eventually, industry awards.

I’m not much of a TV watcher, but I was shopping for a new car this week when I came across this ad on the internet. It’s a YouTube sensation with several million views. The Kia Soul Hamsters—rather Souly Hamsters—have a loyal following on their Facebook pages and the Kia Soul product page has plenty of “likes.” People are even gluing stuffed hamsters to Soul’s dashboards.

This commercial got my attention all right. You expect hamsters to be cute, cudely. They should have a voice like a high-speed audio dub (i.e. Alvin and the Chipmunks). Go ahead and blast me as being racist on this one: I think societal norms expect hamsters to be, ummm, white.

The hand-grabby-huggy. What is this gesture supposed to be called?

When the deep bass beat started and the hamsters threw back their hoodies to reveal the bling and gold chains beneath, I knew this was a new type of hamster. More like rapping rodents. Gansta gerbils. With startlingly life-like animation and movements, the city of Hamsterdam comes to life and hip-hop hamsters belt out early-90s single “The Choice is Yours” by Black Sheep. They even do that weird hand-grabby-half-huggy thing common in gangsta circles while others are pictured playing street ball. Maybe the creative team at David and Goliath was a bit racist, stereotyping perhaps.

This ad stuck with me, but since I’m not a fan of hip hop, it wasn’t in a good way. I contacted the hamsters on Facebook to see what kind of incentives they might have for first time Kia customers. Facebook incentives are a popular marketing tool today. They were prompt in responding, but only directed me to Kia.com—nothing I couldn’t have done on my own.

So about that memorable ad, I think the concept worked well. It met all the criteria for breaking through the clutter, being remembered, and going viral. From an advertising and marketing standpoint, Kia's krew did a great job. But how did it work for me? I went with a 2011 Subaru Impreza over the Kia Soul. I liked the Soul. Especially in the “Sport” trim it had a lot of cool factor to it. But in the end Soul's thrashy 2.0L four cylinder plus Subaru loyalty incentives trumped cool. I've already ordered "My Third Subaru" loyalty badge for Isabella the Impreza. A social media presence and a stand-out ad campaign aren’t enough to sway this customer, in the end it comes down to what saves the most money.

The Wealth of Cities by John Norquist—A Review

2010-11-06T18:08:00.000-04:00

Milwaukee's thriving Riverwalk, built during Norquist's time as mayor

Last post I mentioned how John Norquist—former mayor of Milwaukee and now Buffalo waterfront-rehab consultant—had authored a book on urban sprawl. Erie County library just so happened to have a copy on file and I just so happened to checkout The Wealth of Cities: Revitalizing the Centers of American Life.

Wealth of Cities was written around 1998. It is important to know this because our world and worldviews have changed so much since then. As you read this book, it is important to filter it through the lens of a post-9/11, economic-recession mindset. That said, Norquist’s ideas are still interesting and relevant to the contemporary reader.

In the final chapter, Norquist spells out a stereotypical view of urban centers as, “…associated with the problems of poverty, social injustice, and decay, and…cities will fail to solve these problems.”

Raised in small-town suburbia myself, I have to admit such a narrow, stereotypical view of cities generally was held by yours truly. Norquist’s purpose is not only to dispel these urban legends (pun totally intended), but to make a case for why great cities will define a great future for this great nation. He systematically discusses the issues at stake, solutions he implemented in Milwaukee and in other cities by their mayors, and what the future may hold.

Norquist believes we need to clean house in America’s cities. That means getting drug dealers and other criminals off the streets and out of government-subsidized and low-rent housing. “States especially should stop paroling criminals into cities to repeat their offenses,” writes Norquist. And regarding various federal affordable housing programs and mortgage subsidies, he is most critical saying that this is “how the government killed affordable housing.” He rails against subsidized loans for the wealthy. If only he knew what awaited the housing market 10 years later…

Another still-hot issue discussed in Wealth of Cities is sustainable environmentalism. Even in 1998 the phrase global warming popped up. On a manufacturing-based economy Norquist says, “The federal government should institute market-based measures that result in environmental protection through natural economic activity. One such measure is pollution pricing, building the true cost of production and disposal into a product.” Could such a concept—more fully explored and developed—be the antithesis of “cap-and-trade?”

Norquist also makes his case against the federal interstate system of highways and how it has led to suburban sprawl, isolation of citizens, and inefficient commutes. As mayor of Milwaukee he put taxpayer’s money where his mouth is when he brought down the Park East Freeway. In Buffalo he envisions the sky falling as NY-5—better known as the Skyway—should be leveled, in his opinion. Personally, I think his is a better idea than turning it into an elevated mall (yes, someone did float this idea).

Appearing anti-freeway in his transportation opinions, Norquist is certainly not anti-transit. While he envisions more urban population density leading to a decline in automobile need and use, he also makes a case for increased use of rail transit and non-federalized highways. Some of his ideas are surprisingly similar to Christopher Steiner’s in $20 Per Gallon. While the later is a recent writing, Norquist authored his work at a time when gas was under $1 per gallon in most U.S. cities.

Immigration, education, and the role/size of the federal government are additional topics Norquist spends time discussing. Described as a “new Democrat,” he embodies a fiscally conservative approach that, as mayor of Milwaukee, allowed him to cut spending, increase efficiencies, shrink bureaucracy, and improve residents’ quality of life.

It’s funny how so many of the topics and troubles of 12 years ago are still making headlines and filling editorials today. While Wealth of Cities may be aimed toward city planners, civic leaders, and those in public office, it still makes an interesting read. If nothing else, Norquist trumpets his own track record as mayor and shares insights gathered during his 16 years as leader of the Brew City.

"When people walk, talk, work, eat, drink, boat, and play by the water, when it becomes part of their day-to-day life and not merely a special-occasion destination, a real constituency for clean water is created," writes Norquist. Let's hope the same vision that guided him to champion Milwaukee's waterfront rebirth will guide his consultancy here in Buffalo.

GET IT

The Wealth of Cities: Revitalizing the Centers of American Life is available at Buffalo and Erie County Public Library as well as through Amazon or any other major bookseller. E-Book versions are not available.

Six Degrees (or less) of Seperation from Buffalo; Milwaukee; and the Waterfront Rebirth

2010-10-31T20:17:00.001-04:00

Buffalo St. in Milwaukee's historic Third Ward.

There’s always a Buffalo connection. In four years attending college in Virginia, it seemed nine out of 10 people I met had some sort of connection to the Queen City.

“You’re from the 716?” “Oh my gosh, I have relatives in North Tonawanda!”—Typical responses when I shared my hometown. Of course, “The (insert team here; Sabres, Bills) suck!,” and, “Doesn’t it snow there like all the time?” were also commonplace.

Now fast forward to October, 2010. During Columbus Day week I spent three days in Milwaukee. While part of my trip was for business, I took a few days for sight seeing. What I didn’t expect was how much I would enjoy vacationing in the Brew City. Heck, I actually want to go back sometime.

I stayed within two blocks of Milwaukee’s Lake Michigan waterfront—definitely in the nicest end of downtown. It’s a business district where skyscrapers blend with residental, art, dining, and cultural attractions. Milwaukee is linked by a fantastic grid of pedestrian-friendly sidewalks. And the second waterfront—nearly three miles of mezzanine along the Milwaukee River—is aptly named the Riverwalk.

While the Riverwalk takes you through historic neighborhoods, past old breweries, and through much of the shopping and nightlife downtown has to offer, Milwaukee has also capitalized on its first waterfront: Lake Michigan. A beautiful system of state and county parkland occupies the bluffs, and the impressive Milwaukee Art Museum, whose architecture is not unlike a ship about to set sail, has become a defining icon of downtown and the waterfront.

On the skyline are several modern office towers including the Wisconsin Center. Conceived in the late 1980s when the city was experiencing boom times, Wisconsin Center is testament to what I found myself thinking as I wore out my shoes exploring downtown Milwaukee: This is what Buffalo could be if only the Queen City didn’t squander her waterfront assets.

So inspired was I that, on the way home, I spent all of a three-hour layover and then some writing a travel article not only from the perspective of “Mil-walk-ee,” but also from how Buffalo should model its post-industrial reniassance after the Brew City. Check out my travel column here. I'd love some feedback.

Then today’s Buffalo News hit the stands. "City and Region" columnist Donn Esmonde chronicled his meeting earlier this week with John Norquist. Norquist is president and CEO of Congress for the New Urbanism. CNU’s mission is, “…promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions.” Norquist was mayor of Milwaukee from 1988 – 2004 (some of its prime boom years), and was also instrumental in getting a blighted highway demolished for the sake of greener urban development. Additionally, Norquist championed for seeing the award-winning Riverwalk through to completion and he has authored a book on the ills of urban sprawl. Now here he is in Buffalo.

Norquist is consulting with city planners on what can be done to capitalize on Buffalo’s waterfront and take it from urban decay to user friendly, from brownfield to bustling. With a history of fiscal conservativism and a track record for getting things done as mayor, Norquist could be a much needed breath of life to Buffalo. Among his ideas: take the Skyway down. It’ll be interesting to see if such redevelopment ever comes to fruition.

And through all these ironies yet one more remains: Norquist’s wife is from my suburban hometown of East Aurora. Perhaps I should re-phrase what I said at the beginning: There’s always a Western New York connection.

LINKS OF INTEREST

The Esmonde Files—A video tour of the Buffalo ~~wasteland~~ waterfront

My Flickr stream of Milwaukee photos

Dam It; Build a Bridge

2010-10-19T18:06:00.000-04:00

Hoover Dam in September 2007.

This past week marked another milestone in the Black Canyon. But a fissure in the arid Mojave Desert of southern Nevada and Arizona, Black Canyon is home to an engineering marvel that both instills patriotism and demonstrates American ingenuity: The Hoover Dam. On Saturday, October 16, a public event, Bridging America, was held to commemorate the completion of the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.

Started in 2005, this bridge to somewhere is much like the dam it now traverses: It was born out of necessity. Hoover Dam was built to tame the mighty Colorado River, providing water and electricity that fueled growth in the American Southwest. Seventy-five years later, and the two-lane highway over the dam, US-93, has become subject to extensive bottlenecks in traffic. In a post-9/11 world, the Department of Homeland Security isn’t too keen on having vehicular traffic crossing the dam either. So a bypass bridge, complete with four-lane highway and baffles to prevent those dam rubberneckers was erected. Expect cars to start flowing over the bridge before we sing “Auld Lang Syne.”

I remember during my first Hoover Dam visit seeing the initial concrete beams that were to support the dam bypass bridge. It was in Sepetember 2007 as I and a motor coach full of tourists were en-route to Grand Canyon West from Vegas. Of course a dam pit stop was necessary, and our driver explained to us the significance of those massive concrete pylons. I remember staring in awe at the towering structures, amazed at the engineering prowess and knowledge required to build such a thing into the steep walls of Black Canyon, much less in 110º+ sweltering sunlight.

Fast forward nearly three years and I again stood at the top of Hoover Dam, staring at those same concrete pylons. Only now a graceful arch spanned the middle and a deck linked one end of the canyon to another; the Silver State joined the Copper State. If you’re curious, you can read about my visit to Hoover Dam this past July here.

Just as a visit to the dam fills you with a new sense of patriotism and an appreciation for the engineers, architects, and construction workers that made it happen, gazing at the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge is an awestruck moment. At a time when projects often get cancelled before ever really getting started—whether it’s due to environmental studies, lack of funding, or political squabbling—it’s refreshing to know that somewhere in the country infrastructure projects are still successful. It’s important to celebrate American ingenuity, building might, and infrastructure betterment. These are the things that have made this nation great. I could say more regarding the stories behind the bridge's namesakes, especially Pat Tillman, but that's another blog entry. Meanwhile, enjoy some photos I took in July:

Long queues of (overheating!?!) cars wait every day to cross US-93 at Hoover Dam

The graceful arch of the O'Callaghan-Tillman Memorial Bridge

Gamblin' and Dinner—A Shot in the Arm for What Ails You This Season

2010-10-15T19:50:00.000-04:00

Jeff Stahler's editorial cartoon from Monday literally made me laugh out loud. What’s going on with bargain-basement flu shots this season? Are they a loss leader, designed to bring patrons in to the hosting establishments?

Seems one business is treating it that way. Excuse me, it’s not a business. ~~It’s a voluntary taxation arm of New York State~~. It’s a supporter of all things education. Coming up later this month the Hamburg Fairgrounds Casino is giving free (or minimal fee) flu shots. Just make sure—along with proof of insurance—you bring your Player Rewards card.

And then after the needle is stuck in you and your arm begins to throb, chills begin to set in—don’t forget to pull the one-armed bandit. Hopefully nausea hasn’t set in yet and you can still patronize the Midway Buffet. Remember, you’ll be suffering to educate New York’s future leaders. The same leaders that today are running the state into fiscal bankruptcy and using lottery as a means of willful taxation.

The Social Network—A Film About Miscommunications that Shaped the Way We Communicate

2010-10-02T19:44:00.000-04:00

Yesterday marked the theatrical debut of The Social Network. Based on the book Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich, Social Network tells the story of several Harvard students from all castes of Cambridge and how a bright idea turned business venture brought them together, tore them apart, and changed the way we communicate.

A big fan of Mezrich’s work, and the subsequent movies to follow, I couldn’t wait to see Social Network. Critics questioned the sensationalism of Accidental Billionaires, with its lack of authoritative sources and an admission of added drama by the author. Still the basic storyline rings true:

Mark Zuckerberg—a nerdy, attention-deficit computer science major from Harvard—and his schoolmate Eduardo Saverin form a business partnership to create an online community. Saverin provides the bucks, Zuckerberg the brains. It was to allow users to build profiles about themselves and connect with others. The Facebook, as it was originally called, was going to be different than similar services like MySpace or Friendster. For one, Facebook was going to be exclusive; no you@harvard.edu email, no entry.

Zuckerberg’s rise from a nobody to something of a rebel of notorious fame begins with him hacking the Harvard campus network. He then uses stolen data to set up a website called facemash.com wherein users play a hot-or-not ranking game, judging those of the female persuasion. Zuckerberg's story makes the Harvard Criminson and he's nearly expelled from the ivy-covered confines. Zuckerberg's newfound publicity finds him in the company of unlikely friends: twin brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. The Winklevoss twins—members of the elite crew rowing team—are athletic, popular, and head-and-shoulders above Zuckerberg (at 6-foot-5, both literally and socially!). But no matter. A partnership is formed wherein Zuckerberg will write code for a social networking site idea the twins have brainstormed but can’t get off the ground.

Despite signing on, Zuckerberg dodges the Winklevosses and instead continues to write code for his own site idea. The Facebook goes live and is an instant hit. The Winklevosses are not impressed and begin the proceedings that lead to legal action.

The story takes a cross country twist from Cambridge to California as more schools sign on to the rapidly growing Facebook phenomenon and Sean Parker—creator of Napster notoriety—gets involved.

Once in Silicone Valley, and helped along by angel investors, Facebook (the has been dropped from the name) mushrooms into the billion-dollar empire that it is today. Ironically Zuckerberg, who founded a communication phenomenon that revolves around “friending” others, finds himself strangely alone as he faces two lawsuits, one from business dealings gone bad with Eduardo Saverin and another from the Winklevosses.

While Accidental Billionaires may be over sensationalized to begin with, The Social Network remains relatively true to the hardcover. Shying away from the technical, business, and engineering aspect of it, this story capitalizes on the drinking, sex, drugs, parties, and glamour that surrounded the buildup of New Media phenomena. Of course Hollywood was all too happy to oblige in putting such themes on the big screen while keeping it just "clean" enough to earn a PG-13.

Overall, however, The Social Network is a gripping and interesting movie worth a watch. The shell of the plot gives viewers some insight into what went on behind the scenes as Facebook, friending, poking, and a totally new realm of communication was born in the virtual community.

A WORD ON DIGITAL PROJECTION

I enjoyed this movie in digital projection which Regal Entertainment defines as, “[using] one of several different technologies to provide maximum fidelity: a picture with impressive clarity, brilliance and color and a lack of scratches, fading and flutter.” Based on that definition, I’d have to agree that there was less noticeable static and visual “noise” on the screen. Had I not read this beforehand, I probably wouldn’t have seen a big difference. Glad this didn’t cost extra.

The Great Typo Hunt—A Review

2010-09-23T08:54:00.000-04:00

An over-zealous editor and his book-loving friend

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The viral tendencies of the Web and Social Media

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A language as nuanced and full of rules, regulations, and exceptions as English

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The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the World One Correction at a Time.

Jeff Deck grew up with a keen sense of spelling and an ability to spot the pickiest of grammatical errors. Perhaps that’s what led him to an Ivy League education in English and several jobs in editing—one being at another New England institution whose walls are shroud in ivy.

Typos bother Jeff Deck—a lot. So much, in fact, that he set out to do something about it. Enlisting the help of his bookworm buddy from college, Ben Herson, the two engaged in a cross-country road trip to seek out errors of English in the Land of the Free. Found errors were to be photographed, documented, blogged about, and corrected.

To achieve this undertaking, Deck carried a purse-like kit on him with correction fluid, markers, chalk, and camera. “My mission was supposed to be…enlisting people’s aid in improving their surroundings.” That generally meant Deck and Herson approached locals as they toured the country and called them out on grammatical and spelling errors found on signage, literature, etc.

Most common typo targets were restaurants, stores, and tourist sites around the perimeter of the United States. Upon approach, the fearless editors offered to dip into the correction kit and make necessary edits. Some shopkeepers and business people obliged. Some laughed. Some outright said absolutely not. A few even hotly contested that their errors were in fact errors. A tally was kept of found typos versus corrected typos, and some corrections were made in stealth without permission. (This led to an interesting run in with Uncle Sam and a delayed publication date on the book.)

When a hostile response was received, it seemed to put author Jeff Deck in a funk, with page upon page of his lamenting correction rejection. Toward the middle of the book, and again near the end, Deck dives into what he considers unfair and unbalanced media coverage of his mission, with one talking head even suggesting Deck and Herson be court-ordered to "get a life."

Regardless of how people perceive him and his odd calling, Deck’s book misses the mark. His writing style is ridiculously wordy and fraught with history lessons of the English language, parallels from classic literature, and plenty of the author’s own troubled musings:

“Perhaps, I thought, what I regarded as typos were not ‘mistakes’ at all—they were the natural evolution of English. How could I know how the speakers of my native tongue would spell a hundred years from now? They’d alight from their potato-fueled urban gliders and laugh at my present efforts.”

And this is precisely where Deck, in my opinion, misses the mark. He took off on a crazy mission and made a go of it through social networking. Many crazy ideas are getting attention through its viral nature today. But Deck is an English major, and he wants to let the world know that he is well versed in the language. In spite of his claimed humble intentions, his story comes across as self righteous. His writing style is so laden with ridiculous blathering that it brings to mind a (unheeded) Mark Twain quote, “When you catch an adjective, kill it.” I'll admit I could take a lesson from Twain in my own writing.

While reading about Jeff and Ben’s travels is interesting, this book largely fails to make for an engaging read. For one, it’s tough to understand. You’ll definitely want a copy of Webster’s or another dictionary close at hand.

A few posts ago I blogged about common errors of English including the “offensive apostrophe.” (Apostrophe errors drive Mr. Deck insane!) However, English is laden with rules, regulations, and exceptions that are nearly impossible to keep properly sorted in one human brain. Throw in the fact that different style books—such as AP or Chicago—exist, and you’ll quickly find there’s no grammar rule that can’t be altered or broken. Yes, I still pick up on misplaced apostrophes and misspellings. But my writing? (Such as on this blog.) It adheres to the rules of sound grammar, and questions of style generally are answered by the AP Stylebook. (I do italicize book titles, newspapers, and other works. This is one where the rules of common grammar trump the AP in my opinion.)

If Deck’s mission is to see Americans become better English grammarians, then here’s hoping a tepid reception of his book and a slew of negative media coverage haven’t been enough to kill his self-righteous mission.

GET IT

The Great Typo Hunt is available from Amazon.com and anywhere else books are sold. eReader copies are available as well. The Amazon page has video footage of Jeff Deck and Ben Herson screwing around, and it makes you wonder how men near 30-years old aren't ashamed of their childish, superhero-esque behavior.

A Major Addition to the Town of Aurora Parks System

2010-09-15T17:02:00.005-04:00

Hikers, bird watchers, autumn leaf peepers, and nature lovers alike have a major new place to check out in East Aurora. At around 40 acres of largely untouched marshland, Major’s Park is the latest addition to the Town of Aurora’s already-impressive recreation spots.

Intrigued by my discoveries here, I wanted to learn more about the park, its history, and its surroundings. It turns out a man by the last name Majors donated parts and sold other parts of a large parcel of land to the town. His original intent was to develop the land into houses, but it looks like now it will remain greenspace. (Didn't Wal Mart try to turn this same parcel into a big-box a few years ago? They actually planned a park behind the store as I recall...)

I first discovered the park late this summer, and have enjoyed exploring its boardwalk area, swampland, and various trails. Since that initial visit, the parking area has been expanded, and a proper sign was added at the NY-16 entrance, proving that Major’s is still being improved.

In fact, the park is actually in a soft-open phase. Peggy Cooke of Town of Aurora Recreation explains, “It is not ‘officially’ open. We are planning to do so this fall, but residents are welcome in the park.”

My first visit to Major’s was spent mainly exploring the boardwalk area. The elevated Trex walkway makes exploring a much less mucky affair. The boardwalk circuit is relatively short, but easily accessible to people with disabilities, and it provides unprecedented views of wildflowers, marshland, and various wildlife that call the surrounding woods home.

After becoming bored with the ‘walk, I proceeded to explore some of the trails that veer off from the main path. One trail led to a grassy opening along the banks of Cazenovia Creek. Benches and a picnic table dot the landscape and make this little forest oasis an ideal place for a picnic lunch. The park benches and table look particularly worn, but, “…only [appear] aged because it came from another park,” says Cooke.

Perhaps most intriguing about this little alcove is what lies directly east in the underbrush. Laid to rest in this woodsy area is a magnificent old iron trestle, now collapsed and partially submerged in the lazy waters of Cazenovia. Walking around, I studied the trestle in great detail, searching for a name, a foundry marking—anything that might shed a little light on why this piece of iron was rusting away in these otherwise undeveloped surrounds.

Again Mrs. Cooke was helpful by explaining, “The old iron trestle was purchased by a prior owner—he bought a used bridge from Buffalo and had it hauled out here and placed across the creek so he could get to the apple orchard.”

Turn around and head northwest on the same trail, and you can enjoy a peaceful nature hike along this incredibly placid and murky branch of Cazenovia Creek. I say this because Cazenovia is usually a turgid creek, especially during a rain or snowmelt. If I had the gear, I’d love to try kayaking along this branch of the Caz.

I followed the aforementioned trail to its end at a grassy meadow. I couldn’t help but notice civilization was never far away—homes are perched right above the creek bed. A climb up a steep embankment, well fettered with gnarled tree roots for handholds, and behold, nature had given way to 1960s-era bungalows on a quaint cul-del-sac. I was in the Geneva Road subdivision of East Aurora.

VISIT IT

Major’s Park is easily accessible from the surrounding areas. Exit NY-400 at NY-16 (Olean Rd.) and head north toward East Aurora. Major’s Park is clearly marked on the left side of the road behind Old Tyme Chet’s hot dog and ice cream stand. Another entrance, albeit with minimal parking, is accessible near the Community Pool park on South St.

While not a huge preserve by any means, Major’s is big enough to make an afternoon outing of it. You can hike, kayak, bird watch, or grab a picnic lunch from Chet’s. Or you can do what I did: take a camera along. You never know what kind of wildlife or scenery might surprise you at Major’s Park. Speaking of photos, be sure to check out the Flickr gallery below for some shots of my major discoveries:

Check it out in full screen too. Be sure to select "Show Info" for photo captions!

Careers = 52; Years = 1...The One-Week Job Project

2010-09-08T20:49:00.000-04:00

“…I don’t know what I want to do for a career, but I made a promise to myself that whatever it is, it’s going to be something I’m passionate about, so I came up with this idea to try out different jobs, to see what I like and don’t like, and learn from others about how they decided on a career.”

The first of Sean Aiken's words reflect a feeling that many graduates and young people starting out experience. There are so many things to try, so many places to go...Which is one is right for me!?!? I know not so many years ago I was that grad, degree in hand (actually that rolled up piece of paper was asking for donations—the degree came in the mail) and unsure what the next steps were.

Let me introduce you further to Sean Aiken. You may have already met him, in fact. Sean graduated valedictorian from Capilano College (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) in 2005. Business degree and honors in hand, Sean loathed the thought of being tied to a dead-end job and the five-o'clock countdown each work day. So he did something about it. Sean launched the One-Week Job Project in February of 2007. It’s just as it sounds: he tried out a new job each week for an entire year. Little did he know his experiment would end up taking him all over Canada and the United States in pursuit of what can only be described as “finding his passion.” (An unrelated note, I hate the word passion...just so you know.)

Sean’s story makes for a great case study in social-media buzz building that goes viral. With the help of friend Ian MacKenzie, Sean built a website (http://www.oneweekjob.com/) explaining the One-Week Job Project and then he spammed his address book contacts about the project.

From just a few initial offers, the employment opportunities began pouring in. Website traffic was up. NiceJob.ca—Google.com simplicity meets CareerBuilder.com searchability—took notice and offered a sponsorship in exchange for a banner ad and some publicity. And along came mass media exposure: CNN. Fox News. Rachel Ray.

At the end of the project, Sean records that just over 200 offers had been made. Even though he ultimately accepted only 52, what a resume this guy has now! (Of course his long-term experience in any one field may be a little short.) Sean’s career experiences spanned all over from professional, to blue-collar, to rough-and-tumble. A few examples: firefighter, stock trader, innkeeper, cowboy, advertising executive, research assistant, dairy farmer, and numerous positions in food and beverage.

While rarely one to say no to a free lunch, hotel room, or plane ticket, Sean did his project as inexpensively as possible. He directed employers to donate any wages to a favored charity. Sean ultimately raised over $20,000—in today's economy a respectable living for a B.S. holder.

Each weeklong career in the book is outlined with the average salary and various other blurbs of related information. Most jobs entail an entire chapter of Sean sharing his insights, experiences, and nuggets of wisdom garnered from his career mentors. Sean captures his experiences in a style that is witty, upfront, engaging, and inspiring.

So what was the outcome? (I suppose this calls for a spoiler warning.) Did Sean ultimately find his passion? I think he shares it best:

“The truth is, I could be happy doing many things. I’d love to be a teacher. I’d love to work at a nonprofit. I’d love to be a professional speaker. I’d love to start a small business of some kind. I’d love to work for a marketing firm…But I’ve realized that a career is merely a vehicle to fulfill our passion.

I discovered that my passion is to explore.”

Where is Sean now? He’s doing a little bit of all those things described above. The One-Week Job program is now there for other wandering souls to try out a variety of careers and locales. The project obtains various sponsorships to assist students with the cost, while Sean blogs regularly on the site about his day-to-day activities and also makes himself available for public speaking arrangements.

The One-Week Job Project is a contemporary case study in buzz building, branding, and what can happen when an idea goes viral. I wonder if Sean knew the future he was creating for himself when he and his buddy Ian MacKenize launched oneweekjob.com. That said, One-Week Job is a very entertaining and informative book. It embodies a lot of tender insights and wisdom while also throwing in some romance and personal conflicts, just to keep the story interesting. It’s a great choice for any young person seeking out their life’s passion. For that matter, it’s an inspiring read for anyone “young at heart” who may not have yet found their calling.

GET IT

The One-Week Job Project is available as an eBook through Buffalo Erie County Library or can be purchased from oneweekjob.com or any other major bookseller.

Words the Press Loves to Abuse & Offensive Apostrophes

2010-09-05T15:45:00.000-04:00

Journalist Ruth Marcus, in a recent Washington Post column, expressed her ire at fellow journalists and their use of the word “shed”. As in, the labor market shed X number of jobs. Marcus’ bone to pick with shed starts with the Merriam-Webster definition which she cites:

“To eject, slough off, or lose as part of the normal processes of life. To rid oneself of temporarily or permanently as superfluous or unwanted.”

Marcus sees shedding as a dog losing its fir, or an innocent victim shedding his blood. She declares this a gruesome and trite way of dealing with the decline of the jobs market; a place where some 8.4 million jobs have been lost since the economy hit the crapper two years ago.

My 2009 AP Stylebook is silent regarding shed, but perhaps future editions should include this information. Marcus could write the entry.

Now that Marcus has shed her dirty laundry with an overused press colloquialism, allow me to share one of mine. It also has to do with jobs and the economy, albeit on the rebound. It’s the phrase “shore up”. TARP shored up the banks. Obama’s administration is looking for more ways to shore up the economy. Statler Towers needs to be shored up.

Shore up sounds to me like an uneducated way to say you’re bringing this ship in to shore. Nautical themes sail through the theater of my mind whenever I read this overly abused phrase in the media. American Heritage Dictionary provides this explanation, calling “shore up” an idiom or phrase:

“Support, prop...This expression derives from the noun shore , meaning ‘prop,’ a beam or timber propped against a structure to provide support. The verb shore dates from 1340 and was first recorded in a figurative context in 1581.”

Ok…so, this one’s been around a while. Again the AP Stylebook is silent on shore up, but would it kill journalists to just use “strengthen,” “support,” or “bolster”?

I’m going to shed one more grammar-related rant, just to shore up this post. It comes from satirist Gene Weingarten’s “Below the Beltway” column, also syndicated by Washington Post. As Weingarten bounced from topic to topic in last week’s column, he touched on the sensitive issue of using apostrophes.

“Nobody get's it right anymore, and nobody gives a darn, and thats [sic] just the way it is in this era of all-thumbs communication.”

Many years ago, when I worked in a restaurant, Mensa International’s local chapter came for lunch. One pointed out to me that “Extra’s” on the menu had an “offensive apostrophe.” I smiled politely while thinking surely this dame was too smart for her own good. Fast forward some 10 years, and now it’s me picking out the misplaced apostrophes.

Seems like anything that ends in an “s” merits the little curvy swatch, while everything that demonstrates the possessive case lacks it. The day a sign printed advertising a sale on “Sock’s for Men” at Kohl’s and I immediately noticed the error, I knew that I too was getting as bad as those Mensa folks. At least I didn’t request a loaf of bread that was half wheat and half oatmeal…but that’s another story entirely.

Customer Service is Every Company's Calling...

2010-08-27T21:47:00.001-04:00

The “Must Read” feature of US Airways Magazine frequently inspires me to broaden my horizons. The August 2010 feature with Your Call Is (not that) Important to Us by Emily Yellin added another to my summer reading list (if such a thing really existed).

In researching this book, Yellin got to travel all over the world observing what defines customer service. Her focus is primarily on a facet of customer service that gets a lot of Americans yellin’: call centers. Her travels took her to Argentina, Egypt, Britain, and Switzerland; while stateside, she sat in contact centers (the politically correct name) at companies who've achieved service success like FedEx and JetBlue.

Yellin’s insights are particularly intriguing to those with a background in marketing and communications. While older business models see the contact center as a necessary cost of doing business, Yellin's research demonstrates how two-way dialogue between customers and a product/service provider are actually invaluable marketing bellwethers:

“…companies need to stop treating customer complaints as an annoyance and see them instead as one of their best feedback and marketing tools. By welcoming complaints…and taking what they can learn from them, their products and services will improve.” (As stated by Claus Møller, p. 61)

When customers receive the cold shoulder and communication decisions are made by higher-ups in a disconnected corporate office, that’s when angry, empowered consumers Tweet, blog, and Facebook their anger. That’s when companies have PR crises on their hands. Many organizations are, however, learning the value of the call center employees and the unprecedented consumer insights they can supply. Corporate programs and policies are being shaped by the voice of the consumer, and it’s even become trendy for the CEO to step out of the corner office and work on the front lines for a day or so.

Another topic Yellin goes in depth on is the treatment call center employees receive, or rather the abuse they are subject to. This is especially true as more contact jobs are outsourced off shore. Call center employees in India were cited reporting vulgar, profane, and abusive American callers seeking to dismantle them emotionally and get them to quit their jobs. This, supposedly, would return jobs to American soil. It hasn’t brought home the work, but it has painted a sour picture of Americans abroad. The breakdown between cultures is tellingly explained in this book, and may help some people see the humanity on the other end of the phone line.

Of course the evolution of telephone, web, and communications technology get plenty of treatment too. Anyone who has ever called Amtrak has talked to Julie, an interactive voice response (IVR) system that tries to maintain some semblance of a conversation with callers. If you’ve got Skype, say hello to Julie now at 1-800-USA-RAIL.

SUMMARY

In summary, Your Call Is (not that) Important to Us is worthy of perusal by anyone in the business, marketing, communications, and PR industries. It provides good insights into the contemporary two-way model of communication between businesses and consumers while also supplying case studies where innovation in the contact center and beyond has led to increased profitability. The Zappos business model (see two posts ago) is also a cited case study.

But perhaps you're just another consumer waiting for someone to assist you. Canned music is blaring in your ear only to be interrupted by, “Your call is very important to us. Please stay on the line and the next available operator will assist you.” Get yourself a copy of this book. Not only will it make your wait go by faster, but it may just put a face on that voice who (finally!) answers on the other end.

GET IT

Released in 2009, but still very relevant today, Your Call... is available at major booksellers and Amazon.com. eBook copies are also an option, or you can be cheap like me and reserve a copy from Buffalo Erie County Public Library.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

When I call a 1-800 number, I know it’s not going to be the highlight of my day. I navigate the menu of options or try to talk with the IVR (love it when you hear simulated keys tapping away—as if its pulling your file!). I wait for the next available agent. And I hold myself to being polite with whoever answers. Call center reps have a hard job. It’s not their fault if things aren’t going my way, and thus, it’s not my right to take it out on them. Being polite and courteous has, in just about every instance, gotten me satisfactory results. Last month I had to deal with Orbitz customer service to cancel a hotel and car package I had booked. Cancellation carried stiff penalties, but my flights had been cancelled and I wanted to see what could be done. My patience and politeness with the call center reps—who by their accents I would guess were in the Philippines—is what I believe got me a full refund.

Furthermore, we are ambassadors of America when communicate with those in foreign countries. While a fictional Indian story, Yellin demonstrates sentiment toward Americans citing One Night at the Call Center:

“Why do some fat-ass, dim-witted Americans get to act superior to us?...I’ll tell you why. Not because they are smarter. Not because they are better people. But because their country is rich and ours is poor.” (p. 159)

We may not like outsourcing, but how do we want to represent our nation? It's just a thought that I try to keep in mind when navigating the labyrinth of a phone system and speaking to "Shawn" even though his real name is probably "Sanjay".

Getting Me to the Greek...

2010-08-23T13:44:00.002-04:00

Grand Opening—The Towne Bistro in East Aurora

In East Aurora there’s a new Greek in towne at the corner of Main and S. Willow Streets. The Towne Bistro has nothing Greek implicit in the name, but rather the Athenian-style typeface on the window sign gives it away.

This small bistro occupies the former site of Great Harvest (a.k.a. Montana Mills) Bread Co., a well-liked coffee-and-baked-goods stop. I had the opportunity to try The Towne Bistro for lunch on a drizzly Monday afternoon. The building has been completely renovated since the bread ovens left. Great Harvest wasn’t exactly a big place, and neither is Towne. Less than 10 tables for between two and four guests offset the small, but airy and un-crowded dining area. Authentic Eastern European music plays softly in the background and—thanks to a no-parking zone out front—diners can enjoy unblocked views of Main Street.

When I arrived around 11:30am, I was first for the lunch crowd. The menu is relatively short, but features authentic Greek dishes like souvlaki, gyro, mousaka, and pastitsio. Burgers, chicken fingers, grilled chicken salad, and a (limited) kids’ menu will please those who aren’t feeling so Greek. Rice pudding, baklava, and loukoumades (Greek donuts) round out the dessert menu

I selected soulvaki on stick, opting for plain old chicken. Beef and lamb are also available, but I wasn’t feeling adventurous enough to try the mutton. My lunch was neatly presented with half the plate covered by Greek salad (romaine, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, chilis, feta cheese, and Greek dressing) and the other half with quartered grilled pita bread. A skewer of char-grilled chicken was laid across the center. On the side was tzatziki (Greek seasoned sour cream dip) and a flask of Greek dressing (although the salad was sufficiently drenched).

Everything was very good with huge chunks of vegetables in the salad and moist juicy chicken on the skewer. The thin pita was lightly buttered, hot, and flavorful without being overly doughy. The chicken was, however, a bit bland. In my mind, any soulvaki has to go up against Alton’s perfectly seasoned soulvaki, and Towne’s was comparatively bland. While it helped, the creamy tzatziki was also slightly short on flavor.

When asked, my server informed me of what I already suspected: The Towne Bistro is in fact run by the same owners as The Towne Restaurant on the corner of Allen and Elmwood Streets in downtown Buffalo. Think of it as the little brother to the larger Greek/Tuscan eatery, its menu populated by select items from the main restaurant.

Overall service was fast and friendly, and the food of an acceptable quality. The dining atmosphere was laid back and relaxing. Free WiFi and long tables will appeal to the lunch-'n-laptop crowd. Menu prices are a bit high at around $10 for lunch and $15 for dinner. That said, I would try this place again.

As I was finishing up, a small lunchtime crowd was filing in. While the newness is certain to spur some interest, one can only hope this Greek can survive as something truly different in East Aurora’s dining scene. Sadly, in this town, too many restaurant ventures have gone the way of the Greek Empire no time.

Zappos Continues to Redefine "Corporate Culture" & Sell Lotsa Shoes

2010-08-12T15:56:00.000-04:00

Corporate culture…so often talked about today. But just what is a company’s culture? Answering such a question could conceivably produce as many answers as there are major employers! But one company has sought to defy the norm. This company has sought to make its culture not only the pillar of its definition, but also its competitive advantage.

This culture is not something grown in the Petri dish of corporate America…The name of this company is Zappos.com Inc. and the culture—from the Henderson, Nevada HQ to the Shepherdsville, Kentucky distribution center—is what one might loosely define as modern-progressive and somewhat typical of a dot-com. You see, Zappos cuts out as many of the undesirables such as stuffy dress codes, rigid hours, and limited benefits, while also supplying employees with catered meals, parties, free vending, on and off-site recreation, and comprehensive insurance. The idea is simple: Take care of employees and happier employees will give 110% to taking care of the company and its customers. Reminds me a little bit of the storied environment at Google’s HQ.

Reading about Zappos (and believe me, the business model could fill a book—several have been written), I came to discover each year there’s a Culture Book published. It’s sort of a yearbook for Zappos employees and vendor partners. By the way, now I should mention, Zappos is an online retailer that mainly deals in shoes, but also carries a wide variety of department store-type merchandise. Back to the book. The Culture Book is full of employee-written essays and photos of Zappos employees providing WOW (a company buzzword) customer service and having WOW good times.

As I perused the 300+ pages of essays, I found more than a few recurrent themes. Most Zapponians, as they’re called, praise the company for its generous benefits and perks. Some of them gush to the point it almost reads like they’re sucking up. But some common topics include:

• Heartfelt stories
• The 10 Core Values
• Pain and loss experienced when Zappos had to lay off some employees
• A genuine connection between employees as family members
• Superior opportunities for career growth
• Each voice having an important and distinct place
• Office parades…Check out YouTube for a video explanation of this.
• Many inside jokes

A few of the more unique essays include:

• A recipe for pecan pie
• One is written completely backwards. I tried to read it. Parts were in Spanish. And backwards. You gotta give me kudos for trying…
• A review of the McSkillet Burrito. It didn’t get rave reviews, but the Zapponian didn’t totally trash it either. Is it better than all the free food in the company cafeteria?
• Several essays trended toward negative, which surprised me. Not because some unhappy employees (and even a place as happy as Zappos is going to have some) won’t use such an opportunity to vent, but rather I’m surprised these cleared the editors.

What is clear to anyone that reads the 2009 Zappos Culture Book (2009 is most current) is that Zapponians are a happy, well-treated bunch. The essays shared are clearly theirs. While the company’s loose rulebook and “embrace-anything” culture may seem the anti-corporate to the extreme, it seems to be working. Being named #23 on Fortune’s 100 Best Places to Work and clearing one-billion in sales (when the economy was in the crapper) shows Zappos is doing something right. It’s a place where 10 Core Values, culture, customer service, mutual respect, and transparency come together and shape a business model that could very well be the antithesis to stodgy corporate culture.

The essayist on p. 199 says it best, “…Economically, the world has changed drastically…only the strongest will remain standing—Zappos has proven to be one of them.”

GET IT

When I first got wind of this book, I wanted it and I wanted it NOW! For a company owned by Amazon (pioneer of eReaders), I was disappointed to find the 2009 Culture Book not available in a digital edition. But there’s a good reason: This hard cover of nearly 350 thick, glossy pages is filled with photo spreads and graphics. eInk simply wouldn’t do it justice. An iPad might. But for now you have to order it direct from Zappos. I will say this, after reading about Zappos’ superior and slightly wacky customer service, I wish I would’ve called instead of placing a boring online order.

Half.com, Craigslist, the Buffalo Library, none of these had this or any previous editions of the Culture Book. Now that I’ve read it cover to cover, I’m thinking of maybe donating it. Or should I take advantage of the 365-day return policy? Ok, I wouldn’t do that.

All in all, this book makes for some fun, light reading. The movers and shakers in a business could especially profit from the ideas presented in building a happy, successful workforce. While not every company can let its hair down as much as Zappos, the underlying principles are overall worthy of consideration.

To Be a Kid Again & Not Over Analyze

2010-08-08T18:07:00.000-04:00

Movie Star? Fisher-Price HQ Lawn Displays

I’m hesitant and more than a little embarrassed to admit this, but I spent my afternoon seeing Toy Story 3…finally. If emoticons were still cool, I'd be posting the little blushing one right about now. I fear what protective parents must've thought when they saw a single, 20-something year old in the theater by himself.

At this late date writing a review is futile. It’s all old news now. And for the record, I did not—unlike Buffalo News’ Jeff Simon and many others—tear up at the ending. What struck me with Toy Story 3—typical in Disney movies—are all the little “adult” details in the background. There’s always a joke in there for mom and dad, and always some little Easter egg if one is to view between the lines.

I’m assuming you’ve either A) Seen the movie OR B) Don’t give a care. Let that serve as a spoiler warning. In the late scene that takes place at a landfill, it was like déjà vu. The heroes of the movie are trapped on a conveyor belt of trash, quickly headed for the shredder. Of course a last-minute rescue is inevitable—you don’t want a theater of crying kids. But wouldn’t it have been something if the rescue had come in the form of something jamming the shredder’s high-power blades? Something like an old toaster…that would’ve been a great wink-wink joke for those of in the audience who grew up in the 1980s/early 90s and were feeling that déjà vu. There was a Disney movie from our era that involved a very similar scene in a junkyard.

Otherwise, the pluggola and marketing placements especially intrigued me. Mattel has always had its products as main characters in previous Toy Story renditions. But in number three, East Aurora-based Fisher-Price (a Mattel subsidiary) got a significant cut of screen time. There was the classic Chatter Phone, whose FP logo was prominently featured. There was the Corn Popper—a completely worthless push-along toy that makes popping sounds by launching little plastic marbles inside it. I had one as a kid. In one scene where numerous toys are seen scattering, viewers need not look far to see Teddy Bear and Buzzy Bee FP classics swarming through the melee. East Aurorans are inundated with larger-than-life renditions of these toys in town parades and parked on the lawn at 636 Girard (Fisher-Price headquarters).

While the story itself is necessarily void of any serious conflict, analyzing the product placement, pluggola, and hidden jokes in Toy Story 3 made for a good time for this over-analytical mind.

Daily Delivery in Digital...

2010-08-04T15:45:00.000-04:00

DATELINE—it’s the weekend. I realize most people are entitled to sleeping in on weekends. This may include the staff at Buffalo News and/or the semi-rural route driver that dumps my paper in the box each morning. Err…make that afternoon on weekends. Ok, a bit of an exaggeration, but weekend newspapers are noticeably later than weekday delivery, at least on my route.

Now, lest you think I’m just ripping on the fine people who handle logistics for Buffalo News, let’s switch gears here for a minute.

In college I had a professor whom I often refer back to. His name is Dr. Harry Sova. He was like a renaissance man when it came to communications. Film production, advertising, public relations, journalism—his CV had experience in them all. A logical choice to mentor budding communications students. He was a nice, personable guy, too. But anyway, Dr. Sova predicted the eventual demise of print papers when I took his course in early 2005. He predicted the demise of network TV news. He envisioned a world where news and entertainment were delivered to personal devices and on demand. Content would be customized to the interests and preferences of each user. (He even predicted the economy would turn sour and oil would spew in the Gulf…ok, ok, I’m joking.) Things that were on the horizon of communications in 2005 are becoming commonplace today.

Take the Amazon Kindle with 3G or the Sony Reader Daily Edition—you’ve got a personal device that can deliver newspaper content based on your preferences (and paid subscriptions!). Wireless delivery of newspapers may just be the future for a medium struggling to survive. It also eliminates a logistical nightmare. No more delivery trucks or private contractors. That saves major quantities of oil and pollution. Even though a lot gets recycled, a lot of newsprint ends up in the landfill. But in a digital world there are fewer reams of broadsheet rolling off the presses. Fewer print editions means fewer deilvery trucks. This could seriously cut supplies expenses for newsrooms that already operate on razor-thin margins. The only time I’d be griping about my morning paper not being on time is when the 3G or wireless goes down!

When you shop either Amazon’s newspaper store or Sony’s, you’ll see many newspapers signing on to eReader technology, but plenty more to go. Buffalo News has yet to offer an electronic edition. E-Books are in their infancy, but as the technology catches on, such a device may be just the savior for struggling newspapers. Slash material costs drastically, and keeping a newsroom online with editors, layout artists, reporters, etc. suddenly will be more affordable. Imagine content-rich newspapers where a click of a photo brings it to life with supplemental video and more. Current readers that utilize eInk may not be ready for such rich content delivery, but devices like the iPad are perfect...

The subsidizing effect of results-driven advertising will also need to be part of the equation, and this will pose its own challenges in a digital ink world.

Digital downloads of the daily news are only beginning to show their potential. However, in the near future I believe this medium may just become the answer for struggling newspapers. People will always be hungry for news and information. It’s a fact of our contemporary culture.

A lot of questions remain to be answered and for now I’ll keep reading my print copy. While I think I could (and will probably have to!) adapt to the eNews in time, there’s something about holding the broadsheet in my hands (and getting ink on my finger tips). Broadsheet works without batteries, and if I spill my breakfast on it, it’s no big deal. Regardless, digital newsprint delivery is going to evolve significantly in the not-so-distant future.

Dinner and a Movie...

2010-07-30T18:38:00.000-04:00

The Urban Dictionary (not normally a reputable source in serious writings) defines schmuck as “[A] term used to describe someone who is acting dumber than they are…” There are more definitions (Urban Dictionary is essentially a crass mini-wiki), but that quoted is the most astute and relevant.

I’m giving this little off-beat vocabulary lesson because today is the opening day of Dinner for Schmucks. Dinner is the tail (misspelling intended) of Barry—a whimsical and lonely man whose wife left him for his boss—and his unusual hobby of collecting dead mice. Barry (Steve Carell) takes his road kill rodents, and through a painstaking process, builds eccentric dioramas of them. Barry’s a regular at the local taxidermy shop where one day his path quite literally collides with Tim’s (Paul Rudd). Tim is a business executive in need of a good idiot. You see, Tim’s career hinges on wowing the boss and corporate bigwigs from his financial management firm at Saturday night’s dinner gala. Inviting strange folks to dinner, having them perform and make jackasses of themselves, and then awarding a prize to the best lunatic is seen as a pleasurable pastime for Tim’s bosses. Impress them with a good idiot to laugh at, and Tim’s career is moving up to the next level. Seems their run in could be good fate.

Tim has gotten more than he bargained for with Barry, however. Barry clings to Tim like flies on a rotting mouse carcass. Barry’s strange habits and demeanor quickly invade every inch of Tim’s life. Naturally, his love life suffers too.

Also joining the mix of eccentric characters is an artist with what is described as “animal magnetism”, a sex-crazed co-ed, a mind manipulating IRS agent, a Swiss investor, and a whole bevy of pasty-faced women. Needless to say, the character blend makes for over-the-top weirdness in this comedy. The whole thing culminates at the dinner and well…I’m going to shutup. After all, I’d hate to spoil your Dinner.

I saw an ad for this film a few weeks ago. It looked funny and intriguing. Buffalo News’ “Gusto” feature had good things to say about it today. That's the power of marketing communications for you.

After seeing this movie, all I can say is I guess I’m the schmuck here. There are too many movies like this: Bathroom humor. Eccentric characters. Boy and girl’s relationship on the rocks due to absurd misunderstandings. With the right gags it can be funny (Rat Race is one of my all-time favorite films). Unfortunately, it’s an unoriginal vibe that just doesn’t work here or resonate with me anymore. The cast in this movie was lackluster and brought no life to the characters. Christians may find it offensive that The Last Supper is one of Barry’s dioramas made with mice. The likeness of Christ as a mouse is unsettling and in poor taste—a theme I found predominant throughout the film. Bottom line: this Dinner didn’t taste too good…I’d like my eight bucks and my afternoon back, please.

Own a Subaru? Personalize it for Free

2010-07-24T16:18:00.001-04:00

"My Second Subaru" medallion plus outdoors sports link

Subaru owners are known to be a loyal bunch (or a Loyale bunch!). In fact, the Japanese automaker is often said to appeal to a niche buyer. With a model line that contains an advanced all wheel drive system standard, Subarus are particularly popular with crowds from bad-weather states and with those who maintain an active, outdoors lifestyle.

In a clever marketing move, the company has started offering owners a vehicle medallion that states, “My X Subaru” where X is the ordinal number (i.e. third Subaru). Owners may also specify personalized links to the main decal. Links reflect various interests and lifestyles that compose the average Subaru-driving demographic.

The best part about the Subaru medallions? They’re free to vehicle owners and lessees; all that is needed is a valid VIN. I first discovered this offer through my latest copy of Drive Magazine. Subaru deserves recognition for customer relations/marketing efforts that continue to foster a sense of unity and loyalty around their unique product line.

Meanwhile, I ordered my free “Second Subaru” medallion and personalized it with the “Outdoor Sports” link. By furnishing my VIN, the medallion was free of charges, including postage. The package arrived with application instructions and a mounting template to ensure a straight fit. Check out all the badges and graphics offered on badgeofownership.com.

At a time when many automakers are struggling, Subaru is posting record-breaking gains in sales. As the niche product becomes more mainstream, Subaru has a lot of opportunity to continue realizing sales gains. With clever marketing efforts like the owner medallions, an already-loyal following, and a strong brand image, this is one automaker that may be a success story in the near future.

Know Someone Who Always Has Their Nose Burried in a Mobile Device?

2010-07-24T15:56:00.000-04:00

Richard Sweeny’s Blackberry Planet: The Story of Research in Motion and the Little Device that Took the World by Storm chronicles innovators Michael Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie. It's the story of the company they built and the product that has not only made them billionaires, but also changed the way business is conducted. The title itself is tongue in cheek, as the Blackberry Storm is a popular and innovative model smart phone.

Prior to reading this book I had heard of Blackberry but didn’t think much of it. What’s another smart phone, after all? The market is cluttered with devices containing touch screens, web browsers, and all the latest gadgetry. I personally use a (sorely dated) Motorola Q, sans data plan—defeating a big purpose of the device, I suppose...

After reading Blackberry Planet I realized that the Blackberry is more than just another brand of smart phone. In a university communications class, Dr. Harry Sova always made sure to announce all cell phones, PDAs, pagers, and Blackberrys (according to the book, this is the correct spelling) must be turned off at test time. I thought he was just covering his bases. I didn’t realize that as a mobile emailing device, a Blackberry could be among the most notorious cheating tools.

In fact, this little device has reshaped the way we communicate and conduct business, and it also has been key in ushering in the new era of wireless technology that does so much more than make/receive calls.

Beyond the technical specs, Sweeny discusses the inception of Research in Motion (RIM), the Waterloo, Ontario (Canada) firm that is behind the Blackberry. He covers the lawsuits RIM faced in the early part of this decade as well as challenges posed by competitors like Apple's iPhone and Nokia. The author’s bias seems apparent as Blackberry Planet at times reads like an advertisement for the latest RIM creation.

Switching gears again, Sweeny delves into the “Crackberry” syndrome, discussing addictions, physical injuries, etiquette, and work/life balance issues the Blackberry has caused. Younger and younger users are suffering reptitive stress injuries from too much texting. Miss Manners' wisdom has been invoked regarding mobile etiquette and when it is and isn't appropriate to be tapping away on your gadget. Family life and marriages can suffer as a result of the Blackberry providing an “always on” connection to the office. (Marriages may also benefit from an app that allows the Blackberry to funciton as a sex toy. This Canadian author has paid too much attention to fellow Canadian Sue Johanson!) For those suffering the worst from Blackberry-induced maladies, Sweeny gives plenty of Dr. Phil-esque advice, including information on “digital detox” programs.

In one final switch of perspectives, Sweeny concludes Blackberry Planet by getting highly technical. He discusses quantum physics and how the discipline will impact the future of wireless and computer technology. Such concepts are beyond Jetsonoid, and boggling to the average mind.

That said, Blackberry Planet is thought-provoking insight into the founding of wireless communications, and what the future holds for the medium. As a former student of communications theorist Marshall McLuhan (“the medium is the message”), Sweeny offers some interesting perspective on how as wireless expands, all aspects of communication—person to person, business to business, marketing communications—will need to adapt to this contemporary medium.

So after reading this book I have to admit, I want a Blackberry. That is, until I saw the price of one…Anyway, if you wish to read Blackberry Planet, it’s available as an eBook at Buffalo Library.

A Dam Good Read—"Colossus: Hoover Dam and the Making of the American Century"

2010-07-18T18:19:00.000-04:00

Reviewing books on this blog is nothing new, but a book that inspires a cross country trip—well, that’s a first.
In the June edition of US-Airways Magazine there is a “Must Read” feature that gives readers an introduction to Michael Hiltzik’s Colossus: Hoover Dam and the Making of the American Century. After reading the preview I was hooked; I had to read Colossus. Previously, I had been to Hoover Dam only once; it was a quick stop on a Vegas to Grand Canyon West tour. (Click here for a reivew of that trip.)

Prior to reading this book, I really didn’t understand the significance of the Hoover Dam. I knew it was something special, but I was rather ignorant to what inspired its creation, and what purposes it serves. Needless to say, Colossus taught me a lot.

Two vital utilities, water and electricity, are supplied all throughout the American West and Southwest by the Dam’s life giving resources. Without it, the West would probably still be a land of nothing but cowboys, outlaws, and tumbleweeds.

Hiltzik’s 400+ page account begins with early explorations of the lower Colorado River basin. There were decades of failed prospecting and near catastrophes when settlers, as early as the 19th century, attempted to harness the mighty Colorado. Decades of progress eventually led to the federal government seeing the potential of the Colorado. Politics, business, geology, and more came together to ultimately inspire this massive public works project known as Hoover Dam. Hiltzik introduces so many names—senators, laborers, politicians—that it’s a challenge to keep track of them all, and thus the story can get confusing at times. Reading slowly and carefully is essential. Photos of some of the main proponents are found at the end of the book.

After reading Colossus, you’re sure to come away with a clearer view of what Hoover Dam is, why it was built, and how its construction has shaped the modern-day metropolises like Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. The cruel working conditions imposed on dam workers (just grateful to have a job during the Great Depression) and countless number of lives lost in building the dam is sure to invoke a deep sense of respect and pathos in anyone who reads Colossus. You’ll also learn of how Boulder City, Nevada came to be, today a sleepy little desert town that serves as gateway to the Dam and its reservoir, Lake Mead. On the political side, I learned why my grandmother calls it the Boulder Dam, and how the proper name came to be known as Hoover Dam.

From a public relations standpoint, Colossus offers a great study in labor union organization, free publicity, lobbying, and spin doctoring—all through the lens of a 1930s-era, pre-internet world.

Finally, Colossus demonstrates how the enormous public financing of Hoover Dam and President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal reshaped the federal government into the legislating body that it is today. (Think: spending happy.) Readers will also come away with a renewed sense of patriotism as they realize that the Hoover Dam is the epitome of American ingenuity, defense, resourcefulness, and engineering.

The book concludes by putting the spotlight on contemporary issues faced at the Dam, such as Lake Mead’s dwindling water levels, construction integrity issues, and environmental impact. Hiltzik poses a great question for thought: If the project were new today, could Hoover Dam be built?

ABOUT THAT VISIT

Like I stated earlier, this book inspired a visit to Hoover Dam. This past week I had vacation time, and being a self-proclaimed airline brat*, I headed west to Las Vegas. To write about my experience at the Hoover Dam, and the trip itself, could easily be blog posts in and of themselves. But after concluding Colossus roughly somewhere over New Mexico, I went to Hoover Dam with a new understanding of what this engineering marvel represents to our nation and the American Southwest. Touring the interior tunnels (at least as much as Homeland Security allows tourists to see!) and viewing firsthand the architecture, art work, power generators, and other items that make Hoover Dam the unique monolith that it is was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. An informed tourist, I had plenty of questions for the tour guides. Seeing Hoover Dam up close is an educational experience sure to evoke a sense of patriotism, respect, and marvel unlike any other.

GET YOUR OWN

Colossus is available as both a hard copy and e-book. Buffalo & Erie County Library has a few copies of the hardcover available for check out. At over 500 pages it’s a bit lengthy, but nearly 100 of those pages are taken up by citations and notes (Hiltzik definitely did his research!).

If you go to Hoover Dam, don’t be cheap and do the $7.00 power-plant-only tour. The whole dam tour (the “dam” clichés get old real fast!) is well worth the $30.00 and lets you descend into the interior tunnels of the Dam and even stand on the edge of a ventilation shaft high up on the Dam’s wall (and totally freak out as you stare at the outlet pipes hundreds of feet below!). The visitor’s center and museum is very hands-on and informative as well. As for visiting in July, well, expect temperatures to easily soar to 110+ degrees Fahrenheit, as they did the day of my visit. How those workers ever labored year round beats me.

* An airline brat is someone who has one or more relatives employed by a major airline, affording them unprecedented travel opportunities

A three shot composit of Hoover Dam stitched together. I took this from the visitor's center observation deck.

Spirited Advertising—but is it Ethical?

2010-07-03T08:50:00.000-04:00

If one wants a case study in successful buzz building, look no further than the marketing efforts of Spirit Airlines. The self-defined ultra low cost carrier took such a name by charging for everything from checked luggage to peanuts to soda—long before doing so was fashionable among the legacy and mainstream carriers.

Spirit also keeps advertising costs low by using edgy, controversial viral marketing techniques. Case in point: a couple of weeks ago AOL’s homepage news ticker trumpeted a story about Spirit’s “Check out the Oil on Our Beaches” ad campaign. A quick visit to Spirit’s homepage revealed a slideshow of bronze hued, bikini bearing models lying on the beach. A green and yellow bottle of BP (Best Protection) tanning oil accented the corner of the ad.

At a time when sensitivities are running high around the Gulf, such an ad campaign brought sure and swift outrage. It also went viral, attracting attention from the likes of AdAge Magazine, the aforementioned AOL front page spot, and plenty of other media outlets. Spirit pulled the ads and put out a June 22 press release stating:

“It is unfortunate that some have misunderstood our intention with today’s beach promotion. We are merely addressing the false perception that we have oil on our beaches, and we are encouraging customers to support Florida and our other beach destinations by continuing to travel to these vacation hot spots.

We are excited to continue offering customers huge savings with specials like today’s offer promoting travel to our many beach destinations. The only oil you’ll find when traveling to our beaches is sun tan oil.”

The PR department did a good job spinning that one. But okay, so how about my take on it? I think it was kind of a clever idea. The only bones to pick I had with it are the sleazy “cheesecake” photos. I prefer classy creativity to “sex sells” in advertising. But the spin doctoring put on the campaign—encouraging tourism in hard-hit Gulf Coast beaches—isn’t totally a bad idea. The attention grabber definilty served its purpose.

However, Spirit has a history of using controversial advertising. An AOL Finance blog references numerous other instances. Creative it may be, but disgusting, tasteless, and family-unfriendly it is as well. As an airline that caters to resort destinations, Spirit should really consider cleaning up its advertising and leveraging viral/new media techniques in a more tasteful manner.

Spirit’s unorthodox marketing communications have definitely achieved their desired result: viral exposure. The question is, is it ethical? I think we know the answer to that one. And besides, Spirit’s not the airline to have won a recent Effie Award for creative (and tasteful) marketing communications…

Frontier Airlines' "Spokesanimals" took a gold Effie last month for creativity & effectiveness. In this photo Trixie the fox waves goodbye to the Las Vegas Strip. McCarran Airport is visible in the top left while Steve Wynn's empire can be identified near bottom left by the Wynn Golf Club—a green oasis in the Mojave.

Shoe Makers Need to Reduce Their Footprint

2010-07-01T18:39:00.000-04:00

FULL DISCLOSURE: I am not revealing any proprietary information on behalf of my employer with this post. (Besides, such information is beyond my pay grade anyway!)

Yesterday began one of the more arduous parts of my job as shoes supervisor at Kohl’s: clearance prep. You see, about once a month some older styles get marked down in order to make room for the new. The first step when it comes to preparation is to locate and group the selected clearance styles and then remove all tissue paper and other packaging in the box.

Shoe boxes may also contain Styrofoam, wooden dowels, and in the case of Skechers, a full-size plastic shaper that fills the inside of the shoe. As we filled up trash bag after trash bag, a co-worker commented, “This is such waste!” Customers watch in horror, wondering why you’re dumping all the stuffing out of a brand new pair of shoes.

The process has many more tedious steps, but the five or so trash bags we filled with box stuffings is the topic of this post. I’ve often wondered why manufacturers put so much packing material in new shoes. Why do the shoes themselves have to be stuffed, wrapped, stretched, etc?

I haven’t found a concrete answer yet, but athletic shoe maker Brooks may shed some light on the subject. Brooks has enacted a green initiative that uses eco-friendlier packaging materials including less stuffing. A “shoe stay”, to be exact, is what Brooks calls the wad of tissue found wedged inside most new pair of shoes. They also have eliminated this part, saying shoes still ship in great shape, which leads me to believe it serves some kind of (however necessary) protective purpose.

Silica packets (the things that say “Do Not Eat”) are also a bygone on pairs of Brooks. Their purpose is to absorb moisture, but Brooks' shipping trials deemed them unnecessary. You have no idea how many of those things inevitably litter the floor at Kohl’s. I wish all manufacturers would consider this step, even if it does mean bad things for Buffalo-based Multisorb Technologies.

Finally, when prepped shoes do go clearance, the boxes are most often tossed in the cardboard recycling dumpster. While recycling is good, those glossy boxes are loaded with dyes and inks, none of which is too good for the environment (or your hands, which it stains). Here Brooks switched to not only all recycled materials, but water-based inks as well.

Just about every major business today needs to incorporate green efforts in its overall marketing communications. Environmental stewardship is in vogue right now, and will only get hotter in the future. I wish Nike, Skechers, Reebok, and other big shoes manufacturers (or at least the ones I handle daily at work!) would take a page from the Brooks play book and reduce all their packaging material. Not only would it make my job a lot easier on clearance days, but it would give them something to tout in their green marketing materials.

Shook Up This Afternoon—Buffalo Earthquake

2010-06-23T18:19:00.003-04:00

Buffalo, with its proximity to the Canada border, is an international gateway. Of course, sometimes bad things cross the border too. Today the area was shaken by the after-effects of a 5.0 magnitude quake that centered north of Montreal and Ottawa, Canada. Naturally, it has everyone and the media jabbering tonight.

The Buffalo News has some good initial Twitter-based coverage, multimedia, and interviews regarding today’s tremor, but since many Buffalonians are clamoring to share their story, I figure I’d share mine:

I was at my computer this afternoon around 1:45 when the house began to shake. It immediately caused a woozy, sick feeling to come over my stomach as I realized this could be an earthquake. Most unnerving were the closet doors that began swinging and banging against each other (these doors hang from a magnetic track). Ok, I’ll admit, the photo is rigged. The doors didn’t fly off their tracks, but it was a good attention grabber, eh?

What an awful feeling of powerlessness and loss of control. Your world is shaking, bucking, and lurching and there’s nothing you can do about it. While you want to run to safety, outdoors (and away from tall objects!) is probably the least unsafe place to be. I feel for the residents of Haiti and Chile who earlier this year had their nations turned upside down by quakes. Imagine what it must be like when the earth is lurching at a magnitude greater than the 5.0 after-effect we felt today.

Gratefully, aside from mass lake effect snow, Buffalo doesn’t get hit with a lot of natural disasters. But today was a bit of a reminder how devastating mother nature can be.

This is more typical of a Buffalo disaster. NWA DC-9 sitting on its tail after the October 2006 Surpise.

Another Review: 45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy—And How To Avoid Them

2010-06-19T21:20:00.000-04:00

This post and the latter have a couple things in common:

1. They both involve syndicated columnists
2. They both involve the corporate workplace

Anita Bruzzese is a journalist, author, and working-world guru. She writes the syndicated column “On the Job”—sort of a "Dear Abby" for today’s corporate employees.

In her book 45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy—And How To Avoid Them, Anita compiles her decades’ worth of experience writing about the corporate office and gives some sage advice to the workers within.

While “the boss” is often made out to be a controlling, demanding jerk, Anita demonstrates why he/she is not always the problem, but often it is in fact the worker. She's definitly more boss-sympathetic, kind of an anti-Dilbert. The book is broken down into short, readable chapters that are further segmented by bulleted points.

45 Things covers topics such as:

• How to make the most of company travel for meetings, seminars, etc.
• Why you shouldn’t ignore the new employee
• The importance of a clutter-free workspace
• Why good writing skills are essential to be taken seriously in any workplace
• Why you should read the newspaper and stay up on current events

This is just a sampling of the topics dealt with in these nearly 200 pages. Now is a time when many people are learning not to gripe about their employer and to be thankful for a paycheck. This book provides some good insight for how to get ahead in the workplace and ultimately help your boss do his/her job more effectively.

The copyright dates back to 2007, but 45 Things is still plenty relevant in today’s corporate environments. I borrowed my copy through Buffalo Library’s eBooks page which is the only media B&ECPL carries it in.

This week I’ve read through two career advancement books both dealing heavily with office politics and the like. Maybe it’s time for a subject change. I feel like I’m drowning in the cliché water cooler (seriously, does that thing really exist in corporate offices?).

Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?—Read On & Find Out...

2010-06-16T19:58:00.000-04:00

This time of year a marketing cliché in just about every circular makes me cringe. From June 1st on it’s the infamous “Dads and grads” time.

In her sydicated column "Color of Money”, financial expert and writer Michelle Singletary recommended the book Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview by career consultant Ellen Gordon Reeves. It makes a great giftable, at least to the "grads" part of the equation.

Can I Wear My Nose Ring presents a comprehensive look at what college-educated job seekers can expect from the moment they turn their tassels till when they accept the initial job offer. Need-to-know skills like résumé building, cover letter writing, and interviewing techniques are covered in a chapter-by-chapter format. The tone of the writing is sympathetic to the young emerging professional, but without being overly condescending, dumbed down, or trying to sound too “cool”.

The copyright date is 2009, making this book not only up to date on things like social media, texting, and email’s place in the job search, but it also gives some treatment to the unique state of the economy.

If there’s one thing I wish to have seen more of from Can I Wear My Nose Ring, it’s how to deal with online applications. Most companies only accept online apps, and even an attempt to mail a hardcopy or call a decision maker is barred by the corporate gatekeepers. So do you keep trying to charge through or do you respect the company’s recruitment process?

However, Can I Wear My Nose Ring does give the most exhaustive treatment on how to establish a professional network. We always hear how vital career networking is, but don’t receive a lot of feedback on how it’s done. Reeves does a good job addressing this on a level that’s understandable and attainable for the beginning career seeker.

I got my inspiration to read Can I Wear My Nose Ring from Michelle Singletary’s recommendation. Now I’m going to pass that recommendation along. Even if you’re not actively seeking a career or career change, you very well may know a new grad who could profit from this book. If the new grad is also a dad, well, then you’re killing two birds with one stone.

Can I Wear My Nose Ring is currently available only as a hard copy; no digital editions are floating around cyberspace. Buffalo Public Library does stock this book which is where I got my copy.

Oil? Bull.

2010-06-12T20:08:00.000-04:00

To quote loud-mouthed, furniture-throwing investments guru Jim Cramer, “There’s always a bull market somewhere.”

In other words, the glass is always half full; it just requires creative thinking at times to see where opportunity lies.

It’s easy to be disheartened watching media coverage of continued devastation and waste in the U.S. Gulf Coast. However, I got to thinking: Perhaps this oil spill is ultimately going to be like World War II in a (hopefully less destructive) way.

It is widely accepted that manufacturing increases for the war effort, plus President FDR’s social programming, helped lift the U.S. out of the Great Depression. Maybe war on an oil-soaked Gulf will help the U.S. recover from the media-dubbed Great Recession.

Imagine thousands of unemployed people put to work cleaning beaches and giving oily wildlife a Dawn (dish soap) bath. It could be a government and BP sponsored program. BP’s gargantuan financial penalties could fund the program. Funding would be administered by the government while know-how would be directed by BP.

Green economics, reducing fossil fuel usage, and lowering carbon footprints are in vogue right now. Oil, the catalyst that has driven the robust economy of the past may be just the catalyst that drives us into new transportation technology: Imagine the engineers and scientists put to work discovering new energy. It may be cleaner, safer nuclear, or a way to harness wind energy without tall, ugly turbines that don’t make much power.

Aircraft, spacecraft, and automobile—these mass-transit industries are what have made America great. To delete even one entity would be seriously compromise progress in this nation and it’s standing as a world leader. But I envision a day where these things won’t run on oil. Maybe what I envision is a utopian society. But like I said before, I hope oil is the very thing that drives America into recovery, progress, and a less oily future.

Norm Feuti's "Pretending You Care..."—My Review

2010-06-10T08:44:00.000-04:00

“I am of the opinion that everyone should hold a retail job at least once in their life—not because I think it’s an enjoyable experience, but because I think it builds empathy for the human condition.”

I couldn’t agree more with the opening words from Chapter 1 of Norm Feuti’s Pretending You Care: The Retail Employee Handbook. Feuti draws the King Features-syndicated cartoon “Retail”, and when I found out he had a book about the subject, I knew it was going to be a must-read.

Feuti’s cartoon is absolutely hilarious, especially when you've experienced retail work. I suggested Buffalo News pick up the sydicate. My letter to the editor remains unanswered. (For now I read it online.) Anyway, the book is quick-reading because it’s near-300 pages are heavy on the “Retail” strips relating to the current chapter/topic.

For all of his retail-inspired humor, Feuti is a guy with a chip on his shoulder. It’s as if he went into publishing so he could give a giant middle finger to every customer who has ever tried his patience during his 15-plus years in retail. At times his language is crass and immature, while his cynicism is of shock value.

In spite of this, Pretending You Care is a fun, useful book. Feuti provides good tips such as how to escape for your lunch break when you’re trapped with a clingy customer, how to feign product knowledge (most big-box employees are not trained in product knowledge), and what to do when a customer insists you go looking for an item that the store is sold out of. He even provides insight into the typical retail management structure from the corporate offices to the district manager on down.

With my current career being a supervisor with Kohl’s, I can mostly relate and commiserate with Feuti. However, I do think when it comes to working in retail that your location and your team make all the difference. I’m fortunate to work at a well-performing store with a great team of co-workers. Having a good management and support system in place makes dealing with the unpleasant customers a little less harrowing. And not every customer is a pain. Every once in a while you assist someone and clearly you’ve made their day and they express genuine thanks.

Retail is a tough industry, and it’s my hope in the near future to move beyond the “front lines” and up into a corporate-level position. But until then, I plan to keep on enjoying Feuti’s comic strip, and I would give high recommendations to this book. Even for those who’ve never worked in retail, it gives insight into what store associates go through every day. Maybe it’ll even make people think twice before yelling at a clerk for something beyond his or her control or before abandoning a cartload of merchandise. Yeah, who am I kidding. Anyway, my shift starts in a little under an hour. Guess I better get ready to go clean up messes in the shoes department at Kohl's...

New York Takes Steps Toward Statewide E-Cycling

2010-06-08T19:49:00.000-04:00

On the Sunday prior to Barak Obama’s historic 2008 election, a personals/editorial column I wrote about recycling electronic waste was published in Buffalo News. I couldn’t have paid for such prime placement—imagine how many eyes were turned to that Sunday’s “Viewpoints” section.

My article recaped personal experiences recycling electronics at an Erie County-sponsored event. Nearly two years have passed since my voluntary participation in e-cycling, and now New York State has made it law. Click here for the full details on the new legislation or read the bill in its entirety here. While it is phased in over several years, the new provisions start April 1 (if the state legislature isn’t fooling us—something Albany’s known to do!) of next year.

I guess it all goes back to my theory of common-sense solutions to reduce waste and inefficiency. I’ve said it before: I’m certainly no Six Sigma Greenbelt (or any belt for that matter!), but dumping electronic equipment in the trash just seems so senseless to me. It's especially true when you consider how much e-refuse we create, how toxic it is, and how accessible e-cycling has become. I cringe whenever there's an old CRT television out at the curb.

For a changeNew York's legislature has pleased me, and I hope other states will follow suit. After all, recycling electronics should be easier than having to wait in long lines at county-sponsored electronic dumping events. Even worse is having to pay a recycler a disposal fee to unload your old computer. On this one, it seems New York acted in the interest of common sense solutions.

Also interesting: a summary of the NY Senate's version (S6047A)

Selling Toys

2010-06-06T16:53:00.000-04:00

CREATING A TRILOGY

I was 10 years old when this new animation technology called Pixar was making waves. A first-of-kind Disney film release was planned with much fanfare near Christmas. The name of the movie? Toy Story. I remember as a pudgy little fifth grader counting down the days till Toy Story’s theatrical debut. Hey, we kids were owed a decent film. Disney’s major animated release from 1994 was chick-flick-equivalent Pocahontas.

I remember seeing Toy Story at dumpy Dipson theater in McKinley Mall. Despite the lack of screen square-footage, comfy seats, and Dolby Digital, the movie was still a smash hit in my little eyes. The VHS (remember those?) was promptly added to our library once it hit stores.

Then four years later came Toy Story 2. I know I saw that one also, but remember very little about it. Disney sequels seem to have a way of disappointing—it’s as if they just milk the brand created by the original for all they can.

Anyway, Toy Story 3 hits theaters in a little less than two weeks (June 18). Pixar is no big deal anymore. But Disney 3D and IMAX promise to bring Buzz, Woody, and the rest of the toys in your face (assuming you can find & afford an adequately equipped movie house).

SELLING IT (and so much more)

The Toy Story 3 brand marketing has already begun. Edy’s has a limited edition Toy Story Lemonade ice cream. Sounds gross; definitely won’t be trying that one.

In the shoes department I oversee at Kohl’s, we’ve got Woody cowboy boots, Toy Story sandals, and several styles of Toy Story sneakers. One even has a button that, when pressed, announces “Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue!” As I unpacked and played with the initial shipment of these talking shoes one co-worker commented, “That’s a shoe grandma would buy for the kids!”

Kohl’s philanthropic effort, Kohl’s Cares for Kids, features Toy Story character plush dolls and a variety of books. KCK is sold near registers under the moniker, “A toy. A story. A way to help kids.” It’s good brand and cause-based marketing. Seems Kohl’s is ahead of the fast food joints in capitalizing on the TS3 paraphernalia.

By the way, which burger joint is going to put cheap plastic TS3 toys in with kids’ meals? Burger King had it in 1995. (I remember collecting all the stupid little puppets. I even did a puppet show. The home-video tape of it still haunts me as parental blackmail.) By 1999, I'd graduated from kids' meals to quarter pounders, and so I had to look this one up: Turns out McDonalds won the war second time around. Which burger heavyweight is going to market plastic junk with kids’ meals in 2010? Perhaps Subway? It’s a plausible idea, with childhood obesity awareness…

AM I GOING TO SEE IT?
Ok, so, am I going to see Toy Story 3? I hear the plot involves Andy growing up and leaving for college. Where does he go? Is it some prestigious Ivy League campus? Will the music be as corny as the original soundtrack (that awful “You’ve got a Friend in Me” still rattles in my skull!)? Will the film be laced with the usual Disney “adult jokes” (usually about politics or famous people—get your mind outta the gutter!)? Anyway, I’m not saying whether or not I’ll go see it. I’m blushing. Don't expect a review on the blog...

Pondering on Oil

2010-05-28T19:58:00.000-04:00

Stop and think about oil…it’s an amazing thing really. While we may differ on the origins of our planet and how life came to be, oil is super-concentrated energy—the result of organic materials under great duress. The pressure from above forced this material into the depths of the earth. It never ceases to amaze me that technology allows oil drillers to puncture the earth’s crust at a depth of nearly one mile below the ocean’s surface, and then extract this “black gold”.

Unfortunately at Deepwater Horizon, the gash in the earth’s crust has left her bleeding, resulting in another oil spill for the history books. I am confident the sharpest minds at BP are feverishly working to find a solution to not only stop the bleeding, but to repair damaged maritime ecosystems.

In 1979 a Mexican oil well blew up at the Ixtoc I rig, discharging 140 million gallons of crude into the Gulf. It appears the clean up effort—plus nature’s ability to recover over time—has made the Ixtoc incident something that many people have never heard of. With over 30 years of technology under out belts since the late 70s, I remain confident in BP engineers’ ability to seal the well and clean up the Gulf. The Kevin Costner solution may be a start.

BLAME GAME

Perhaps what amazes me more about this is the perceived need to blame someone. Plenty are blaming BP. There are reports of BP being in the proverbial sack with government officials, and whistle-blower accounts of poor maintenance on the rig now sunk in deep waters.

But what amazes me most is President Obama stepping up and admitting he’s to blame. In interest of full disclosure, President O wasn’t my first choice in 2008, and he didn’t get my vote. But he doesn’t seem to me like a choice scapegoat. Do you think BP isn’t doing all it can to fix this problem? The past is the past, and if government regulators let BP’s lax oversight slide, and it led to this catastrophe, then that’ll eventually have to be ironed out. Litigation attorneys will be salivating at this one for years, no doubt.

But is the Obama Administration really in a position of expertise to deal with this? Especially now that Elizabeth Birnbaum, former head of Minerals Management Services, resigning over the spill? Is she another scapegoat?

I’d just like to know…what can Obama’s administration be doing better? I truly believe BP is doing all it can to bring this under control. What company wants to have a crisis on its hands? This will one day make another case study for budding public relations practitioners, just as Exxon Valdez was a commonly referenced study when I was in PR classes.

To further rile up the public, a live feed of the blowout has gone viral on the ‘Net. It’s disturbing, and yet technology wows me again here. How do engineers submerse a camera to such bone-crushing depths and manage to obtain as bright and clear a picture? This is a YouTube clip of some of the footage:

A Review of William Poundstone's Latest Work: Priceless

2010-05-26T16:39:00.000-04:00

Priceless: the Myth of Fair Value (and How to Take Advantage of It) by economist and author William Poundstone is an intellectual look into the psychological and philosophical undergirding that drives world economies. Having a 2010 copyright, the material is still fresh and relevant in today's dynamic marketplace.

Much of this book is dedicated to citing studies that look at the innate processes and influences of decision making. In fact, after a few chapters, you’ll likely get sick of reading about a study where the “A” group had to choose between $10 or $3…etc, etc. Makes you wonder: What do our tax dollars go toward funding in the name of "research"?

In order to comprehend what is behind each philosophical study, you need to read, re-read, and read slowly at that. Thankfully, Poundstone breaks his book down into very short chapters, giving each topic a brief place of its own.

At times the tempo of Priceless does pick up, especially when Poundstone discusses the theory behind every-day things like .99 pricing schemes and restaurant menu layout and design considerations. His (somewhat cynical) view on social networking and the price inversion of user-generated content provides a very interesting counterpoint. (Especially after I just finished reading Social Media Marketing for Dummies!)

Most of the time I recommend a book after reviewing it. I’m neither going to recommend nor condemn Priceless. It is a well assembled collection of primary research and analysis that is rich in philosophy and psychology. It seeks to explain the motivators behind why people make the purchasing and financial decisions that they do. A mover and shaker of the business world very well may be able to profit off of Poundstone's ideas and research.

Priceless is heavy reading, and definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. It’ll make you think though, assuming you can catch the drift of what Poundstone is saying.

eBook Wars

2010-05-24T20:39:00.000-04:00

Just as the eReader market is beginning to become cluttered with competition, another player enters the game. Coming June 17, Borders' Kobo reader and eBookstore goes mainstream.

The Kobo starts at $149.99—considerably less than the Nook by arch-rival Barnes and Noble. It’s also cheaper than the eBellwether—Amazon’s Kindle— and is marginally cheaper than an entry-level Sony Reader.

Reviewing the facts and figures, Kobo seems closest to Sony’s Pocket Edition reader (my personal eReading device), although Kobo doubles the built-in memory to 1 GB. Kobo lacks WiFi connectivity, which may be enough to get some users to pony up the extra $110 or so to buy a Nook or Kindle.

The lack of WiFi could be a detriment because Barnes and Noble leverages its bricks-and-mortar stores by allowing Nook users free downloads to read while in store plus exclusive discounts. Nook and Kindle are the only readers to offer a QWERTY keyboard, for whatever that's worth.

Borders is definitely overdue getting in on the eReader game. Near the start of this year I read a prediction that Borders would be another brand to go bust in this economy. The struggling chain is being propped up by an investment from Bennett LeBow, a man whose business holdings include a tobacco company.

We’ll see if the value-oriented Kobo is the last-hour innovation to save the struggling bookstore brand. Personally, I hope Borders survives. While I also am fond of Barnes and Noble with all its rich mahogany and plush seating, Borders offers a more generous rewards program. When it comes to in-store coffee, I'll take Seattle’s Best over Starbucks any day (even if SBUX owns the latter). However, should LeBow’s tobacco influence turn Borders into another With Pipe and Book (a humidor-plus-books shop in Lake Placid, NY), then I suppose the brand can go up in flames.

Meanwhile, it’ll be interesting to see how the eBookstore battles unfold throughout the rest of 2010. Let the eBloodbath begin.

Everything but the Kitschy Sink

2010-05-23T19:07:00.000-04:00

In our modern-day vernacular, the kitchen is most often thought of as a place where food is prepared. Some people eat there too, whether standing over the sink, or pulling up a stool at the snack bar. In fact, the word “kitchen” can be traced back to a form of the Latin coquina, pertaining to cooks and cooking.

However, I’d like to propose a change. It’s sure to fluster real estate agents everywhere as they prepare property descriptions. I say we change the name “kitchen” to “living room,” and there are a couple reasons why:

1. Food and drink are one of the necessities of life. Without them, we die. Pure and simple.

2. In my home, family gatherings rarely take place in the living room proper. That’s reserved for the stacks of unread junk mail, magazines, and other clutter. Occasionally someone flicks on the TV in there. Otherwise, everyone congregates in the kitchen, hence a reason for a name switcheroo.

Taking point number two further, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is. When I decide to fix a snack, load up tomorrow’s lunchbox, etc. I lure in an audience. I've even named the phenomenon Kitchen Convergence. We all step on each other, push each other around, and just generally get in each other’s way.

Isn’t it charming though, the scene of a family breaking bread (and one another’s necks) in each other’s presence? Someone speed dial Norman Rockwell. I sense a new slice of Americana coming on here.

Toning Times Two

2010-05-19T17:28:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update on that last post. I looked to Prevention Magazine and other health magazine websites for reviews on toning shoes. What I expected to find were either no reviews or positive reports. The reason? Skechers, Reebok, and other toner makers are a sweet source of advertising revenue for these magazines. Prevention surprised me, however, with a relatively unbiased review. While they acknowledge some of the muscle-firming capabilities, editors were objective enough to point out the risks of injury. Prevention testers also compared the features and benefits among brands.

Will Consumer Reports ever run a purely objective review of toning shoes? What kinds of tests and punishment will they subject the footwear to? I don't know the answers yet, but I look forward to seeing that issue hit newstands.

Latest Footwear Trend Takes a New Tone

2010-05-19T09:20:00.000-04:00

Congratulations, Skechers…you’ve done it again. Toning shoes is a category of footwear that makes use of wedge rocker soles and/or bulging air pods in the sole of shoes to promote instability. Instability when walking? Don’t pumps, wedges, and other women’s shoes already cause them to trip and fall at an alarming rate? The claim behind toning shoes is that instability forces leg and butt muscles to work harder, thus toning up said muscles. Skechers even claims its Shape Ups promote good posture.

So what has Skechers done so effectively with Shape Ups? Well, it has taken toning shoes which was a niche footwear dominated by anti-shoe maker MBT, and has made it available to the masses. MBT footwear is unique and expensive. Skechers formulated their own design, and compared to $200+ for a pair of MBTs, was able to more than cut the price in half. Skechers has a much wider distribution network including mid-level shoe stores, department stores, and factory/outlet stores.

As Shape Ups caught on, other shoe makers took notice. Avia introduced AviMotion. Reebok has its sex-appeal charged EasyTones. Nike is a holdout. But plenty of other less popular shoe makers are jumping on the tone-up bandwagon as well. K-Mart’s TheraShoes are less than $40 per pair.

What Skechers did was take a good idea, and leveraging their marketing and logistics, make it available to the masses. Toning shoes are no longer niche, they’re made-in-China, big-box, mass-marketed goods. While $115 is hefty to drop on a pair of kicks, it sure beats $245 for a pair of MBTs.

Working as Shoes Supervisor with Kohl’s, I’ve found toning shoes to sellout as fast as they come in (literally, one case never made it to the floor as almost every pair fulfilled a rain check!). Skechers are definitly customer's top-of-mind brand. Plenty of men are angry that we only carry toning shoes for women at my location. Reebok has caught on quickly, and some are finding a cheaper alternative in Kohl's exclusive FilaFit lineup. Many ladies wrinkle their nose at Avia.

It all goes to prove an important point: Recession or no recession, women (who largely comprise the toning target market) will spend just about any amount if a product promises them a sexier rear end for less effort.

Fast forward to the future and I wonder, will toning shoes deliver? So far the user reviews that I’ve heard have been overwhelmingly positive. But someday, will mass-produced toning shoes have the unintended consequences of foot problems? Will the Skechers company die a painful death at the feet (no pun intended!) of class-action lawyers? Toning is trendy right now. It’ll be interesting to see how this trend plays out.

P.S. – I gotta cool it on the footwear blogs…seems that all I talk about lately!

The Worst of Wegmans

2010-05-17T20:56:00.000-04:00

This is a dining-out review that I feel compelled to write after one too many of the same experience at Wegmans Market Café. While I can only speak of the Wegmans location near my work at Transit and Losson Roads, I imagine that recipes and preparation methods are similar at stores throughout the chain.

I have tried numerous stations at the Market Café, and tonight I finally had a realization: I don’t think I’ll be trying any more.

SUB SHOP

The subs are bland. Period. No amount of oil, mayo, cheese or anything else you stack on them can salvage this. And I always ordered mine on a wrap instead of sub bread. Opt for the traditional bread, and the tasteless ingredients will be lost in a mountain of dough. Even the flavored wraps, such as jalapeno cheddar, lack any flavor reminiscent of their name. Going to Subway for a $5 foot long will save you money and disappointment.

PIZZA SHOP

The pizza is ok, but way too expensive at $2.49 a slice. Wegmans also advertises all sorts of specialty pizzas, but I came to find out most had to be special ordered. I’d stick with Sbarro if you want fast gourmet pizza.

HOT FOODS BAR

One St. Patty’s Day I tried their corned beef and cabbage, and this, I gotta say, was excellent. But at $6.99 per pound, you’d be better off to visit just about any restaurant during mid-March—they’ll have it for about the same price you end up paying for a take-out meal at Wegmans.

ASIAN WOKERY

The gigantic sliced vegetables look oh-so-good, but are sometimes undercooked. Most of the Asian food is no better than what you’d get at a decent Chinese buffet. However, unlike a buffet, Wegmans charges $6.99 per pound. Make yourself a decent sized plate, and you end up paying as much or more than you’d pay at an all-you-can-eat joint.

SOUPS

I’ve only tried the spicy red lentil chili. This vegetarian soup is excellent, and—assuming the other soups are as flavorful without being over salty—this might be a brighter spot. It damn better be at $3.49 for a small bowl.

$6 MEALS

Wegmans advertises these all the time, and it’s one of the few good prepared-food values. Choose one entrée plus two sides for six bucks. The time I went, they were just opening prepared foods (11AM), and everyone behind the counter ignored me. When I finally got waited on, my choices were very limited. In fact, I find the stuff that’s advertised is usually unavailable; all I’ve ever wanted to try is the roasted sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts side-dish options. OK, I work in retail and I get it: advertised items may not be available in all locations, but it’s still frustrating. (Buffalo News “Cheap Eats” reviewed $6 Meals recently. See what they had to say.)

SALAD BAR

A lot of fancy and strange stuff on here for $6.99 per pound. The fat-free Italian dressing (a.k.a. sugar water) sucks. The roasted peppers were so garlicky I couldn’t finish them. You could buy a whopping head of lettuce for what one salad costs here.

COFFEE BAR

For Buffalo-area Wegmans would-bes, two words: Tim Hortons. Those outside of the Buffalo area, two words: Dunkin Donuts.

AMBIANCE

I will admit, the Market Café is a fantastic environment to sit in. Like the rest of Wegmans stores, it has a dimly lit, pleasing vibe to it along with plenty of comfortable seating including leather chairs near the coffee bar. Microwaves are provided for heating $6 meals (or cold, greasy pizza slices). A hand washing station makes a nice touch.

I haven’t tried all that Wegmans Market Café has to offer. The sushi bar, for one, scares me. But almost every time I’ve gone there what I came in for is unavailable. There’s always drama at the check out too (before I even see my total). I’m usually always directed to the wrong register, or no one is there to cash me out, or employees just ignore me while I stand around like a fool.

As a grocery, Wegmans offers clean, shoppable stores; better variety than Tops; and excellent sales. I just can’t see wasting any more dollars on subpar prepared food.

I’d love to have the money back I’ve blown at Wegmans Market Café. I think I’d go out for a nice dinner or two at Salvatores.

With Foot in Mouth...Our Linguistic and Podiataric* Challenged Society

2010-05-15T16:04:00.000-04:00

Being a writer/copy editor by night and a Kohl's Shoe Department Specialist by day, I can’t help but pick up on customers’ errors of pronunciation when it comes to footwear. Allow me to explain:

SKECHERS

This California-based maker of ultra-trendy footwear actually does not use a “T” anywhere in it’s name. Look closely and you’ll see it’s SK-E-CHERS not SKE-T-CHERS. Apparently the errant “T” is a common misconception; the company owns the web domain for both the correct and the extra-T spelling of its name.

Perhaps the biggest challenge is for the shoppers who do realize the T is missing. They frequently call the brand SKI-CHERS. Undoubtedly this brand name gives people the most problems. Some other misconceptions I’ve heard for Skechers:

• Stretchers – Usually from elderly folk who probably imagine a shoe that stretches over every corn, bunion, and foot malady that they insist on showing me.
• Skaters – Yes, Skechers makes skateboarding shoes, but so does Vans and Zoo York.
• Shapers – This one is semi-excusable; it no doubt comes from the Skechers Shape Ups line.
• Steppers – Step Up by Skechers is a junior’s flat, not the name of a brand.

DOCKERS

The timeless brand often thought of for its pants (and pantless Superbowl commercials!) also makes shoes. This label has been around a while. Calling it “Dockets” is simply unacceptable. A docket is a court document, whereas my guess would be that Dockers takes its name from boat shoe heritage.

NIKE

This one surprises and never ceases to annoy me. People pronounce Nike in such a way as to rhyme with “bike.” The word may appear to be pronounced this way, but we all know it’s NIE-K-EEY.

KEDS

Seems the elderly love these shoes, and for a good reason. Keds was one of the original makers of vulcanized rubber sneakers. Calling them “kids” is simply unacceptable, although Keds does make a few styles in kids’ sizes.

MOOTSIES TOOTSIES

This is an off-label by Nine West. It's such a stupid name that it's hard to prononuce correctly with a straight face. I had to bite my lip as I dealt with a customer who was unhappy with her “Mushy Tushy” sandals. Mushy sandals? Mmmm…sounds comfy.

DANA BUCHMAN

Once a designer with Claiborne, Dana Buchman signed on exclusively with Kohl’s last year. Her last name is not pronounced “BOOO-K-MAN.” It’s Buck-Man. Not Buckingham. The buck stops here.

ELLE

Elle is another Kohl’s exclusive label. If it was intended to be called “Ellie” it would be spelled as such. “Ellie” by Elle was, in fact, a metallic-colored wedge sandal that Kohl’s shoppers may still be able to find on clearance racks.

KICKIN’ OFF MY SHOES…

Maybe I’m just knit-picky, but I thought it be fun to provide some laughable humor at our linguistically challenged society. Give it long enough, and I’m sure someone else will butcher the name of another shoe brand. Until then, hope you enjoyed this short list.

* Podiataric is a James-ism. Couldn't think of a better word.

Power of Positive Press

2010-05-12T08:29:00.001-04:00

Whether or not those tracking press coverage in the Kohl’s Corporate offices noticed or not, an AP photo—hitting the wires this past weekend—shows a distraught traveler napping in an airport lounge. The lady is a victim of grounded flights caused by wild volcanic activity in Iceland. The significance of the picture is that the lady has kicked off her shoes. And not just any shoes. As a Shoes Department supervisor at a Kohl’s store, I knew those shoes right away.

They’re actually spring/summer sandals and the name is “Bridget” by Croft & Barrow. Croft is a highly profitable private label featured only in Kohl’s Department Stores. Private labels in department stores are kind of a funny thing. Imagine the brand building that must go on behind the scenes. Generally, when you go to the grocery store and buy off-brand, it’s perceived as cheap. When a customer goes to Kohl’s and asks for St. John's Bay (JCPenney equivalent of Croft&Barrow), that’s demonstration of brand building in action.

Anyway, the AP photo of Bridget sandals shows them in the fuchsia iteration—bright and contrasty in the otherwise-dull airport lounge. Bridget features a triangular design and metal buckles, both embellishments that are popular this spring on women’s footwear. Today Bridget is the front-page feature on new Kohl’s ads where she’s on sale for $11.99. And most Kohl’s Charge holders will take additional discounts of 15% and upward. Each spring Kohl’s introduces a near version of this popular sandal, and each spring women absolutely trash the displays of them. Imagine the positive effect this photo could have on Kohl’s sales: Women saying, “Where did she get those shoes? I want them too!” Kohl’s should try to find a way to profit from this free advertising.

At my store we’re implementing several measures, including color-coded boxes and on-site trash bins to hopefully maintain order and prevent a buildup of tissue paper on the floor. I leave for work in a little while. Wish me luck: The crazy ladies are probably already tearing apart the display of Bridget sandals.

NOTICE: The original picture and licensing details may be viewed at AP Images.

Waste Reduction as a Lifetime Philosophy

2010-05-11T18:30:00.000-04:00

Common sense solutions to waste reduction. That sums up my guiding philosophy. I may not be a Six Sigma greenbelt, but I always look for easy, sensible ways to reduce costs and waste. When a project seems time and resource heavy, I often question the process and if it, along with materials required, are really necessary to meet the objective.

I’m not an environmentalist, but I hate to see perfectly recyclable materials end up in a landfill. That’s why, in tandem with Kohl’s Green Scene, I pushed for recycling more of the waste generated in the shoes department I oversee. (Now if only I could get shoe manufacturers to stop putting so much throw-away stuffing in every pair of shoes! Not only would this reduce waste, it’d be a lot less for me to pick up off the floor every day!)

So imagine how I feel as I watch the Gulf Region become polluted by the worst oil spill in recent history. Oil is a commodity that is quickly becoming sparser. While I realize it’s too early to being playing the blame game, here hundreds of thousands of gallons of “black gold” are going to waste. And they’re polluting our oceans, fisheries, and costal beaches all the while.

Proposing a solution to this problem is far beyond me; I’m certainly no engineer. But how I hope to see something like the failed “dome” project succeed in stemming the deep-sea well’s flow and channeling the oil into a containment device. I even hope the captured oil can be refined and made usable. Perhaps this is impossible, like I said, I’m no petrol expert.

Common sense solutions to reduce waste—waste of our oceans, resources, and natural beauty. I hope that out of this environmental and PR disaster, British Petroleum Co. can find the opportunity to create a solution that not only makes them look good, but that preserves the environment and salvages our precious commodities.

Intelligent Speed Adaptation & Big Brother

2010-05-06T19:44:00.001-04:00

In the June 2010 Motor Trend Magazine, Editor in Chief Angus MacKenzie (seriously—this guy sounds like he’s named after a burger!) writes about the ripple effect runaway Toyotas may have on the future U.S. auto industry.

MacKenzie makes the case for increased “black-box” regulation of automotive computer systems. Among his grand ideas:

• Police could use black-box data to determine traffic infractions that may have occurred in "the second before the crash."
• Insurance companies could save people a bundle by rewarding good driving behavior. Perhaps one major insurer could even call its system “Gecko Cam,” complete with a smart-mouthed lizard mounted on the dashboard.
• EPA greenies could use data to monitor, and perhaps penalize, those whose driving habits aren’t so eco-friendly.

I understand the need for movement-by-movement black boxes on commercial aircraft where two pilots have potentially hundreds of lives in their hands. But in everyone’s car? Seriously, does this not sound like Big Brother run amok?

A United Kingdom-based charity, Brake, gives some comprehensive data on Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA), a Big-Brother technology that has been making inroads all across socialistic Europe. ISA utilizes GPS or similar technology to monitor a moving vehicle’s position and compares it to mandated speeds for that region. Some ISAs only chide the driver for exceeding the maximum speed, some cause excessive counter pressure on the accelerator (Toyota's getting that system for sure!), while others won’t allow the car to accelerate beyond the speed limit.

While speeding certainly is a factor in many crashes (NHTSA estimates 30% of U.S. crashes are speeding related), it’s not the only one. MacKenzie, in his column, takes shots at distracted drivers doing such things as talking on the phone, texting, watching TV, and “chowing down on processed corn .”

Brake’s ISA webpage does more than just explain the history of and variants in ISA systems. It also gives links to numerous studies conducted all around the European Union that give credence to the ISA concept. Some various findings:

• Drivers slowed down and were more conscientious of speed.
• Reduced traffic fatalities were estimated.
• A large-scale Swedish study found trip times to be unchanged, or even reduced.

Each study cited has a link to more details. Unfortunately, being as Brake is a European-based charity, the links are to EU websites that aren’t in English.

One life saved—no matter the cost—is a life precious in God’s eyes and is more than worth it. People’s irresponsible driving habits are atrocious and cost us all through higher insurance premiums and increased risk on the highways. At the same time, the thought of a black box making me obey the law seems a little too Big Brotherish. My prediction? Let the relatively socialistic republics of Europe, like Sweden, be the test labs for ISA. If it works, then in time it’ll find its way into U.S. market vehicles.

P.S. - Normally I'd link you up to MT's website so you could read MacKenzie's column. MT isn't so loose with it's content being posted to the 'net. Go out and buy the June 2010 issue. It's a good one.

"Social Media Marketing for Dummies" - A Review

2010-05-05T13:38:00.000-04:00

We’ve come a long way in five short years. As a college sophomore in spring 2005, I finally joined the latest E-trend to be sweeping campus: Facebook. Back then, Facebook was open only to college students, and this was enforced by requiring a .edu email address to register.

My communications professors kept informing us that advertising, public relations, and marketing (collectively Integrated Marketing Communications) were evolving into a two-way model. That is, consumers were utilizing various channels—mainly digital—to communicate both with each other and with the movers and shakers behind their favorite brands. What consumers are saying ultimately drives tactics, objectives, and strategies in contemporary IMC.

Today YouTube, Twitter, MySpace, Helium, LinkedIn, Facebook, and plenty other social networking sites dominate the internet scene. Marketers have taken notice and are actively engaging consumers on this level. I “like” quite a few of my favorite brands on Facebook and follow their feeds regularly.

So I asked myself, do I really understand what new media is all about and where it’s going? Do I really grasp the concept of marketing through digital dialogue and downloads? I decided to find out.

Shiv Singh’s Social Media Marketing for Dummies seemed like a good place to start. The book cites data from winter 2009, making it structurally still relevant, even if social media has evolved quite a bit since then. The book is in the usual “For Dummies” format, meaning easy-reading, blocky paragraphs; relevant tables, charts, and visuals; and plenty of stupid “5th Wave” cartoons.

Singh turns out to be quite an IMC guru, and how he applies that knowledge to the evolving media landscape is quite helpful for anyone asking, “What are Facebook, MySpace, Twitter?” and, “How in the heck can they further the bottom line?” Personally, I discovered that I understand social media marketing concepts better than I thought I did. That’s not to say I didn’t learn a lot from this book, particularly in campaign metrics, mobile communications, and social media to further corporate internal communications. The text is heavily peppered with hyperlinks, those of which are “hot” when reading the E-book on a WiFi-enabled device.

Overall, Social Media Marketing is a good read 'n reference. It contains a wealth of information and trying to employ all of the treated topics at once could be overwhelming. But as a marketer builds a social media campaign, I envision him returning to this book. It contains a lot of info that will become necessary as a social media campaign grows. If there was one disappointment I had with the book, it was the number of glaring typos.

Singh closes out the book with a final chapter dedicated to previewing several blogs that deal with social media topics. Bloggers range from social media gurus, to AdAge, to Singh’s own blog. Excellent way to end a book that potentially was turning obsolete before it rolled off the presses.

DELIVERY FORMAT

I purchased Social Media Marketing through Sony’s E-reader Store. Previously, I’ve used my E-Reader for library E-books and lengthy PDF documents. The credit card transaction was fast and easy as buying and downloading a song on iTunes, and I was reading in minutes. However, a book like this I’d still rather have on my bookshelf. It’s something I’d envision being a reference point, at least for a year or so, until a more current version comes out. Visuals were a little bit hard to see at times, too. The electronic format was, however, useful for allowing clickable hyperlinks within the text.

Bitterness Brewing at Main & South Grove

2010-04-28T09:01:00.000-04:00

The few times I’ve been in a Teavana store, I have to admit I liked the place. For those who don’t know, Teavana is a chain of gourmet tea shops. Often located in malls (Galleria is the closest near Buffalo), Teavana sells a variety of unique, imported, and exotic leafy concoctions just waiting to be steeped in boiling water.

In addition to loose leaf teas, stores also have a cart of free samples parked out front and plenty of expensive pots and other steeping equipment for serious steepers of tea.

Unfortunately, I visit Galleria maybe once or twice a year at the most. Buffalo’s den of all things material is just too crowded, crazy, and far away for me to be a regular. Suffice to say, I don’t frequent Teavana.

Imagine my interest when I heard that an exotic tea shop is looking at setting up in East Aurora. Right on the edge of the Roycroft Campus, Roycroft Tea Co. seeks to sell exotic brews in the little yellow raised ranch that once housed the chamber of commerce. Entrepreneurs Michael and Maryna Caputo envision a second-story teahouse with administrative and fulfillment offices in the downstairs for their Web-based tea sales business. According to the report first seen in Sunday’s Buffalo News, the shop would also sell a mix of merchandise including tea accessories and local baked goods.

I like the idea. It’s fitting in a village like East Aurora to have an artsy place like a gourmet tea shop. Unfortunately, this venture is not without controversy. For once it’s not the town impeding progress for the sake of preserving the historic feel. Those at the adjacent Roycroft Campus on South Grove St. feel the name is trademark infringement. Roycroft is not a name that’s just up for grabs they say. I can certainly see their point; Roycroft has come to define more than just an era of furniture and art making. It was a movement and today it’s an inn, restaurant, and arts community.

Caputo says he’s ready for battle royale in the courts. He’s also an experienced public relations practitioner and is currently working with “Mad as Hell” Carl Paladino’s campaign to overtake Albany. Obviously the guy is a marketing guru, and playing on the Roycroft namesake is great marketing in East Aurora.

The teahouse (whatever it’s name may end up being) has a target opening set for late May. It’ll be interesting to see what transpires with this over the next month. There’s already a placeholder website set up at roycrofttea.com. It’s furnished in the arts-and-crafts typeface that seems to decorate many businesses’ signs in this town. (Perhaps the Roycroft folk should’ve licensed that font long ago—they’d be wealthy off the royalties!)

Naming issues aside, I hope the business goes forth. If Teavana can survive in the malls, there’s no reason why a business like this can’t survive in artsy East Aurora. The village desperately needs something to fill the glut of vacant retail space. Plus, it'd just be urbane to sample fine exotic teas.

ROYCROFT GROWING—At the corner of S. Grove & Main a serene park has taken shape. It reflects the vision of the original Roycrofters and replaces an asbestos-laden A-frame that previously occupied the site. Will a teahouse also become part of the near-Roycroft landscape?

Reviewing Ryan Smithson's "Ghosts of War..."

2010-04-22T19:07:00.001-04:00

Ghosts of War is not a happy, funny book. Rather, it is the touching memoir of one U.S. soldier’s journey from voluntary enlistment, to vocational duty in Iraq, to valiant homecoming.

Ryan Smithson was a 16 year old high school student sitting in American History on September 11, 2001. His teacher informed the class of what was unfolding a few hours downstate from the suburban Albany, New York campus. As Smithson watched in horror while the Twin Towers burned and then imploded, he felt an anger—a calling to duty—rise up within himself. And that’s where the parallel between his story and my own breaks.

I also was 16 at the time, sitting in U.S. History class. Mr. Kemmerer was often late to class (teachers are great examples, eh?). Usually we suspected he was finishing his last cup of coffee in the teacher’s lounge. But on that Tuesday morning, he was exceptionally late. The teacher’s lounge was one of the few places that had TV in it. “You guys are today witnessing American history,” stated Mr. K, once he finally made it to the second period class.

Up to that point, family members had encouraged, even bullied at times, for me to join the armed services for the reason many pre-9/11 young people signed up—loads of free college tuition from Uncle Sam. After 9/11 the pressure to don army fatigues mostly disappeared.

But Smithson felt the call and so enlisted in the reserves. He was eventually deployed, doing missions operating bulldozers and other heavy equipment in Iraq. His time in self-dubbed “Satan’s Clothes Dryer” (the brutal desert conditions) changed and shaped Smithson in ways unexpected. He came to see freedom, life, death, war, heroism, and patriotism in a whole new way. The day-to-day interaction with the underprivileged and abused of Iraq’s countryside molded him and his feelings toward America’s War on Terror.

Smithson shares the one-of-a-kind camaraderie that service members experience when living together on a U.S. base. He delves into what freedom really means, and what the war’s impact has been upon Iraqi society as a whole.

The metaphors and word pictures starting from basic training, to life on an Army base, to the desert landscape of “Civilization’s Cradle” are beautifully constructed. Ghosts truly is a sensory trip for the theater of the mind.

Smithson’s tale concludes with his battles over PTSD and his use of writing on the journey to healing. His insights about Iraq and America's work there are something not seen enough in the likes of CNN, Fox News, or the dailies.

Brookings Institute Iraq Index estimates as of March 2010 that about 98,000 Americans are defending freedom’s cause in Iraq alone. Every one of these brave warriors has a story. Smithson has a gift for writing that takes just one of these stories and truly brings it to life. His story is certainly far less spell binding and tragic compared to what many service members have experienced. But writing is Smithson's gift; it's his experession of healing. If only more soldiers could recover from the wounds of war by crafting their tales into book and essay format.

So in a nutshell? Read it. Ghosts will make you see freedom, country, and military service in a whole new way. At the very least, it'll give you a deeper appreciation for our men and women in uniform.

FINAL NOTES

Ghosts of War is heavy on military terminology, but includes a helpful glossary. Some crude language appears from time to time, but is probably nothing compared to the vernacular of a typical military setting! A short photo insert contains pictures of Smithson during his tour of duty and adds faces to the context.

GET IT

Amazon lists May 4, 2010 as the hardcover release date for Ghosts, but an E-edition is readily available. Buffalo & Erie County Library has Adobe E-pub copies for free download on their website. If you’ve got a library card and a capable E-reader, I’d highly recommend this one.

Electric Earth Day

2010-04-22T04:45:00.000-04:00

Sunday paper inserts this week are promoting “green” products. Everything from recycled aluminum foil to sustainable seafood is on sale. My employer ran a (clever, in my opinion) sale last weekend that featured a deal: 15% off your entire purchase when you bought a $1.99 reusable Kohl’s bag.

Today is the 40th annual Earth Day, a day when we reflect on how to be better stewards of the planet.

I remember in elementary school (think: early 1990s) when we had school assemblies and class projects promoting recycling, litter clean up, and good stewardship. The fact is, taking care of the earth is not a new concept. However, as society has become increasingly more eco-conscious, advertisers and marketers have run with the concept, promoting all shades of green.

Rather than talk about my views on going overboard with environmentalism, or what I think of cap-and-trade legislation, I figured I’d switch gears and talk about some up-and-coming trends in the auto industry.

Nissan’s affordable, all-electric bean pod, known as the LEAF, is slated to hit showrooms later this year. Meanwhile, GM hopes the Volt gas/electric hybrid will be its next savior (after the Obama administration). Electric technology is obviously in its infancy, but it’s encouraging to see the range of electric vehicles being extended above and beyond 100 miles per charge. It seems the technology is there for making decent commuter cars that run on electric. My 25-mile-per-day round-trip drive wouldn't be a problem for an all-electric car. It’s the romance of the road trip that simply doesn't work...yet.

There are many kinks to be worked out in electric propulsion. For one, how will the American power grid handle a glut of electric cars charging every night—Produce more juice? From what? Coal? That’ll make more pollution. Nuclear? We’ll end up with another West Valley. The best engineering minds in America and around the world have their work cut out for them in solving these caveats.

In the meantime here’s one more interesting little tidbit: Former Yugo of America founder Malcom Bricklin jumped in on a venture in 1993, after the Yugo went belly up, called Electric Vehicle Corporation (EVC). EVC built battery packs that could be retrofitted into gasoline engine bays. At the time, Bricklin's concept lacked an audience. Range was less than 100 miles per charge, and the cost was often near that of the vehicle itself. But surely we’ve come a long way since 1993. For one, gasoline costs a heck of a lot more now. And electric technology has improved.

A system that replaces a car’s internal combustion power plant with batteries may be just the ticket to the future. Assuming manufacturers would be on board, electric motors could be designed to work with safety systems and other computer-controlled parts. Gasoline engines could then be shredded and recycled while people could continue to drive otherwise perfect Toyota Camrys, Chevy Impalas, and other everyday automobiles. While the go method might change, America's roadways would look surprisingly the same, and there wouldn't be a mass influx of complete gasoline cars into our nation's landfills.

I’m certainly no engineer, but something to this effect could be a sustainable, logical step toward weaning the U.S. off petrol for good. Novel thoughts at this point, but in any case, happy Earth Day.

The Rise of a Great Automotive History Book

2010-04-17T19:19:00.000-04:00

April 2010’s Car and Driver magazine featured a pre-release review of Jason Vuic’s The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History. Like I mentioned before, C&D staffers had gotten their hands on a copy before the public, hence a pre-release.

To sum up Vuic’s work, good things come to those who wait. I wanted that book the day I read the review in C&D. (I actually ended up waiting over a month after the public debut, but that was to get the best price—another story in itself!)

Not unlike the Yugo (0 – 60 in 14 seconds), this book starts off slow, but eventually it gets moving. The first few chapters present a lot of history behind the development and industry of Communist Eastern Europe. Many names and places are introduced. You know what would be great? A persons guide, perhaps near the index. So often I find myself asking, “Ok, now who’s Frank again?” when a character reappears after his or her initial intro.

One person I couldn’t forget after reading this book is the man who made Yugo of America happen: Mr. Malcom Bricklin. Bricklin’s life is the sad tale of one failed business venture (usually in automotive / heavy machinery) after another. Yet somehow the man always seems to rebound from bankruptcy and failure to start some new off-the-cuff company and round up big-pocket investors.

One of Brickin’s early ventures was bringing the Subaru 360 to America. While decried even in the 1960s as an unsafe little car, once Bricklin gave up control, Subaru of America grew into the prosperous automaker that it is today. Thanks Brickin, you’re the reason I drive a 2009 Legacy.

The Yugo officially went on sale in America just 13 days after I made my debut: August 26, 1985. It had taken roughly nine months to turn the squalid manufacturing operation in Zastava, Yugoslavia into a shop capable of putting out vehicles in line with (on a razor-thin margin) U.S. safety and emissions standards.

The initial buzz, public relations efforts, and eventual bad press for the Yugo all made for a very interesting case study in integrated marketing communications. Consider this: all the buzz built around the Yugo came in the days before Al Gore had invented the Internet, before Facebook, Twitter, and social media. It was a day when television and newspaper advertising reached far more people. The company’s ad agency put together some clever spots for the little car too. TV commericals can still be found on YouTube, while one print spot that portrayed the Yugo alongside the Model T and Volkswagen Beetle was particularly clever.

As Yugo began to unravel in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Vuic presents yet another case study. This one is in bad investments, the savings and loan crisis, and the recession of the early 90s. Being about five at the time, I was alive, but remember none of this. In some ways, it parallels the economic problems of today, and definitely makes for some interesting and informative reading.

The Yugo is a thoroughly researched and well-written book on a business venture gone bad. The little Yugoslavian-built hatchback undoubtedly provided late-night comedians with fodder, case studies in how not to build a car, and cheap transportation (when the car would actually start) for America. The book is divided into short, easy-reading chapters. Each begins with a pithy little Yugo joke, such as the one scrawled across the Yugo on the cover art (see photo below). A center spread provides black-and-white photographs and puts a face on some of the book’s interesting characters. My take in a Yugo-shell: Get it. Read it. It’s a good one.

The Yugo is available as a hardcover, e-book, or audio book.

MODERN DAY IRONIES

I’ve mentioned several ironies that came about in reading The Yugo. Here are a couple more. First, the Zastava-built automobile Americans knew as the Yugo was a sorely dated Fiat underneath. At one point, Chrysler expressed interest in buying Yugo of America, but had its bid rejected. Today, Fiat owns a stake in Chrysler, with options to eventually own a majority of the once-iconic Pentastar. What goes around comes around…

One more irony and I’m done. Zastava, despite being nearly destroyed in the late 1990s, continues to churn out cars today. In 2002 Bricklin jumped in and hoped to begin importing Zastava Motor Works cars under the name ZMW. There was talk of a Yugo comeback. Boravian Motor Works threatened lawsuit, and ZMW never happened. However, years ago I used to see a little car parked on my street with a BMW badge slapped on the grill. It was a Yugo. Scary thing was, having never really seen a Yugo before, I thought it may have been some old Bimmer model. Like a forerunner to today’s 1 Series. BMW would be proud, I’m sure.

Wax Job Number One with the Eagle

2010-04-15T08:57:00.000-04:00

In my latest copies of MotorTrend and Car and Driver, Eagle One has placed an ad for its Gel Wax with carnauba. Apparently both magazines have similar audience profiles, and therefore, often feature redundant ads. However, this one was different. Eagle One’s ad for wax came with a coupon attached; just the sort of hook that makes readers like me actually pay some attention to the advertising.

The coupon was actually a mail-in rebate form good for reimbursement on the purchase of Eagle One, up to $10. After approximately 50 uses, my bottle of Meguiar’s Tech Wax was done for, and I was due for new wax. I gave the Eagle One a try last night on my 2009 Subaru Legacy.

As promised, it's an easy-on, easy-off formula. It promises no haze and no waiting. This just didn’t work for me. As a traditional waxer, it’s habit for me to wait until the wax dries to a white haze and then buff it off. For the most part, the Eagle One went on with little haze, except for a few places where I applied it too thick. Getting it buffed off took some serious elbow grease in those spots, but the blame is my own. In the areas where I applied a lighter coating, it glided off nice and easy.

The smell of Eagle One is strangely sweet, but it quickly becomes sickening. I definitely would recommend using it sparingly and in a ventilated place. While I certainly don’t wish rain upon my shiny car, how well this formula beads remains to be seen. Today is sunny outside, and I can’t wait to see the perfect gloss on my car when I take her out of the garage. It also remains to be seen how well Eagle One holds up. Will the water still bead up two months from now? Will the clear coat still have its luster then?

And how about that rebate? Well, the form was surprisingly simple. Mail in your register receipt with the completed rebate form (from the ad), and Eagle One cuts you a check. The funny thing, I got this wax on sale for $3.50, normally $9.99. I felt silly even bothering to send in the rebate form, but I did it anyway. Cheapness knows no shame. This is a marked price difference from my nearly $20 bottle of Meguiar’s Tech that I used previously. We’ll see how the Eagle performs.

The final results. Eagle One basks in its own reflection.

Seeing the Forest for the Trees...

2010-04-06T20:54:00.000-04:00

I’ve reviewed Forestview Restaurant in Depew a few times on here, never once having much nice to say about it. Today I worked an exceptionally long shift, which entitled me a lunch hour in the literal sense of the phrase. So I decided to head next door and see if lunch would be better than the subpar breakfast meals and service I’d received there in the past.

Having a Forestview menu conveniently located in our Kohl’s break room, I went in prepared. However, that still didn’t stop me from perusing the daily specials, something that—as the name implies—refreshes every day. Some of the specials actually sounded pretty good. I really liked the new “Healthy Option,” which are actually several “options” made with better-for-you ingredients (a definite growing trend in restaurant biz).

Good as everything sounded, I stuck by my pre-decided choice of wasabi salmon & crab cake salad. The restaurant wasn't busy when I arrived at around noon, surprising for the cliché lunch hour. The service was prompt and friendly this time. (My other experiences may have had to do with the sparse over night crew that was still running the show at around 6am.)

The menu described a crab cake, salmon, and fried veggie spring roll served atop greens and tossed in creamy wasabi cucumber dressing. When mine arrived, the spring roll had been replaced by a skewer of scampi shrimp. No problem though, I’d take shrimp over a greasy spring roll any day. I requested the wasabi dressing on the side, and am glad I did so. Not that it wasn’t good dressing, in fact, it was very good. And hot. Incredibly hot. I-have-a-cold-and-it-cleared-my-sinuses hot (all true, I swear). I used less than half the allotment.

The crab cake was fried to a dark brown, and slightly oily. One nice touch was large, wilted spinach leafs throughout the tender filling. The flavor of the spinach shone through, and while a nice touch, speaks volumes for the blandness of the crab filling. The salmon slice was nicely seasoned and char grilled. The shrimp skewer was loaded with tender, well flavored shrimp and not too few of the little suckers either. Everything rested on a nice blend of lettuces and field greens along with onion, tomato, plus red and yellow bell peppers. Here’s a nice change: no cheese. While I like cheese, I think restaurants have a problem with applying it to every omelet, sandwich, and entrée.

The wasabi salmon & crab salad is a medley of unusual and very bold flavors. Assuming such a salad sounds like something to your liking, I’d highly recommend it. However, be warned, at $10.49, it’s not a cheap lunch. I overlooked the price and was a bit shocked when I got the bill. As an occasional treat, it’s worth it.

AMBIANCE

Compared to the rather bland diner it used to be, Forestview has done a fantastic job of reinventing itself as a trendier place. There’s a full bar and an extensive list of brews on tap. Flat-screen HDTVs flank the dining room to provide entertainment or distraction, depending on how you might feel about this. Since life is said to be short, you should always do dessert first. Hence why upon entry you’re greeted by Forestview’s extensive dessert case, filled with rich, colorful homemade cheesecakes, pies, cream puffs, and other delicacies. Should you come at a busy time and have to wait for a table, a semi-circular couch surrounds a pot-belly fireplace, or you can just go chill at the bar.

Forestview has finally joined the 21st century with a well-designed website. Menus, photos, and other information are available.

Cream & Sugar to Kill the Bitterness...

2010-04-04T15:35:00.000-04:00

Some come bearing Colonial-Era garb, others come waving hand lettered signs. Tea Parties—the grassroots protests against Obama’s bigger government—have gained a lot of media attention, especially recently.

Columnist Leonard Pitts described Tea Parties and racist, while Rod Watson raised eyebrows around Buffalo last Thrusday (and gave WBEN's Sandy Beach plenty of talking points) with a column describing more of the same.

As legislators made their way to Capitol Hill to make health care history last month, many were nailed with racial slurs and other derogatory epithets. Here in Western New York, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D), had a brick tossed through an office window. Politicians around the country experienced similar vandalisms.

Then in comes the Coffee Party. Making headlines on NPR’s "Saturday Edition" last month, this grassroots movement also seeks to address people’s perceived lack of representation in government. Only there’s a twist: Coffee partyers like to define themselves as getting together for “…real political dialogue with substance and compassion.”

In other words, the Coffee Party seeks to create a platform where people can discuss their political opinions, woes, and ideas in a respectful, civilized format. While some of the energy that the Tea Parties draw from the original Boston Tea Party in all its rebellious glory is sure to be lost, these are no longer Colonial days. Our government and Constitution are firmly established. The rules of tolerance, acceptance, and civility in culture have been rewritten.

On a quick aside, the Coffee Party was birthed largely out of Facebook. It’s another fine example of the power of social networks in the Internet Age.

I like the idea of both Coffee and Tea Parties. Seeing people effect positive change is one of the pillars that make America great. The Colonial dress, the wigs—it’s all good theater and publicity stunt work. But vandalism? That’s never appropriate. Nor is racism. Pitts is a reverse racist, and this is especially true in his Tea-Party pooping.

I’d love to attend a Tea Party gathering—there is much that concerns me about the current administration in Washington. I wouldn’t mind visiting a Coffee Party either. What I wish I understood is why does the vocal minority (i.e. vandals & hatemongers) often seem to trump the voice of the silent majority? Perhaps these caffeine-fueled parties will be just the thing to let silent civilians speak up on a new level.

Espresso syrup kills the bitterness too. I always knew this odd shot, at the Venetian Las Vegas, would come in handy one day.

Trailer Trash or Haitian Help?

2010-03-28T17:12:00.000-04:00

In spite of the all the bad news coming out of Haiti during the past couple months, an AP article in the Buffalo News today offered at least a little glimmer of hope.

As the rainy season is about to befall the Island of Hispaniola, a plan to relocate Haitians from ramshackle tent dwellings back to their original home sites seems to hold some promise. Moreso than setting up mass relocation camps. (Just the thought of that reminds me of what we did to American-Japanese during World War II.) The United States is assisting in a mass cleanup effort that will at least offer Haiti residents an opportunity to pitch a tent where their crumbled homes once stood.

Go back several weeks ago, and an editorial by left-of-center columnist Eugene Robinson comes to mind. Robinson spoke of the government’s huge losses on over 100,000 RV trailers that were purchased and unused in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. These trailers are deemed risky because of high formaldehyde levels. Hot, humid air makes the unsavory chemicals leech out all the more, and has been blamed on sickening some residents.

Now the government wants to sell these unused RVs for pennies on the dollar in order to recoup at least a nominal amount of the nearly $3 billion of our tax money that was spent on these trailers. While Robinson says the short sale is a mistake on behalf of the Obama administration, he’s also quick to share the love with George W. Bush’s administration and its response to Katrina. Gotta love those left-of-center columnists.

So we take these two aforementioned stories, put them together, and—you see where I’m going with this? Surely these trailers need work. If formaldehyde is coaxed out by heat and humidity, then the Caribbean sun may not be the best place for them. But Haitians are on the brink of rainy season, a time when the sun shines less, and water’s cooling effects are in the atmosphere (nominal as “cooling” may be in the tropics). Imagine American volunteers working to install some sort of ventilation system in these trailers, fixing up the inevitable damage that time has inflicted on them, and loading them on freighters for shipment down to Hispaniola. Instead of rotting away, these RVs could be put to good use.

Imagine the positive PR for FEMA, the Fed, and the Obama administration if such a plan were enacted. Here’s an idea: use TARP or other bailout billions to fund paying some of the rehabilitation workers. Make sure only recently unemployed workers can go for the temporary positions. Employ a bunch of folks in the short term, get these trailers in working order fast, and send them south. Being located near the Gulf of Mexico, it wouldn’t cost vast amounts of oil to haul trailers to a port and load them onto an ocean-going freighter.

You gotta admit, using these trailers to abate the suffering in Haiti is a lot better than slapping a warning label on them and selling them dirt cheap. Do Americans really need more RV trailers to hitch to the back of gas-guzzling pickup trucks at a time when oil is increasingly scarce and the economy is still in the crapper?

I’m sure my sensible little plan has plenty of caveats in it. But sometimes it just seems to me that the common-sense, compassionate solutions are so easy, and yet so lost in our government’s bureaucracy.

It's not my original quote, but it sure is timeless:

"When common sense makes good sense, seek no other sense."

When you're 6'3", RVs can be "roughing" it. But rather than support American's party-happy ways, FEMA trailers would be palatial compared to the conditions many Haitians lived in—even before January's quake.

Made in America

2010-03-27T20:12:00.001-04:00

This morning’s Buffalo News featured a front-page article about Made in America, a store specializing in goods bearing its namesake. What really caught my attention with this story was the accompanying photo (check out the link above). Seeing the interior of the store was like déjà vu. I know I had been there before.

In fact, the new patriotic peddler of products, located on Maple Road in Elma, has set up shop in the showroom of one of my former employers: McCarthy Ford. The newer facility, complete with state-of-the-art service areas, has been in use as a towing and collision repair facility (talk about one-stop shopping!) since McCarthy’s closure and subsequent sale a few years ago. It looks as if the building may be gaining a little extra revenue as a commercial storefront now, too.

While many people gripe and complain every time they see “Made in China” adorning consumer packaged goods, whether this dealer in all things domestic can stay afloat remains to be seen. But front-page coverage a week prior to grand opening—definitly some patriotic PR and buzz building.

I hope owner Mark Andol carries some high-quality toys. Several years ago when I filled a long-term temporary position at the Fisher-Price factory store in East Aurora, it seemed all I put up with were customer gripes about Chinese-made crap. It didn’t help that this was during the same time that Mattel (Fisher-Price’s parent), was in hot water for lead-tainted Chinese toys. It got so bad that I developed an alternative-country-of-manufacture list (gotta keep it politically correct!) detailing merchandise not made in China. Even to this day at Kohl’s I hear complaints about shoes from China. Good luck finding shoes at big-box prices from anywhere else other than China. (Even made-in-USA champ New Balance generally doesn’t include 100% USA materials in its kicks.)

One final irony and then a few photos to enjoy. This morning on the way to work at Kohl’s, I took Maple Road so I could check out the new facility and snap a few photos. The sun was rising directly in front of the building (best time for lighting). Then I jumped on NY-400 and headed to Transit Rd. I passed DeLacy Ford—the dealer thought largely responsible for McCarthy’s demise. Isn’t it funny the way so many of my jobs tied into this little blog post? Irony, irony.

Unapologetically Good Reading

2010-03-26T20:03:00.000-04:00

Just like Sarah Palin, another Republican governor that was involved with—and ultimately had their plans delayed—in the 2008 presidential race has decided to release his side of the story. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s No Apology, released earlier this month, takes its title as a rebuttal to President Obama’s worldwide Apologize-For-America tour during fall 2009.

Mitt Romney is a well-accomplished renaissance man of sorts. His wealth of experiences in government, business, consulting, and the Mormon Church all shape his patriotic, hands-on, no-nonsense worldview. In No Apology, Romney breaks down chapter-by-chapter many of the contemporary issues facing Americans. Some of Romney’s touchy topics include education, health care, entitlement reform, environmentalism, oil dependency, ethics in government, abortion, education, and defense. Romney offers his practical, intriguing two-cents worth on what America can do to deal with these issues in a sustainable and meaningful way.

The writing style of this book is simple, straightforward, and for the most part, easy to read and comprehend. While he never promises silver-bullet cure-alls for what ails America today, he offers common-sense, feasible solutions, that if enacted, have potential to build a stronger America.

Especially of interest to myself were his views on healthcare reform. Romney was governor of Massachusetts when the Bay State enacted its sweeping overhaul of state health care, a plan that is often touted as a model for Democrat’s recently passed national health care legislation. I’ll admit I never fully understood the Massachusetts system, and I still don’t completely understand it. That said, what Romney and the Massachusetts legislator enacted several years ago makes good common sense, and allows government to effectively assist in what is still a private-sector managed entity.

With a March 2, 2010 release, No Apology is very up-to-date and full of current events. But one quote from page 105 caught me as an unfortunate irony:

“In the auto world, Toyota innovated what we now call ‘quality manufacturing’—placing such consistent attention to each detail at every step of the manufacturing process that flaws and rejects virtually disappeared.”

I realize nobody saw the Toyota fiasco coming, including Romney. I just found this a darkly amusing irony.

While Romney staunchly defends his patriotic, right-of-center, pro-life viewpoints, he also is careful to avoid upsetting minorities, immigrants, single parents, and other sensitive groups discussed in his writing.

From a public relations standpoint, this book may be an early springboard for Romney Round 2 in the 2012 presidential elections. I liked Romney better than McCain in 2008. I like the Mittster even more now after reading his practical, personable, country-loving tome. I believe his Bay State gubernatorial experience plus his America-first solutions for our nation’s challenges could move America in a direction more true to our roots and our Constitution. In contrast, things Obama, Pelosi, and crew are doing scare me as the foundations of America are threatened by their spend-happy, left-of-center mindsets and worldviews.

One last thing, and this one is purely subjective. The cover photo of Mitt Romney is a curious one. The lighting is such that his eyes are cast into deep, dark shadows while every crevice, pockmark, and razor-induced imperfection on his skin is illuminated. The eyes are the window to the soul…a film professor I studied under in college demonstrated techniques to ensure eyes were properly lit, not appearing as two blacked-out recesses of the face. I’d like to know the reasoning behind this choice of cover art:

Traveling the U.S. to Find America's Worst Driver

2010-03-24T10:12:00.000-04:00

Since being hooked on the first Survivor when it debuted nearly 10 years ago, I could otherwise count one-handed the number of reality television shows to pique my interest. (Although if “Tiny House” had actually been a show and not a Geico commercial, I may have watched that one.)

However, Travel Channel has recently joined the reality-programming sphere with its American spin on the Worst-Driver reality format. Four contestants must complete various driving challenges around a city, using their own vehicle. The various locales is where this show fits in with Travel Channel. The debut took place in San Francisco. This past week’s episode number two wound through the maze known as Boston, Mass.

After a city driving challenge wherein one contestant gains immunity and wins a prize, the remaining three go on to compete in an obstacle course of elimination. For these driving challenges, vehicles are supplied, and to date have included a Ford Focus and a Nissan Sentra. Both are older vehicles, as evidenced by their body styles. After the Boston massacre, however, it remains to be determined if the Focus is still running. Contestants complete each challenge with immunity being granted to the winner plus a prize. Prizes decline in value with each win.

I’ve talked a lot about immunity. But immunity from what? After all others are eliminated, the loser’s car gets destroyed. Yes, that’s right. The city’s worst driver effectively gets his wheels removed. In episode one we watched as a geeky California college student’s dated Saturn sedan was squashed into a pile of molded plastic. This past Sunday, an early-2000’s model Volkswagen Jetta got blown up in a not-so-spectacular explosion. Losers thus far have shown little emotion. Either the compensation is worth the pain, or people are just hams for the camera.

The good news? All of the losers will complete a safe driving course, and be reevaluated at a later date. The most improved wins a brand-new car.

America’s Worst Driver is not unlike a bad car wreck: you hate to keep staring, and yet somehow you’re drawn to it. Did I even mention I’m not a fan of gross waste? My views of Cash for Clunkers—and its subsequent destruction of usable automobiles—has been well aired on this blog and in the Buffalo News’ editorial page. Yet here we go again destroying perfectly good cars. And food gets wasted too. Filled shopping carts often skitter across the obstacle course in order to test drivers’ braking reflexes. In Boston, more baked beans, cream pies, and hot dogs met the asphalt then I could count during one challenge. And then there’s the tea: San Franciscans got their personal car interiors soaked in the stuff during one challenge. In Boston, the obstacle course Sentra was fitted with an iced-tea dispensing system to keep drivers on their figurative toes.

While I’m not a fan of foolish waste, I do plan to keep following America’s Worst Driver through its pilot season. I’m interested to see the outcome. Who will win the new car? What will the make and model be?

It’s also interesting to observe the marketing perspective of the show: all cars have their emblems either covered or removed. While one can still tell the make and model, Travel Channel is careful not to give away too many free advertising opportunities to the automakers.

Mela-Confusion

2010-03-21T18:46:00.004-04:00

Last post I said to stay tuned regarding the returns process as I invoked Melaleuca’s 100% satisfaction guarantee. Well the follow up has come sooner than later.

I have decided not to even attempt to return my Melaleuca products, and here’s why:

• I have to return the un-used portion within 60 days. I’ve got a few capsules that may qualify from my last order.
• The return is per the member agreement I signed. I read this over carefully at the beginning, but forget all the fine details of it. I never purchased a sales presentation kit ($29); something Melaleuca says you “have to” purchase to join the program. This may cause problems. Whenever I placed an order, I was encouraged, but not required, to buy this.
• I also cannot find the member agreement I digitally signed when registering online. Melaleuca’s website takes me in circles, and the best I could do is find a copy that I have to pay to read. Melaleuca is getting no more of my hard-earned money.
• When a product is returned, the end user must choose one of several reasons why it’s being returned. While I’d invoke “Poor Results,” Nutra View never actually said anything about healing eye floaters. This was just Ron’s (refer to the last post) testimonial. So how could I really claim poor results? Perhaps Nutra View did make my eyes stronger; that’s all the product copy claims it may do.
• A return is sure to invoke a phone call from Marilyn and/or Gail. I’d rather keep the lid on that kettle of fish.

I think I’ve provided plenty of good reasons why shipping back a return is at my own risk (and at my expense). I’ve also been warned that I haven’t met my product purchase quota, even though as a direct customer I’m not supposed to have a minimum purchase requirement.

Are you confused? If it’s any comfort, I’m as confused as you are. Another interesting tidbit is Marilyn (my sales lady, and not her real name) emailed me a few months ago asking why I made the decision not to become a Melaleuca member, and then asking me if I tried any products. Huh? Again, I’m confused as you are.

Bottom line, Melaleuca is just like any other overpriced, gimmicky multi-level (think: pyramid) vitamin marketer. Surely some people use the products and swear by their authenticity. Good for them. As for myself, I find with the organic and natural sections taking center stage in grocery stores today, any better-for-you, sustainable products—whether it’s shampoo, lotion, vitamins, or disinfectant—can be had at your local grocery. Not only is it cheaper, it doesn’t involve jumping through hoops, confusing user agreements, and you get instant gratification when you buy at Nature’s Marketplace. My Melaleuca rep called the detergent aisle at Tops the poison aisle. Ok…to each their own. But surely Nature’s Marketplace isn’t a “poison” aisle too.

I’ll finish my last few Melaleuca capsules—it’s not like Nutra View is bad stuff. Then I’ll stop paying $20+ for a month’s supply of vitamins C and A, plus bilberry and blueberry extract. My research shows I can get similar supplements for A LOT cheaper at my local drug store. The quantity-per-capsule is also much higher. Here’s hoping my time with The Melaleuca Company is finished.

P.S. - Before puchasing from Melaleuca, I researched the company with the Better Business Bureau, who gave them good ratings. However, start to type "melaleuca company" into the Google search bar, and it auto completes to "melaleuca company scam" as the first most common search. Apparently the company hasn't paid for Google AdWords that would ensure Melaleuca.com (official site) appearing first in Google rankings.

My View of The Melaleuca Company

2010-03-19T21:34:00.004-04:00

The Melaleuca Company is a vitamin, natural products, and consumables distributor. Their business model is multi-level marketing, and orders are fulfilled through mail-order. I’ve had quite an interesting experience with this company in the past three months, and desire to share my results. My story can get a little windy, so I’ll give it to you in a nutshell:

I tried a Melaleuca product that was supposed to treat a minor ailment I suffer from. After jumping through hoops, sleeping through sales presentations, and being put through hard-sell tactics, I finally was able to shell out over $20 for my first bottle of Melaleuca product.

I had less than satisfying results, and now I’m going to invoke Melaleuca’s money back guarantee. Want to know the gritty details? Read on. Photos accompany the end of the post.

BUILDING SOME BUZZ

Going back several months ago, I wrote a “My View” editorial for the Buffalo News on the subject of eye floaters. To give a brief synopsis, floaters are harmless—but incredibly annoying—little strands of collagen that float around inside the eye and become visible to the sufferer. My eye doctor has inspected my case thoroughly and assured me it’s a normal entoptic phenomena that just so happens to affect my type-A personality in such a way as to drive me nuts at times.

I wrote my editorial to accomplish three things: raise awareness about floaters, share my sufferings, and opine how grateful I am for the gift of eyesight. The article was published on December 15, 2009, and yes, I became a local celebrity for a few days after it ran.

Shortly after the article was published, a News editor contacted me with the phone number of a gentleman who claimed he had found a successful treatment to floaters. Excited, I gave him a call. It looked as if my little article could have found a promising treatment. Naturally, I was hopeful.

This man (we’ll call him Ron) told me about a company called Melaleuca, and in particular, a vitamin called Nutra View sold by the company. Ron talked about how years of smoking had all but destroyed his eyes, and how his optometrist considered it a miracle that he could even see considering the poor condition of his eyes. Ron called me back a day later conveniently telling me that his sister is a Melaleuca distributor, a previously overlooked detail.

It is now I should mention that right after our initial phone conversation, I visited the Melaleuca website, did some research, and decided I wanted to order. But you can’t just throw some Nutra View in your e-shopping cart, type in the MasterCard numbers, and await it to arrive at your door. You have to join a club and jump through a few more hoops. So that evening I called the 1-800 number and told Melaleuca to sign me up. The lady at the other end said a New York-area distributor would be in touch.

The next morning, Ron called back with his sister standing by (we’ll call her Marilyn). And then a New York Melaleuca distributor began buzzing my cell phone all day while I was at work. Since I spoke to Marilyn first, I’d already agreed she’d be my distributor. The other guy was none too pleased with me.

THE FIRST ORDER

Marilyn turned out to be a kind older lady who loves to talk. Unfortunately, she’s lacking proficiency with the Internet. I spent over an hour on the phone with her while she droned on about Melaleuca’s skincare, homecare, toiletries, vitamins, and other products. I had to follow along with a Web-based slideshow. The reason I mention all this is because she had a horrific time directing me to the slideshow. Once I awakened from Marilyn’s sales pitch, I told her I desired to sign up. She said I could do so online, but she wasn’t sure how to do it. I coached her through setting up my account (it’s pretty much like setting up any other e-commerce account). I deserved free product just for the technical consultation!

She still didn’t get it. That’s when a three-way call got Gail involved. Gail’s another Melaleuca distributor and obviously, more capable with the computer. Gail spoke to me using what I perceived as fear tactics in order to get me to purchase more vitamins, talk to specialists about my eye condition, and even took a slight shot at my optometrist’s qualifications. This after one phone conversation. Perhaps I misread Gail’s intentions though, after all, it’s not like we talked face to face.

Melaleuca allows you to be either a direct customer or a preferred customer. Choosing preferred status means you sign an agreement to order X-number of products each month. They also include free samples with your order. Preferred customers are conveniently billed and shipped a “profile” order, should they forget to place the monthly order they agreed to. Direct customers pay a little more up front, but are free from obligations and can buy as little or as much Melaleuca as they want. Gail had never heard of anything as odd as someone wishing to be a direct buyer, and tried all the hard-sell tactics she could muster to get me to start off at preferred status. Guess what type of customer I chose to be?

SELLING IT

Melaleuca also requires a $29 seller’s kit be purchased by all new customers. They just don’t specify when it has to be purchased. I’ve yet to buy mine, although I’m reminded to every so often.

And that’s where Melaleuca becomes like every other pyramid-scheme vitamin company. While the pyramid is structured differently, (the wiki explains this in more detail) Melaleuca is just like every other Shaklee, Reliv, Quixtar, and other multi-level marketer out there. They pressure users to become distributors. Housewives, college students, and retired widows can get rich by just investing 10 hours per week.

GOING GREEN

Melaleuca claims it was green before green was in. Products like detergent are ultra concentrated; Melaleuca doesn’t ship water. They use recyclable packing materials. Everything is made from natural, sustainable ingredients.

My one tiny bottle of vitamins shipped in a box large enough to accommodate numerous high-gloss Melaleuca catalogs, selling guides, and bogus newsletters each month. Inflated plastic cushioning (the kind that’s all too fun to pop) was used as packaging. Magazines claim they are printed on recycled paper, but plastic packaging? Why not biodegradable packing “peanuts?”

Melaleuca also offers cell phone plans serviced by major wireless carriers. All those “natural” radio waves that supposedly microwave our brains? Guess that’s a good reason to purchase more Melaleuca antioxidants; zap those free radicals!

RESULTS (or lack thereof)

Beyond Nutra View, I never tried any other Melaleuca products, so I’ll admit this review isn’t too comprehensive. But Nutra View didn’t achieve what I had hoped for: resolution of my eye floaters. I was encouraged by my sales reps to take as many as three capsules a day. That would make one bottle of 30 last me 10 days. Each bottle costs juts over $20, and the directions say to only take one capsule daily. Were they trying to get me to consume more product? I don’t know. I followed the on-package directions.

Now I’ll begin the process of seeking my money back from Melaleuca, since I am not a satisfied customer. We’ll see how they honor their satisfaction guarantee. Stay tuned for future updates.

WRAPPING UP

I’m sorry if this comes across as jaded and cynical. I give most people the benefit of the doubt, and I believe Marilyn, Ron and Gail were only trying to help me. But their sales tactics were subpar, the Melaleuca ordering process tedious, and the product didn’t work. I can’t speak for Melaleuca’s other products; most were so prohibitively expensive that I wouldn’t even dream of trying them. I can’t help but sum up my experience with the Melaleuca Company as a disappointment.

Glossy magazines, magnets—nicely designed marketing materials accompanying every "green" Melaleuca order...

Maddening March Memories

2010-03-15T18:07:00.000-04:00

Buffalo is slated to host the NCAA’s March Madness tournament at HSBC arena again this year. Starting Friday, an estimated 12,000 basketball fanatics will crowd downtown hotels, restaurants, and the arena for an event that is supposed to pump some $5 million into the Buffalo economy. Logistics will be a nightmare. Many chickens will lose their wings to a slurry of butter and Anchor Bar sauce. (One must wonder, with Travel Channel’s “Food Wars” recently declaring Duff’s the wings champion, will this hurt business at the 'Bar? Doubtful.)

Admittedly, I’m not much of a basketball fan. Being 6-foot-3 and all, the opposite is generally the assumed truth. However, for one brief season I did get into the game. Allow me to wax nostalgic here:

It was 2004, and I was a freshman at Liberty University. The men’s basketball team, led at the time by Coach Randy Duntin, took the Big South championship in an 89-44 ass-whoopin’ against High Point. As the team dominated that season, I actually started following the games. Blame it on there not being a whole lot to do at the self-proclaimed “World’s Most Exciting University.” Perhaps it was free entertainment (with student ID).

I remember being in the stands during that early-March game. ESPN was on campus. Me and some friends made a goofy “GO FLAMES!” sign. We all wore red (the school’s color). Later, as I watched the ESPN video, I saw myself standing on a seat waving that stupid sign. I looked all the part of a dopey, over-giddy college freshman.

As the final seconds ticked down and LU had more than doubled High Point's score, LU pulled its starting lineup and put the, shall we say, less talented players in. Frenzied students stormed the court. I got my picture taken with Jerry Falwell.

The next week, I returned home to Buffalo for spring break. And just like this year, Buffalo was hosting the 2004 opening rounds of the NCAA tourney. Sixteenth-seed LU was playing number-one seed St. Josephs. I tried hard to get tix into HSBC Arena that day, calling in favors with several area connections. I was a broke freshman; over $100 (to see LU eventually get spanked) was out of budget for me, and that student ID wasn’t working its charms anymore. (It did however double as a MasterCard…very convenient.)

LU and Jerry Falwell made the front page of the Buffalo News that day. I kept the edition as a memento. I always thought it funny that Liberty followed me home that spring break.

After freshman year, LU men’s team never made it to March Madness again, and I never got into basketball again. Come my final semester in 2007, Duntin was dismissed as coach after three lackluster seasons. Rev. Falwell kicked the bucket a few weeks later. Talk about last-minute upsets.

So once again NCAA time is upon us. Everyone is filling out those brackets I'll never totally understand. The water cooler doubles as a sports book for office pools while wary workers cast a watchful eye (I may have just made a new tongue twister). As for me? March is all about St. Patty's Day and the coming of spring. Like I said before, basketball just never has been my thing.

Buffalo News announcing Falwell's trip to Buffalo. Notice the News' old mast head.

Liberty Champion annoucing we had won the Big South.

Conspiring Against the Camry and Punishing the Prius

2010-03-12T17:42:00.000-05:00

One week it’s out-of-control Camrys, this next it’s unstoppable Priuses. Seems the hits for Toyota just keep on coming. And yet developing evidence indicates that maybe, just maybe, Tuesday’s incident involving a speeding Prius, California Highway Patrol, and a happy ending could be a scam.

The day before California Prius-gone-wild, a suburban New York City driver also experienced a hightailing hybrid. Her 2005 model sped down a driveway and impaled itself on a stone wall. See a picture/story here.

Toyota’s engine computers are equipped with data-logging software that is equated to the “black boxes” found on aircraft. Data extracted from these computers can provide clues to conditions prior to a crash such as, were the brake and accelerator pedals being depressed at the moment of impact? How fast was the vehicle traveling? The problem is that Toyota has kept the decoding process of these data proprietary. Now they’re being called into account, and the Japanese-based company is sending appropriate decoding laptops and software stateside.

As investigations continue, and pressure builds on Toyota, it’ll be interesting to see what black-box data reveal. But I have my own speculation. Maybe I’m way out in left field. Maybe I’m thinking like a conspiracy theorist. But where are those Toyota engine-control modules built? Where is the software scripted? Even an American-built Toyota (and many are) has parts sourced from all around the globe. And with close proximity to China, who knows who’s working in Toyota’s engineering department? Maybe it’s even an inside job.

From tainted food to lead-poisoned toys to “investing” in our government’s debt to buying up an AM-General icon (Hummer), don’t think the Chinese aren’t sitting on their haunches and laughing at we foolish Americans. They produce many of our consumer goods, and to put it in simple terms, I think they’re out to get us. If these computer systems are so proprietary to Toyota, who knows what kind of wireless devices, ill-timed software bugs, and other such nuances are programmed into them. What better way to target Americans than to screw with several of the best-selling automobile models?

The timing on some of these Toyota incidents leaves me scratching my head. It’s just too coincidental: Toyota releases information that they’ve found a link in the problem chain and have begun steps to solve it. Then another batch of Toyotas goes awry.

Generally I give the benefit of the doubt. I’m not much of one for conspiracy theories. I don’t think every hotel room is bugged by the government. I don’t think those highway over-head signs that report up-to-the-minute traffic data are really speed cameras in disguise. But I do wonder why this is all happening at once for the once-darling of the auto industry.

Will there be frauds and scams by artists seeking to milk Toyota recalls for all they’re worth? No doubt. Perhaps the next theory is that this is tampering by GM, as the General fights his way back to the top of worldwide automakers. (GM is actually quite popular in China where I’ve read Buicks are to the Chinese what a Mercedes is to Americans.) Whatever pans out, I plan to keep following the Toyota debacle closely.

Keurig—Over-priced Gimmick?

2010-03-10T18:26:00.000-05:00

When I first began to see single-serving pod coffeemakers, such as the Keurig collection, I thought they were a trendy gimmick. After all, you pay in excess of $100 for one of these machines, and then you have to buy the coffee pods (k-cups), which can easily run up to $20 for a two-week supply.

The worst part is that each pod makes anywhere from 8 – 10 oz. of coffee. That’s basically one cup or one travel mug full. And think of the waste—each one of those plastic pods ends up in the landfill, versus a paper filter (biodegradable) and coffee grounds (compostable, if you so desire).

Let’s recap: an ultra-expensive coffee maker plus ultra-expensive coffee, and less of it at that. Where’s the benefit? Well, for one, there’s no mess to clean up. The used pod can be disposed of and the brewer is ready to whip up the next undersized, overpriced cup of coffee. I should also mention that Keurigs can brew hot chocolate, mocha, and tea. As the popularity of these machines increases, so too will the third-party k-cup offerings, no doubt.

However, my perceptions of the Keurig have been altered slightly since we got one at work. (We actually have many in the electrics department—I work in a Kohl’s Dept. Store.) But now our break room is adorned with a Special Edition Keurig, and a variety of k-cups as well. I’ve gotten to try a bunch of new coffees such as Nantucket Blend, Donut Shop Blend by Coffee People, Paul Newman’s Extra Bold, and Emeril’s Extra Bold. All you do is fill the reservoir with water, insert the k-cup, and push brew. It also helps to have a (large enough) cup under the dispenser, as the brew pours out instantly. I learned this lesson the hard way first time.

So today I grabbed an 18-cup box of Coffee People’s Donut Shop. I plan to keep it in my locker and enjoy coffee breaks in the true sense of the phrase. For less than $7 (thanks to employee discounts), I got 18 cups of bold, quality coffee. I suppose that’s cheaper per cup than going to Tim Horton’s or Dunkin Donuts. However, I could’ve spent ~$11 for a reusable k-cup filter and brought my own ground coffee. But where’s the fun in that? Isn’t that too sensible? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of the Keurig?

In workplace settings, dentist offices, and other places where offering a decent cup of coffee versus a cold, crap brew in an urn can foster some goodwill, a Keruig is a wise investment. It’s less hassle and mess than a conventional coffee maker. It lets users pick between decaf or regular and different brew strengths. Hot tea and cocoa are also on tap for those who are not coffee connoisseurs.

Do I still think these things are gimmicky? For sure. I plan to stick with my six-cup “baby” Brew Station by Hamilton Beach at home. But in a setting where one decent cup of coffee with little fuss and cleanup is needed, Keurig may have found a niche. And the way they’re selling at my Kohl’s location, this may be the “hottest” new trend in coffee. I wonder if Tim Horton’s will start packaging its blend in a k-cup soon?

Local Celebrity

2010-03-06T13:08:00.000-05:00

I've spent a lot of time ranting on this blog about Cash for Clunkers. I decided to make my opinions and research a little more vocal and submit a "My View" column to Buffalo News. Can you guess the subject? Call our hometown paper left-leaning, they still saw my article worthy of publication. It ran this past Wednesday (March 3). Enjoy it here.

As a quick aside, every time I get published in "My View" I become somewhat of a local celebrity. Strangers approach me in public and mention that they read my article. I'm not exaggerating. This column, which seeks personal opinion stories from the community, runs six days a week. (A man named Douglas Turner gets the column inches on Mondays.)

This leads me to a couple interesting questions:

Does everyone who gets a run in "My View" become a Buffalo celebrity for a week?
Does everyone look as awful as I do when their face is reproduced in newsprint? (I'd have to think the answer to this one is yes based on some of the awful AP photos I've seen of public figures.)

Regardless, I'm glad Buffalo News chooses to seek some input from the community for the Op-Ed page. It often makes for some interesting reading.