10 Questions

Questions?
Things I've pondered to help explain why I haven’t posted in over two and a half months.

1. What do Tiger Woods and Andre Agassi have in common?
They have both recently played in major tournaments in their sport in the “Terror” nation of The United Arab Emirates. Do you see players of that stature playing in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, etc.

2. Why is my cat crazy?
He must think the likes of Galileo, Newton and Einstein are full of #$%&. He is constantly experimenting the laws of gravity, and those experiments vary from my razor, to my keys, my cell phone, right up to the antique floral vase. And what about his love for Q-Tips?!? It would one thing if he would tip over the box and play with them, but he plays with the used ones! (icky!)

3. Is it mathematically possible that all snowflakes are of different shapes?
Granted no two humans are the same, but there are races, colors and things called genes to help distinguish.

4. Did I leave the oven on?
I don’t have an iron, so I have to fret about something. (Don’t I?)

5. Let’s say some people get their wish, and gay marriage in most states is banned. To help this hold up constitutionally and even things up those states pass laws that take away benefits of “straight” married couples(no tax breaks, health benefits, etc.). As a “straight” couple would you still want to get married, basically on love alone?
You would still be in the favor of most churches, and basically get God’s hall pass for knooky.

6. Should Brett Favre retire?
I’m naming my first six kids(if I ever have any!) Brett, so hanging around and possibly breaking a few more records won’t hurt much. But if the Packers had not won their last game of the season, it would have been their worst season since 1957, and if you can’t beat either the Bears or the Vikings at least once in a season, maybe it’s time to hang it up. Or maybe the coaching change (the guy with no coaching experience to replace the guy with no coaching experience) will make the difference.

7. Should I apologize?
I’ve noticed a lot of bloggers apologize when they haven’t posted in a while. I haven’t quite figured that out yet. My idea of how blogs got started and became popular, was that a person wrote down his/her thoughts as they and when they wanted. I didn’t think many people signed contracts to their readers promising that they would write something everyday, and that others would hold them to that. I find hard to believe that there is somebody out there saying, “I wish that creep Pete Clay would write something! It’s been two and a half months!” and I certainly haven’t gotten any e-mail or comments saying that either. But if there is anybody out there that has missed me or The Radioaffliction, I apologize for taking so long to write something.
I do want to apologize to Jon who wrote me a very nice e-mail waaay back in December, and has a very nice site of his own, Anxiety, Addiction and Depression Treatments.
Thank you Jon for your comments, and I apologize again for taking so long to respond!

8. What day is it?
With more attempts to separate God from our lives (and to be honest I’m undecided on whether that is good or bad), with “In God We Trust” and “One nation Under God” being put into question. Could the calendar be next? Certainly that has religious implications doesn’t it? Especially since the whole B.C. (but now B.C.E.) A.D. change over, and wasn’t it the Pope who first set the calendar into motion? And do we really want months of the year named after Roman emperors? Why not just start over with day 1. No months, years, decades, etc. We just count the days ahead and move forward. No worrying about Monday coming, and that pointless day Tuesday(it’s not as bad as Monday, but still too far from Friday). Just move on. Think about it when you ask your boss for vacation time. "I’ll be taking days 2567 to 2574 off, and don’t give me any lip, and I haven’t had a vacation since day 2381." And would you be so anxious about your age, “Hey you don’t look so bad for someone who is 13,173 days old!”

9. Are we living in the Past?
Continuing on from the last question a little bit. I’ve noticed that in retail they base improvement, and what plans and goals to make in the future based solely (or mostly) on what the company did this time in previous years. In some cases, managers and employees are held or their wages based on that formula. I can’t help but think. Are you freaking nuts!!!!!!
I don’t want to get into a philosophical discussion on determinism or how the past influences or indicates the future, I just don’t think you have to always look back first before you move forward. To me that formula only works when all the factors from the previous year are in place this year, and that is never the case. There are different managers, employees, CEO’s, etc., different economical factors (recession one year vs. recovery), the month last year started on a Tuesday, this year it started on a Wednesday, sounds stupid but it makes a difference.
Look at your own life, could you base things on what you did last year. I can’t. I had a smaller apartment, I had a different job (that I hated), my cell phone battery held a charge longer, I didn’t have a girlfriend (wait, still don’t, skip this example), I spent less time with my friends (because of the job I hated), and so on.
Start with day 1, and move forward.

10. Want to be on The Radioaffliction?
Starting next week I’ll be interested in interviewing people who write blogs or run their own business for the show. I’m also looking for a co-host(s) for the show, so that hopefully it doesn’t take months between shows and posts!
If you are interested e-mail me at radioaffliction@gmail.com

Thanks for you time, and have a wonderful day(1).

What are You Going to Watch Tonight?

This is a follow up to this article I wrote earlier this year about how far cable/satellite networks will go(sink) to somehow in their minds obtain a reasonable amount of the market share audience.
Let's go to the TV grid tonight:
I'm not sure about your cable/satellite lineup, but on my system the crummy AMC(formally the great American Movie Classics) and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) are back to back, and tonight both channels are taking advantage of Peter Jackson's new King Kong by showing "classic" versions of the famous monster.
Here is the Difference and I ask what would you watch?
First AMC will play the 1976 version with Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange(babe, but no Faye Wray) edited with commercials or flip to the next channel and watch the original 1933 Faye Wray(babe, but no Jessica Lange) classic, unedited with no commercials.
Honestly I won't watch either one, but if I was forced to make a choice like I'm forcing you to make one, I would choose the original on TCM. Basically because of no commercials. While it's true that the original is also probably a better film, because the 1976 film was pretty crummy, but that really factors little into my decision. I'm actually in favor of a network that wants to show crummy movies. Sometimes I'm really in the mood for them. I extremely object to crummy movies edited with commercials. In fact there are way too many commercials(and don't forget infomercials) on cable television for a service I already pay way too much for, and it's not just the crummy AMC.
Fox Sports Net(FSN) has a good Poker information show on called Learn From The Pro's, which is already a walking ad for Full Tilt Poker, as soon as the show gets interesting the idiot announcer(self-proclaimed) annouces that they "have" to take a break. How about not taking a break.
The worst offender I've noticed lately comes from MSNBC. Have you ever on purpose tried watching Chris Matthews' Hardball? I usually catch the show while flipping channels, and I was always wondering why he was talking so fast all the time. Well, because he is always going to commercial break. I displayed some patience the other day and actually timed out segments, and it came out to four minutes of programming to four and a half minutes of commercials, almost five if you count other MSNBC promos, and don't forget news updates at the top and bottom of the hour, you're only getting almost a half an hour of the actual show!
Ever wonder why people are giving away (and taking) content on the internet?
By the way, The Radioaffliction does not have commercials(just "humorous" segments to help break up segments).
Like I wrote in May, be different. It's okay to play crummy movies, because it's good to have a niche. But if you want to attract an audience (and keep them), just give them what they came for. The crummy movie!
Have a wonderful day,
PAC

Get a New Plan Stan!

I'm in a sports mood today and I'm shocked to hear the news about Stan Van Gundy. I'm not shocked that he is out as coach of the NBA's Miami Heat, nor am I in shock that former Coach Pat Riley is taking over. I am shocked that by now Van Gundy has not spontaneously combusted.
Maybe it's a little personal because for one shining moment Van Gundy was the head coach at the University of Wisconsin when Stu Jackson decided he was too good for Wisconsin after leading them to 1 NCAA Tournament win(in fairness it was their first win in the tournament since the 1940's), and in my opinion only Van Gundy is the biggest Freakazoid in Sports.
What inspired me to write this article is the fact that it is not very often that I agree with or for that matter even listen to ESPN's Steven A. Smith. HOWEVER!
I am in complete agreement with Mr. Smith that Van Gundy will never be accepted as a NBA coach(or any other coach) until he learns how to relax. He is constantly moving up and down, screaming and yelling at officials, players, mascots, and whatever is in his path, and the worst part was he was always in this big pool of sweat!
When he was at Wisconsin, I wanted the Badgers to win, but I just couldn't stand watching this blubbering, blithering, blathering sweat monster parading the sideline.
So my advice to Mr. Van Gundy is, take some time off, enjoy the holidays, find the BIGGEST Chill Pill you can find, and CHILL THE @#$%& OUT

updated 2/23/09

Radioaffliction Podcast Vol.4!

Click here or right click to download for this edition of The Radioaffliction With Host Peter A. Clay!

In this episode:

*Intro- What is The Radioaffliction? And how YOU can be part of the show!
*Pete goes through his Spam folder in search for holiday gifts.
*Rick Harrington's Theater of Masterpiece: Please Continue!
*Pete Interviews himself(?) about a news story about his neighborhood.
*(Former)Co-host Rick Harrington(& wife) joins the discussion about neighbors,speed traps & more.

If you have never listened to a podcast before(especially this one) please give it a try, and tell me what you think in the comment section.
Enjoy!

Rick Harrington's Theater of Masterpiece!

Click here to watch or right click to download this amusing video as Rick Harrington presents his Theater of Masterpiece!

In this Premiere episode:

*The Tabernacle Ballet Presents Frog Lake: A beautiful ballet played to J.S. Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor(?). (actually just the Toccata, and keep your eye on the background as a young man tries to hide a prop).
*Rick shows the latest Christmas gifts for kids in Consumer Corner.
*Rick interviews a British Designer(with a bad French accent) on the lastest in Fashion.

Enjoy!

It Can Always Be Worse!

Greetings and a happy holiday season to all! I'm back at it after a three week break from blogging and podcasting to write a novel in thirty days, deal with a death in the family, and start training for a new job for the holiday season.
Well the novel didn't get finished, but the first part is done and an outline is completely done, so what was stuck inside my head for over a year is now out. It could be worse(I have ideas stuck in my head for over twenty years!).
A death in the family is never easy, but in my experience with death, it's dealing with the people that are still alive than coping with the loss of the person who died(although I have to admit that losing a child and a parent did suck). But in this case all pretty much went well. In fact I had a little bit of a chuckle when my family wrote my grandmothers obituary and said that she died unexpectedly at age 93. To me I'm just not quite sure how unexpected it is that a 93 year old person dies. You've got to come to terms with the reality of the situation at some point when a loved one or anyone gets that high on the odometer of life, don't you? Not to suggest that someone could die expectedly(Fred died expectedly today at age 52), but if you really think about it, death is certain and depending on what you believe, it's part of a master plan, so in fact it maybe possible to see an obit that said that Fred died today as expected at the age of 52.
Anyway I'm getting sidetracked, dealing with the family was pretty good actually, it could have been worse. However many things with the family is to be determined. Like what to do with the family house and all the stuff in it, so stay tuned.
Then there is the job for the holidays, and while the extra pay is nice, it's a pain in the butt to get to, since I'm determined not to get a new vehicle until gas prices go back to a reasonable rate(actually it's the cost of insurance that I'm truly offended by), and people become more responsible with how they use their vehicle or this spring! Since Madison has a wonderful transit system I use that, and what would normally take twenty minutes to get from point a to point b, now takes an hour and fifteen minutes. Then I get to work and I'm on my feet for eight hours straight with maybe a twenty minute break in there somewhere, but it's really pointless, and while the people there are fairly nice, they don't really give a crap about me. I work in one company, but I'm supposedly paid by another so they have the attitude that "Hey, you're somebody else's problem", and not really going out of their way to make sure I really know anything, just do your job and go home. And that's fine with me, I meet some really nice people along the way, and that makes the time go by pretty fast, and hey, it could be worse. I was checking out the goings on in my old town of Denver, and caught this article from the Denver Post about a couple of window washers who got stuck when their scaffold stalled twelve stories up and then the wind kicked in and gave them the ride of a lifetime. Check the article out there is video footage as well.
So to wrap this up, if something in your life is not going as planned remember it can always be worse, and that you have the ability to change it anytime you want. Just like George Carlin used to say when he was funny, "If you don't like the weather where you live. MOVE!"
Have a wonderful day,
PAC

Death & Life

The daily rigors of the high life trying to market a blog and podcast, not to mention the effort of writing a novel in just thirty days, came to a brief pause due to the passing of my maternal grandmother at the very ripe age of 93.
The thought of her passing and the (nice) service that followed reminded me of a post I wrote last February, when New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady was preparing for the Super Bowl when, as the mighty ESPN put it, suffered a personal tragedy when his grandmother died at the age of 94!
Now before I go on, I want to remind everyone that our grandmothers lived to the of age of 93 and 94!
There is no way I can think of to say that these are tragedies. Living into your nineties is an accomplishment, and should be applauded. So that leads to the question of the day. Just how to do you approach the subject of one's passing? Would you really go up to someone who just lost a relative who lived into their nineties and say "Hey, sorry about your grandma man, what a tragedy."
I'm not trying to tell people how to feel, and leaning on the side of caution in these matters is probably very wise, but you don't need to go over board, and classifying all deaths as tragedies, especially when we all are going to die(sorry to remind of everyone of that) and depending on what you believe(or have faith in) we all are going to a better place(or different place), so how is that a tragedy?
A simple "I'm sorry about your grandma" has been very nice, because for someone like me and how I feel can reply, "Thank you, Wow 93, what an accomplishment!"
But it also allows someone else in the family if they feel differently to go, "I know how sad, boo-hoo, boo-hoo.", it doesn't automatically label the situation, and allows the person dealing with situation to show how they feel, without assuming how they feel, and that's what I felt ESPN did with Tom Brady. His 94 year old grandmother dies, while he is preparing for the Super Bowl, this must be a tragedy for him! Like there was no other way he could feel.
In my family we have lost a life, and that is a bummer. But that one life has helped to bring life to many others, in fact if she could have held on for a few more months she would have been a great-great grandmother. Now there is an accomplishment indeed.
All I have left to say is:
Thank you Nanny, it was a pleasure to know you!

Another Example of Taking Life Too Seriously!

Interesting story from Minnesota about a women who put up Halloween displays on her lawn of tombstones with "funny" names on them. The classics like "Mike Hunt", "Hugh Jass" "Ben Dover" and others that we used get other people to say, and make a whole bunch of people laugh. Childish? Probably, Immature? Maybe, but offensive?
Well a couple of people in town who probably don't have a sense of humor, or at the very least incapable of moving on with life, have filed complaints with the city.
Kids, if the lady had put signs on her lawn saying "Go &*%$ Yourself!", then maybe you would have a reason to complain(even though she may have a right to say so). In my opinion, people who complain about such "trivial" things, seem to think that freedom of speech (or freedom in general) means the freedom to b*&ch. If we are going have such a thing as "freedom" that means freedom for all, and occasionally having to live with things that you don't like. And if you don't know what to say to your kids when they see the signs. Explain it to them, because they may be the only ones who think it's funny!(Plus they would come up to you in the next three days coming up with new names! Irritating after a while, but it encourages creativity!)
The only reason I'm upset about it, is because there wasn't a tombstone for Al Kohalic!
By the way this post was sponsored by former Race Car Driver Dick Trickle!
Have a Great Day!

For the complete story Click Here!

Rick & Pete Special Vol. 2!

Click here to watch(or right click to download).

Went through the archives today and found six minutes of video.

Sketches include:
Good Morning Madison & Should Madison allow Casino Gambling!

I Smell Bacon! Does Anyone Else Smell Bacon!

There are lot of things going on in the world right now. Gas prices are high, Saddam still thinks he is President(of the U.S. even), Killer Hurricanes, and the Green Bay Packers may have losing season. So what is on the mind of the Wisconsin State Journal's front page today?
Wild Pigs!
Yes folks, wild pigs are taking over Wisconsin! I could barely get out of the house today without being attacked by a pack of swine! No wonder the Packers are struggling with the scent of manure all over the place.
For the extremely informative story Click here!

updated 2/23/09

Radioaffliction Podcast Vol.3!

For volume 3 of The Radioaffliction click Here! Or Right Click to download!

In this episode (former)Co-Host Rick Harrington joins me as we celebrate his 35th Birthday!!!!

Topics include:
* Watching Leaves Change Color
* Innocent Hollywood Crushes (female!)
* Driving Pet Peeves
* The New James Bond
* Movies That Made Us Sad
* Why are People Still Camping?
* Part Two of Peter & Peck Old Time Radio's Version of "The Shadow"

Tell Us What You Think!

Update 10/18/05: All Radioaffliction Podcasts and Videos are available for a free subscription with iTunes! and Yahoo! Or audio only podcasts are also available at Odeo!

No Love for The $2 Dollar Bill!

Cute post from Dorene M Lorenz about a Taco Bell manager who wouldn't accept a two dollar bill, because he thought it didn't exist! Someone straightened him out, but it worries me that I think a lot of people probably believe that there isn't a two dollar bill. It's also a slap in the face to Thomas Jefferson, one of the greatest Americans of all time, author of the "Declaration of Independence" and one of the great editors of "The Bible"(by pretty much taking all the crap out of it). The two dollar bill should be the most practical of all the currencies, which is probably why it's hardly used! What would you rather have four one dollar bills or just two, two dollar bills? It's a nice even number that combined with other currencies, should make life easier, and heck it makes more sense than pennies do at this point. Now before I go any further, I should point out that I myself do not have a wallet full of Thomas Jefferson's right now, but I think tomorrow, let's help out all those bored bank tellers out there and all get ten dollars worth of two dollar bills, and get these things rolling again!

Dorene didn't have a hyperlink to the story so I put it in the comment section!

Update 10/23/05
Throwing a little love for T.J. with the new nickels that have a new profile of Jefferson, and the old buffalo on the back.
Very Nice! The only problem is: It's still a nickel!

How To Make & Eat A Raw Beef Sandwich!

Watch this informative video, as Jim Reid shows How to Make & Eat a Raw Beef Sandwich!
Jim follows our Grandfathers recipe! Yum, Yum!

Radioaffliction Podcast Vol.2!

It's Back! For volume 2 of The Radioaffliction Click Here to listen in your browser or right click to download!

In this episode:
* Intro and Welcome Back
* Hurricane Katrina
* The News You Didn't Know You Needed to Know
* Antique Corner
* Interview Segment: Adam Clay: aspiring author and creator of The Creative Workshop. Talks about his new blog and needs your help to self publish his new book.
* Traveling With Rick
* Raising the Intellectual Level: Why I Don't Think I am Ever Getting Married!
* Something Personal
* Peter & Peck Old Time Radio's version of "The Shadow" pt. 1

Check it out and tell me what you think!

Response from our last show:
"Fantastic! I'm doing cart wheels over the Radioaffliction Podcast!"
--Gail

The Radioaffliction is now available to subscribe on PodcastAlley and Podcast.net!

Rick & Pete Special!

I was having a little fun with the new iMovie this weekend, and found some video clips with my friend Rick and myself, and made this eight minute clip. Right click here to download or just click once to open is a new browser window(may take a little bit to load that is why I recommend downloading).

If you don't have Quicktime already installed click here for the free download!

This is an experiment with video,editing and video on the web, I would love feed back.
Thanks and enjoy,
Stay tuned for the next Radioaffliction!
PAC

Radioaffliction Podcast Vol.1!

It's Finally Here! The Radioaffliction Podcast! For the Latest edition of The Radioaffliction podcast Click Here to listen in your browser or right click to download!

I've been promising this for a long time and it's here. The Radioaffliction is back on the air!

In this episode:
* Intro and welcome back
* The News You Didn't Know You Needed to Know
* Good Morning Madison
* Radioaffliction Classics
* Highway Construction
* Raising the Intellectual Level: How to Tell the "Truth"

If you have any problems or questions please let me know, and please tell me what you think of the show,
Thanks and enjoy,
PAC

Update! You can now subscribe to The Radioaffliction at iTunes! (yea!) And Odeo!

It's Been A Long Time Since I Put a Cute Kitty Picture Up!

Just a Thought!

Last month I wrote (and talked about on The Radioaffliction Podcast) about one of the reasons why I don't think I'm ever getting married. The main reason is it seems that a lot of people get married just for the sake of being married, and while one person may love the other(and vice versa) there is very often something "more" that a person has inside them that they actually seek in another. So why get married? Plenty of reasons, there is peer pressure, you reach a certain age and think "it's now or never", and there are people who think that this is just the way it is, you go to school, get a job, get married, have kids, wait for them to grow up and get the hell out of the house, and then enjoy life! Then there are those who hang moral issues on others and say you need to get married so you can have your hall pass for "knooky", and a reason I didn't think of until last night when I went to see the movie "Wedding Crashers". The movie is very enjoyable but suffers from an all too familiar formula in romantic movies and it almost killed this movie until a late cameo appears and completely saves the film. The formula goes as follows, boy has set behaviors and does what he does and has reasons to justify such behaviors. Boy meets girl and all of a sudden everything comes to a screeching halt, and realizes that birds can sing, and there are such things as stop lights. Boy gets girl to notice him even fall for him, but wait there is some big secret he's kept from her, she finds out and boy loses girl. Boy and girl can't forget about each other, but girl is going to marry another guy anyway(usually a complete putz, and someone you wouldn't invite into your own home, the only exception being Bill Pullman in "Sleepless in Seattle", but he was so sappy it almost doesn't count), so boy has to do something very spectacular in order to get girl back, and they run off into the sunset to what we believe is happily ever after.
There you see is my problem. The romantic movie formula (to me) has some how affected the marriage "theory" of today. These movies only show how people fall in love and never show what it's like to be in love once two people have recognized their souls counterpoint in someone(Owen Wilson's definition of true love in the movie), apparently they think the process just repeats itself over and over again.
So once again I'm left to ponder, but at least I can recognize and define such issues, and will continue to wait for the "more" or my soul's counterpoint.
Until next time,
PAC

Diamond's In The Rough?

Check out poor Erik Pedersen's review Here!
Looks like Erik had to be dragged kicking, screaming and crying to review a Neil Diamond concert(and get paid for it)!
You can tell by his review that he doesn't like Neil Diamond and therefore there was nothing that Neil was going to be able to do to please him. Neil could stand on stage and poop gold for everyone in the audience and Erik would still be upset that he sang "Forever in Blue Jeans"(which by the way Erik is a good song).
I understand that Neil Diamond is in the twilight of his career,(even though he sold enough tickets for four shows at the Staples Center in Los Angeles) and an acquired taste, and it's probably true that some of the songs don't have the same ummph as they used to. But he has a loyal following (Barry Manilow fans are the same way), and will be out and selling out even if Neil goes on stage in a walker or wheel chair.
The concert may not have been good, but Erik's bias going into it, made his review worse.

How Badly Do You Want Free Music?

Yes if you act now! You can get 3 free downloads if you join the Army National Guard!
Not quite sure how I feel about this, either for the user who is looking for free downloads or The National Guard for having to toss a carrot out to get recruits, and why only 3 downloads. 5 I might have considered.
For a more traditional way here's Limewire!

Thanks to The Front Line for the image!

Reason #23,412, Why I Don't Think I'm Ever Getting Married!

Sometimes I come across a blog and I scratch my head, and wonder what someone is expecting to hear when they write their post. This thought came to me when I came across this post from The invisible Writer, where she wonders if she should be upset with her husband for the reasons explained in the post. If you take a look at the post it would not take you very long to answer, Duh, yeah! Some people were quick to comment that she should dump him, which drew an immediate response from her with the classic retort, "Of course, I'm only bringing up the bad things, he really is a sweet guy". I almost commented myself, but I'm hoping this story was more of an embellishment in order to induce comments on her blog than a complete list of actual events. When I see something like this, I go back to the post I wrote waaaay back in March of this year Love:A Reality Check. To me just based on the evidence presented, this is a classic case of someone who wishes to be "married" and is not really "in love". The cliff notes version of my old post was that Love is easy, you love your parents, pets, children, sports teams, co-workers, etc. But when it comes to true companionship, a bond that is lasting and powerful that you are willing to spend a lifetime with someone, there is usually something "more" there than just love. It usually can only be defined as a "know it when you feel it" type of thing. So I'm sure that The Invisible Writer loves her husband but there is something "more" she has in mind and in my opinion she hasn't come to terms with that, she believes because she's married that all this stuff should be all worked out, so much so that she is debating whether or not she should be upset about things that are completely unacceptable to her, and to anybody else for that matter. Likewise I'm sure her husband loves her, mainly because he's married whose wife will bail him out every time he gets in trouble, and clearly by his antics is searching for something more that doesn't really include her, she is more of a security blanket than anything else. I'm sure things can be worked out, but for me, I'll just wait, and wait, and wait (so on and so on), until "the more" comes along. Because the older I get, the stakes get bigger in relationships, and hopefully so will the rewards.
That's all I have for today, don't settle for less when there is "more" out there,
Until next time,
PAC

The Truth Continued!

One little thing I didn't to mention in my post entitled "The Truth From a Certain Point of View" the other day, Truth in advertising! Yes, something that might actually make truth an oxymoron. In fairness some companies are not making such bold claims, they are just generating attention to their product so that we the little people -- I mean buying public will consider their product. Using such techniques as sex as an example.
Being cool is another one, you see them in competitive ads like Coke vs. Pepsi, and Miller Lite vs. Bud Light(feel free to add any foreign ads that I am not familiar with). They kind of force you to defend the one you like better. I think Coke is a superior product, but check my previous post on what making such a claim really means.
Then there is Sex. Sex, Sex, SEX!!!
Yes when the truth can't get the audience or sales of the product you want, you can always rely on sex.
But get this, the Government is getting involved. Well not the U.S. Government(give them time), but in the United Kingdom they have a little gang called the Committee of Advertising Practice. If the sound of their name isn't scary, you can probably imgine from such a name that they probably don't have a sense of humor. The committee has rejected an ad by the Lambrini drink company because it depicted women flirting with a man who was deemed too attractive! I find this hard to believe for a couple reasons, first since I wasn't there where did they find such a guy, and two how can anybody be too attractive, because who is to say.
The committee didn't stop there they declared!
We would advise that the man in the picture should be unattractive overweight, middle-aged, balding etc.
I can see the reaction of the Lambrini executives right now! "You're right, what were we thinking, you guys are so smart, you should have our jobs instead!" I think not!
Can you imagine if that committee made that declaration here in the states! Beer commercials would practically go away, Overstock.com would actually have to say what they sell on their site, and the guy in the Tag body spray commercials would have to be attacked by unattractive - overweight, middle-aged, balding women(which seems to be happening to me when I use the product).
You might be thinking to yourself right now(maybe), "So what your saying is, you would trade "Truth" for "freedom"?
I might respond, "Maybe?", Truth as I have already stated is subject to so many points of view, but then again so does freedom, so much so I fear that truth may have better odds of existing than freedom, especially since everybody believes they are telling the truth, and most people seem to be willing to trade "Freedom" for "Security". But that's a subject for another discussion, and since no one is telling me what I should do tomorrow, freedom lives!
I would probably reply with what I yacked about the other day, and that would be gain knowledge about the products and while I may not find the truth, I will probably figure out what is false. I will probably not be attacked by women(or men) trying Tag body spray(one should not need spray for that).
Experience plays a factor too. Growing up there was a product call Zip shoes, which suggested that if you wore those shoes you would Zip along, and jump all over the place. Imagine my surprise when I landed in the middle of a bush in our front yard with my first few steps. It was also the last time I had Blue shoes!
I do believe however those advertisers should try to be more truthful, or as Dr. Gene Scott "taught" they should act more truthful-ly (devout followers should get that!). I would like to see just one (ONE) home pregnancy company instead of showing some couple all gleeful when they find out they are expecting, have one freaked out chick just go nuts when she finds out she's been knocked up! I may buy one for the hell of it if a company did that, I may just knock a lady up for such a product(That's a joke!).
In conclusion: My advice to the Committee of Advertising Practice, this isn't Crunchy Frog they are putting out. Have a Lambrini drink with some attractive people, and enjoy life for a change. It may not be the truth, it may not be what we wish were true, but no can really say it's false!
Until next time,
PAC

Looks Like He's Made It! Manilow Jewelry!

Yes, Barry Manilow is introducing a line of jewelry he's simply calling the "M Jewelry Line."

So if you need something for that Weekend in New England, or just Trying to Get the Feeling Again, or if you're Ready to Take a Chance Again. Find what your looking for with the "M Jewelry Line." It's a Miracle!

Don't need the bling, check this site out. Get the Barry Bobblehead Doll(Caution:The Nose really makes it bobble frequently!)

Click here for the full news story!

Aren't We Getting a Little Too Sensitive?!?

Boy it sure seems that a Country(U.S.A.) that prides itself on free speech is really having a hard time lately. It could be just a paranoid press that has nothing exciting to report and heaven forbid they report the good things happening around us. But it just seems to me that people are becoming increasingly more offended over silly things(team mascots for instance), and since Janet Jackson worries from the media over fines from Federal Communications Commission(FCC).
Case in point, a Kentucky radio station had canceled Garrison Keillor's "The Writer's Almanac", and here is the reasons why:

Recent poems had included words such as "breast" and the phrase "get high." Another included suggestive sexual content, according to WUKY General Manager Tom Goddell.

WOW! Forget the FCC, I'm writing my congressman(who's actually a woman), better yet let's go to Minnesota and that Lake Whatever it is and lynch the guy, burn him at the stake if we have to.

Well insecure Tom has changed his mind and put the show back on the air thanks to listener support. But why can't Tom admit that he is a paranoid idiot and made a mistake and apologize instead. Just might help ease the paranoia elsewhere.

Here is what I'm getting at. Life is too short(it may be even precious, I haven't decided yet) for this kind of stuff. Yellowstone National Park is a super volcano that could blow at any moment wiping out 3/4 of the U.S., Permafrost is melting(probably an oxymoron then) in Siberia and Canada releasing tons of methane allowing the progression of global warming, and don't forget the terrorists still don't like us and could attack at any moment and that would suck. At any rate something could happen instantly that actually makes survival essential, and then maybe things like breasts would less offensive, or whether that guy drove 35mph in a 25 zone or what a team sports mascot name would be. Heck if all those nasty things happened all at once, Florida State could name themselves the Turds and would it really matter?

Nasty stuff is going on, but good stuff is going on too, and if you can't tell if the glass is half full or half empty, get a new glass(or least put it in the dish washer!). I'm not even paranoid of the nasty stuff happening, I realized a long time ago that at any time, moment, and in an instant the gig is up! And at the moment you have to look at your life and determine, was I a player or a complainer? I'm been kind of an observer, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that!

That's all I have for now,
Have a wonderful Day,
PAC

Being a Fan Doesn't Mean They're Supposed to Win!

While surfing through the blogoshere I came across an article that reminded me of something that is rapidly becoming a pet peeve of mine(my all time pet peeve is people on the Interstate who try to pass while still on cruise control!).
The post is entitled "How the Cubs Win the World Series"!
He begins his post by stating he is a lifelong Cubs fan. I stop right there and almost click to the next site.
I hate to tell people how they should feel, but you can't be a lifelong Cubs fans and expect them to win. I used to think you should watch/follow them to lose(which are much better odds) but that's no good either.
So here it is, just follow them and see what happens! It's 50/50 chance of one or the other.
Look I know the guy feels, and I admire a person in this day and age of fantasy sports that a person follows a team, but my upbringing has led me to my opinion. My grandfather never missed a Cubs game, and if he wasn't finished with his chores he would have a radio on full blast with six extension cords out to the garden so he could follow the game. However, he would never admit he was a fan,
"Nope, they're not going to win today", and if they managed to pull one out he would say, "Well they got lucky today, they'll blow it tomorrow!"
A healthy attitude, a bunch of bull*&%$, but since he's passed on, I've carried on the tradition. It's kept me sane when their up 3-1 in a series and they blow it, to say "See, I told you so, what else did you expect".
It's just a recomendation that's all, and I think worth a try,
Until Next time,
PAC