Scott Jordan is an entrepreneur who developed a line of clothing which allows for fashionably carrying gadgets within the garments. Jordan even went on ABC's Shark Tank in 2012 in a bid to raise funds for his technology enabled clothing (but Jordan rejected the the offers).
ScotteVest snowballed into a $10 million company by 2015.
ScotteVest's pricey e-commerce product line were often seen advertised on Fox News, presumably to appeal to geeky traveling businessmen who tired of fumbling gadgets when they went through TSA lines.
ScotteVest CEO Scott Jordan may have unraveled this fashion market niche by oversharing on social media. Scott Jordan had developed a reputation of being an outspoken CEO on social media, pumping products and pimping his progressive politics. However Jordan recently shared on Facebook a smarmy post which revealed marketing strategy while denigrating his customers.
While one could certainly see a small time celebutard who is full of himself to contemptuously sneer at the little people on whom you've made your millions while taking a chair lift in Ketchum ski resort. But it is almost unfathomable that he would share this "burn" on social media. It really makes one wonder, to use Jordan's parlance, who is the "f**king idiot?
After Jordan's Facebook faux-pas festered for a few days, the ScotteVest CEO posted an incomplete apology on Twitter, which linked to the original Facebook post. Unfortunately, the Facebook post had been deleted.
No doubt that this story certainly won't make ScotteVest's media buzz page. But the internet never forgets. The question is whether ScotteVest's customers will be willing to forget that they are considered to be gullible f**king idiots" by the guy profiting from their sales.
Social Media is a wonderful way for companies to reach customers. One need not be "Always Be Closing" when sharing on social media and genuineness is a way to cement bonds with fickle customers of an expensive, niche products. But denigrating the demographic which lined one's pockets is an odd way to reach out to customers. A smart CEO would have kept his crass critiques of customers closer to his ScotteVest. Enjoy your après-skicanapés and hope that your cup is not forever full of sour grapes.
Recently, I took a trip to a quiet rural retreat where there was no television, WiFi was non-existent and internet was iffy on my cellular phone. In times past, if one quickly finished reading the books brought on a rainy weekend, it would be time to bide time by polishing doorknobs. Instead, I was able to reach for my Kindle e-ink reader and the literary world was at my fingertips.
I have reveled over Kindles since they initially came on the market. This travel saga rekindled my appreciation for the Amazon's extraordinary e-book reader. In fact, my household is so fond of our Kindles that each of them is named. For example, my first Kindle was dubbed Isadore (named after the patron saint of libraries).
While I now own several Kindles, I brought my beloved Kindle 2 Keyboard on the get-away. The Kindle 2 series had two types of Whispernet (the complimentary Amazon 3G series). Fortunately, “Striker” was on the AT&T network, where I was getting five bars of coverage. So I downloaded a number of samples and tried to choose my next title. Several of the sample books displayed no more than the table of contents. A couple of sample choices included some of the preface and the first chapter. By surveying the samples, I could narrow down my choice. In fact, reading the samples eliminated titles from a couple of favorite authors based upon style and content.
When I made my pick, I was able to buy the book and download it in one click and read away. I was excited about a couple of key passages so I highlighted the notes and shared them via Facebook and Twitter through the Whispernet 3G connection.
Although I finished a good chunk of the new book, but my eyes were closing while my mind was still active. Fortunately, this generation of Kindles still had the text to speech option and built in speaker so a synthetic voice could read me to sleep. The next morning, my traveling companion who is a techno-luddite seem amazed that I bought and read another book even in this remote retreat.
The Kindle came in handy as I purused other books because of the built in dictionary. The Kindle 2 has a keyboard which is OK for short notetaking, but one should not expect to pen the great American novel on it, and transferring the files can be challenging.
The feature that I treasure from this version of the Kindle E-reader is the “Experimental” internet browser. Later versions of the Kindle e-reader restricted internet access to the Kindle Store and Wikipedia. The Kindle 2 allowed for some web surfing of text based websites. This was a God send for a news junkie like me.
One new glitch from “Striker” is that it would not display Wikipedia listings neither from the experimental browser nor the automated Wikipedia search. As the weekend progressed, I was disappointed as I had grown accustomed to spot checking facts and could not do so easily with this Kindle. Perhaps on a related note, this Kindle was not recognizing the Kininstant bookmark shortener.
“Striker” is my third Kindle e-reader, as two had to be replaced because of screen problems thru Amazon’s unconditional return policy (at the time) for Kindles. The design was a marked improvement over the large cheese wedge Kindle 1. That being said, the unit did have a replaceable battery and allowed SD card storage. But the only difference that “Striker” had over my first K2 was that it was on the AT&T Whispernet which could get international 3G as opposed to just the Sprint CDMA Whispernet in the USA.
Alas, “Striker” was showing its age, as the Lithium Polymer battery could only hold a charge for several hours and then would immediately drain out. Perhaps this was due to battery memory as well as a battery which needed to be replaced. I have considered acquiring a Kindle replacement battery for around $25 but I worry about doing the installation myself and bricking it. Unfortunately, computer repair shops don’t want to take on the challenge of installation either.
Most people would be inclined just to get a new device, as surely Amazon has developed the latest and greatest e-reader. But a Thrifty Techie realizes that it ain’t necessarily so. The Kindle Voyager and Kindle Paperwhite models (7th & 6th Generations) do have lit screens for night reading and extended battery life. The Kindles has have some new features like Vocabulary Builder and X-Ray title summaries. Alas, when Amazon giveth, it has also taken away. No longer do e-readers have speakers or headphone jacks, so text to speech is out of the question (it is available on the Kindle Fire models though). If you pay $50 more, a Voyage or Paperwhite can have 3G capabilities, but that it now restricted to the Kindle Store and Wikipedia. Amazon also sells an 8 Gig Kindle Fire tablet for $49 (which has text to speech) but the color backlit screen can cause eye fatigue for prolonged reading stints and may be tough the see reading outside. From a Thrifty-Techie’s perspective, newer isn’t necessarily better.
I was resigned to make do with what I had, but an imminent Amazon Kindle software update forced my hand. As I was prepping my vintage e-readers for the mandatory download, I noticed that “Herbie 2", a Kindle Keyboard 3rd Gen (with WiFi) that I inherited from an inlaw was showing dead pixels. These e-reader screens can be quite sensitive to pressure. Herbie 1 had to be replaced when a teacup poodle sat on it. All but the top of the screen displayed correctly, but it would be maddening to use it as an e-reader.
After some investigation on E-bay, I found an upgraded used Kindle Keyboard 3rd Gen with WiFi and 3G for $32 with shipping. This means that it would have text to speech, the ungoverned experimental browser with about 4 gig of storage (enough for 3500 books). This design does not have a touch screen, which I consider is an advantage on a dedicated e-reader, so as not having fingerprints on the screen. The downsides are that it does not come with a power cord (but I already have several). Another variable is the condition of the battery.
Although I will probably have to manually do the software update, it seems like it is worth the trade off. So I am happy to include another Kindle into the Thrifty-Techie family.
During a forum held by the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College, Granite State professor Dr. David Pook offered that he helped craft the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts because of "white privilege".
Ironically, the Derryfield School in Manchester, New Hampshire (which has a 91% Caucasian student body) where Pook serves as chair of the History Department, does not use those Common Core standards because they are inferior.
So why do some politicians continue to champion Common Core? Some have suggested crony capitalism.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL) is a big backer of Common Core. Kathleen Jasper, a former Florida educator and founder of ConversationED.com, suggest that there may be pecuniary interests in pushing Common Core. Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education is heavily tied to Pearson, a leading education publisher and test making company. So Pearsons publishes the k-12 books, they create the tests, they score the tests and coincidentally keep the data.
Per Jasper, Pearson garners between $15-$30 for each test administered. Due to No Child Left Behind and Race For the Top federal mandates, students have to retake the tests over and over again until they achieve an acceptable score. So kids keep constantly taking tests (without knowing why they failed) and businesses like Pearson profit from processing the perpetual paperwork.
Presuming this is an accurate assessment, it is ironic to see how Educrat's political correctness works well with crony capitalism in Common Core which imposes a regime which profits from failure to educate well.
Ajit Pai, a Republican member of the Federal Communications Commission, has become outspoken in his objections to the political imposition of Net Neutrality by what is supposed to be an independent Federal commission.
Commissioner Pai noted that: “It’s no wonder that net neutrality proponents are already bragging that
it will turn the FCC into the “Department of the Internet. For that reason, if you like dealing with the IRS, you are going to love the President’s plan."
Many progressives have rallied around the concept of Net Neutrality thinking that it is hurting corporations and encouraging competition. What Commissioner Pai points out is that applying Title II regulation to the internet, which was designed for railroads and Ma Bell, will stifle competition and favor behemoth businesses because of the regulatory burdens.
Another alarming feature of such broad regulation by the FCC is the relative obscurity in which the rules are being cobbled together. President Obama pressured the FCC in November 2014 about Net Neutrality. Chairman Tom Wheeler, who had been a big Obama fundraiser, is complying but promises to make some changes in Title II to make it better. Oh, so a regulatory schemata which was drawn up in 14 can be tweaked to apply to the internet age. Right. FCC Commissioner Mike O'Reilly warned the public about the dangers of forbearance as applied to Title II Common Carriers.
There is the larger issue, however, about whether Congress ceded its legislative mantle to the FCC to strictly regulate the internet. If we hold fast to living in a constitutional democratic Republic, shouldn't our elected representatives, not bureaucrats who are unaccountable to the people (or for that matter Men in Black) be crafting such momentous law?
A family tradition in my youth was worshiping at a Vigil Mass on Christmas Eve and driving around nearby neighborhoods with wonderful holiday light displays while listening for NORAD reports on Santa Claus' whereabouts. As a jaded grown-up, I presumed that these reports were performance shtick on a long media night. Little did I know that the reports were real and that a typo and the good cheer of an Air Force colonel brought joy to the world.
During the 1950s, America was engaged in a Cold War with the Soviet Union which threatened to become hot at any moment. School children of the era was raised to be prepared to duck and cover at any given moment due to a sneak nuclear attack from the enemy. Soon, Sputnik's successful launch made watching the skies even more important.
In Colorado Springs,Colorado at the Continental Air Defense Command a.k.a. CONAD (the predecessor to the North American Aerospace Defense Command or NORAD), there was a red telephone on the commander's desk which had a secret telephone number known only by a four star General at the Pentagon, which would have been used to convey news of an enemy aerial attack.
However, in December 1955, the CONAD commander's red phone rang and the voice on the other line was a little voice which asked "Is this really Santa Claus". At first the Colonel was upset at what he thought was a crank call, but when he heard crying, the straight laced Colonel changed his demeanor. The CONAD commander ho-ho-hoed and asked the caller if he had been a good boy. Afterwards, the Santa Colonel asked to speak to his mother.
It seems that a copy for a Sears Roebuck newspaper ad had a misprint, so "Santa's private phone" number not connecting to Toyland but was actually the secret military number for what is now NORAD. Colonel Shoup delegated a few airman to act like Santa Claus for kiddie red phone callers.
Col. Shoup's daughter, Terri Van Keuren, recounted: "It got to be a big joke at the command center. You know, 'The old man's
really flipped his lid this time. We're answering Santa calls". So much so, on Christmas Eve 1955, airmen modified the big glass board used to track air flights and included a drawing of a sleigh and eight reindeer coming from the North Pole.
When Col. Shoup saw this modified big board, he exclaimed: "What is this?". His subordinates apologized and insisted that they were just making a a joke. Shoup pondered the predicament for a bit and then telephoned a radio station with the message: "This is the Commander at the Combat Air Center, and we have an unidentified flying object. Why, it looks like a sled.". Hence the tradition began.
Now kids can call 1-877 HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) to talk to NORAD staff about Santa's exact location. The internet tracker for the big man in red began in 1998 with the SantaCam. At noradsanta.org, people can view the SantaCams from around the world as well as understand NORAD's main mission. Last year, "Operation Feel" had F-18 fighter jets escorting Santa and his sleigh, which led CNN reporters questioning if the US military had taken possession of Santa Claus. Of course, these reporters failed to report on "Operation Noble Eagle" with the Royal Canadian Air Force escorts over their territory or how these videos infuse some of NORAD's primary mission to girls and boys along with the spirit of the season.
Colonel Shoup died in 2009. But even in his 90s, Shoup proudly carried a briefcase which he treated like had top secret information that contained letters thanking him for having a good sense of humor in allowing NORAD to track Santa.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich opined that America lost its first cyberwar associated by the Sony Hack, which demanded that the feature film "The Interview" be withdrawn from distribution.
So America's freedom of speech is subject to the whims of a tinpot dictator (albeit with a few nuclear bombs) from the Hermit Kingdom of North Korea.
A corporation like Sony Pictures may harbor concerns about liability associated with the publicized threats made by the anonymous hackers calling themselves "Guardians of Peace" against movie-goers who attended the now cancelled Christmas day opening.
Voices from both side of the political spectrum, from former Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) to Alan Dershowitiz. But Sony Pictures pulled "The Interview" from all prospective platforms. There may also have been pecuniary motive for the move. If the picture is never officially released, Sony Pictures could recover from insurance money, otherwise they would absorb the $41 million production costs.
This does not explain Hollywood's cowardice towards pissing off Pyongyang. After Sony Pictures cancelled "The Interview", the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas announced that it would show "Team America: World Police"(2004), Alas those puckish plans were foiled by Paramount Pictures which refused to offer the Trey Parker and Matt Stone's film which satirizes Kim Jon Un's father Kim Jong-il due to "circumstances beyond their control." Those who want to revel to "I'm So Ronery" can still see it on Netflix or through Amazon Instant Video.
The United States does have limited options in dealing with North Korea. There are virtually no economic sanctions left to use. Moreover, Pyongyang is insulated by charity from the Peoples' Republic of China so the NORKS can continue create trouble with the US. We can not forget that the Hermit Kingdom does have nuclear capabilities. Then there is the small matter of the DRK having 10,000 missiles aimed at our treaty ally South Korea, where we incidentally have 37,000 soldiers stationed.
There may be black operations by the US which should not become public, as well as behind the scenes diplomatic de marches with DRK allies in Beijing. But the best public responses that I have heard so far involve Hollywood using the Oscars ceremony on Washington's Birthday to use "The Interview" actors James FRANCO, Seth Rogen and Randall Park to come out in character and joke around. While at the same time, the Pentagon sponsors a joint training operation with the South Korean, Japanese and American military forces in the Sea of Japan.
Dish Network's 14 million satellite TV subscribers have been unable to see CNN or many other Turner Network channels since October 21st due to a carriage contract dispute. The two big Turner Entertainment channels, TBS and TNT, are on a separate contract and were unaffected by the blackout.
Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen is a maverick who has pushed broadcast rights to the brink in the past to drive a better bargain. Ergen's quip about CNN and MK-370 highlights the tension between supplying costs and subscriber demands. CNN has appeals to modest spectrum of news viewers yet Turn wanted a double digit increase in carriage costs. Losing Dish Network cuts into 17% of their prospective market, which may also include the millions of monitors in waiting rooms and airport terminals
Dish Network the only television provider which has played hardball in contract terms. DirecTV dropped with NBC/Universal Weather Channel in February over carriage costs and anticipating niche competition, and the Weather Channel tried fighting back to claim that dropping the channel was a public safety issue.
If it were for CNN, Cartoon Network and TCM alone, Dish Network might be tempted to permanently drop these Turner channels, but TBS and TNT will be up for renewal at year's end the NBA agreement might be the leverage to clinch the overall deals.
Considering CNN's ratings, it is dubious if anyone would notice about the absence without articles. However on Election Night --the SuperBowl for political junkies--CNN managed to garner 1/3 of Fox News Channel's ratings.
Although the magazine hit the newsstands today, the news had leaked out several months ago-- ARCHIE ANDREWS IS DEAD. In "Life with Archie" #36, Archibald Andrews was shot while diving in front of a bullet to save his "best friend" Keven Keller (sorry Jughead), an openly gay newly elected Senator who wanted to champion gun control.
Perhaps this writer is too far removed from pre-teen consumer spending patterns, but it seems inconceivable that there is much of a market for such Archie comics priced at $9.99 aside from an OCD Comic Book Guy. Paltry Archie Comics sales figures bear this bias out. The regular Archie comic ranked #327th selling 4,063 copies. The penultimate "Life with Archie" #35 sold 2,064 copies.
Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater claims that this dramatic demise of the beloved redhead from Riverdale High was difficult. But judging from the edgy additions to an evergreen strip of innocence, Archie's ending with a big bang was not shocking.
Goldwater has tried to make Riverdale more relevant by adding homosexual characters like Kevin Keller, Harper the "handicapable" character, interracial relationships (in which Archie fathers a child with Valerie of Josie and the Pussycats). Goldwater also sought to capitalize on the zombie phenomenon with "Afterlife with Archie".
Archie taking a bullet generated lots of publicity while burnishing Archie's brand with heroic virtues. This dramatic denouement also conveniently closes a clumsy story-line. Several years ago, Archie marries both Betty and Veronica (albeit in parallel universes). After an issue of remembrance, readers can celebrate Archie's 75th anniversary.
It's a pity that Goldwater could not honor its few remaining readers and let Archie Comics die with dignity in plots that continued to revolve around high school hijinx, malt shops and fickle flirtations. Alas, rather than making Riverdale more relevant, the death of liberal Archie makes the funny papers more of a joke.
Pundits pontificated as to how other storied comics could politicize themselves. Conservative critics satirized Archie's apotheosis by speculating how his friends would perish is a politically correct cacotopia.
Considering the paltry sales of Archie's comics, this PC stunt will not sustain increased sales. However, culturally it seems to epitomize how mass media is jumping the shark ala "The Fonz" on Happy Days (1977).
The last row of Section 422 in the upper deck at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin are under the pivot of the retractable roof. These nosebleed seats which are obstructed by the support girder which sell for $1 on game days have long been referred to as "Uecker Seats", referencing a funny Miller Lite ad in which Uecker thinks that he "must be in the front row." Now there is a good reason aside from fanatical frugality for fans to choose to sit in the Uecker Seats. Brian Maughan, a sculptor who has created four bronzes for the Brewers (including a "Mr. Baseball" statue of Bob Uecker) outside of the park created another bronze for the last row of Section 422 with Uecker. The artwork depicts a smiling Uecker sitting down wearing a blue shirt and tan pants. The unique aspect of Maughan's sculpture is that it includes an extra seat so that fans can donate to the Brewers Community Foundation and the Make a Wish Foundation and take a photo next to the bronze of the Hall of Fame Brewers announcer. When the Brewers first thought about having another statue to Uecker in the ballpark, the legendary 81 year old announcer rejected it as he jocularly claimed "I thought that they wanted me to work up there." But it was a project championed by local media movie critic Gino Salomone, who prepared a tribute video for the event. Uecker quipped about the Terrace Level spot for the statue: "They had to make sure it was the worst seat." But Uecker warmed up to the statue by intimating that when he shakes his mortal coils that he might come to rest "up right and above ground." It is remarkable that a player who played only two of six seasons in Milwaukee (for the Braves before they moved down the Atlanta highway) and left the majors with a .200 batting average merits two statues at Miller Park. That shows the esteem which Wisconsinites hold for Mr. Baseball. His honest, happy-go-lucky, jocular personality serves as a great icon for the land of Cheeseheads, brats and brewskies for 43 seasons. The wisecracking Uecker was one upped by one of his guests at the "Last Row" statue unveiling. The ceremony included Brewer Hall of Famers Robin Yount, Rollie Fingers, current Brewers skipper Ron Roenicke, several current Brew Crew players, family, friends et ali.
Bob Uecker [third from R] at the "Last Row" Statue unveiling ceremony April 25, 2014
Last spring, husband and wife veteran filmmakers Phelim McAleer and Anne McElhinney were publicizing their feature documentary Fracknation as the murder trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell was occurring in Philadelphia. McAleer was amazed at the lack of coverage of a prolific serial killer that murdered two women in botched late term abortions in unsanitary conditions, used a brutal snipping technique to kill a thousand children beyond the legal limit for abortion and also dealt prescription drugs.
Yet the national mainstream media ignored the Gosnell case, dismissing it like a local murder case while lavishing attention on the concurrent Jodi Arias murder trial. McAleer did man on the street interviews in California to learn about what the public knew about sensational murder trials.
As Katherine Graham, the former publisher of the Washington Post, proclaimed: "What we cover and what we don't matter a lot...The power is to set the agenda." Fox News commentator Greg Gutfeld recently speculated about the reasons why most of the mainstream media (including Fox) did not cover the Gosnell trial closely:
"The reason why they don't do this one is not because the evil is so grotesque. It's that it's too close to a moral choice they've made. That's what it's about. It's not that like, ah it's so hard to do something on this man who butchered babies. It's because it's too close to the pro-choice mindset."
However, McAleer and McElhinney were so haunted by the Gosnell trial that they backed away from other crowd-source funded projects so as to make a movie about Gosnell. Yet Anne & Phelim Media encountered more velvet gloved censorship by Kickstarter, which claims to not curate projects but would not allow them to describe their dramatized movie idea as being about a mass murderer who killed a thousand children as it allegedly violated community standards which Kickstart "encourages and (selectively) enforces". McAleer believes that it is within Kickstarter's right to not facilitate funding but that it should be forthright that it is due to the project matter not a transparent lie about community standards which it does not enforce for sundry other offensive projects.
So they moved their crowd-source funding efforts to Indiegogo, where they have raised $1.2 million of a fixed target $2.1 million. If they do not make their designated funding mark by May 12th, the money reverts back to the prospective investors.
There is already an excellent documentary film 3801 Lancaster, which interviews victims of Gosnell's House of Horrors. So McAleer and McElhinney want to make dramatized version of the Gosnell story which would run on the Lifetime Movie Network rather than a feature documentary to reach a wider audience.
It is easy for seaboard elitists to dismiss a film about Gosnell as just being by religious zealots with pro-life propaganda, which is a touch charge to apply to McAleer and McElhinney. In addition, this dismissive instinct ignores how Dr. Gosnell was a racist as he gave his white patients much better and cleaner abortion services than his clients of color.
A film about Gosnell must also include a political angle. Former Governor Tom Ridge (R-PA) was elected as chief executive of the Keystone State as a moderate Republican. The governor's office made it clear that the Commonwealth should do nothing to impede abortion services, so Gosnell's clinic was not properly inspected for 17 years, despite gruesome reports and several deaths.
Gosnell's clinic was raided because Gosnell was writing prescriptions like a pell mell pill mill for Oxycotin and the ilk. That raid permitted police to stumble upon an unsanitary abortion butchery, where Gosnell kept severed limbs as trophies.
Hearing the filmmakers promote their project, it is clear that they yearn to tell a compelling true story about a prolific American serial killer and pull back the curtain on details which a progressive public would rather ignore.
If one wishes to help actuate the Gosnell movie project, one can contribute at www.gosnellmovie.com. Those who contribute $25 will get a DVD of the film. But the filmmakers also implore people to contribute anything to show that people care.
Have you ever wondered why brick and mortar retailers can’t hire competent employees? A video by a Macy’s hiring manager tells job applicants to be honest about their experience and to be show oneself as being dependable. This video sounds like sound advice for any applicant. Alas, following that advice does not seem to be the case for Kayla Danielle Reyes-Abina , a 21 year old military veteran who had deployed in Afghanistan who applied for a sales associate position at Macy's in Fresno, California. The former army specialist who served in the National Guard posted her frustration on Instagram after her February 20th interview. Ms. Reyes-Abina believes that the Fresno hiring manager had a dramatic attitude change after learning that she had been deployed in overseas combat zones.
Although Ms. Reyes-Abina had prior retail experience working at Target, but the Macy’s hiring manager targeted her military experience. The interviewer is said to have implied that since Reyes-Abina has been to war, she had a “different mindset” which would be unwelcomed on the sales floor. The interviewer intimated: “Once a customer’s in your face, you wouldn’t know how to do it. You wouldn’t know how to react. Ms. Reyes-Abina recalled the hiring manager saying: 'Well I've been here 15 years, I know you wouldn't be able to do good here” The 15 year Macy’s veteran suggested that Reyes-Abina would be a better fit in “loss prevention” (i.e. security guard). Reyes-Abina left the interview wondering if her military experience did her a disservice when applying for civilian jobs. Betsy Nelson, Macy’s V.P. in Media Relations in the Northwest, released a statement:
Employing veterans is a priority at Macy’s, and we have proudly hired thousands to work within our stores and corporate organization. Our commitment to veterans is strong, as we recognize that veterans possess leadership skills that we find are essential in a dynamic department store environment. Ms. Reyes’ application for a position with Macy’s is, in fact, still under consideration as we continue to consider the types of retail jobs that may be available. We are actively looking for an appropriate open position that would be best suited for her skills and experience level, as we do with all prospective employees.
But as The Blaze points out, Nelson’s statement fails to address the hiring manager’s alleged comments or behavior. While there are more veterans coming home with cases of post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) than body bags nowadays due to incredible advances in field army medicine, it seems silly to summarily reject an applicant deployed overseas for fear of how they might react to an angry department store customer. It is a pity that Hollywood has perpetuated a stereotype of military veterans who are mercurlial damaged goods like Rambo's rampage in First Blood (1982) or The Deer Hunter (1978). Despite the heroics which our uniformed men and women have been performing on distant battlefields to preserve and protect our freedom, how much does the media trumpet their triumphs in Medal of Honor ceremonies? The 1% of our population who have served in America’s armed forces are highly motivated and disciplined. Most joined knowing that they would likely deploy in two active combat zones. Veterans are 45% more likely to be entrepreneurs but all are trained to be dependable and follow instructions. In addition, those who have served in Afgahanistan and Iraq are accustomed with interacting with “customers” who are not always friendly and have different directed interests. While there is an online petition on behalf of Ms. Reyes-Abina, it hinges on “discrimination”, which may not be illegal, unless it pertains to race, sex, creed (and sexual orientation in some jurisdictions). But if the facts in this case are true, Macy’s should be ashamed for their bias and reconsider their practices. Several weeks after the story became public, Macy’s emailed Reyes-Abina about a job which she respectfully declined. It is unclear as to whether this was on the sales floor or in “loss prevention”. Ms. Reyes-Abina has decided to accept a job with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Although it is anecdotal, I can recall being quite impressed the knowledge, motivation and level of service by salesmen who obviously have a military background. Living in the District of Calamity (sic), there are many people who have served “overseas” and their families so these callous comments and summary dismissal makes quite an impression on them. Based on comments in the social media, Macy’s sales clerks won’t have to wait on as many customers.
DirecTV, the nation’s largest satellite television provider, has suspended carriage of NBC/Universal’s The Weather Channel over a contract dispute. This DirecTV disruption takes away 18% of The Weather Channel’s normal viewer base. The Weather Channel had been garnering 13 cents a subscriber per month and TWC was negotiating for a 1 cent increase whereas DirecTV wanted to cut the carriage cost by 75%, supposedly to make up for local carriage costs. Rather than frame the carriage kerfluffle as a business to business dispute, The Weather Channel President David Clark framed it as a public safety problem. The Weather Channel urged customers to contact Congress to intervene in the dispute. Hours after The Weather Channel was pulled from DirecTV, TWC announced a new initiative to bolster its status as a public utility, by promoting Twitter hashtags such as #gotfuel, #nofuel and #powerlinedown. These public service internet announcements by TWC follow the direction of the White House, FEMA and the Department of Energy. For its part, DirecTV added WeatherNation on channel 361 as a substitute weather station. WeatherNation was created in 2010 after a prior carriage dispute with The Weather Channel. DirecTV has promised to activate temporary emergency weather channel as warranted (e.g. for a major hurricane). However, DirecTV points out that in an age of mobile telephony, many weather watchers get their updates via their cell phones and mobile devices. Furthermore, The Weather Channel has added reality television programs which may increase viewership but seemingly distracts from their supposed public service and information mission.
As the carriage contract dispute continues, TheWeather Channel CEO Danny Kenny stiltedly stated: "I am shocked they have put corporate profits ahead of keeping a trusted channel.. We are not looking for a large fee increase. I am hopeful DirecTV will come to their senses soon." What a way to treat a broadcast partner– demand a fee increase, muddy your opponent and then threaten to have Big Brother intervene. The Weather Channel also trashed WeatherNation as being "a cheap start-up that does weather forecasting on a three-hour taped loop, has no field coverage, no weather experts." The Weather Channel is right to be worried about competition. The same day that DirecTV dropped TWC, Accuweather announced its previously secret plan to launch its own weather channel in the third quarter of 2014. And in October, 2014, Network Weather Channel, which bills itself as having legendary personalities, is set to premiere with easy to read maps 24/7 and no programming.
Prior to the DirecTV dispute, the Weather Channel bragged at it was in 80% of American households. But with the an array of forthcoming competition, The Weather Channel seems intent to protect its position by ingratiating itself with Uncle Sam to be considered like a public utility with an exclusive on weather. While I do not dispute that The Weather Channel’s forecast as being as accurate as any other professional methodologist, the quality and necessity of The Weather Channel’s products is dubious. I read a recent link for the “50 Worst Traffic Cities in the US” on weather.com. Even though the weather nexus was questionable, it sparked enough curiosity to click through the pictorial piece with 50 photos and brief log lines. It was astounding to see to see the the questionable quality from a professional website as illustrated on the Worst Traffic Cities article. In the brief descriptions of locations, there were some glaring misspelling, like Seattle driers (drivers), declaring Austin as the state capitol (that’s a building, not the seat of government) and “The Queen City” of Cincinatti (sic). But some of the photos were wrong. For instance, Washington, DC’s traffic jam depicted Rosslyn (Arlington) Virgina, which is across the river. The traffic jams in Tampa was illustrated via the bridge over Tampa Bay. My favorite photo flub was showing traffic snarls in Orlando by showing a people moving walkway at Universal Orlando (synchronicity for TWC cross-promoting another NBC/Universal entity).
From weather.com 50 Worst Traffic Cities (photo: Flickr/Kamoteus)
Of the ten most popular articles on weather.com, six of them had nothing to do with the weather. The most egregious article was a Chinese theme park which built an attraction about the sinking of the Titanic. So much for quality control and public service. Then there is The Weather Channel’s programming. Most of the shows had a tenuous connection to weather, such as: Coast Guard Alaska, Prospectors and Highway Thru Hell. While these shows might not prompt a dedicated viewer to self-inflict a lobotomy, it is a hard sell to promote TWC prime time as being a public service. While John Coleman, the founder of The Weather Channel, labeled global warning as the greatest scam in history, TWC has evolved since NBC/Universal purchased the channel in 2008. NBC has a history of pushing green through broadcast. Recall Live Earth in 2007, when NBC networks gave 75 hours to proselytize the Gospel of Gore. The Weather Channel sticks to politically correct conclusions that the so called “polar vortex” is connected to global warming. It sounds like PC agenda journalism. The Weather Channel’s public service play and campaign to coerce Congress into action stinks of crony capitalism and foreshadows the dangers of the government picking winners and losers in the marketplace. It is unlikely that all four televised meteorological stations will broadcast for long together. But the prospective competition may lead to a price war which lowers carriage rates. Those channels offering the most appealing programming and with the most savvy business sense should flourish if there still is a free marketplace, that is if there is still a free marketplace.
If DirecTV is doing a cost/value analysis, they might want to reconsider their carriage of supposed news networks. While CNN’s foray into programming no longer makes it the place for news and MSNBC acts like the DNC, it might be time to have an agonizing reappraisal of Al Jazeera America. What is the viewership? How much control on content comes from Qatar? Perhaps the satellite provider would be better served by carrying The Blaze TV and making many dedicated customers happy.
ScotteVest's pricey e-commerce product line were often seen advertised on Fox News, presumably to appeal to geeky traveling businessmen who tired of fumbling gadgets when they went through TSA lines.
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