Showing posts with label smoking coffee dogs social engineering cats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label smoking coffee dogs social engineering cats. Show all posts

26 September 2009

Ch ch ch ch changes

I went to a conference once where 'Changes' was the theme and all through the event Bowie's Changes was played.  Essentially the conference was good but not that many changes in PR were clearly sketched at the time (late 90s).  When I reviewed the notes maybe 5 years ago when I was throwing stuff out it occured to me again that you don't always see the changes for what they are.  We talked about email and mentioned the web but the full extent of the revolution wasn't clear.

Anyway on a personal note I've been grappling with a few issues of career, family, passion and although what is changing is not obvious yet I have discovered my attitude towards writing is again altering. 

19 March 2008

Obama on race

http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/ownwords

Without a doubt the bravest political speech I have ever heard. The bravest speech (not political per se) I've ever listened to (albeit it many years after the event) was Winston Churchill's on the beaches. The silliest speech was by Saddam's Iraqi Information Minister insisting that they were repelling the US Invaders. The dumbest speeches I have ever heard are everytime I hear George W say anything. The best speeches - (and here just ones I have heard live) - Rob Muldoon Timaru 1985, Bill Clinton Christchurch NZ 1999, and Jim Anderton Wellington 1993. But the Barack speech today, which I watched when it was a couple of hours old - rates with these three.

26 January 2008

The lingering smell - the next social jihad

Since smokers were declared evil and while science cracks down on anyone who eats a cheeseburger or drinks espressos, I think the true anti-social issue behind smoking, and the other allied social disease facing modern life-styles are still not understood.

If you've gone to a house where the inhabitants smoke inside, or driven in their smokey car you'll know what I mean. It's the lingering smell of stale smoke: stomach turning and just plain awful. I bought a car which was perfumed by those toxic pink crystals, but found the true horror they hid a fortnight later when I moved the seat back and it lifted the carpet slightly. It took months to get rid of the odour.

When the jihad is won against smokers rather than cracking down on java consumers and chip eaters, the next crusade must be targeted at the other major anti-social fragrance horror: Dog owners. Like smokers, their houses and their cars stink in a way that makes one want to retch. If you're a dog owner it's an identity mark equivalent to being a smoker. The social sites should add nd (no dogs) to their ns (non smoker) categories. Also Trade Me should encourage those that say their goods are from a non-smoking home to add 'household free from canine vermin'.

One poor colleague of mine lent her car to some dog owners who took their cur for a trip in it. A year later the stench still dominates the Beemer and she is forced to make apologies to non smokers and non dog-owners that are imprisoned in it with her.

Yeah (since you're probably asking) I am a cat lover - but unless she leaves a hair on my jacket you'd never know - if you own a mutt I'll know if I'm within 2 metres of you!

And another thing, what is with the psychology of people who want pets that will stand in the kitchen panting until they've starved to death if you don't feed them? It's sick. Cats will go and find their own food.

There needs to be some serious psychological work done on people who want animals who are totally dependent on them and who, at the same time, make them stink like medievil peasants.