TheMediaDude

Kids' Birthday Party Guidelines

2010-12-11T13:32:00.002-05:00

I've been to a few in my day. Some are great, some suck. Here are some tips to make sure yours is good for young and old:

1. Offer Food right away
I didn't have time to eat lunch to make it to your party called for noon. Feed me, damn it. Then, maybe I'll be able to calm my kid (and myself) down.

2. Booze.. now.
This may be a personal preference, but I think it is appropriate for kids' parties. It's still a party with adults present. I will be much happier to make small talk with the other guys who are just as unhappy to be there as me if I have a beer in hand.

3. Communal activity first, then groups, then free play.
Kids don't always mingle easy first. Make them sit next to each other at least. Coloring, art & crafts, something where they do it independently but at the same time. Then, they'll be warmed up to play as a group. Musical chairs, freeze dancing, that sort of thing. After that, let them go crazy and form their own groups. They'll be able to meet kids thee genuinely like and start friendships.

4. Paper plate and plastic cups
Don't give me a slice of pizza on a ceramic plate. You won't get it back.

5. Balloons for all
They love these things. I don't know why. Same goes for stickers. Have enough for every kids x2. In every color.

6. Music in background
At the least, it will not make a silent room feel so awkward. At best, it will drown out the inevitable tantrum that some kid will have when there aren't enough balloons.

7. Leave an area for adults to sit and talk.
If the Moms & Dads have fun, the party will be more fun for everyone.

8. Let there be light, not dark
Kids don't like the dark, so make sure it's in a room with a lot of like. The back room of a local bar that resembles a cave will not work.

9. Know your audience.
Do not have a party on a Sunday during football season. Don't have it on Halloween night. Don't make me miss something I would rather be doing.

Those are my tips. I hope the party I go to tomorrow follows these guidelines. But of course, it's on a Sunday. See rule 9.

Ancient Technology & Legos

2010-12-11T13:30:00.001-05:00

This... is... awesome.

The Antikythera Mechanism in Lego from Small Mammal on Vimeo.

Full article here.

Technology Hits the Family

2010-07-04T00:25:00.001-04:00

We got a new stroller and new iPhones. Here is my trying both out for the first time. I had a little more trouble with the iPhone's video than the stroller. This ineptitude stuck me as being a quintessential "Dad" moment.

I Shouldn't Post This, But Brian Said To

2010-06-25T15:09:00.002-04:00

Harley was complaining that her new iPhone isn't working.

"I can't hear anything. I've raised the volume, but i can't hear you. Everything sounds muffled. It must be broken."

"Have you taken off the plastic film off the face panel?"

"No. **pause** Oh wow, it works! Great, talk to you later! Can we keep this just between us?"

Cool Space Movies

2010-06-21T13:53:00.002-04:00

What better way to burn off a massive pastrami lunch than unproductive searches on YouTube?

Size Comparisons

The Universe is a Big Place

An Asteroid Hitting the Earth
(Harley should not watch this before going to bed)

Strange Brands

2010-06-09T10:40:00.002-04:00

These are awesome.

Here's a taste of what you'll see...

Hi Again

2010-06-09T10:31:00.002-04:00

It's been a while. It may be a while longer. I'm trying to pare back on my responsibilities, to focus more intently on fewer things. My new job is a big one, my kids, my marriage, Deadliest Catch... all of these things need to be the priority.

I may take off the summer. Probably. If you want to sign the petition to keep this blog active, please visit www.gullible.com/giveandrewmoney.

The Kids 10.15.10

2010-05-16T22:31:00.011-04:00

THE STORY BEHIND THIS VIDEO

World, plase meet Grad. Grad the dancing penguin was a gift from Ma, best MIL ever, as a congratulations gift for finishing my NYU master's program. Ma knew purchased me this as a token, which is grealty appreciated. Surprisingly, this little penguin kind of sums up how I am feeling about the whole thing.

Seriously, I am happy, and I know it! I feel like clapping my hands and shouting hooray. I can take my time at night. I don't have an albatross around my neck. I don't have to save my energy with the the kids to keep writing. No editing, sourcings, bibliographies, referencing checking, none of it.

I went for sushi and got the most expensive roll AND hot sake.

I had a beer when I got home after work. So what if I get tired? I don't have to work!

I watched Lost the same night it aired.

I didn't have Jack crying at the door because I won't play with him.

I didn't bring my computer home from work.

I felt like I had just returned from the war and was given a second chance. I can't believe it's over!

I sort of miss it. At graduation I noticed that Steinhardt had a nutrition/food science program. I looked into, one of the core courses is on Agriculture. It sounded awesome. And oh look, it's only 32 credits. So that would take me 2 classes, no 3 classes a year and...

NOOOOO!!! No no no no. Oh no you don't! No more. I can read any book I want, watch any movie. There is no subject off limits. I just cannot/will not put myself under the emotional and financial pressures of an organized academic institution. (Maybe I'll go for a PhD when I retired. Seriously.) For now and a long time after, it's the college of life (the cheesiest line of my blogging career to date, yet oddly true).

This little penguin really sums it up. I got my whole life ahead of me. I'll likely never lose the drive to read and learn new things. But now my time is my own. I just taped 3 hour long shows about space, so that may keep me busy. I'm dying to get back into the guitar, which will happen. And I may think about reading some fiction (probably not).

What this video most represents is that I now have the time to watch the little moments like this with the kids. Before, I'd be in the bedroom working while these gems take place. Now, I can be there without the worry of my school work (on top of my job). That's the biggest relief.

Why Diet is Dangerous

2010-05-01T17:18:00.002-04:00

Today at Francesca's (and Ian's) birthday party at the Palace skating rink, Mom told me I should be drinking diet soda. I said diet and all its chemicals are bad for you. Mom patted my stomach. Thanks, Mom.

Shockingly, Fooducate.com had a posting about the problems with diet soda:

1. Our body gets confused by artificial sweeteners
The dissociation between sweet taste and calorie intake may put the regulatory system that controls hunger and body weight out of sync, thus sabotaging weight loss plans. A study on rodents showed that those fed saccharin actually gained weight compared to rodents fed sucrose.

2. We’re “Infantilizing” our taste sense
Artificial sweeteners are a hundredfold sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). By getting ourselves used to so much sweet, normal sweet flavors, of fruit for example, become bland and so do other healthful foods such as grains and vegetables, thus reducing our willingness to consume them and ultimately the quality of our diet.

3. Long term effects unclear
While there have been many studies on artificial sweeteners and disease such cancer, very few focused on long term weight gain. A seven year study, (San Antonio Heart Study), showed a relationship between diet drink consumption and obesity, but the causation is not clear. Consumption of artificial sweeteners is growing yearly.

The article that the posting references is not available to everyone, but it's written by this guy.

It comes down to this:
1. regular soda tastes better.
2. because it tastes better, I enjoy it more.
3. because i know it's bad for me, i drink less.
4. overall, i drink less soda but enjoy it more when I do.

Movie Reviews

2010-04-26T23:17:00.002-04:00

Here are two videos that are perfect for lunch or procrastinating at work. Each are the first segment of a YouTube movie critique by RedLetterMedia. They are hilarious and surprisingly insightful.

The Phantom Menace: I never realized just how much this movie sucks.

There are 7 videos to this one. I was sad to finish the last one.

Avatar: when plot the isn't the focus, something is missing

Redesign Redesign

2010-04-16T00:03:00.004-04:00

Here's the new Del Monte. Started at Sterling as I was just leaving, I think the final product looks great.

F*ckers.

*********

This image is from a blog post I did back in Sep. '08. Horizon had redesigned. This post is related to another one with a blurb about the food industry giving me the heebie jeebies. This feeling grew since then, which is why I wrote my thesis on the food industry.

Here is the re-redesign, a change in the central banner and the addition of the pasture image. I loved the original design and hate the pasture. It adds clutter and takes away from the clean, premium look of the original redesign.

There's a good reason for this change. Horizon the biggest organic dairy brand in the country, has come under a lot of fire for not being organic enough. Blogs are blasting them for not being truthful in their claims and acting like a regular industrial dairy. This image is an attempt to tie them back to the farm and the roots of the organic movement. Not sure it works, but hopefully my company can help them do something about it.

WARNING - here's a thesis out-take that ended up on the cutting room floor:

In 1990, Congress passed the Organic Food and Production Act which established the national standards for organic food and farming. Organic farmers, unlike most traditional farmers, held on to a stringent set of values that guided the movement long before major food corporation wanted a piece of it. They were pushing for stricter standards, while food companies pushing for leniency so they could capitalize on the marketing potential of the new and fast growing category.

This turned into a 10-year battle "within the USDA between Big and Little Organic, or put another way, "the organic industry and the organic movement" (Pollan 2006, 155). Through industry insiders arguing on behalf of Big Organic, industry beat out the movement. In the final legislation that passed, "many of the philosophical values embodied in the word organic did not survive the federal rule making process" (Pollan 2006, 155).

Thesis Update

2010-04-12T00:05:00.002-04:00

It's awful. Got feedback from my professor:
- My writing is not scholarly enough. Basically, I'm writing so that anyone can read it, whereas I should be writing in a style that is more dense yet fits within the academic tone that references the scholarly materials that my arguments are based on.
- From what I could find, nobody in academia writes about food. When they do write about food, they write about things so specific (the development of the olive oil trade in Italy, flavors of soda in India) that I can't use them.
- I reference some major thinkers (Saussure, Bourdieu, Marx) but do not go into detail on their arguments. This is giving them "short shrift" and is not sufficient for a scholarly paper.
- I would need another 3 months to do a paper that takes a Marxist view of branding. It sounds awesome, actually. Brands hide the production value of commodity items and create an artificial trade value. But I'm traveling all this week, half of next week, and I can't get my head wrapped around Marx and neo-Marxists philosophy by May 2nd. It would be giving them 'short shrift.'
- She didn't read the last 17 pages of my thesis. Or my appendix, which is 12 pages.
- I'm getting feedback now but can't help feel like I've been given no help. I feel like I've written this paper on the fringe of academia, a place where I am not comfortable nor familiar. No wonder my sources have gone mainstream (Michael Pollan, Marion Nestle).
- Almost every book on branding is some asshole trying to sell his/her ideas. Its not scholarly.
- My paper is repetitive and the order needs to be rethought. There was a very good reason for this repetition: I needed to remember what the f*&k I was talking about in each section.

I have lost all heart for this paper and academia. I just don't care anymore. I will do whatever it takes to pass, and no more than that. It's sad, but I need to move on in my life. I am fearful that my next draft will not be passable and graduation will be delayed. God forbid, cause I will make such a stink at NYU they'll graduate me just to et rid of me. This is not a threat but a warning.

In the words of Trey Anastasio, from the song Carini, here is what I hope to say by mid-May: "The thesis that you're writing is a piece of shit, but I'm glad you finally finished it."

The Organic Industry

2010-04-06T13:21:00.003-04:00

This image, taken from a professor at Michigan State, shows that the Organic industry is for the most part an extension of the mainstream food industry. They bring the same government influence and profit drive to bear. Stlll, it's better than nothing!

Philadelphia, My Home Town

2010-04-06T13:05:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia to ease marijuana penalty

The city's new district attorney and the state Supreme Court are moving to all but decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use in an effort to unclog Philadelphia's crowded court dockets.

Offenders will be charged summary offenses rather than as misdemeanors.

"We have to be smart on crime," said District Attorney Seth Williams, who took office in January. "We can't declare a war on drugs by going after the kid who's smoking a joint on 55th Street. We have to go after the large traffickers."

The goal is to sweep about 3,000 small-time marijuana cases annually out of the main court system, freeing prosecutors and judges to devote time to more serious crimes.

Memory Lane

2010-03-24T13:31:00.003-04:00

This is Lilah's first time holding Jack. She was a little rough. Not much has changed.

Funny Video of the Day

2010-03-22T15:43:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fVDGu82FeQ

There's no embed link, but go to the video. It's worth it.

Jack-ee-boy Getting So Big

2010-03-17T16:52:00.003-04:00

Here's a video Poppy took of Jack this past Sunday, 3/14.

He's such a good looking kid! Yes, I'll need to post one of Lilah soon.

Funny commercial

2010-03-15T09:34:00.000-04:00

Watch this.

Betcha Can't Play This

2010-03-15T01:35:00.001-04:00

This is what keeps guitar geeks up at night...

The Frozen Shore of a Great Lake

2010-03-08T15:17:00.002-05:00

Somewhere between Minneapolis and New York.

I'm guessing it's near Erie, PA, based on this awesome web site about flight paths I found on line. Check this one out.

A Big Ad

2010-03-08T10:59:00.002-05:00

Commercials are better when they are blatant.

In my readings, I've found that consumers see a big difference between brands and advertising. Since Vince Packard published The Hidden Persuaders in 1957, most Americans are comfortable with the idea that advertising manipulates them. There is a trade off, with ads funding much of the entertainment that people rely on while imposing an element of forced consumer into our everyday lives. With packaging, consumers expect a higher level of accuracy about product quality and content (CSPI Study, 2009). Because of the inherent trust that consumers put into their brands, they see packaging as a much more authoritative source of information.

Olympic Bust

2010-02-24T14:24:00.002-05:00

Holy shnikies!!

NBCU Expects to Lose $250M on Olympics

NBCU is expecting to lose at least $250 million on its coverage of the Vancouver Games due to slow ad sales and other factors.

NBCU paid big for rights fees for the Winter Olympics, in part because of the locale of the Games, which meant more than half of the U.S. will be able to watch the events live.

The company bid $2 billion in 2003 for the TV rights for the Vancouver Games and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, $900 million more than the next closest bidder. NBC will pay $820 million for the TV rights to this winter’s Games, and is only expecting to bring in about $670 million in ad revenue.

The estimates for ad revenue from the Games were faulty, the company admitted, because executives expected advertising growth to continue. What they got was a recession that depressed ad sales and prices.

While some sponsors have paid between $500,000 and $600,000 for prime time ads, ad sales were slower than expected, especially early on.

**********

I stopped watching religiously once Ice Dancing started. Just can't take anymore.

On a separate note, thank God this is the last season of Lost. I'm sick of the confusion! Final season or not, I am done with that f*cking island.

Thesis Update

2010-02-21T23:30:00.003-05:00

I'm moving now! Ripping through all my books and assembling my literature review. The lit review is just what it sounds like, a summary of everything I can find out there that is relevant to my topic.

I'm basically doing a book report for each book I have, organizing the information into key themes. Thankfully, the themes are consistent across authors, so I know it's real. I feel like i have a nice range of materials to get a good flow of content. Hoping this is fun for people to read.

Want to get this done by mid March. Meanwhile, I have to get the research survey started so I have time to do the thing, do the analysis, and write conclusions. All this needs to be done by April 1st. Holy f*(k.

Luckily, Harley has "volunteered" to be my research assistant. She'll be entering the nutritional content from all the cereal boxes into a spreadsheet so I can make my charts. I'll be breaking the front panels down into key branding elements and nutritional information so we can compare what;'s inside versus outside.

The question is how many cereals. I'm thinking 50 is a good though amount. I counted 125 cereals at our small NYC supermarket. Not sure 50 is enough, but I have till April 1. Should I do all mainstream brands? The narrow range of brands may be good to focus the study as a critique of national brands. Should I include some smaller brands that seem healthier? Should I do store brands? Each variable adds complexity. Oh, and did I mention I have till April 1?!?

And the later it gets i the semester, the more and more Harley works nights and weekends That makes it harder for me to work. It'll be a miracle if I graduate in May, but I'm still pushing for it. It'll be a big deal for, more so than I thought before this whole process started. After that, I'm taking the summer off.

Next Fall, I join or start a band.

The Home Drug Test

2010-02-19T20:55:00.001-05:00

Harley Approved.

Sidewalk Update

2010-02-18T10:39:00.002-05:00

Amazing what a difference a day makes!

Don't want to brag, but this is clearly the cause and effect that only the Most Influential Blog in the Universe can have. (Suck it, B-dog.)

Anyone For Ice Skating?

2010-02-17T09:57:00.002-05:00

The southeast corner of 79th & 2nd is currently a vacant lot. Actually, it’s a whole in the ground (a la Parks & Recreation).

Since the space has no tenant, the entire area is ignored. Since the snow, the sidewalk in front is has turned into a sheet of compacted ice on both the street and avenue.

79th Street

2nd Avenue

It’s bad that the city has ignored this. It’s ridiculous that none of the near by buildings have been willing to throw some ice onto it. I expect a broken hip and a lawsuit if this doesn’t melt in the next day or so.

Does Anybody Need a Date?

2010-02-16T09:54:00.002-05:00

Don't try to fight it.

He's in the Minneapolis area. Mary, please try to control yourself. I know it's hard, when faced with this level of temptation.

My New Thesis Topic

2010-02-14T12:39:00.003-05:00

(Let me better explain that last post.)

I've come to a new understanding about my paper topic. The more I thought about doing a global case study of Cheerios, the less I liked it. After some research, I saw that most of the nutritional labels are all the same. There are some minor differences, but nothing that I felt would lead me to conclusions to make the 60 pages worthwhile. So I've moved on.

Here's the gist of my new approach:

There is a conundrum going on in America today. Obesity rates are rising, while awareness about the right nutrition. At the same time, supermarket shelves are being filled with more and more food products that call themselves healthy or have a health claim regarding their nutritional benefits. (I need facts for this, hence my previous post with statistics galore.)

What accounts for this contradiction? Would more health foods and greater health consciousness mean a thinner America? The answer is in the presentation, how food options are being presented to American consumers and how they are marketed. Positives are highlighted, while negatives are downplayed or even ignored. These claims aim to have consumers "buy more," which turns into "eat more." And eating too much is a sure way to being overweight, no matter how much healthy food you eat.

The nutritional information pane, typically on the side or back panel, is where the rubber meets the road. This is where the true contents of a food product must be openly and accurately reported and its nutritional value exposed. This panel is regulated by the government, attempting to give consumers an unadulterated and official look into what they are eating.

But in truth, the accuracy of the nutritional panel is subject to FDA and USDA oversight, governmental agencies which themselves are influenced by the lobbying efforts of the food industry. Political pressures seep into the decisions made regarding food policy and help direct regulations in favor of the major food companies. Basically, the FDA's teeth have lost their edge. (I'll be quoting Marion Nestle's Food Politics extensively.)

Food companies have taken advantage of this less-than-strict oversight and began marketing their products with health claims that are supported by less-than-substantial scientific findings. The academic and research community, themselves hungry for funding and exposure, can be influenced by the deep pockets of the food conglomerates and develop studies designed to back health claims driven by financial objectives. Think about ll the studies that said cigarettes have not been linked to cancer. Yeah f&*king right.

What this weak science does is create confusion in consumer's minds about what constitutes healthy food. A notorious example is Frosted Flakes, which qualified as a Smart Choice product (before that program was nixed under influence by the FDA). According to the program criteria, Frosted Flaked qualified because it is low in fat and cholesterol, even though it is mostly sugar. Of course it's low in cholesterol, as that only comes from animal products, including milk.

Consumers are left to evaluate the information and decipher the front panel claims versus the back panel information for themselves. Confusion between the two benefit's the food industry, allowing them to issue weak science as proof. More than that, nutrition is broken down into single nutrient benefits. Eat more fiber and you won't get colon cancer. Eat less cholesterol and you won't have a heart attack. More vitamin A for a healthy immune system, and so on.

This study seeks to understand the difference between the front and the back info, to breakdown the divide between how these products are represented on the front versus the back. I'm not sure how to go about this, but I am thinking of taking 1 category (breakfast cereals) and breaking down the products by nutrition and seeing where they net out on the health scale. I could also take a few products from multiple categories, but I'm not sure yet.

From the reading I've done, the key is not eating more healthy food, but eating less overall. The pattern of your diet is what matters, less than the nutritional content of each item.

One thing to note: the food industry is not evil. It is filled with people who are just trying to make a living and wish no harm on Anyone else. These claims do not have sinister intentions. I have been a part of many of these campaigns, including the Post Diet which Marion Nestle did not appreciate. But everyone in the industry is under pressure to perform, including me. The problem lies with the system, allowing business and financial pressures to dictate nutritional goals. I'd say the same is true with medical insurance. Capitalism has run amok.

That's where I am! thoughts are welcome.

Awesome Sites I Suddenly Need

2010-02-13T19:04:00.003-05:00

http://www.obesityinamerica.org
- Need statistics about how fat Americans are? Me too!!

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/
- The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics

http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/facts/obesity/en/
-The World Health Organization's page on obesity

http://obesity1.tempdomainname.com/subs/fastfacts/obesity_US.shtml
- The American Obesity Association's fact page

Current Videos

2010-02-11T15:24:00.008-05:00

We're doing a structural audit for work on small milk bottles. We did a little interview with Lilah to see what she likes. Shockingly, she prefers chocolate milk over everything else. A very opinionated little girl.

This is Jack in his highchair, one of his favorite places. He refuses to be fed with a spoon now. He only wants finger food that he can put in his mouth. Here is his first shot at sweet potatoes, which was a hit. He seems mesmerized by the camera. Here's a good shot of his head, which is getting rounder by the minute thanks to the helmet. (Only 3 more weeks to go before he no longer needs it during the day!)

It's the Portions

2010-02-01T12:29:00.002-05:00

Another key issue that we haven't yet discussed is serving size, which is going to be a huge issue for my thesis. It gets to the heart of not just where our food comes from, but how we define nutrition in general.

Lisa R. Young, one of Marion Nestle's PhD students, wrote a book about it called The Portion Teller, which I now have to buy. She was featured in the movie Supersize Me, which I'm sure everybody reading this has seen.

I'm not even sure who determines what the actual serving size is for food products. I'm guessing the company does it based on guidelines released by the FDA. Those FDA guidelines are based on criteria established from... I have no idea)! That's my next stop on this journey.

I'm going to have to learn exactly where our nutritional standards come from. Where, when, and who discovered carbohydrates? Pollan mentioned "vitamins" in Omnivore's Dilemma, but I need to understand where every item in the NLEA table comes from (sodium, carbs, saturated fat vs. regular fat).

The Truth Inside the Box

2010-01-31T22:49:00.004-05:00

Has anyone else ever heard of the Center for Science in the Public Interest? I haven't but they are kind of awesome.

They are fighting the battle against misleading or untruthful nutritional labeling. My kind of people. Here's a list from their website with some of the biggest name brand offenders:

Kellogg: On labels for Smart Start Strawberry Oat Bites cereal, the company deliberately misreads a report from the Institute of Medicine to claim, falsely, that consumers can eat 125 grams—more than half a cup—of added sugars per day.

Nestlé: Labels for the company's Carnation Instant Breakfast misleadingly claim that its antioxidants "help support the immune system." While it is true that serious deficiencies in vitamins A, C, and E and other antioxidants can lead to serious health problems, consuming this or other products that make this common claim won’t help ward off colds, the flu, or other maladies.

Glacéau: The Coca-Cola-owned product bears a confusing double-column Nutrition Facts label that gives the impression that a 20-ounce bottle of VitaminWater contains multiple servings. Yet the company knows full well that the product is typically consumed by one person on a single occasion, delivering 125 calories, not the 50 in a "serving." CSPI says the dual-column format should be barred.

Edy's: Labels for Dibs Bite Sized Snacks boast "0g trans fat!"—giving the impression that the product is heart-healthy. Yet a serving of this ice cream snack has 16 grams of saturated fat—80 percent of the daily value. CSPI says the FDA should prohibit companies from boasting of "0 grams trans" on foods with more than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. FDA already has similar limits on "cholesterol free" and "healthy" claims.

Gerber: Labels for Gerber Graduates Juice Treats—a product intended for pre-schoolers—picture an abundance of fruit: oranges, grapes, peaches, cherries, pineapple, and raspberries. Yet there is no cherry, orange, or pineapple in the product, and less than 2 percent is raspberry and apple juice concentrate. The main ingredients are corn syrup and sugar, providing 17 grams—or about four teaspoons—of refined sugars per serving.

It's okay to highlight the positives, but not if it misrepresents the reality of the product.

Things Are Looking Up

2010-01-31T22:41:00.003-05:00

Been doing real good on the thesis. Nilda sent me this law article written in December about the legal battle surround the food labeling bonanza currently going on. You know, the Pepsi Smart Spot, Kraft Sensible Solution, Kellog's Nutrition Highlights, stuff like that. Thank you, Nilda!

It laid out some of the legal cases going on in this world and the major players. That article, and the reference listed within, have opened up a lot of doors for me. Lots of recent studies and articles and legal papers and juicy stuff that makes my bibiliographi feel nice and fat.

One woman that keweps coming up again and again is Marion Nestle, who wrote a big and keeps a connected blog called Food Politics. It lists the major things and places I need to go. Awesome.It's like mana from heaven! I've been looking in empty caves and digging pointless holes, but I finally found a nugget of info to get me started.

AND - she's an NYU professor. I'm going to (try to) set up a meeting with her, pick her brain and try to make something important of this. At least as important as I can do. Thank god football is over because it's hard to find the time.

Without getting too deep into this

Here's

Why Did I Ever Go to Grad School?

2010-01-29T17:43:00.002-05:00

Hey guys,

I'm still having trouble with this thesis. I know the issue I want to focus on: nutrition, the industrial food chain, and how the food supply is hidden from the average consumer. I just can't get my head wrapped around what I want to focus on.

My professor liked the idea of the global comparison. She felt I should focus not just on the nutritional information but also the front panel. We discussed a case study on breakfast cereals. Take one or two brands that exist around the world and do a comparative study of the information there.
- Break down the information on the front panel.
- Look at what nutritional messages are there, and how they differ by region.
- Are there changes in content (e.g. do different countries call out different grams of whole grain?)
- How do the nutritional labeling rules for each country play a role?

Could be really cool. She knows a lot about the category, even though I know squat. It started with health gurus, like Kellogg's and Post, that ran health spas where they focused on eating grains. Apparently, people ate lots of meat for breakfast before the 19th century, and adding grains to your diet helped people's digestions and improved health. This was a revelation for the world.

Breakfast cereals were marketed as health tonics, even though they often contained many bad ingredients (like saw dust). In 1904, the FDA was established and started demanding that these products be safe. So the manufacturers had to take out the bad stuff and the "tonic" stuff (like when Coca-Cola removed the cocaine) and had to go for a more straight forward marketing plan.

This was a turning point in American advertising. The government was monitoring the companies, so people could now trust the ads. Side note: some of the biggest cereal manufacturers were the big mill companies (i.e. General Mills). They had a grain surplus and needed to find other ways to sell the same products.

These companies changed our culture. We suddenly had "breakfast foods" that aren't appropriate for dinner. Why not? Because, that's why. (I guess that's why Mom and Dad always give me shit for having eggs for dinner when I visit.)

Cool stuff, right?!? Cool enough to spend the next 4 months of my slaving away? I don't know. Thoughts? Anyone know of cereals that exist around the world? Cheerios, Wheaties, Captain Crunch?

I have another, more disturbing idea. I just finished The Omnivore's Dilemma, where Michael Polan (my newest hero) goes behind the veil of the food industry to show where the food really comes from. Free-range chickens don't always range free. Chickens just need to have access to the outdoors to get that claim. And they don't get that access until they are 3 months old. They are so used to be indoors, that they never venture outside once they have that option. They are killed after 4 months, so most never see the sun. Free-range my ass.

Anyway, I'm sort of obsessed with slaughterhouses. Hundreds of thousands of animals are systematically killed everyday and no one knows anything about it, besides what we read in Fast Food Nation or on YouTube. The more I think about this, the less into it I am. Forget I mentioned it.

LAST PARAGRAPH
From my experience, the hardest part about these big academic exercises is designing the study. Once, I get that done, I'll be cool. Gathering the data is the next hardest (how do I find a Cheerios box from Germany?!?). The analysis is the easy part. Cannot wait till this is over.

God Damn, I'm Thirsty

2010-01-29T17:32:00.002-05:00

Jesus Christ, this water is delicious!!

Some Cool Links

2010-01-21T09:24:00.002-05:00

Just to share a few interesting sites:

Jwoww from the Jersey Shore is a Graphic Designer
- I should just give up now. She'll own the market in 6 months.

Best and Worst Logo Redesigns of 2009
- Not sure I agree with everything, but it's cool to see all the changes.
- I especially love that Kraft is on the Worst list twice.

Fooducate.com
- Great, great site. Check out the blog. I'll be using this a lot for the thesis.
- Check out their suggestions for nutritional label changes.

Why Have Kids

2010-01-19T13:12:00.004-05:00

Another great site with pictures of parents who should not be parents: whythefuckdoyouhaveakid.com.

A few examples:

The Beatles Visual Overview

2010-01-19T12:30:00.004-05:00

Here's a cool site that lays out every Beatles song chronologically by release displaying who wrote it and how much they contributed.

A few things to note:
- Paul had more hits, but I didn't realize how prolific John was!
- The only person missing is George Martin, their producer. No of the Beatles could read or write music, and those strings in Yesterday didn’t write themselves.
- These don't have every Beatles song ever (Hello, Little Girl), but who's counting?

My Thesis Topic

2010-01-07T22:00:00.002-05:00

I’ve found my thesis topic – nutritional labeling on food packaging. It’s everywhere and is an increasingly critical part of how people evaluate the foods they eat. How it's presented is critical in the perception of foods and nutrition in general. For such an important part of packaging, it is usually taken for granted.

I would like to do a comparative study of nutritional labeling design systems in 3-4 regions. I am hoping to have Prof. Benson help me set up the study; I took a class with him and got a good understanding of how I can make this work. I am thinking of selecting a country to represent the standards of the major global regions (these may change):
- North America: US
- Europe: Germany
- Asia: China
- Russia?, Australia? (not sure I need a fourth)

For each region, I will need to summarize the history of nutritional labeling to understand how the current systems came into being. From there, we can see where the differences are and what the implications may be. From there, I may need to do a review of some consumer campaigns that use this information to market foods.

I’m really excited about it! It channels my passion for the subject (i care about what I feed my kids, not myself) into something that can work in an academic setting. It is also relevant to my professional life in food packaging.

The best part about it is that I came up with it while sitting in a coffee shop in Amsterdam, staring at a bottle of soda, realizing that everything was just a little different. It was one of those rare ideas that is still good when sober.

I'm going to try to use the blog to capture ideas and information on the topic because, in reality, I've lost my passion for the blog. Brian is doing a good job keeping up, better than me. I'll keep trying, loyal readers.

Wish me luck.

Lilah in the Snowstorm

2009-12-22T17:15:00.002-05:00

Lilah and Daddy to a quick trip outside. She loved the snow, though she did not like the wind.

She wanted to make a snow angel but decided against it once she realized she’d have to lay down. Instead, she loved making glove prints with her mittens, extra emphasis on the “tt” (mitt – ens).

It was snowing so hard, the camera flash kept picking up the snow in front of the camera instead of Lilah.

We lasted out there about 12 minutes, which was enough to get us both covered. But it was really fun. The rest of the night, she kept saying “I love you, Daddy” out of nowhere. If only it could snow everyday.

Amsterdam, Day Three

2009-12-22T15:19:00.002-05:00

Woke up four hours later to force some breakfast down my throat and say bye to everyone. They were all going home, like I was supposed to before they asked me to attend a meeting in Paris on Monday. That meant an extra day in Amsterdam, could’ve been worse.

Got an early start and went to Richts Museum (which means riches, as in cultural riches) with friend who only had 2 hours. Learned all about the history of the country, the ion at the center of so many global issues. It’s amazing how influential such a tiny area has been. Rembrandt blew me away. Damn, he was good!! No one could compare.

Met up with Aimee, who was staying one more night, and went to the Anne Frank House. It was about the same size as my apartment. There was a chart to show how the girls had grown, just like my dad did. Made me realize that a) they had been there for 2 years, which is a long time, and b) they were a family.

Otto Frank ran a spices company, which shows the deep roots Holland still had to the spice trade (remember the Dutch East India Company)? They were arrested in August. Some of them made it to October, some December. The Mom died in February, the Sister in March. Anne had no one left, and died in April. The camp was liberated in May.

They had a moving video with Otto Frank, her father. He know she kept a diary, everybody did. She was a passionate writer. She asked them not to read the diary, and they didn’t. It was kept safe by a receptionist during the war. When he finally read the diary, he said it was a completely different Anne than he remembered, such bug thoughts she had never shared. He said, “it goes to show that most parents don’t really know their children.”

Took a long walk after that, trying to find new places in the city. Couldn’t find a cheap lunch spot for the life of me and started to get starving. Settled on the first place I saw and ordered a hamburger. The Dutch hamburger is four pieces of freshly grilled beef on top of 2 pieces of French bread with lettuces, cucumbers, carrots, and other fresh veggies and mayo. It was amazing! Had it with an orange fanta and was very happy.

Went to the main shopping area and bough black socks, because I had run out. Heller boys can never have too many socks. I wanted to buy gifts, but all that crap was so expensive. There was nothing purple or penguin related for Lilah, and I knew I’d get shit for getting Jack a $20 Amsterdam tee with a pot leaf on it (but it would have looked so cool on him!). Harley, I swear to God I looked all over for a gift, but we both know how that turned out (not good).

Bought a lighter for an entire euro and went to a coffeeshop. Lesson learned: always check the lighter before you buy it! Tried to get in touch with the London guys, who were there till 7pm. But they were all the way across town, and I was exhausted. Went back to the hotel and had an awful nap. I was lonely and missed my family. I was all alone and wasting the day in the hotel.

OMG - the TV was terrible. There were 5 channels, 3 of them in Dutch. Dutch is the ugliest language on Earth. I tried to watch a show about soccer and get a sense of the culture, but it was hard to listen to. Off putting, actually. The only options we had were to switch between the Travel Channel and BBC News. The Travel Channel had a show about hiking. Hiking, for real. This woman went around hiking and meeting people who had spent the last 6 months hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. BBC News it is! Did you hear about Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi getting it in the face? I got to watch the entire thing, live. I get some rest listening to Rift by Phish.

I get in touch with Aimee again, and we plan to go out for dinner together. Feel better now. We meet up in the lobby so I can check email. We meet this couple, who turn out to be Beth Hart, a successful R&B singer who tours Europe 8 months out of the year. Aimee knows her and talks to them while I check emails and drank my Grolsch. FYI, Grolsch is awful.

I finish my last joint on the walk to dinner. We pick what looks like a local place, very pub like. I get a beer and order the pork kebab (don’t ask me why), while Aimee gets the soup. I start fading before the food comes. I get my meal and I can’t eat it. Literally, I can’t force it down. Aimee lets me try her chicken soup, and the next thing I know it’s gone, wolfed down by a tired and stoned Jew in Amsterdam.

Back to the hotel, I pack and go to sleep at 9am to prepare for the 5am wake up call so I make the 6:16am train to Paris. I wake up to barrage of texts from Brian with updates on the Giants/Eagles game. Good brother, Brian! Sounds like I missed the game of the year, but at least we won.

Listened to David Bowie’s Hunky Dory 3 times in a row on the train. Paris was freezing, and I had 2 hours to kill. Went from café to café getting delicious coffee waiting for the team from London to show up. They do, and we go to an office park outside the city.

Have the meeting, where I manage to say 3-4 smart things about a project I know very little about. I'm the token American on the team. We then take the cab back to Garde Nord and then to the airport. I am so excited to be going home. Have a final meal and bye European chocolate (on the company of course) and settle in to the plane. I watch The Hangover and laugh my ass off. We land at 9:30pm local time, 3:30am my time.

The story ends with me exactly where I wanted to be, on the sofa, holding Jack, sitting next to Harley, who's holding Lilah. The End.

Amsterdam, Day Two

2009-12-22T14:46:00.000-05:00

Slept till 1:15pm. The NY office went for lunch, where I got an omlet (should have gotten the chicken sandwich). After that, we took a nice long walk around town.

Amsterdam is a cross between Brooklyn and Venice. The quaint brownstones are offset by scenic canals. The city is almost entirely a semi-circle, with all the canals arcing off the train station. The bridges can make getting around slow, but it’s beautiful and it always feels like there’s something around the next corner.

We made it to the Red Light District, which at 3pm is populated by women that look like the maid from “Flipped Out.” These were mature women. It’s just as quaint as everywhere else, just with women and more coffeeshops (which smell awesome).

Made it to a coffeeshop near the hotel and bought a joint. Over the counter weed = happy Andrew. The joints are mixed with tobacco, so I had to buy a “pure” joint. Kathryn and I had it while everyone else hung out. Man, that stuff is goooood. I decided then to write my paper on nutritional labels, doing a cross-cultural comparative analysis of the layouts to understand the meaning. Even the next day, it’s still a good idea.

After, we got french fries with ketchup and mayo. Then back to the hotel for a 2hr nap. Woke up, had some beer in the hotel lobby while everyone gathered for dinner. Tim and I went out with the London crew for dinner, where I shared a bunch of appetizers with Monica and Guy (from London).

After dinner, we were led through town by a Londoner who used to live in Amsterdam. He took us to all the tiny little streets where all the really beautful women are. The streets were so small, only 1 person could pass at a time. With traffic going in both directions, it got tense. You’re just standing there, right next to a barley naked woman who would be happy to have sex with you. Not an altogether unpleasant feeling.

Got in cabs to go back to the same area of town as last night. Blue Marlin owned the back space, where we kept drinking. The London guys went out for a cigarette, I joined them and had a joint (which come in handy little plastic travel cases). It was cold, but man was it fun.

Did I mention how cold it was the entire time? So cold. I didn’t have a hat and refused to pay 15 euros for one with a pot leaf on it. Did I mention how expensive everything was? Bottled water was 2.50 euro, around $4. I drank a lot of tap water.

A smaller crew went to another club and danced to loud, thumping music. Very surreal. There was a couple dancing very close but not so close it was gross. They looked very happy. Bex said “Who do they think they are?? I kind of want to be them!” I knew exactly what she meant.

After that, Tim, Parker and I went to Burger King. Fuck yeah, Burger King! We got a large shake to share, fries and whoppers, and perfect booth overlooking the square. One of the best fast food moments ever.

Made it back to the hotel and met up with the party, which was in one small hotel room. We hung out until 7am. I was falling down tired but laughing. Went back to the room and feel asleep happy. Then I realized I needed to extend my stay by one night and jumped out of bed to call reception. The typically gruff Dutchman on the phone told me I had to go down to the lobby to do do. Groggy, spinning, and not happy at 7:30am, I finally made friends with my pillow for a quick nap.

Amsterdam, Day One

2009-12-21T17:45:00.002-05:00

My company trip to Amsterdam was amazing. I really had the best time. Here are some quick highlights:

DAY ONE
Before the plane took off from JFK, we had time for a quick drink at the bar. I wanted a soda and a beer and couldn’t decide (that’s so unlike me!). Tim, a Brit, suggested a Shandy, which is a beer topped off with lemonade (we had to settle for Sprite). It’s a girly drink but it hit the spot.

There were 5 of us traveling on KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines). The plan was big, with rows of 3-4-3 and 1st class upstairs. But the back half of the plane was all cargo. Massive. Kathryn and I sat behind the 3 other guys, with a woman in between us. The woman offered to let me sit next to Kathryn, meaning I get the middle. I said no thank you. She flipped out and demanded another seat. In the end, we got a full row for just the two if us and were ecstatic.

I couldn’t sleep on the plane. I started to watch The Time Traveler's Wife. SPOILER ALERT: the guy dies. My biggest fear is that I don’t get to see my kids grow up, and that’s exactly what happens to him. Right after he dies, there’s a scene where his daughter climbs into bed with the mom and they snuggles, exactly the same thing that Harley and Lilah do. All I saw was my girls sad and me not there. I lost it. I couldn’t watch the rest and was fighting to keep hold, the same way I did when we watched Bridge to Terabithia (remember that, Brian?). I had to go to the bathroom and calm down while thinking to myself, what’s going on here? My mother’s father died young, and he had a daughter and a son, just like me. Anyway, that really, really sucked.

After that came some terrible Bollywood movie. Still no sleep, so I played Minesweeper and got a few minutes sleep here and there.

We landed at 11am local time, 6am my time. First thing we do is go to the closest Starbucks. I lead the way. “We come all the way to Europe and go to a Starbucks” can be interpreted in both a good and bad way. I got my bold roast with a shot of peppermint and was very happy.

Got to the hotel and took a walk through the flower market, which would have been amazing if I had any interest in flowers. I force the group of us to go to the first supermarket we seeing, and Albert Hein (a chain I know all too well from work). I love supermarkets, and all the different shapes, sizes, and products were way more exciting than they should have been. After that, I started saving little packs to take back home with me.

We had a lunch that we all struggled to stay awake through. Back to the hotel for a 2 hour nap before the company party. They had us all gather in the lobby. There, I met all the people in the London and Bath offices that I've spoken to but never actually met. It was exciting and fun.

At 5:30pm, a flurry of cabs took us from the hotel to a boat on the river for a short cruise, drinks, and dinner. We passed a hotel with a bicycle parking lot that was 3 stories high and must have had at least 1,500 bikes. No joke.

The party was fun. Open bar, 3 courses including lamb steaks (I had 2). They had a belly dancer as random entertainment. I got pulled up, along with 4 other guys. I did not want to go, but I could either be embarrassed while dancing or be the dick who refused to go up. I did what I had to do I think people appreciate that.

After the party, cabs to a club where we danced until 3am. I kept getting drinks but still have no idea who paid for them. Awesome. Spoke with the CFO of the company, not sure about what. After that, we met back at the hotel and went to another bar, a small gay bar where a guy unsuccessfully tried to steal Kathryn’s purse. Tim and Parker almost got into a fight, and we ended up swigging Hendricks Gin from the bottle in some one’s hotel room.

We finally shut down at 5:15 am, with the New York office setting the pace for the night. We planned to meet for a 10am breakfast. Yeah right.

What's The Weather Like Today?

2009-12-19T21:02:00.003-05:00

Two exciting things in this video.
1. Jack is standing like a champ (but not crawling) in his newly lowered crib.
2. Lilah is singing the weather song she learned at school. Harley and I are cracking up off camera.

Hey, Did Something Die On Your Face?

2009-12-03T18:23:00.004-05:00

I've been growing a beard. Yes, that's right. A Heller boy has facial hair, just like a REAL boy!

I always liked the idea of a beard. I could never stand the feeling for more than a day or two. About 3 weeks ago, I found that I preferred shaving every other day. I started thinking more about the beard.

You know how when you buy a new pair of shoes, you start to notice everyone else's shoes even more? Well that happened to me. I'd be the only guy in meetings without any facial hair. So many people around me have the 'cool guy' beard, I wanted one too.

Last Tuesday, I forgot to bring my razor with my to Philly for our Thanksgiving visit. I figured this was my shot. I had an excuse and several days out of the office to see it threw. I could always shave the Sunday before work.

It's itchy and blond. It makes me look like Spencer from Heidi & Spencer. Harley hates it. Brian hates it. Lilah wants it off. Jack seems ok with it, but who knows. But everyone at work likes it. The guys all have beards, so I think they may be a little biased.

Well, I made it to Friday morning, about 10 days. The itch got too much, and the hairs when I touched them. Plus, Harley said I couldn't have a certain something until I shaved. The beard didn't stand a chance.

I took these pictures this morning to memorialize the beard. It's not me at my best, but these powerful images will help us top never forget how much the beard gave to us for the short time it was here. A moment of silence, please...

This New York Magazine article here talks about the new trend among mean for facial hair. Basically, guys grow it because they can, because it makes them feel cool. 100% correct. I thought it looked cool on me. The only time I liked it was when I was in front of a mirror. It may look ugly, but believe it or not, beard = vain.

The Worst Poster Ever

2009-12-03T18:16:00.003-05:00

I take the same route to the subway every morning. I tried out a number of different paths when we first got to 80th Street. Over time, I determined that 1st Ave to 79th St to 78th St to 77th & Lex was the best.

The decision was based on a number of factors, such as:
- minimal volume of foot traffic
- time efficiency
- visual appeal of the route
- scenery
- timing of traffic lights

I do not like to deviate form the path in the mornings. On the way home, things ae much looser. I often try other routes, but not in the morning. I know what's the quckest (or at least feels like the quickest), and I take it.

There's a new poster up at a bus stop. I can't stand looking at it. It literally pains me to see these words together.

I forget it's there, somehow, and always get shocked by it. I cross the street before I hit it. I want to put black paint on it and erase it from my memory. As Jack grows, he looks more and more like this kid. GOD FORBID.

Who's Hungry?

2009-11-19T18:28:00.003-05:00

In Defense of Gay Marriage

2009-11-12T17:13:00.001-05:00

Here's a video of Phil Spooner, an 86-year-old WWII vet, testifying in support of marriage equality before the Maine legislature earlier this year. The most persuasive speech I've heard to date.

Great Muppets Bloopers

2009-11-11T15:05:00.001-05:00

hahahah

In Honor of the Troops

2009-11-11T11:58:00.003-05:00

Ok, that was terrible. But check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qIgVrOy9vM

It's the last scene from First Blood, the original Rambo movie. Man, that's a great movie. Stallone was an amazing actor, though you'd never know it. He brings a humanity to issues some veterans were facing (or at least the issues I was led to believe they were facing).

If you want proof that Stallone is a good actor, check this guy out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M20nW1xL7Lg

Did anyone else see the most recent Rambo? I loved it. LOVED. It was violent like Braveheart, in that it looked real. And the footage of the jungle was gorgeous. Plus, it wasn't weighed down with all the metaphorical issues that the second and third movies were. Very surprisingly good.

Oh Geez, Not Again

2009-11-09T17:44:00.002-05:00

I know what you want. Blogs about packaging!!!

I'm really into ginger ale. Harley got it free with Chinese food one night. I had the stroke of genius to mix it with Southern Comfort (my favorite booze) and haven't looked back since. Like I said, it tastes like an adult Shirley Temple.

Here's what the category looks like. Surprisingly, I think they all do a good job of making their product look unique. Canada Dry has just made a big push with new packaging; you might have seen the ads. A little busy, think I like the old one a little better. Seagram's looks old. Schweppes is my favorite, like the cleanliness and strong hit of color balanced by the bubbles.

Here's the new Breyers, next to the old. Harley doesn't like it, but I do. It looks fresh and updated. More feminine, but I'm ok with that. This was done at Sterling while I worked there and tested really well. Still, I'm a big nostalgic for the old one.

Here's what Chef Boyardee looks like in BJ's. Brand managers and design firms spend a lot of time trying to make these displays look great in the crappy club store environment. See how the images blend from one pack to the next? That's a wet dream in my world.

Stuff

2009-11-05T18:21:00.002-05:00

I'm sorry, everyone. I have not been in the mood to blog. Grad school is harder than ever since Jack came. I'd rather be home than reading or writing. I'm dreading my papers and the time away from the family they require. I'm having a hard I just need to get through this year, fast. Any time away from the wife and kids makes me upset.

I have been watching baseball. I am seriously into baseball right now. The Yankees were damn exciting. I feel great with the world series, but also a little dirty. Like, we pay $80 million more than any other team. No shit we won! It's winner's guilt.

Baseball is a simple sport, just like basketball or football or soccer. But the more you watch, the more you learn, the more you see the massive complexity involved. There is no time to think, only react. Some people are born to play, others (like me) are not.

Pitching is an art. Try to get this little ball past this guy with a stick. Simple, but difficult. Brian, you don't always throw strikes. You use the balls to get guys to swing when they shouldn't.

I voted against Bloomberg. didn't like that he blew the term limits, that he was listed in the Republican spot, or that he spent gazillions. Plus, I knew he'd win and felt more comfortable voting on principle since I didn't know what else to vote on.

Jack and Lilah started taking baths together. Jack sits in his baby bath, and lilah goes with it in the tub. I fill the water so they are both at the same level, and they play while facing each other. It's the cutest thing I ever saw. Last night, lilah was playing and splashed jack in the eyes. He started wailing, then she started. It was a chain reaction of tears that took 10 minutes to end. I tried to stop it, but it's power was overwhelming. It was sad but so, so funny.

My new favorite drink: Southern Comfort & Ginger Ale. It's very sweet, which I like, and the whiskey mixes with the ginger to give it almost a cherry feel. I call it a "Yankee Red," cause it's reddish and I made it up while watching the yankees.

Off to class...

Packaging No One Else Cares About

2009-10-29T18:29:00.002-04:00

Back To Nature's new look (old pack on the left, new on the right). Finally looks like a small company of granola eating, teva wearing hippies. I'd buy it! Guranateed the new, lo-fi look costs more than the old, fancy packaging.

The Retro Raisin Bran Packaging. No appetite appeal. Looks like it would taste like cardboard. But for some reason it's intriguing and I want it. Maybe it's because morning time is better when it feels like 1956!

The Trouble With Assumptions

2009-10-28T15:02:00.001-04:00

Two beggars are sitting side by side on a street in Rome. One has a cross in front of him. The other one the Star of David.

Many people go by and look at both beggars, but only put money into the hat of the beggar sitting behind the cross. A priest comes by, stops and watches throngs of people giving money to the beggar behind the cross, but none give to the beggar behind the Star of David.

Finally, the priest goes over to the beggar behind the Star of David and says: "My poor fellow, don't you understand? This is a Catholic country. People aren't going to give you money if you sit there with a 'Star of David' in front of you, especially when you're sitting beside a beggar who has a cross. In fact, they would probably give to him just out of spite."

The beggar behind the 'Star of David' listened to the priest, turned to the other beggar with the cross and said: "Sol, look who's trying to teach the Goldstein brothers about marketing."

What Day Is It?!?!?

2009-10-23T09:10:00.000-04:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

The Passion of the Yankees

2009-10-20T17:36:00.002-04:00

GO YANKEES!

2009-10-16T18:41:00.000-04:00

Thoughts on a Wednesday

2009-10-07T17:16:00.001-04:00

Lilah loves to open the refrigerator and get out what she wants, all by herself. She’ll run into the living room with a slice of cheese, the chocolate milk, pasta. One time she even brought us the Brita when she was thirsty.

The problem is that she leaves the refrigerator door open. I told her that she’s letting all the cold out and the penguins are going to come. What did she say next?
1. I see penguins!!
2. Oh, Daddy! That’s so silly.
3. Why? Why the penguins coming to my house?
4. I want chocolate milk.

When I come home from work, I have to pick Jack right up or he screams. When I do pick him up, he gets the biggest smile on his face, gets so excited and flaps his arms like a bird. So fucking cute.

We went to a wedding outside Raleigh/Durham. Turns out the Raleigh and Durham are twin cities. The wedding took place right in between them. That’s right, we spent the weekend in the taint of North Carolina.

The drive was good. Lilah got sick the morning on the way their but was such a good sport about it. We like long drives, but hour 8-10 is rough. I went straight to work and have been exhausted ever since.

I had to do a presentation on Goebbels and the Nazi propaganda machine. I should have prepared more, but I faked it pretty well. I just spewed all the useless knowledge that Brian had told me over the years and gave a quick history lesson. Finally, Brian’s blabbering came in handy.

Another Video of my Work Life

2009-10-07T14:00:00.001-04:00

Brian Loves Smoking

2009-10-07T10:16:00.001-04:00

Dust Storm in Sydney

2009-10-01T10:24:00.004-04:00

Around September 24th, 2009, there was a great dust storm in Sydney, Australia. The dust rolled in from the country side and blanketed the city for about 8 hours.

The dust was spectacular but cause a lot of damage. The most harmful aspect was the unkown amount of topsoil from farms across a huge swath of Australia. The dust so thoroughly blanketed everything in its path — clothes, cars, train seats — that the government promised to lift water restrictions, imposed because of a drought, so residents could clean their homes and vehicles.

Here are some pictures from my company’s Sydney office. Gives a first hand account and some amazing images of the Sydney Opera house.

Creepy But Clever Commercial

2009-09-25T15:55:00.000-04:00

Measuring Things

2009-09-24T11:29:00.003-04:00

The US should use the metric system. Inches are reeduckyouluss. Millimeters makes sooo much more sense. The UK has it right.

One thing the UK has it wrong on is the Celsius system. The difference between 21 and 22 degrees is too subtle. Fahrenheit rules.

I'm Back!

2009-09-23T13:23:00.002-04:00

Well, not really. The semester has started for both me and Harley. That means Harley isn't homemost nights so I need to watch the kids alone. Work got suddenly crazy, and since i have to get home on time, I need to use every second I have to get my sh!t done.

So I may be a less frequent blogger. It's not that I don't love you, I just need some space.

Here's a video to let you know I've been thinking about you. This would so happen to me.

Always Look At The Positive

2009-08-19T10:31:00.002-04:00

A Few Things

2009-08-19T10:17:00.002-04:00

Remember how I had a list of celebrities I don’t like? Here’s an update.

I don’t hate Bobby Flay. I think he’s kind of a tool. Years ago, I had a friend of a girlfriend that worked at Mesa Grill and said Bobby was mean, so I’ve always had that impression. But you have to be kind if a dick it build an empire, and he seems like he tries really hard, does good work and basically deserves the success he’s had.

Brad Pitt. Said he lost something since he got with Angelina. Not so sure anymore, meaning not so sure there was much there! He was on Bill Mahr this week and seems to be doing a lot of good in the world. Seems to genuinely love his kids, his wife, his job, and doesn’t let it all go to his. He’s funny too. He sits there with an almost-smug smile and cracks jokes that actually made me laugh. He does look a little deer-in-the-headlights but twinged with a confidence that says, “so what if I’m not a genius? I’m Brad Fucking Pitt. I don’t have to be.” Gotta respect that. Still thought he sucked in Benjamin Button.

Anthony Bourdain. Cocky douche. I’m pretty much not going to like anyone who acts like an ass when a judge on a cooking show.

Happiness = all laundry cleaned, folded, and put away. Ahhh...

I hearby give up on white-meat chicken. I cannot take the dryness, the blandness, it’s tendency to overcook and dry out too quickly. I need to lather in sugary sauce to make it palatable, which kind of defeats the purpose of why I’m eating it in the first place. Sorry, arteries, but you’re welcome salivary glands.

Check this out. It’s an online spreadsheet with every Phish show ever played and a link to download almost all of them. So awesome. Those guys lived the life, always touring, always getting bigger crowds, always writing better music. Fucking love that band.

I totally see how the Yankees are evil. They snatch up all the good players with their never-ending funds. The stadium is always full, their merchandise is sold everywhere, they have their own television network, and they are “America’s baseball team.” If I were an Oriole fan, I’d fucking hate them too. But the Yanks are a world unto their own. The Yankees played the Oakland A’s last night. The field still had the football lines on it. The upper deck was completely empty. But the A’s played really well despite the loss. It’s tough when one team has such a financial advantage. Thank God I married into the Yankees. It’s soo much easier.

Back to work...

What She Really Wants

2009-08-19T10:12:00.000-04:00

Harley works evenings, so I get to watch the kids 2-3 evenings alone. It can be great, it can be tough. Monday night, Lilah was very tired and cranky. She was promised ice cream, so I gave her a cone of danilla, her favorites, with rainbow sprinkles that was had to search for before coming home.

She was eating very nicely when her cone broke. She said she needed a new cone, though the ice cream was all gone. I said no. WWIII ensued. “I don’t want you! I want Mommy! Noooo!!” She wanted to take the verboten 7pm nap and ran into her bed room and onto her bed.

Put Jack down with Baby Einstein and rushed in to keep her up. She was crying, tears all her face, snot streaming down her face, with ice cream still stuck in her hair. Things were not looking good, and I was getting upset.

So what do I do? I ask her how her day was. She stop crying, looks at me and says, “good.” What else did you do today? She gave me a 7 minute answer. I don’t remember what she said, but she said it with such enthusiasm, so cute! She was instantly in a better mood.

After that, I brought Jack into the bedroom and we all played nicely for the rest of the night. Guess all she needed was special attention. (Now, you all should know what comes next.) JUST LIKE MOMMY!!

Some Sports Stuff

2009-08-11T13:38:00.002-04:00

1. Michael Vick should be allowed to play in the NFL, if a team wants him.

Yes, he was convicted of organized dog fighting, a despicable and disgusting crime. He has been vilified in the media, humiliated across the country, and will never be respected like he once was. It will haunt him for the rest of his life. But he served his time and paid his debt to society, as determined by our legal system. He should be allowed to play.

The question is who wants him. What team would take a convicted and disgraced felon? The answer is any losing team that wants a talented quarterback to help him win. I think he’ll go to Detroit or Kansas City.

2. Hank Basket got hurt today.

Yes, Kendra’s hank. Not good for the Eagles or E!. I don't even know who else we have. But I'm still in baseball mode right now. Speaking of which...

3. I don’t understand why people get angry at the Yankees’ for having the highest payroll in MLB.

Yes, it’s massive, but it’s sustainable for them. It’s a build on years and years of success. I don’t know much about the team, but there’s something strange (to me) with complaining about a winning team’s ability to pay for star players. Sour grapes, anyone?

Besides, a team of stars doesn’t always win. Their massive payroll didn’t help them win any games earlier this season. What good did us do then? Baseball is a business. You don’t complain about the guys who can spend the money. You prove that money doesn’t matter. Hasn’t anyone seen Major League?

Maybe some one can give me some insight on this matter. Perhaps a certain Blue Jays fan might have some feelings on this subject...

How To Get Fired From Facebook

2009-08-10T11:37:00.002-04:00

Never forget who's reading your posts!

By the way, I love my job and everybody I work with.

Keep Walking

2009-08-07T17:34:00.002-04:00

If you have 6 minutes, watch this new ad for Johnnie Walker:

It tells the story of the brand (and the pack) in a very engaging way, and will make you want to go to Scotland and drink a lot.

I don't usually promote ads, especially not long ones, but this one is awesome. And I've been to those Scottish hills (or at least been near them), and they are even cooler in person.

Here's an interview with the director. It looks effortless but it took 40 takes, and this was done at 8pm on the last day of the shoot.

I didn't realize what an amazing actor Robert Carlyle is. The whole thing is dependent on him keeping you engaged. A cool question & answer:

What was the most challenging element of the job?
By 5pm on day one we hadn't managed to do one complete take. We therefore had nothing. We soon worked out that the reason for this was the huge bank of TV's which we'd placed 2 meters in the wrong position. Robert was having to slow down his walking and speed up his talking in a way that was artificial and was throwing him. There was nothing we could do but rebuild the TV's which meant wrapping and staring again the next day having achieved nothing on the first day. The following morning there were a lot of anxious faces and murmurings of "fixing it in post". Then Robert turned up and did the very first take of the day in one. As I said - the man's a genius.

What Gets Me Through The Night

2009-08-07T17:19:00.001-04:00

Magazines at Reception

2009-08-07T16:46:00.003-04:00

I visit the design office of a global personal care products company. I expect to see the typical boring magazines. BrandWeek. AdWeek. Business Week. Blah Blah Weekly.

Instead, I see these:

Instinct (let's be loud - let's be proud)
Mountain Bike

Sure, this might be what I'd expect under my brother's mattress, but not at a major company! Of course, there offices were in Chelsea...

Guys on a Truck

2009-08-07T09:32:00.004-04:00

On my way to work, I saw a big truck with saw horses to be used for crowd control. There were two guys standing on the truck to keep them there. They weren't strapped in, and even if they were, would they be able to stop all those pieces of heavy wood from falling without getting crushed in the process?

What are they thinking! They should tie them down properly before they get on the road. They probably shouldn't be on the open back of a truck either. Some one should call the cops!

Oh wait...

Unsung Hero of the Day

2009-08-06T16:13:00.002-04:00

John Cazale, Fredo from the Godfather movies.

He appeared in only five feature films in his career, and all of them were nominated for Best Picture.

He was friends with Al Pacino since they were teenagers. Al Pacino, referred to Cazale as his "acting partner", the guy he could've acted with his entire life.

He won lots of Off-Broadway Obie Awards before making it into movies. Pacino invited him to audition for the role of Fredo. Unlike most of the casting of the film, he easily won his the part in thanks to a good audition and little competition for the role.

Francis Ford Coppola was impressed with his performance and wrote a much bigger and central role for the sequel, in which shares the screen for a classic scene in American cinema.

Friend Al Pacino requested him to audition for the role of Sal in Dog Day Afternoon (1975). Director Sidney Lumet was unsure, with Cazale not being anything like the real-life counterpart (the real Sal was eighteen, while Cazale was in his late thirties). Cazale immediately won over the part with the audition.

His final film, The Deer Hunter (1978), was filmed while he was ill with bone cancer. He became engaged to his co-star, Meryl Streep, whom he met when they both appeared in the New York Public Theater's 1976 production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure.

The studio was unaware of his condition, but the director knew. Cazale was weak and needed to film his scenes first. When the studio discovered he was suffering from bone cancer, they wanted him removed from the film. His co-star and fiancé, Meryl Streep, threatened to quit if he was fired. He died shortly after filming was completed.

Google Maps Finds the Highlander

2009-08-06T15:03:00.003-04:00

Click here. Give it a momment to bring up the street view.

It looks just like any random street in any random town.

But Google chose to get a street view on this particular street, on this particular day at this particular time, as a legendary battle ensued.

They even blurred out their faces!!

There can be only one.

Fatty Boombalatty, Part. 2

2009-08-06T14:31:00.004-04:00

In keeping with today's theme, here's another gem: www.fancyfastfood.com.

This guy takes cheap, easy fast food and shows ways to transform it into a gourmet-looking meal. Crazy stuff. My boss's friend did this, and the guy's in talks about a book and maybe a TV show. I'd watch it!

Boston Krème Brûlée & Fruit Tart (Fancy Dunkin’ Donuts)

All made from Dunkin Donuts. The creme brulee is made from the Boston Creme filling.The tart shell is made the donut shells in the food processor, and the tart filling is from strawberry donuts.

Wendy’s Napoleon (Fancy Baconator Combo)

Take a Wedny's Baconator. Put the meat into a food processor and make a paste. Do the same with the bun and the fries. Cut off the bottom of the fry cup (it's circular) and use it as a mold to create alternating layers of meat and fries/buns. Reduce the Coke by boiling it to make the sauce. Cut the bacon into tiny bits and use as garnish.

Here are some other ones. I won't explain how to make them because I'm lazy.

Dao Mi Noh Chow Mein (Fancy Domino’s Pizza)

Spicy Chicken Sushi (Fancy Popeyes Chicken)

Tacobellini (Fancy Burrito Supreme)

Fatty Boombalatty

2009-08-06T14:26:00.004-04:00

I had McDonald's for lunch. A 10-nugget meal. Opted for the more healthy Dr. Pepper instead of a milkshake. Now I'm sleepy. But that's nothing compared to these, all found on thisiswhyyourefat.com:

Corn Corn
Corn on the Cob on a stick, covered in corn dog batter and deep fried.

Corn Dog Pigs In A Blanket
Fried corn dogs wrapped in American cheese and biscuit dough.

The Rubix Cubewich

The Hurler Burger
A burger topped with Easy Cheese in a jelly donut.

The Uruguayan Chivito
A roast beef sandwich with lettuce, tomato, cheese, basil garlic mayo, hard boiled egg, pickles, red peppers, green olives, onions, ham, and bacon on a white bread bun.

Daily Quiz

2009-08-05T16:23:00.004-04:00

Is this a picture of:

A) the face of the monster from Little Shop of Horrors
B) the head of a giant sandworm from Dune
C) a football
D) stitching from a leather sofa
E) Andrew, get back to work!

Not So Manic Monday

2009-08-03T17:32:00.007-04:00

I watched Beowulf this weekend. Yeah, that Beowulf, that has Angelina Jolie and looks like a cross between animation and real actors. It was amazing. AMAZING. I loved it. Watched it twice just to see the monster again. I didn’t know the story but now want to read the original poem. I highly, highly recommend it. It’s directed by Robert Zemeckis, the same guy who did Forrest Gump, Back to the Future, and a bunch of other classics. AMAZING!! Good story told really well. It’s on Showtime, DVR it.

I also watched The Hulk with Ed Norton. Did it in 30 minutes on fast forward. Did not need to waste that much time.

We had a family stay-night on Friday, since it was raining. Lilah helped me finish a pint of Ben & Jerry’s (Cinnamon Buns flavor). After that, she and I had a sugar rush and wrestled on my bed. We then took an hour-long shower/bath. Here's my little princess:

I’ve been bonding with Jack pretty hardcore. He just looks at me and smiles. How could anyone resist? He loves kisses, gets a huge smile when you put your face anywhere near his. I can’t help but smooch. Does that make me gay? (The answer is no. Not until he’s older, maybe 6 or 7. Then it’s creepy)

Update on my iPod games:
- I shot the moon in Hearts.
- I beat all boards on iBomber.
- I got over 2,000 on Rope & Fly.
- I got 66 on Flight Control.
- I beat Minesweeper on expert.
BRING IT ON!!!
- I choose not to play Flood on Expert, cause it sucks.

Any other game suggestions? All the ones listed above have become tiresome, though still addictive.

I love having a job where I can take the time to write a blog post, that the world so desperately needs. I’m also wearing jeans and sneakers. I came in shorts (the subway is hot!) and would have kept the shorts on, but my muscular calves were getting the ladies too excited. Completely understandable.

On the subway this morning was the first time I got excited for my upcoming class. It’ll (hopefully) be my last Fall semester at NYU, and my final official class to earn my Master’s. In the Spring, I’ll write my thesis which should get me out of taking a class. I will miss it, but a class and thesis is no joke. Will be a long year. After this, my higher education days are done for a looong time. I’m going to get a house, start a band, and convince Harley that 2 kids is the perfect amount so I have more time for the band and yard work.

Boxing is officially boring compared to Ultimate Fighting. Baseball is much, much more exciting in person than on TV. Went to a game with Harley and her friend Rich from Louisville, KY. Had the best seats and the best time. Got seriously drunk on the best tasting Heineken ever.

It was so hot I had to buy a baseball cap. Now I suddenly love this Yankees cap and wear it whenever I can on the weekend. Sure, it’s uncomfortable, gets really hot, makes me look like I’m 12, and every other dad on the Upper East Side is wearing the same exact hat. But I love it. Go Yanks.

JEN SIMON, DON’T READ THIS

Lilah is peeing on the potty. Like a champ! She woke up last night to go pee instead of going in her pull ups. HUGE!! If only poops met the same fate.

You don’t know this, but there is an epidemic sweeping the nation’s toddlers: Wonder Pets Cupcakes. There’s a commercial on Noggin, and it’s all Lilah can talk about, she and many other toddlers. But it’s not just buying these things, you have to make them. It’s work! We told her no Wonder Pets cupcakes until you go poopy on the potty. We’re all still waiting.

Cool Video & Andrew's Musical History

2009-07-30T12:23:00.003-04:00

A design intern at work created this video for a pitch. It takes a Skid Row song and uses the words to create images. It's is really cool and only 95 seconds long:

Who knew Skid Row was still around?!? They reformed without Sebastian Bach and are still going strong. Good for them. I loved their first album. I won a contest when I was a C.I.T. (counselor in training) at Willow Grove Summer Day Camp and got that album as a prize. I listened to it every day and eventually wore out the tape.

After that, I bought Motley Crue's Dr. Feelgood, the album that made me want to play guitar. I didn't want to tell my Mom I bought the album, cause I thought she'd be unhappy that I bought a heavy metal. I wore that album out too, started playing guitar and never stopped.

The next big album for me was Pearl Jam's 10, about 3 years later. Wore that one out also. Decided to grow my hair long. Big stuff for little Andrew. After Pearl Jam (sophmore year of high school) came Phish (freshman year of college). Then came the Beatles soon after.

Has anyone heard the remixed 10 they just released? Awesome stuff! Get it here. I hadn't been able to listen to 10 for years, brought back too many memories. But this remix sounds fresh and exciting, reminds me of being 16. I realized that the original 10 was mixed to sound like Mother Love Bone and the Seattle rock sound the dominated before grunge really hit. I hate that sound, wet with reverb. The new mix is much more like the later Pearl Jam albums and strangely sounds more like Pearl Jam that the original.

The Montauk Monster

2009-07-30T12:18:00.003-04:00

Anybody remember the Montauk Monster? It was a strange creature that washed ashore at the end of Long Island last summer.

Well, now it's back. They found something like it in Canada. Here are the pictures of the live thing:

They think it's a bald raccoon, an increasingly common creature. Weird, but I do love a solved mystery.

Randon Thoughts When I Should be Working

2009-07-21T16:33:00.005-04:00

Has anyone else been as into True Blood as me? I didn’t think I’d like it, but every time I watch it I get sucked in. It’s really fun and really well written. Did anyone else see the most recent episode where we find out how Eric became a vampire 1,000 years ago? Was that not awesome?!?

The Abrevaya-Hellers had a great vacation. Jack is the cutest little guy. Lilah is potty training. Not great, but it’s going! We went to Montreal for the day. Went Blueberry picking, canoeing, to the beach, flew kites, and did a lot of hanging around. Very nice. I find I’m the happiest when the 4 of us are out on a trip together, just hanging out.

I really bonded with Jack this trip. Maybe it had something to do with Lilah wanting only Mommy and Mimi, but the boys spent a lot of time together. Every time he smiles, I melt. he emotions are physical as much as mental; it feels like I love him. It’s so strong, I feel like I’m being tricked by nature so I’ll take care of him. It is working.

I didn't do any reading at all. No heavy academic work. No light smut. Just vegged. I am so not looking forward to going back to school this semester. Not at all . It's my last year. Hopefully, I'll have a Fall class and then write my thesis in the Spring. Thesis = no actual class = happy Andrew. After that, I am done with higher education for a LONG time. Maybe forever.

It’s the 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing today. Yes, Google told me that. You look back and realize how amazing an accomplishment it is. The complexity of a moon landing is easy to underestimate. With the Internet, wifi, TiVo, and baked potato chips, it’s easy to forget how we’re just standing on the shoulders of genius work from 40 years ago.

We went to Vanessa and John's daughter's baby naming. She's named Gracie, but now she has a Jew name too. After the naming, they had a pool party. I took Lilah in the water. Though timid at first, she did not want to get out. She hung on my neck for an hour in the pool. It was so awesome. I wasn't into NJ so much. But then I fell asleep on a sofa by the pool, listening to the wind blow the trees. I could get to like NJ (despite the previous chart I posted).

Here are pictures from Apollo 11, which I found on the official site. Check out the mission summary and see how planned out, how matter-of-fact the hole experience can seem. They were army guys. Buzz Aldrin said he felt no fear, no excitement. He had a mission to fulfill, and emotion gets in the way. That said, they were supposed to sleep once they landed but were too excited and went out for a walk right away.

This is the Apollo 11 landing site. You can see the lunar lander to the right of the center. It looks like another crater.

Math is Fun

2009-07-21T16:25:00.005-04:00

The Deadliest Blog

2009-07-09T13:36:00.002-04:00

Here's an awesome blog about Deadliest Catch. It's from a producer on board the Cornelia Marie. Really cool to get an insider's look. The is not a job for me.

Celebrity

2009-07-08T16:23:00.002-04:00

There are not many celebrities that I hate. Here are the ones that I do.

Billy Bob Thornton
Bobby Flay- smug, ginger, tool
That weird blonde guy on Fox News, you know the one who looks/acts gay but isn’t cause he’s on Fox News. Anyone know who I'm talking about?
Johnny Depp – oooh, I hate that guy
Let me get back to Billy Bob. That asshole redneck was so stubborn that he made Swingblade twice, and got lucky when it turned out to be really good. He'd been married 6 times. Douche. And now he has a band and doesn’t let people ask about his movies while doing his music interviews. As if he’d have any music interviews if he weren’t douche bag Billy Bob.
Brad Pitt – don't hate him, he just wierds me out. Seems like he’s no longer in control of his own life. I might me the same way, in his situation. He is way overrated as an actor, though.
Danny Bonaduce – a geeky fat kid that grew up to be a bully
Tom Sizemore – don't do drugs on TV and expect me to like you
Lee Scott, President and CEO of Wal-Mart
Martin Lindtstrom, self-claimed branding guru

People I should hate but don’t:

Bill O’Reilly – he plays his character well
Rush Limbaugh – Pity
Bill Mahr – he’s self serving, pompous, and talks to much. But he is God damn funny, and I agree with most everything he says.
Nancy Grace - still on the fence with this one.

That’s it for now.

Organic or Not?

2009-06-29T13:13:00.002-04:00

Here is an awesome article that prioritizes which fruits and vegetables you should purchase organic, including details on why.

For example, you should buy organic potatoes because they grow in the ground and have thin skin and therefore soak up all the pesticides. Bananas, on the other hand, grow high up and a have a thick skin and should be fairly well protected.

Cool stuff to help you save a little bit of cash while eating healthy. You're welcome, Mary. :)

Sharpton on Jackson

2009-06-26T17:49:00.002-04:00

Harley went crazy with the MJ coverage last night. I just happened to pay attention long enough to see Al Sharpton talk about him. Al is good!

He makes you realize how much of a social force Michael Jackson was. Makes you remember that at one time he was rightfully so the most popular entertainer in the world. Almost made me miss him.

But still, poor Farrah Fawcett!! Some one should do a paper on how quickly she got bumped from the news. Who could that some one be?!? (Jen Simon, you up for it in the Fall?)

The New Silk Plus

2009-06-26T17:10:00.009-04:00

Here's the old Silk Plus:

Here is the redesign of the Silk Plus line, which has Omega 3 for added nutrition. It no longer has the Plus but the differentiation is much clearer. They haven’t touched the base line, but I would assume that is coming to match this new design.

Silk is owned by a large, national company called Dean Foods, the country’s largest processor and distributor of dairy products. This is a massive company with a strong grip on the dairy industry.

Almost every brand out there has a behemoth company behind them, making sure the product is profitable. I'm all for successful business, but the more I learn about the food industry, the more I get the heeby jeebies. Bad things happen when business gets an unhealthy level of control on how the food is made. Branding is good, but it only goes so far. Then they look to cut costs on the "product." Capitalism must be checked.

More to come on this as I write my thesis.

Picture of the Day

2009-06-26T09:29:00.005-04:00

On June 12th, just as Russia's Sarychev Peak volcano was erupting for the first time in 20 years, the International Space Station flew directly overhead. Astronauts had their camera ready and snapped one of the most dramatic Earth-science photos ever taken from space:

Researchers are studying this rare photo to learn about the early stages of powerful volcanic eruptions. A few phenomena stand out:

(1) The volcano erupted with such force, the plume actually punched through the atmosphere. Note how clouds around the volcano have parted in a circular ring--that is a result of a shock wave produced by the upward blast.

(2) The plume is a mixture of brown ash and white steam. A "dirty thunderstorm" complete with lightning could be in progress within the roiling cloud.

(3) The smooth white bubble on top of the plume is probably a mass of water condensing from air shoved upward by the rising ash column.

All thanks to Spaceweather.com.

The Super Market

2009-06-25T09:49:00.003-04:00

We took a family trip to Stew Leonard's. Everybody loved it. The produce was great, cheap, and beautiful. The aisles snaked around like a maze, with plenty of samples along the way.

They had a guy dressed in a cow suit for the kids. Lilah did NOT want to say hello to the cow, but she pointed to every cow in the store from there after. Their logo is a cow, so we saw a lot of cows. On the way home and for days after, she kept saying that she wanted to see the cow, to talk to the cow on the phone. It became a bovine obsession.

They had "naked" beef (no additives, nothing artificial) on sale. I stocked up on porterhouses for $6.99 a pound and am going to have my first one tonight. Mmm...

What could have been the best part was the special parking that we qualified for. I love it when things work out.

P.S. I am an excellent parallel parker. I may have failed it on my first driver's test (not the second), but my time in NYC has taught me well. I fit into a tight, tight space on Sunday night and could not have asked for a better Father's Day present. Well, I could have asked but I didn't.

Love to Hate John and Kate

2009-06-24T17:57:00.000-04:00

Ah, John & Kate. How sad you make me. I resisted watching your show for years, YEARS!! It felt like a violation of your privacy that you (understandably) allowed for financial gain. I finally get interested when the cracks started to show. I liked seeing the caring family beneath it.

Now, it appears that the show has caused the dissolution of the entire reason I watched in the first place. You may say the show didn’t have anything to do with it, but come on. The show was and remains an intrusion into your world. It opens up the family to the world’s eyes and judgment. That cannot be healthy.

Jerry Springer always has his final word at the end of the show where he takes the ridiculousness of the previous 58 minutes and makes sense of it in a rational way. After one show about cheating husbands or something, he said something that always stuck with me. When you have an affair, you’re violating more than the trust of your spouse. You’re violating the intimacy of your marriage. You’re allowing another person into the sacred space supposed to be shared by just 2 people. Once that breakdown, it is very difficult to get back.

In many ways, the show was there affair. The cameras/audience became another member of the family, and (I’m guessing) somehow got in between them. They grew apart, if not because of the show them maybe a little faster than if they bickered like a regular couple (love you, Harley!).

Looks like John had an affair, got a taste of life after Kate+8 and got intoxicated. He ran to the light without really thinking about the consequences. Kate got my sympathy last night, but she had her role in all of this. We’ve all seen how she treated him like the 9th kid over and over again. That behavior doesn’t go unpunished.

It makes me sad. It makes me want to stop watching the show. And I will stop watching. Maybe I’ll start watching again once the show comes off hiatus. I will definitely watch it, cause I am a bastard and love gossip even though I hate it.

Zen Soy Makes Me Happy

2009-06-12T16:15:00.002-04:00

This brand keeps getting better. You might have seen previous blogs about Zen Soy, our preferred soy milk (it's the best chocolate soy milk by far). The old design is to the left.

Their quarts now have this cool waves built into the side of the carton. This is a relatively easy but cool way to get your brand to stand out. Sure beats changing the formula, which can costs millions in R&D! Expect more simple packaging changes in the future.

The Coolest Rake Ever

2009-06-11T11:00:00.005-04:00

My father-in-law has this. It has an adjustable, central stablizing rod (my term) that lets you keep the teeth small and tight for rocks, and then opens up wide to better gather leaves. Awesome stuff.

Closed for rocks

Open for leaves

The New Formula 409

2009-06-09T15:20:00.003-04:00

It's on the left. I don't like it. Looks thin and weak, not industrial. The color isn't as bold and doesn't stand out. But the copy is much more well organized.

Working With Clients in a Recession

2009-06-05T17:34:00.001-04:00

The Funniest Story

2009-06-01T17:12:00.002-04:00

Had the best weekend. Lilah went peepee on the potty - twice! Had some great time with the kids on Saturday night and a family walk and picnic in Central Park on Sunday night. It had been a long time since we got to spend real quality time, so it felt great.

I got into a little argument with a cop while trying to cross the Israel Day parade on Sunday. He didn't like that I crossed after he said stop. I said I couldn't stop because the stroller was already in the street. He again said he wasn't happy ("Not cool, man"). I said "What should I do? I got the stroller!". He asked for ID.

FYI - the new stroller sucks. It's heavy and is harder to steer than a boat. But it holds 2 kids and is the best of a bunch of bad options.

Anyway, I finally pull the boat to the side after weaving through the crowd, hand him my ID and apologize. He was pissed that I didn't respect his authority, so that was the first thing I did. He looks at me struggling with the stroller, and I can tell he's going to let me off. Things will be fine, let me just talk this thing through and we'll be on our way.

I tell him my wife and I had been arguing and I lost my temper. (Harley had been cross examining me, like the good lawyer she is, and it was not fun.) At that exact moment, she jumps in between the cop and me all tough and says, "Is there a problem officer?" I ask her to back off.

Again she says, "What did he do, officer?" He says, "What are you, his lawyer?" She says, "Yes, I am." I turn to him and say, "See?? That's the problem!!" We laughed about that for a good hour.

Logo Design

2009-06-01T17:01:00.003-04:00

Here's an awesome article about the evolution of the corporate identity from a cold, strark treatment to a more friendly, bright look. When the going gets tough, corporate America gets soft.

And here are some new Coke bottles.

Sorry if this is boring, but it's what I do.

Looking Good, Miracle Whip!

2009-05-26T15:21:00.003-04:00

Kraft is at it again! Following other Kraft brands like Triscuit and Wheat Thins (featured previously on this blog), they’ve redesigned your favorites “salad dressing.”

Type is different but has same personality as the original. There’s a lot less blue but the accent lines around the new logo connect it to the old. It has a much more natural look overall.

Not sure why the All Out Squeeze is smaller. I guess they think people already know the new bottle is All Out Squeeze. Guess again, Kraft. Consumers are not paying attention unless there’s a coupon.

Expect more new things in the condiment section. People are staying home more, cooking more, and are therefore using more condiments. These items are staples, and people are more likely to buy private label brands for commodities (e.g. “it’s just mustard, why pay more?”). National brands have to work harder to keep up with private label and justify their price point.

I don’t care what Brian says, this is important. Companies are making these decisions that affect how much you’ll pay at the store. These massive food companies have enough control over our food supply as it is. Don't let complacency put you at their mercy. An informed consumer is a powerful consumer.

Seriously, who else is gonna tell you this stuff?!?

Jon & Kate Again

2009-05-20T09:06:00.004-04:00

I watched it again last night. I enjoyed it. But not for the right reasons! I felt sorry for them. My emotions went from “Wow, my life is so much better than theirs!” to “Aww, that might be nice” right back to “Better you than me.” It feels sadistic, voyeuristic, and exploitative. Yes, I will be watching it again.

I was shocked at how upset Jon is with Kate. He was talking about his trainer at the gym and how she is nicer than Kate. She laughed, but he was very serious and made sure she knew it. He does not think his wife is very nice and was letting the entire viewing public know. She seemed not that happy but resigned to it. It was uncomfortable to watch yet makes me want to keep watching!

What in the world would have made me want to watch this show again?!? What could it have been? Hmm...

Well done, PR person who's exploiting the rough patch in their marriage. Well done.

No shit their marriage is twisted!!! They have 8 fucking kids!! The TV show created this myth of a family that may have it hard a few times but is ultimately happy. The only way it works is if it looks like deep down they are really happy. Otherwise, it's a creepy look into dysfunction where the kids end up suffering.

These tabloids are exploiting that myth. Doesn't help that Jon went out with that woman, but it's still sad. I want to believe the myth. I'm sure they have moments of joy alongside moments of frustration, just like most marriages. Too bad theirs is publicized.

I still think they'd cancel the show and leave the public spotlight if they weren't desperate for the money. Kate is quoted as saying "small inconveniences now for big rewards later" in People.

I hope they stay together. The kids need it, and it could be a bigger nightmare if they try to do it each on their own. But if Nick and Jessica are any gauge, they are in trouble.

Lost Spoilers

2009-05-14T13:39:00.003-04:00

If you didn't watch it, don't read.

Here are my theories, developed with the help of Lostpedia and this lady:

- The statue is an Egyptian god, probably built by people Jacob had brought to the island before. It is likely a god of fertility, which is ironic because no babies are born on the island (since the energy was tapped into by the Dharma initiative). Coincidence? Hell no.
- The ship we see at the very beginning is the Black Rock, the old washed ashore sailing ship we’ve seen in previous seasons
- The man Jacob is talking to is the island’s “advisor” at the time, and Richard Alpert’s predecessor.
- Richard comes to the island on the Black Rock and replaces that man as the advisor
- That man, or at least his spirit, becomes the smoke monster. He is continuing his battle with Jacob, waiting to find the loophole that will let him kill Jacob.
- The smoke monster uses Locke to take human form. That's why the island "talks" to him. Ben is the loophole.
- Lostpedia says it's not Lock, but the monster. If so, did the monster change it's form form Lock to smoke in order to "judge" Ben in the temple?
- Part of me thinks it is Locke, though he does not know he is being manipulated. (It's like Bladerunner, where the robots don't know they are robots. In all his flashbacks, we see a sad, easily manipulated man who trusts to easily.) Why should now be any different?
- Lostpedia call the man Jacob's Enemy. The show's casting sheets call him Samuel. In the Bible, Jacob's brother, with whom he has a tenuous and sometimes antagonistic relationship, is named Esau.
- The hydrogen bomb was always meant to go off. It’s what starts the whole “push the button” thing. Once again, Jack listens to his instincts and ends up regretting it. ("We’re going to be rescued!" becomes "We have to go back!") Sadly, I understand exactly how he feels.
- The bomb and the electromagnetic energy react to send all our lead characters back to the present. Expect a tearful reunion between Sun and Jin. The first question I hope Jin asks Sun is “It's great to see you honey, but where’s the baby?!? How could you leave our child?”
- Ilana asks, "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" Richard replies in Latin, "He who will protect/save us all."
- Surprise!! Juliet is not dead.
- I hope to God we do not see Walt again. Let it go, producers!! The only cool way to bring him back is if he replaces Richard as the island’s advisor. But let’s face it; they would never give that job to a black guy. (I’m just kidding!!)
- Before Jacob "dies" (yeah, right), he says "they are coming." the obvious answer is Ilana and her crew. I'm guessing it's something we have yet to see in the show, something they'll throw in at the end of next season. Only Brian will get this, but it's just like what the Honored Matres are running from at the end of the Dune books (fyi: it was Ominus). We don't know until it's already here.

Other general reactions:

- Still feel like they left too many questions unanswered, which is my biggest complaint. Love that the foot played such a big role!!
- Gunfights on Lost are a joke. The actors look like 12 years olds making guns with the hands. I laughed every time
- I got annoyed at the old couple living together; I even blocked out their names. I know they wanted to 'live in peace' but sometimes you need to sacrifice that for other people. I thought they were unreasonably selfish.
- Juliet was wicked annoying the entire show. I had flashbacks of my “girlfriend” in 7th grade. But her goodbye to Sawyer was sad. She was the only one Jacob did not visit.
- 2010 is a LONG time to wait.