Too Venal for Words category archive
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.
Dog of the Hair 0
Horrible people.
(snip)
Most of the girls on the ages 8 to 16 team are white, with naturally straight hair, and Makayla is Hispanic and biracial. In the conversations about styling, Kevin Tonner, the program’s all-star cheer director, told Fallaw, “I know other mixed kids and you can put relaxer in her hair,” Fallaw recalled.
Relaxer isn’t the right tool for Makayla’s hair, and Fallaw didn’t want to damage it with heavy heat or chemicals.
Read up on what’s in hair relaxers. Maybe Mr. Tonner should try drinking some to straighten himself out some himself before recommending them so casually.
Furrfu.
Men Are Pigs 0
It is not proper to go about smacking women on the behind without having permission aforetimes.
Cake 0
Cheesecake, that is.
Copyrights and Copywrongs 0
In a magnificent example of f(l)ail, Ashley Madison has decided that its users’ information is copyright and is issuing DMCA take-down notices to try to scrub it from the web.
Afterthought:
As a money-making enterprise, Ashley Madison is toast, and soggy toast at that.
Support the Troops, Bushie Style 0
You can’t make this stuff up.
Suffer the Children 0
It’s not just a quotation. It’s a policy.
And Verily, the Lord Spake, and He Spake These Words: “Stand and Deliver” 0
. . . but words fail me.
Authorities say about a third of those recruited for the program attended the same church as Erickson, who claimed the Holy Spirit had given him a proprietary day-trading system for a volatile type of futures contract. Authorities say he guaranteed returns of 96 percent over two years.
God and Wall Street are in no way related.