I caught this NPR story on the drive home tonight, about a Maine Lumber company hitting hard times and transitioning from manufacturing housewares to toys, in order to compete with overseas competitors.
It’s nice to hear company executives flexing their creative muscles, using their imagination and ingenuity, and taking smart risks.
These people remind me why I have no sympathy for American automaker executives.
You can read more at the Starbucks Gossip (who knew?) blog.
Gossip is not something I care to address on this blog, but the shit-storm surrounding this story cannot be ignored. Of course, the eye of the storm has planted itself firmly on the Internet, where countless reporters, bloggers, celebrities, fans and others have weighed in with their opinions. The latest? It’s Paris Hilton’s fault. There were “sexually explicit” text messages. Chris Brown has a history of violence. Rihanna gave him herpes. And, OMG, did you know that he fucked Jordin Sparks?
Alright, folks, let’s sum up what we DO know, shall we? What has been confirmed.
Anything leading up to this incident is pure speculation, period. Sure, some of it may be true but 1) nothing has been confirmed and 2) nothing excuses the violent act.
The more complex argument that has emerged from this incident is when and how Rihanna should address the assault. And this is when I begin to get uncomfortable. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy silly gossip and have even given thought to what really happened with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, but I draw the line with incidents such as this. This is not fodder for gossip nor is it an opportunity for others to project what they feel is right and sound onto a recent victim.
Give the poor girl some time to sort shit out before we, the public, pile insane expectations on her shoulders, about her new role as a spokesperson against domestic violence. She owes us nothing. She owes herself the respect and love to recover, mentally and physically and move forward with her life.
Not a good time to be working for a retailer.
Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me.
I’ve never liked PETA. Their tactics are stupid, they focus on the wrong issues, I just find them abhorrent. So, it was no big surprise when I started reading about their rejected “Sex With Vegetables” ad that had been developed to run during the Superbowl.
Ignoring the irony that an organization attempting to stop people from eating meat are treating women like…..mignons, let’s just say, it’s a poorly executed, cheesy, stupid ad. The music is straight out of an 80’s beer commercial, the “fuck me” faces learned from a “How To Succeed In Porn: 101″ manual and, worst of all, a woman was licking – licking – my favorite vegetable without, you know, eating it.
Not only is this commercial offensive to this woman, but it’s entirely condescending to the men they were targeting. I get it, men who like football like, wink wink nudge nudge, boobs. But, come on, people, the top earning Superbowl commercials have always used humor, not sex. The fact that the commercial was developed for a Superbowl spot is no excuse.
