What are your thoughts on the current economic crisis hitting the U.S.? Do you agree or disagree with a Congressional bailout of Wall Street? Who's to blame? What should we do about it?

  Post your comments here and let's see if we can connect any dots. ...<< MORE >>

      Everyone by now has heard about Saturday Night Live's recent unfunny skit where the out-of-touch reporters are discussing story angles on Gov. Sarah Palin. One reporter acuses Todd Palin of incest, then proceeds to infer that everyone in the state of Alaska practices incest too. "It is Alaska you know."
    If you happened to catch the skit either live or replayed, did you notice that there was no laughter when the bomb was dropped? The skit fell flat. SNL has not posted the video on their website like they normally do. Also, it was reported today that the skit was pulled off of ...<< MORE >>

  Apparently there are at least some marketers who are changing the way they portray men in their ads.  I've been commenting about this for years...maybe this insulting marketing trend is finally gonna die out?

No more bumbling Homer: Marketers are reframing dad ads

Buying into corporate America’s depiction of men, and dads in particular, one would be pretty sure they’re mostly lazy, dense dimwits with whom only Homer Simpson could bond.

Clearly, at least as portrayed in many TV ads, most dads wouldn’t be loved, or even liked, by their wives or kids –– except when they want a withdrawal from his wallet.

But some marketers are starting to see the light. Take Kansas City-based Hallmark Cards Inc., which after talking to real people has expanded its selection of Father’s Day cards depicting dads in more loving and appreciated ways.

One new card shows a dad bending over, tying his son’s shoe while he leans on dad for support. “A man is loved not for how tall he stands, but for how often he bends to help, comfort, and teach.”

Hallmark isn’t losing its sense of humor, and retains cards like the one with an elephant nudging his young calf: “Nobody can give you love and straighten your lazy butt out at the same time like Dad.”

And it still has cards for those who want to tell dad he’s a doofus, including a sound card with Homer Simpson telling Bart a long, pointless “when-I-was-a-boy” story.

“In the past, Father’s Day was sort of ‘they play golf and take out the trash’ — this is just an attempt really to recognize what they do and being affectionate without making fun of them,” said Hallmark spokeswoman Deidre Parkes.

Glenn Sacks, a sometimes controversial commentator focused on men’s issues, applauds Hallmark for its efforts, and says others, including AT&T, Pampers and Cheerios, have also made strides in their depiction of men.

Sacks has mounted a number of crusades, including one against a Verizon commercial in which a wife berates her husband to quit bothering their daughter, who’s doing homework, telling him to “go wash the dog.”

Sacks said he thinks men have become the butt of marketing jokes because it’s a cheap, easy way out for companies and their ad agencies.

“Marketers have found it’s a lot easier to portray men as foolish,” Sacks said.

If marketers depicted women as brainless bimbos, he said, there would be hell to pay.

You can read the rest of this article here.

        

  I came across this "historic declaration" made by Pope John Paul II.  He apparently made this a few years ago.  It's a prayer basically, and I found it interesting since I work in Christian communications and also have interests in film and the arts.  I wish I could set it up with more background info, but I'm very busy these days as you can tell by the fact that I haven't posted a blog since late February!

Here it is...

Let us ask for forgiveness as a Church, for our absence in the mainstream culture. Our failure to have a significant presence ...<< MORE >>

  This is a very sad story about an artist in England who recently committed suicide after she had aborted her twin babies.  Apparently, the egoistic sperm donor wasn't happy about her pregnancy.

  There's an enlightening quote at the end of the story by Dr. Emma Carlyon, the coroner who investigated the woman's suicide.  Even though Dr. Carlyon was satisfied that the victim had received all the necessary pre-abortion counseling, she said, "It is clear that a termination can have a profound effect on a woman's life."

  So many women are duped into believing that going in for an abortion is ...<< MORE >>

  It came as no surprise today that Michael Moore exposed himself as a card carrying member of The Cult of Che.

  You see, Mr. Moore wants to bring Fidel Castro to the Oscar Ceremony.  That would be a very touching scene, wouldn't it?  I can see it now...Moore goes up on stage to accept his award for Best Documentary.  His acceptance speech goes off on a rant about how the Cuban healthcare system is like, totally better than America's healthcare system.  Moore looks down at Castro with glistening eyes.  The camera cuts to a close up of 'ol ...

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  We need more law enforcement agencies around the country to do this. That would really help our nation's problem of illegal immigration and national security.  Wow! Enforce the laws?

  Phoenix is obviously getting fed up, and we will likely see additoinal cities follow suit. 

  Except for San Francisco, which will eventually be overtaken by Che Guevara wannabes and secede from the Union as a Marxist state.  

  Speaking of Che, did you hear that a Che Guevara flag was proudly displayed in Barack Obama's Houston campaign office?  Obama simply called it "innapropriate." Even if Obama wasn't aware that the flag had been displayed in his Houston office, the incident still says a lot about his politics. 

  If Hillary had a flag of Pol Pot in her office, it would be considered a little more than "innapropriate."  It would be an outrage.

  But many people don't know the background of Che Guevara...including the young dim wits who wear Guevara t-shirts.  That ignorance combined with the fact that many worker bees of the media bee hive are members of the Cult of Che only enables Obama to get away with his communist office displays.

  And our open borders allow Guevara clones inside to wreck havoc, like they did recently in Berkeley California.

  

   

        

 Divergent Thinking Exercise #2

                       The Relative Riddle

                      Two fathers and two sons went fishing.
        Each of them caught a fish and none of them caught the same fish.
       However, they only caught a total of three fish. How is this possible?

          If you think you know the answer, post a comment.

               The answer will be posted this weekend.

        

  I heard a political rumor today that put a chill down my spine.  I know someone who's dad is a successful defense contractor living in D.C.  Both also happen to be black Americans.  The defense contractor was a supporter of McCain...notice the was.  He's now switching his support to Barack Obama.  And here's why...

  The latest political scuttlebutt out there is this...Obama will select Colin Powell as his running mate.

   Chilling.  Calling Obama/Powell a formidable duo would be an understatement.  Powell would give Obama credibility in the areas of military defense, foreign policy, and national security.  Powell would pull more independents/moderates over to Obama that might have voted for McCain otherwise.  Powell is younger and more likable than McCain. 

  According to these same sources, the talk of Powell joining Obama is creating lots of excitement in the black community.  I think a lot of whites would like that ticket too.

  Personally, I don't think the point of race would be able to stop Obama/Powell.  Some might argue otherwise, but just take a moment to picture the charismatic Obama and Powell on television.  Now picture McCain together with Mike Huckabee (who I predict will be McCain's running mate.)  Which pair would you bet on?

  The GOP would be toast in that showdown.

  Am I supporting Obama/Powell?  Absolutely not.  My politics are based on substantive ideas, not personalities and sound bytes. 

  But I'm also a political realist, and the winds of change are already favoring the Democrats.  An Obama/Powell ticket would probably seal the deal for the donkeys.

        

  According to a recent news report, sadness causes people to spend more money.  And not only spend more, but significantly more.  According to the study, sadness "impairs the ability to spend wisely" and "may encourage more extravagance."

  So, logically, if this study is accurate, can we conclude that Congress needs medication?  Congress must have a severe  case of the blues, considering how extravagant they are with our tax dollars.  They spend money like most sixteen year old girls at the mall—frivolously, self-centeredly, and with little thought for tomorrow.

  I'm going to write my senators and representative and send them a good joke (maybe a lawyer joke?) along with a DVD copy of Happy Feet.  And continue to pray for them too.

  Hopefully, that will cheer them up?  Then maybe there will be some Social Security left when I turn 67?

 

        

  One of my current reads is The Marketing of Evil by David Kupelian.  It's a compelling book.  Here's a passage from chapter two...

  "What we're witnessing is  the official, ever-so-gradual squeezing out of everything that's really precious to America.  It's as though we're throwing away something so valuable that it goes almost beyond the ability of words to convey it.  We're taking the finest life has to offer, like the most precious memories of our children, of their birth, of their accomplishments—and we're taking the sacrifices of our soldiers, of our patriots, our nation's martyrs—and we're junking them.
  If we really have been convinced that our Constitution—conceived, written, believed in, fought for, and died for overwhelmingly by Christians and God-fearing people—requires that the Christian faith be taken out of government, then there's really no hope for us as a nation."

  Our government schools and media have been quite successful in their goals.

 

        

    What's interesting and exciting about this current presidential race is the fact that we're heading into Super Tuesday, and the nomination is still totally up-for-grabs for both Democrats and Republicans.  I cannot recall that happening at this point with BOTH parties at the same time since I've been following presidential races...and although everybody has their theories about who's gonna win, truthfully we just don't know for sure, regardless of who the establishment media attempts to force down our throats. 

  Case in point: Guiliani.  The press still refers to him as the "former front runner."  Actually, Guiliani's front runner status was a complete media creation.  Guiliani never did actually have a large following outside of New York city.  Yet, four months ago, the establishment media christened him as the GOP nominee.  This only proves how out-of-touch the Beltway elites really are with middle America.

  So, here's my take on the remaining candidates.  I'll run down the GOP first, then the Democrats.  Guiliani and Edwards both dropped out yesterday, so let's run down the list of the remaining group.

The Republicans

   Ron Paul - As long as Ron Paul is in the race, he'll get my support.  I'm convinced that this guy knows the constitution, respects it, and would do the best job of leading us as our Founding Fathers intended this nation to be lead.  Ron is so fiscally conservative (conservative in the purest form), understands economics so soundly and has shown so much integrity with our tax dollars,  I would trust him with my own personal credit cards. 

   And I would trust him with my kids too, if I had any.  Ron Paul's integrity is solid. His voting record in congress consistently aligns with the constitution.  For example, he's wise enough to support free trade but not so-called free trade agreements that entangle us with foreign bureaucracies.  
 
  Yes, Ron Paul has a whiny voice at times, but so did George H.W. Bush...and he doesn't support the war in Iraq, which turns off a lot of neocons...that's a shame, because there are a lot of "neocons" out there who think that they're true conservatives while getting hung up on Iraq, and refusing to consider Paul because of this one issue, but yet are willing to support other candidates like McCain, who's voting record in the Senate looks like a liberal Democrat.
  
  If Ron Paul ever does decide to drop out, I will consider the nominee of the Libertarian Party. 

  John McCain - I was extremely surprised that McCain's campaign resurrected after the illegal alien debacle....until recently after talking with a coworker. She shared with me how her dad is supporting McCain, and he also happens to be a defense contractor...I would attribute McCain's reemergence to two counts— McCain has the financial support of the military industrial complex...but I also think that apathy and fear among many people is another reason why McCain currently leads the pack in delegates.  There are too many eligible voters out there who just aren't paying enough attention to the race to propel someone else into the lead...also, many people are fearful about terrorism and see McCain as someone who would be tough on national security, which is laughable, considering this guy doesn't want our borders secured.  He may say he does now, but his past record proves otherwise, and if he's elected, will do less for border security than Bush.

   Out of the four remaining, McCain is my least favorite, and I'm hoping that Super Tuesday will shift the momentum to someone else.

  Interestingly, a friend of mine stated that she thinks McCain looks like someone who has hypertension.  I don't know if he does or not, but there are stories about his "legendary temper." 

  Mitt Romney -  I heard a comedian talking about Romney the other day, and he said Romney is "just too handsome."  Personally, I didn't know squat about him before he entered the race, but thanks to google, I've done some research and concluded that Mitt is...a chameleon.  He's definitely smart and a hard worker...appears to have a talent for making money...but there 's something about him I don't trust.  Maybe it's all of those flip flops he's done since running for president?  Remember Bill Clinton's nickname?  Slick Willie?  We may have a Slick Romney on our hands here.  Am I confident that President Romney would make the right decisions with Supreme Court nominees?  Uh, no.  

  Mike Huckabee -  I'm sure Mike is probably a nice man.  But I think eight years of "compassionate conservatism" has done enough damage.  We need a new approach.  I've read enough about Huckabee's tenure as governor of Arkansas to have some serious reservations about him as president.  The main reason is his past performance on illegal immigration.  He single-handedly turned Arkansas into a State Sanctuary.  Not good.  I don't trust his sudden turn around on this issue, regardless of his endorsement by the Minutemen. 

 The Democrats

     Barack Obama - Barack does have charisma, but he's such a neophyte of national politics that the idea of putting him in the Oval Office feels like giving your car keys to a thirteen year old. Plus, I think this guy is just too far to the left to actually get elected.  He could end up as the VP candidate though.  Don't be fooled. It doesn't matter how much vitriol Team Clinton spews at Obama...if Hillary gets the nomination, and her strategists conclude that Obama would make the best VP choice, Barack and Hillary will become best friends faster than you can say "lust for power." 
    Also, Obama's getting a free pass from the establishment media on his relationship with the shady Syrian developer Mr. Resko.  CNN, NBC, etc. would be having a field day with that if it was another candidate, particularly a GOP candidate.  I'm uncomfortable with some of the folks Obama has hung out with, such as Resko and the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright

   Hillary Clinton - Watching Hillary over time is like watching Evita.  Let's sing together, "Don't cry for me Little Rock.  The truth is I never left you."  And little Eva Peron-Rodham is about to finally reach her dreams, thanks to Bill "Juan Peron" Clinton.  
   Lord help us all.
  This woman is such an enigma I don't know where to start...it's not just people on the right that despise her...I know lots of people on the left who don't like her too!
  She's a socialist with lots of big business connections...she's a feminist who has blatantly ridden on her husbands coattails...she has zero charisma, no exciting, original ideas, yet she has somehow reached this point of being one step away from the White House?
  What's annoying about this is that, if we take Bill out of the equation, no one would know who she was.
  There is just so much I could write about her...
  If you want the same old leadership with lots of scandals thrown in for fun, then vote for her.

  Nominee Predictions 

   Hillary will end up as the Democratic nominee.  Team Clinton has too many connections and no other competition that can pass her up in the end.  The Clinton's are the Democratic party.  I'm not sure who her VP candidate will be...possibly Obama, but not definite.  It's a little early to tell.

  Unfortunately, McCain will likely be the GOP nominee, unless Romney can turn the tide on Super Tuesday.  Huckabee will probably drop out after Super Tuesday. McCain could possibly end up with Romney as his VP to court the "conservatives."  If Huck surprises us on Tuesday, he could be the VP nominee.   

  Hopefully the best man for the job, Ron Paul, will stay in till the end, possibly as an independent.  And the funny thing is, anything can happen.

  I believe in miracles.

        

  I bumped into a nice piece of commentary today by Andrew Longman of WorldNetDaily.com.  His article is titled: Mitt or Huck: Who's More Conservative?  Of course, he's talking about Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee.  In his article, Longman points out some telling contrasts between Mitt and Huck that are worth considering.  You can read the full commentary here.

  One of the most interesting points Longman makes is at the very end.  He points out Romney's private equity firm, Bain Capital, purchased the media conglomerate Clear Channel.  After a little research, I confirmed that Bain Capital did indeed buy out Clear Channel in 2006.

  What is very interesting is that Clear Channel is the largest owner of radio stations in the U.S. and Longman points out that Clear Channel broadcasts the Rush Limbaugh show and Sean Hannity show.

  Which makes it all the more understandable why Limbaugh and Hannity are favoring Romney, the chameleon-like former governor of Massachusetts who changed his spots and suddenly became a conservative after performing left-of-center during his previous political career.

Can you say, "conflict of interest?"

  I was proud of my pastor the other day, who, while talking about the importance of voting said, "When you're deciding on a candidate, don't make your decision based on what they say, but on what they have done in the past.  Look at their record."

  And that applies to what other people say about a candidate too...Don't just listen to what Limbaugh and Hannity say about Romney, but look at Romney's record for yourself.  Because if Romney is providing a paycheck for Limbaugh and Hannity, then how credible and unbiased are these two radio talkers when it comes to informing you about the presidential race?  A possible analogy could be Tony Romo telling you to vote for Jerry Jones. 

Or maybe Jessica Simpson?

        

        

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All told, investigators calculate that Mr. Cho spent several thousand dollars getting ready for April 16, most of it charged to a credit card.<< MORE >>