Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
"But I Really Do Have An Evil Twin..."
Imagine you have an evil twin.
He constantly gets you in trouble and you have been arrested before and have your prints and DNA now on record with police.
Now imagine your evil twin pulls a multimillion dollar jewelry heist at one of the countries national landmark stores. He slips up however and accidentally leaves behind a glove with some DNA in it.
However your genetic markers are so close that you and your twin can't be told apart by your DNA and are therefore let go. This is due to a hole in the law that says a single person must be definitively placed at the scene of the crime, not to people. However, since your release the police plan to monitor your movements and actions closely.
Sounds like a plot line for an Ocean's Fourteen movie right? Wrong.
This is the real life story of two German twins who successfully pulled off a multimillion dollar jewel heist and will never see the inside of a jail cell for their crime.
This brings to question, just how many criminals are we letting slip through the cracks and should we be punishing our criminals more severely? The twins did have a record and managed to still escape punishment for this crime. What do you think should be done?
He constantly gets you in trouble and you have been arrested before and have your prints and DNA now on record with police.
Now imagine your evil twin pulls a multimillion dollar jewelry heist at one of the countries national landmark stores. He slips up however and accidentally leaves behind a glove with some DNA in it.
However your genetic markers are so close that you and your twin can't be told apart by your DNA and are therefore let go. This is due to a hole in the law that says a single person must be definitively placed at the scene of the crime, not to people. However, since your release the police plan to monitor your movements and actions closely.
Sounds like a plot line for an Ocean's Fourteen movie right? Wrong.
This is the real life story of two German twins who successfully pulled off a multimillion dollar jewel heist and will never see the inside of a jail cell for their crime.
This brings to question, just how many criminals are we letting slip through the cracks and should we be punishing our criminals more severely? The twins did have a record and managed to still escape punishment for this crime. What do you think should be done?
Monday, March 16, 2009
Advertising...Everything
Advertising is today's most influential form of communication.
It accounts for billions of dollars of spending every year which in turn generates many more billions into the pockets of those who advertise. Ads are judged during the Superbowl, Brands are catapulted into our heads on buses and trains, and the average American can expect to see most metropolitan roads littered with billboards.
With so many messages out there it seems everyone and everything is being promoted.
The USA Government is no exception. Their promoting Marriage.
I'll let that sink in.
It is a true wonder that this initiative is being continued in our current economic state. While the Obama administration continues to furiously work to block bonus money going to AIG executives and other workers, it seems odd that they would spend money on developing an advertising campaign for a traditional institution such as marriage. (To even party lines, the initiative was first developed and passed by the Bush administration.) While perhaps the divorce rate is higher than it was during the crusades, the threat of death from the church is no longer prevalent in our community which means marriage is viewed in a very different way. However the advertising campaign isn't targeting divorce. Or issues such as gay marriage. It's solely about getting married. One reporter, Sharon Jayson, said it was merely a declaration of "research suggests a bevy of benefits for those who marry, including better health, greater wealth and more happiness for the couple, and improved well-being for children". Those are the reasons we're spending a six-seven digit big chunk of money on promoting. Happier lives. For those of us still dealing with the economic problems in the real world, it seems our government is still figuring we'll just pay for the bail outs latter.
It accounts for billions of dollars of spending every year which in turn generates many more billions into the pockets of those who advertise. Ads are judged during the Superbowl, Brands are catapulted into our heads on buses and trains, and the average American can expect to see most metropolitan roads littered with billboards.
With so many messages out there it seems everyone and everything is being promoted.
The USA Government is no exception. Their promoting Marriage.
I'll let that sink in.
It is a true wonder that this initiative is being continued in our current economic state. While the Obama administration continues to furiously work to block bonus money going to AIG executives and other workers, it seems odd that they would spend money on developing an advertising campaign for a traditional institution such as marriage. (To even party lines, the initiative was first developed and passed by the Bush administration.) While perhaps the divorce rate is higher than it was during the crusades, the threat of death from the church is no longer prevalent in our community which means marriage is viewed in a very different way. However the advertising campaign isn't targeting divorce. Or issues such as gay marriage. It's solely about getting married. One reporter, Sharon Jayson, said it was merely a declaration of "research suggests a bevy of benefits for those who marry, including better health, greater wealth and more happiness for the couple, and improved well-being for children". Those are the reasons we're spending a six-seven digit big chunk of money on promoting. Happier lives. For those of us still dealing with the economic problems in the real world, it seems our government is still figuring we'll just pay for the bail outs latter.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Style and Shots
Our struggling economy has left people wanting more for their money. That means convenience is at a premium. One area in particular which is in demand is the beauty market. In an economic downturn, people want to feel pretty or look good due to the fact that they otherwise may feel unstable in their life. So stores begin to bundle goods for consumers.
This has left us with many stores offering many services at once as a full package so that amount consumed can be maintained at a lower price. Years ago I heard a comedian giving advice say "You probably never want to get a hair cut from Joe's and Janet's Salon and Bait Shop". Apparently some people missed that memo as a friend sent me this advertisement outside a local bar:
Just a friendly reminder to those going out this weekend and looking for a quick makeover at the same time.
Thank you struggling economy.
This has left us with many stores offering many services at once as a full package so that amount consumed can be maintained at a lower price. Years ago I heard a comedian giving advice say "You probably never want to get a hair cut from Joe's and Janet's Salon and Bait Shop". Apparently some people missed that memo as a friend sent me this advertisement outside a local bar:
Just a friendly reminder to those going out this weekend and looking for a quick makeover at the same time.
Thank you struggling economy.
Serious Gambling
When you gamble, especially at a professional level, your always playing the odds. The odds of getting 21, landing on black, or getting a royal flush (it's 1 out of 649,740 if you were wondering).
What if you could find out the odds on the biggest gamble in your life?
Your marriage ending in divorce.
Betsey Stevenson, an acclaimed economist with a Masters and PhD from Harvard, has created a "Divorce Calculator" using census data and other variables of correlating data to determine the likelihood of a divorce. The little data cruncher has been picked up by divorce360.com and has caused much debate over it's validity and usefulness.
Some would like to remain blissfully ignorant to the future, while others are running to figure out after how many years of marriage they will be parting ways with their significant other. The question is should this really be something that we as a culture are embracing so candidly? Assuming divorce and breaking the bonds of love is merely a numbers game?
The calculator can be found here and the research and data used to create the calculator here.
What if you could find out the odds on the biggest gamble in your life?
Your marriage ending in divorce.
Betsey Stevenson, an acclaimed economist with a Masters and PhD from Harvard, has created a "Divorce Calculator" using census data and other variables of correlating data to determine the likelihood of a divorce. The little data cruncher has been picked up by divorce360.com and has caused much debate over it's validity and usefulness.
Some would like to remain blissfully ignorant to the future, while others are running to figure out after how many years of marriage they will be parting ways with their significant other. The question is should this really be something that we as a culture are embracing so candidly? Assuming divorce and breaking the bonds of love is merely a numbers game?
The calculator can be found here and the research and data used to create the calculator here.
Goodbye Capitalism
Stabilizing the economy is one thing. Controlling the economy is quite different. For years the government has used a laissez faire approach, with the general rule being to not set rules and allow capitalism to run it's course.
Well that time is over.
Earlier this month Obama took the first steps in having the government run the companies that it has bought shares in declaring no executive can earn more than $500,000 a year and a permanent freeze on all bonuses. An executive position before hand could look at 8-9 figure salaries per year and now at a small figure of six the question is just how is this gonna effect the quality of the people running these companies. The government should be looking to attract some of the best and the brightest to reform these companies in hope of stimulating the economy. Instead it seems they've hung a sign around our countries most profitable businesses, businesses that we've spent hundreds of billions on to rescue, telling executives that the private sector is where to make money and enjoy the capitalist ideals that we've all enjoyed.
The plus side on this move is that we are now not spending millions of tax payer dollars on executive salaries. This won't be much consolation when the companies go under and the money is lost anyways. Which will happen if the best and the brightest go to firms in the private sector away from government control and compete with the companies we've bailed out. Thus a move focused only on the short run idea of looking good in the public's eye can possibily kill over a trillion in GDP potential.
Welcome to the new Government business where making money is only good if it's profiting the government and not the general good.
Well that time is over.
Earlier this month Obama took the first steps in having the government run the companies that it has bought shares in declaring no executive can earn more than $500,000 a year and a permanent freeze on all bonuses. An executive position before hand could look at 8-9 figure salaries per year and now at a small figure of six the question is just how is this gonna effect the quality of the people running these companies. The government should be looking to attract some of the best and the brightest to reform these companies in hope of stimulating the economy. Instead it seems they've hung a sign around our countries most profitable businesses, businesses that we've spent hundreds of billions on to rescue, telling executives that the private sector is where to make money and enjoy the capitalist ideals that we've all enjoyed.
The plus side on this move is that we are now not spending millions of tax payer dollars on executive salaries. This won't be much consolation when the companies go under and the money is lost anyways. Which will happen if the best and the brightest go to firms in the private sector away from government control and compete with the companies we've bailed out. Thus a move focused only on the short run idea of looking good in the public's eye can possibily kill over a trillion in GDP potential.
Welcome to the new Government business where making money is only good if it's profiting the government and not the general good.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Causes and Effects
Your past shapes your future. Not really sure who said that first, might have just made it up, but it certainly is true.
When I was 6 I met Gary Hall Jr. He was the badass of USA Swimming with gold medals and headline making antics to back himself up. For the next 12 years I devoted myself to swimming. I started on a local USS team and quickly learned discipline and time management skills I wouldn't have picked up anywhere else. Driven and determined I pushed myself through school always looking to conquer the next hurdle or demand more from myself. The people I met through the sport led to lifelong friends, experiences and even jobs.
When I stopped swimming I looked back on who I had become and was astonished to find the way I had grown up. A stubborn kid determined to push themselves past the norm, I knew how to apply myself and had grown into an adult.
In one way or another, every action, choice, and experience has formed and shaped me to be the person I am today. I've grown from a wild child, to a stubborn teenager, to an actual adult who can look back and be happy about the life they've had and where they are today.
When I was 6 I met Gary Hall Jr. He was the badass of USA Swimming with gold medals and headline making antics to back himself up. For the next 12 years I devoted myself to swimming. I started on a local USS team and quickly learned discipline and time management skills I wouldn't have picked up anywhere else. Driven and determined I pushed myself through school always looking to conquer the next hurdle or demand more from myself. The people I met through the sport led to lifelong friends, experiences and even jobs.
When I stopped swimming I looked back on who I had become and was astonished to find the way I had grown up. A stubborn kid determined to push themselves past the norm, I knew how to apply myself and had grown into an adult.
In one way or another, every action, choice, and experience has formed and shaped me to be the person I am today. I've grown from a wild child, to a stubborn teenager, to an actual adult who can look back and be happy about the life they've had and where they are today.
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