Two Thirds of Americans believe society uncivil

Jun 25, 2010 by Dan Taylor    3 Comments    Posted under: News

66 percent of all Americans believe there to be a general lack of civility. Moreover, 72 percent think that bad behavior has gotten worse in recent years. 75 percent of those surveyed think that the financial crisis and recession have lessened the level of American civility.

One thing is clear, most Americans believe that their friends and family are not uncivil, but the majority of the public views those outside this circle as being uncivil. Particularly hard hit in the survey were politics, high schools, talk radio, motorways, and Hollywood and professional sports.

72 percent of Americans think the government has got it all wrong. This overall opinion has appears to be having an impact on participation and interest in the political process. Nearly half of all Americans are simply no longer interested in politics, with 63 percent indicating that the general tone and level of civility (or lack thereof) as a major factor in their decision to tune out. 46 percent are no longer interested in opinion and editorials in the media, 45 percent citing incivility as the driving force.

When it comes down to the naming of names, 71 percent of Democrats surveyed said that they thought Republicans were uncivil. 74 percent of all Republicans viewed Democrats as uncivil. Political independents view Republicans more uncivil than Democrats, although independents think that both parties are more uncivil than civil (58 and 50 percent, respectively).

“Our research provides hard evidence that constituents and consumers alike are fed up with the polarization of our political system and the uncivil tone of our country as a whole,” said Jack Leslie, Chairman of Weber Shandwick. “As a result, Americans are tuning out and turning away from news, information and informed opinions that make up the very foundation of American democracy.”

Outside the political world, Americans are still hopping mad about the general incivility of the nation. Three quarters of Americans believe that companies that exhibit uncivil behavior should be boycotted. 56 percent of Americans have refrained from purchasing one company or another’s products based on their own perceived levels on corporate incivility. 55 percent have reevaluated their opinions of said company, while 49 percent indicated that they’ve advised friends and family against purchasing a company’s product.

And while the majority of Americans view their nation to be uncivil and are quick to point fingers in every direction, they still believe that there is hope to turn the tide. When asked who is responsible for improving civility, 87 percent answered “The American public.” 83 percent said political leaders, and 81, 79, and 76 percent indicated news media, businesses and places of worship.

The online survey was conducted by KRC Research and polled more than 1,000 Americans on how civility affect’s individual views of and participation in social media, politics, and buying behaviors. The executive summary of this survey is available here.

I have but one quote to offer to this news: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Ghandi

Double your Bacon fun, Flashmob Hammertime, and North Korea

Jun 9, 2009 by Dan Taylor    5 Comments    Posted under: News

Since neither of these three topics could really deserve an entire post of their own (at least not with a heavy does of over embellishmen, which eventually leads to, STFU), I’m gonna lump perhaps the three most random topics together in one here.  First up: Bacon.

Who doesn’t love bacon?  Ok, vegans and vegitarians aside.  Let me rephrase, what omnivor doesn’t love bacon?  Smell it yet?  Let me say it one more time: Bacon.  Yum.  I’m not even sure where my affinity for bacon comes from, or any one else’s for that matter.  If you actually have a think about what bacon is, and what gives it it’s flavor.  Well, umm….yeah, it’s kinda disgusting.  Perhaps the reason bacon brings a smile to just about everyone’s face is what bacon signifies.  I believe bacon to be one of the very true, core, roots comfort foods.  Think about all your associations with bacon.  Got a bad one?  Me neither.  Bacon is what mom made on sunday mornings.  Bacon is what you have on the side at that greasy spoon diner where the waitress comes by every 10 minutes and doesn’t ask, she just refills your coffee.  Now that’s good ol’ fashioned Americana.  Bacon.  Alternatively, as my friend Mr. Winemaker reminds me, bacon can also be enjoyed best on fresh ass (do NOT click here if you’re at work or easily offended).

Apparently the folks over at Boca Java think bacon is scrumdidilyumptious as well, as I recently discovered their Boca Java’s Maple Bacon Breakfast Roast. Yes,you read that correctly.  No, your eyes are not deceiving you.  I don’t think I could write the description any better myself,

Reminiscent of a hearty Saturday morning breakfast around the table, this sweet, savory coffee delights the senses with the smell and taste of home! Maple Bacon Morning has a base that’s full-bodied and complex, and it’s a delicious way to rise when the rooster crows!

…and you know they wanted to write ‘when the cock crows’, but the legal department ix-nayed it.

But wait…there’s more bacon in store!

If Maple Bacon Morning blend didn’t get your motor running, how about having a juicy slice of bacon right in front of your eyes at every website you visit throughout the day?  Thanks to bacolicio.us you now can!  A rather, yet genious idea, the bacolicio.us guys have simply written a script that places a floating .png image of bacon over any website you want.

Personally, I think that turnthescrew looks greatly improved with a slab of freshly sizzled bacon smack dab in the middle of the articles.  Suggestion – use bacolicio.us to freak you co-worker out by placing a slab of piggily goodness over his/her blog, and/or I’m sure the boss man would LOVE to see that image.  Maybe a screenshot and intercompany email?  Errr…well, maybe on your last day.

Stop – Hammertime!

Because I could find no words to describe the sheer awesomeness of this video, I’ll let it speak for itself:

Get ‘em while they’re hot – real deal North Korean propaganda for sale.  In the U.S.?

And in perhaps the most ‘ummm…WTF?’ news I came across today, it appears that the government of North Korea is deriving income from California based personalized gift seller CafePress.com.  Who knew Kim Jong Il had such artistic talent?

It appears as though the Korean Friendship Association, an official state run organization dedicated to, “Defending the independence and socialist construction” of North Korea, has a CafePress shop where they sell the normal CafePress offerings (Mousepads, Tshirts, Hoodies, Trucker Hats, etc.), all carrying propaganda imagery glorifying the government.  Remember, this is the government that starves their people, imprisions American journalists, and has recently stepped up their desire to play with the big boys and their nukes.

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, sanctions prohibit American companies from importing “goods of North Korean origin … into the United States either directly or through third countries, without prior notification to and approval of the Office of Foreign Assets Control.”  Ok, due to the nature of CafePress’s business, and how they operate, it’s clear that the goods are not coming directly from North Korea.  However, the same government agency also states that American businesses are bared “from engagin in transfers from the Government of North Korea.”  Which begs the question – if these items are selling on CafePress, a business that takes a cut from profits generated, where’s the rest of the cash going?

Mediabistro sent an email over to CafePress asking for the low down, they got a response from the company’s PR Director Marc Cowlin.  In his email Mr. Cowlin explains, “I can confirm that checks are not sent to North Korea or any government agency.”  Cowlin also responded to requests from WebNewser stating that he’d “forwarded the emails on to the owner of the [CafePress] shop”, thanked them for bringing the matter to his attention, and added, “we’ve sent the information on to our content usage team for review — they will determine if it is in violation of our policies or law.”

Who knows, maybe CafePress is simply sending a check to an unassuming middleman that is then passing the funds on to Kim Jong Il’s regime?  Perhaps, but if these items are turning any sort of profit, something tells me that CafePress may or may not have simply turned a blind eye.  You be the judge.

Passionato – iTunes for classical lovers

Sep 11, 2008 by Dan Taylor    18 Comments    Posted under: Music

Former Baltimore Symphony Orchestra president and music industry veteran James Glicker has recently launched his newest project: Passionato.  The online retailer will be first launched in the UK, with a potential rollout into US markets at a later date.  Why the favoritism for old world residents?

James Glicker – Founder and CEO of Passionato

“First, the UK and Europe have an incredibly vibrant classical music scene in terms of concert attendance, record labels and journalism – though of course the US is the biggest single country in terms of actual classical music sales,” he said.

“Second, the UK has several innovative entities that sponsor creative projects, including the Creative Capital Fund, which invested in Passionato. So another reason for setting up Passionato in the UK is to take advantage of the financial support that was being offered to us.”

Passionato features the world’s largest collection of high quality classical downloads, with more than 18,000 recordings available on the launch date.  But what makes passionate different from say…hmmm…iTunes?  Glicker and co. tackled this problem by first investigating what was prohibiting listeners from heading to the world leader in digital music downloads first.

Quality.  Passionato offers single track, work, or full album downloads at a high-quality 320kps MP3 or (for the slightly more technical) lossless FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) files.  Glicker describes classical music aficionados as “a fastidious lot” which have been slow to adapt the digital revolution, often complaining of the poor audio quality of compressed files.

“Online music stores have typically offered MP3s at 128kbps, i.e. very compressed files, which is fine for pop music but it’s not exactly high-fidelity,” he said.

“There are a handful of online stores currently offering small catalogues of classical music at 320kbps. This is high quality audio and our research tells us people can’t readily distinguish between 320kbps MP3s and CD quality wavs. We are offering 320kpbs and also lossless FLAC.”

Glicker isn’t about to bury his head in the sand.  He realizes that the classical music arena is a difficult one, especially in a format connoisseurs have traditionally shied away from.

“This is a major motivation for us,” he said.

“It’s ironic that while classical music concert attendance is on the rise, labels are reducing their recordings and physical retailers are shutting down like there is no tomorrow.

“So the future of classical music distribution is online. The only thing that has stopped this inevitable shift from happening to date has been audio quality, plus the DRM issue.”

Speaking to the DRM (Digital Rights Management), Passionato tracks are free of DRM, therefore allowing purchasers to transfer the songs to another computer or portable music player (iPod).  A wise move as while the ‘industry’ tends to love DRM, consumers have often felt cheated as their ‘purchase’ has certain limitations after they’ve plunked down the cash.

Passionato’s online store features 60 second samples of all works, allowing users to give a listen before deciding to complete a transaction.  A free music player and organizer are also available, although I’m going to bet the farm that 90% of users will stand by the industry standard: iTunes.

As a special ‘Welcome to Passionato, how can I help you?’ launch promotion, anyone registering at passionato.com can download 10 free pre-selected tracks including a 30 minute work.

My $.02 – while Passionato currently features major label artists, what about hand selecting independent classical artists on a weekly basis and featuring them as an either free or minimal cost download?  It might be a great launching platform for a number of artists in a highly competitive industry, and provide Passionato a wealth of free press and all-important traffic.

House of Reps pushing for Legal Pot

Jul 31, 2008 by Dan Taylor    17 Comments    Posted under: News

US House of Representatives Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts has recently submitted a bill that could seriously reduce the severity of personal marijuana use.

House Resolution 5843 titled the “Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008” would set out to stop the federal persecution of responsible marijuana smokers in the US.  Frank’s bill proposes that any American carrying less than 100 grams would not be charged with a crime.

Frank’s reasoning comes from the fact that current US marijuana laws place undue burdens on already over taxed law enforcement resources, punish American doctors that prescribe marijuana for medical use, and unfairly target and affect African Americans.

“The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government’s business,” Frank said on Capitol Hill. “I don’t think it is the government’s business to tell you how to spend your leisure time.”

Frank and his supporters did however make the message loud and clear that he is not proposing abuse of marijuana, but only the use would be decriminalized.  Abuse would still be on the books.

According to DEA figures, people that are charged with marijuana possession are rarely incarcerated, but rather normally receive a fine.  The White House Office of National Drug Control and the DEA have long opposed the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes or other.  Currently classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, marijuana technically shares the category with Heroin,  MDMA (Ecstasy), Psilocybin (Magic) mushrooms, and Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).

“Smoked marijuana has not withstood the rigors of science — it is not medicine and it is not safe,” the DEA states on its Web site. “Legalization of marijuana, no matter how it begins, will come at the expense of our children and public safety. It will create dependency and treatment issues, and open the door to use of other drugs, impaired health, delinquent behavior, and drugged drivers.”

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) spokeman Allen St. Pierre compared Frank’s proposal to the current laws pertaining to alcohol consumption.  “Alcohol use is permitted, and the government focuses its law enforcement efforts on those who abuse alcohol or drive under its influence,” St. Pierre said, “We do not arrest and jail responsible alcohol drinkers.”

St. Pierre also added, “There have been 20 million marijuana-related arrests since 1965, he said, and 11 million since 1990, and every 38 seconds, a marijuana smoker is arrested.”

Rob Kampia, the director of the Marijuana Policy Project quoted numbers that place all marijuana related arrests outnumber arrests for “all violent crimes combined.”  The numbers don’t lie.  What this means is that law enforcement officials are spending a highly disproportionate amount of time chasing nonviolent criminals.

“Ending arrests is the key to marijuana policy reform,” he said.

The Rep. from Mass is finding support from fellow democrats on this bill.  William Lacy Clay, D-Missouri and Barbara Lee, D-California add that in addition to targeting nonviolent offenders, US marijuana laws unfairly target African Americans.

Clay commented that he does not condone marijuana use, but is also opposed millions of American tax payer dollars being spent on what he feels is an “arcane holdover from a phony war on drugs that is filling up our prisons, especially with people of color.”

Clay continued, “too many drug enforcement resources are being dedicated to incarcerating nonviolent drugs users, and not enough is being done to stop the trafficking of narcotics into the United States.”
Bill Piper of the Drug Policy Alliance Network states, “Being arrested is not the American marijuana smoker’s only concern.  Those found guilty of marijuana use can lose their jobs, financial aid for college, their food stamp and welfare benefits, or their low-cost housing.”

“The US stance on marijuana is one of the most destructive justice policies in America today.”

12 of 50 US States have in one way or another legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes.  Barbara Lee, D-California says that the current state of affairs is “inhumane” and “immoral”.  Lee says that she has a number of constituents that are regularly harassed or arrested for using or cultivating marijuana for medical purposes.  The catch 22 comes into play when the federal government becomes involved.  In California it is legal to use and cultivate medical marijuana, when it is illegal to use and cultivate medical marijuana in the United States, as the federal government gives no medical value to the substance.

Not to leave the Republicans out in the cold, Frank did use his time at the podium to take a shot at the other side of the isle.  “I find it strange that those who support limited government want to criminalize marijuana.”

When questioned whether the resolution’s passage would change his personal behavior, Frank responded, “I do obey every law I vote for” but quickly said he did not use marijuana, nor does he encourage it.

“I smoke cigars. I don’t think other people should do that. If young people ask me, I would advise them not to do it,” he said.

Watch CNN’s coverage of Barney Frank and HR 5843.

New Balance: Made in the USA

May 2, 2008 by Dan Taylor    5 Comments    Posted under: Technology

I recently purchased and received two new pairs of New Balance kicks. The 570 for everyday city crossings, and the 8508 for some serious street pounding running. I’ve been a fan of NB for a long time now, and while it’s possible to get New Balance in Austria, finding them in a size 38 48 (US 13) can be quite a problem. I’m convinced that there are only a select number of men living in Vienna that have feet larger than a size 12. 12 is usually the max I can find. Maybe I should form the große Fußgemeinschaft (big feet community) and lobby for bigger shoes.

In any case, why I’m writing about them is not to tell you about how great they feel on my feets, and to be honest, how cool they look, but rather about the tag attached to the shoes. I had heard through the wind at one point that NB was made in America, and that they used as many American based materials as possible, and employed Americans to make said shoes. And while I’m not a supranationalist, and lord knows there’s things happening everyday in the US that I find extremely f*()#ed up (oh wait….heard about that Amstetten case in Austria?…Hmm…ok, so the world is f@&ed), I do find it quite cool to buy shoes made in the US, by Americans. I figure with so many jobs going everywhere else in the world (uhh…including myself actually), it might be nice to support a company based in the US, that makes shoes IN the US. However, I must admit, that both pairs that I purchased we NOT made in the USA but rather China. Regardless of this fact, the company is still US based, and they DO produce a number of models made in either Massachusetts or Maine, in stark contrast to Nike, Reebok and Adidas.

Without permission from New Balance, I’d like to reprint the copy of the tag attached to both pairs of my new shoes. Hopefully I’m not going to hear from any lawyer, as if you read between the lines here, I’m actually trying to encourage you to buy a pair of New Balance sneakers they next time you need a pair.

Many of our shoes are produced in one of six United States factories. While most of the footwear industry has moved its production overseas to take advantage of low labor costs and generally cheaper production costs, we continue to have many of our shoes made in the United States and have expanded production substantially. Since 1995, we have increased our manufacturing jobs by 65%. We at New Balance are proud to provide jobs to the U.S. workforce, and proud of our well educated, high quality associates who can compete with anyone in the world. Through their hard work, we are able to make many of our models of shoes in the United States despite the competition from lower cost imports.

Unfortunately, we are not able to obtain all materials and components that are needed for these shoes in the United States. In some cases, they are simply not available. In other situations, economic and quality considerations dictate foreign sourcing. however, New Balance remains committed to providing jobs for American workers. and to supporting domestic manyfacturers and suppliers where possible.

The Federal Trade Commission has attempted to determine what it means to say a product is “made in” the United States. While it seems like a simple questions, the answer is not always obvious given the global nature of the economy. We believe most consumers think “Made in USA” means that real manufacturing jobs were provided to U.S. workers in order to make that product. The shoes produced in our U.S. factories are made by U.S. workers using both U.S. and imported materials. Where the level of domestic value is at least 70%, we have labeled the shoe “Made in USA.” Where it falls below that level, we have qualified it as containing both domestic and imported materials. This determination is based in part on a survey of consumers conducted by the FTC. The Federal Trade Commission’s analysis of the Made in USA issue can be found on the internet at FTC’s website www.ftc.gov, or for a copy write to New Balance Athletic Shoes, Inc., Brighton Landing, 20 Guest Street, Boston, MA 02135-2088, Attention: Communications.

Given that there are a number of models made exclusively in America, I’ll forgo the assembled in China bit on my shoes, and keep on buying New Balance for the foreseeable future.

CSI, Facebook, and Method Man

Apr 30, 2008 by Dan Taylor    No Comments    Posted under: News, Technology

Sounds like the intro to a joke eh? Bear with me, and I’ll tie these three together, and (try) to make a decent point.

I watched the latest episode of CSI last night (Las Vegas of course, New York doesn’t even register for me, and while Miami is ok, nothing beats the original). During the opening credits, I happened to catch ‘Guest Appearance – Method Man‘. Hmmm…ok, i thought. Given Mariah’s stellar screen debut, and Britney Spears’ oscar winning performance, I wasn’t expecting much from a Musician come actor (although, I did think that Eminem did a decent job in 8 Mile).

Well, shut my mouth, because Method Man (aka Clifford Smith) did an outstanding job. His role centered around a Vegas club owner who was serving a short 8 month sentence for a ‘weak ass weapons charge’. While he’s doing time, all hell breaks loose on the outside with a double homicide centering around the woman who raised him, a high priced prozy, a boatload of cash, and his baby mama. Method Man delivers an outstanding performance, completely believable, and never for a second did I think that he was pushing the boundaries of his acting ability. He’s even portrayed as the like-able criminal who stages a breakout, only to save the life of his future child, while never putting up a protest to return to jail after the scene plays out.

The Facebook tie in.

Ok, perhaps just because these are areas of interest to me, but this line jumped out at me like a red flag. During an initial interview with Captain Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) regarding the relationship between two of the female characters, Method Man is quoted as saying:

“…one minute, they’re sending each other cupcakes on facebook, the next, they’re trying to kill each other over a broken curling iron…”

After my initial chuckles died down, I got to thinking about this digital culture comment. Two years ago, this line might have been written a bit more like so:

“…one minute, they’re sending each other glitter tweety birds on myspace, the next they’re trying to kill each other over a broken curling iron…”

And while many others have already written about this topic, let me just put it here in writing; In 2007

“MySpace showed a yearly growth of 19 % Facebook grew at a rate of 125%.” – mybroadband.co.za

Clearly this facebook reference by Method Man (and respectively the CSI team of writers), is yet other subtle mention of what I’ve been preaching for a while now: Myspace is a dying horse.

Sure while myspace still enjoys a much higher share of eyballs, March 08 compete.com data puts Myspace at 68,339,999 visitors, with Facebook receiving 31,233,452 vistors (both figures based on US traffic only), the growth rate is the important factor to watch. In March 08, yet again, Facebook is the clear winner with a 9.3% growth rate, Myspace, 3.9%.

While I’m not sure that Facebook is ever going to overtake the eyball count that News Corp.’s Myspace has, in my opinion Facebook has already won the battle of cultural superiority. While Method Man/CSI’s cupcakes on Facebook reference was the first integration of Facebook that I’ve heard in a television series, I’d bet the farm that it won’t be the last.