Too Venal for Words category archive
The Silence Treatment 0
At Above the Law, Joe Patrice notes Donald Trump’s lawyer attempts to silence Tony Schwartz, Trump’s Art of the Deal “co-writer.” A snippet:
But I digress.
In any event, Greenblatt’s letter is as brash as his client, demanding millions for defamation and being “very disloyal.”
Patrice proceeds to delight in Schwartz’s lawyer’s response. Follow the link and enjoy.
First Things First 0
Priorities matter.
As he walked out of court , Shkreli had something more pressing on his mind. He asked his lawyer: “Can I play Pokémon Go now?” according to a New York Daily News reporter who overheard the question.
Comment Is Free-for-All 0
Samantha Bee reads on-line comments she has received. (Warning: NSFW.)
In related news, Guardian staffers discuss The Guardian’s experiences with on-line comments. It’s not pretty.
Virtual Unreality 0
This looks like a clear case of date-and-switch:
The existence of the fembots – fake profiles used to keep men on the “Life is short, have an affair” forking out funds in case they got lucky – was revealed after the infamous hack of the site. . . .
At its worst, the site was accused of having just 1 per cent of “real women” among its members: the rest of its female profiles were fembots.
Mail Bagman 0
No doubt you’ve seen stories about Donald Trump’s campaign soliciting money from foreign politicians (which directly violates US law, by the by).
Now comes Driftglass with the text* of one of those emails.
_________________
*Purported text, to be accurate.
Nor Any Drop To Drink, Reprise 2
Retail beverage bottled water is a con and a scam.
It is one of the pettest of my pet peeves.
H/T to reader James for the image.
The Hollow Men* 0
I believe I’ve mentioned before in these electrons that the decay of our society accelerated when everything became “a brand.” Emphasizing “branding” ipso facto is fascination with flackery, admiration of appearances, worship at the holy of hollowness.
At Psychology Today Blogs, Dale Hartley skewers the notion of “personal brands.” A snippet:
__________________
*With apologies to T. S. Eliot.
A Quantum of Justice 0
Shaun Mullen points out that it’s about damned time.
A Matter of Time 0
Portland, Maine, has come out with a new logo which states that Portland was founded in 1633, despite it’s having been founded a year earlier. When someone complained, stupid followed.
Chris Busby picks up the story:
The “logic” behind Portland Downtown’s decision is that the logo is a marketing tool, and as such, like most corporate advertising these days, it need bear no relation to facts, history or reality. “While historians may not agree with our logic,” Gilbert wrote to Schechter, “we were really looking at the new brand/logo as a marketing piece and something that people would want to have on tote bags, t-shirts, postcards…”
Suggested debate topic:
- Resolved: That the United States began to go to directly to Hell, without passing “GO” and without collecting $200, the moment that everything became all about the “Brand.”
Follow the link for more.