Sparkplug

So how much did you lose yesterday?  Unless you’ve been in a cave with Osama bin Laden you are likely aware that the markets had a slight “correction” yesterday.  How slight is yet to be seen.  In a nutshell the markets lost most of their gains since last November in about 15 minutes. 

Now, I’m certain that those of you who are more financially savy than I am will be quick to point out that I am not seeing the whole picture - and quite frankly, I really don’t.  But I think it is safe to say that lots of people lost lots of money yesterday. (more…)

I have been sending out reems of resumes and cover letters recently in my on going quest to improve myself and share my considerable talents with the world. 

It’s ironic then, that after so many years as a creative writer and communicator I have such difficulty in positioning myself to prospective employers.  You see I suffer from lame cover letter syndrome.  Symptoms include the paralyzing inability to shout my achievements from the rooftops and wow prospective employers or to declare that I only wish to be a torchbearer for their company and not just a cog.  (more…)

“Monopolies are fun, everyone should own one.”
Attributed to a well known cable mogul in his cups

Remember what it was like to have to deal with the phone company or the cable company or the electric company or the gas company when they were the only game in town?

Marketing?  Don’t need it.
Customer Service?  Who cares. (more…)

YouTube features a wealth of animated poems by Billy Collins to view one of them, click on the title.

The Best Cigarette

Forgetfulness

The Dead

Now and Then

Budapest

Walking Across the Atlantic

Well, it’s time once again for Peter’s Picks for the Academy Awards.  I was pretty lucky last year and most of my main choices won (inlcuding “Crash” for Best Picture). 

First up Best Actor… 

Hands down to Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland.  I am expecting big things when he makes his acceptance speech tomorrow night, especially after his acceptance speech performance at the Golden Globes when he appeared to be suffering a stroke.  Possible upset?  Leonardo DiCaprio for Blood Diamond.  Long shot?  Peter O’Toole for a long and distinquished career. (more…)

The Environmental Printing Awards

We were honoured to be invited to the Environmental Printing Awards on Wednesday night.  It was a really classy event and highlighted the great work that the printing industry is doing to lessen its impact on the environment.  I will talk in more detail about some the specific things that we, as communicators, should be aware of when we are contracting for print services.  As former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney pointed out we should not be depending on government to solve the problem that the solution rests with each of us. (more…)

There are friendships and then there are friendships.  It’s the nature of relationship I guess.  Some friendships end in explosive confrontation.  Some whither on the vine, forgotten and untended by either party.  Sometimes we just drift in and out of each other’s orbits through the years.

Finally there are those friendships that just go on and on down through the years finally interrupted by another unwanted friend.  These are the friends who are just always there, filling a cycle that runs from the sharing of hopes and dreams to the remembrance of past glories. (more…)

It was a sad weekend…  We drove down to Chatham for the funeral of one of my oldest and dearest friends - Mike Magee.  Mike had not been feeling well over the past months but his passing was still a shock to all of us who loved him.

I plan to talk more about Mike in an upcoming posting, but for now I will just say that I miss him and his contankerous nature very much.

The Environmental Printing Awards Gala…

On Wednesday night we have been invited to see Brian Mulroney speak at the The Environmental Printing Awards Gala (more…)

Seth Godin has a great piece today that directly relates to my rant yesterday about the media and public obsession with the trivial. 

He uses the great analogy of some stories that seem to skip across the pond spreading quickly. (more…)

I am Anna Nicole Smith’s baby’s father. There I said it and they are right, confession is good for the soul.

Now, that it is official and I have committed it to writing, I guess I had better go hire lawyers to start sorting things out. While I’m at it I guess I will need a press agent and personal management to handle the requests from the media and talk shows which will now flow in. (more…)

Seth Godin has a great piece on his blog about Sheepwalking which he defines as “as the outcome of hiring people who have been raised to be obedient and giving them a braindead job and enough fear to keep them in line.” 

I totally agree with Seth’s theory - we see the result everyday, in bad, or no service.  Drones who quote and requote ”our policy”, even if it doesn’t make any sort of sense. 

If we have any hope in keeping the innovation curve arcing upwards, we need to start educating a new breed of student who is comfortable in thinking critically, not just parroting back whatever knowledge he/she has been filled with. 

Sorry about last week, I was out of town for three days at a conference in Dearborn and couldn’t make my regular posts. 

The conference I attended focused on learning and was aimed at the states and the province bordering on the great lakes.  For those of you who are not aware of it - I wasn’t - this collective accounts for a major portion of all manufacturing in North America.  By now we all know the tragic tale of this so called “rust belt” - jobs lost, businesses folding, lives ruined. (more…)

I started the Big Circus DVD project a couple of weeks ago and already when you search “The Big Circus DVD” on either Google or Yahoo I pop up near the top. Still no word on when the film will appear, however.

I can’t believe that there aren’t more Victor Mature junkies out there - come on folks the Mature cannon is not complete, we have seen My Darling Clementine and Kiss of Death added to DVD over the past couple of years, so why not The Big Circus. (more…)

Sorry, I am a little late today, had lunch with my friend Promod Sharma and didn’t get back to the house until mid afternoon.  I have added a link on the right to Promod’s Blog Spark Insight which is really good, please check it out.

Anyway, I have to keep this short I have a busy week this week, but I did want to get in a kick at the Toronto Star for “improving” their television guide on the weekend.  I don’t mind change, in fact I welcome it, but, unfortunately, in this case they took a handy tool and made it useless.  (more…)

I don’t normally respond to telemarketers, but it was a moment of weakness coming right before Christmas and just after I had shelled out nearly $300 to have one of our household appliances repaired.  The telemarketing call was from of those household names in energy supply offering me a free three month trial of their new Total Home Protection Plan.  The enthusiastic salesman highlighted the relative details - repairs and parts coverage on major appliances, plumbing and electrical repairs and, of course, heating and cooling systems.

As I said I was in a susceptible state and found myself agreeing, after all it was just a free trial right? (more…)