A skyscraper, of which each floor will rotate on a whim, will apparently be built in Dubai by 2010. If you are cringing based on what I thought at first blush, then breathe easy - the movement will supposedly be powered entirely naturally and the building’s carbon footprint should consequently be in check. Check out a video of how the twirling tower is slated to look here. Crazy!
In an unmissable TED talk lasting just 4 minutes, Alisa Miller, head of Public Radio International, tells us how the US media tells the news. Her message - no matter how amusingly delivered - is disturbing, especially considering how journalism is one of THE most influential and important ways in which world-views are shaped. Yet another question that springs to mind: is it time the world reevaluated its misguided enchantment with American capitalism or not?
Hillary Clinton said a couple of days ago: I want the Iranians to know that if I’m the president, we will attack Iran. In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally OBLITERATE them. This DEMOCRATIC candidate’s willingness to be perceived as the next war-president of the US is both sickening and scary. What exactly is going on?!?!
The Tata Nano is undoubtedly the world’s cheapest car, but consider the context in which it is embedded. The Chevy Aveo (~$11,000) is less than 1/4th of the US per capita income. Granted that India’s middle class is growing fast, but the Nano (~$2500) is priced at more than 3X India’s per capita income!
Now that says something.
And its a fact those that levy accusations at Ratan Tata - for furthur choking up India’s roads with bizarrely affordable cars - should consider. When you add to it the fact that European safety and emission standards are met by the Nano, then outright naysayers begin to look just a little silly.
Sunday’s cartoon responds to the generally respectful tone accorded Mike Huckabee, who does not believe in evolution and is therefore, by definition, a lunatic.
- Ted Rall
Kudos to Airtel and the chaps at Rediffusion DY&R in India for the new direction in which they have taken the campaign.
It’s almost predictable, which is precisely why it is close to genius. Much like the Corona campaign: on-the-tip-of-your-tongue intuitive. The trick often lies in hitting on a concept so seamless that everyone - from consumer to creative to CEO - takes a look and wonders why they didn’t think of it first. Nice!
Airtel’s reliability index better be pretty good though, or users might have to take the brand with a pinch of salt! Good for beer, not so much for a mobile network - no matter how noble its advertising.
Condoleeza Rice at a press conference on Friday: “The United States doesn’t have permanent enemies; we’re too great a country for that.”
No-permanent-enemies is obviously semantic strategy to clarify that North Korea and Iran are indeed enemies until they comply with nuclear demands. It makes little diplomatic sense to refer to enemies - however temporary - as enemies out loud. Okay, so it’s a clumsily put statement, but at least it is honest.
Now the too-great-a-country bit. It brings to mind instantaneously the fact that truly great countries - if there are indeed such things - should have no enemies! Particularly in the unctuous way the US currently does. What were her speechwriters thinking when they churned that out?
I once had conflicted feelings about Starbucks, but am now an unabashed fan of the brand. See a few years ago, I tried hard to avoid Starbucks, and patronized several local coffee shops in Austin instead. I purposefully focused on the boring luxury of each Starbucks store and the small component of free trade coffee they sell. I was appropriately peeved when they bought out Peet’s, and yes, rolled my eyes regularly when the person ahead of me got a grande-non-fat-three-pump-vanilla-soy-latte-extra-hot-no-whip.
Then I moved to LA where there weren’t as many local-coffee-places-with-parking in my neighborhood. And so I became thoroughly happy with my 2-percent-grande-iced-latte-for-4-big-bucks again. Then Highland Perk opened up in Eaglerock. Yay, I could now act-local-think-global again!
That’s till I stumbled in on a groggy Sunday morning and absent-mindedly asked for a “grande percent latte” out of habit. The much-tattooed many-pierced coffeemaker replied, “Don’t know what grande is, nor what percent means. The latte I understand.” So I laughed a bit and he mumbled: “I don’t respond to Starbucks-speak.” Why is that, I asked. And he said, “Because they don’t really care about coffee, and if you go there, then neither do you.” I was annoyed because, as you know, the decapitalist (if you will) in me had been awaiting this bickering barista’s inclusion in my daily routine for a while…
Even so, I went on to amicably say I’m from Austin and how I miss its strong local coffee shop culture - sort of indicating that it’s not out of choice that I go to Starbucks. Bu he didn’t thaw a bit, no. So I left and took my dog to the park and sipped his latte. And it was good, but no better or cheaper than Starbucks - which is where I stopped off on the way back for a refill. I could say I did that only to avoid dealing with His Highandmightyness again, but really, it was then that I gave up hating on the Starbucks I love. Call me what you will. =)
Now I’m back in India where, despite the profusion of international brands that have hit, Starbucks has not yet arrived. But I’m currently visiting Dubai and it’s been around here for a while. As you can imagine, I’m one foot out of the door and in my sneakers so I can run.
PS: Starbucks also makes an effort to spark social change and I find that commendable. Whether or not the at-times-controversial effort is made solely in the interest of increasing their ’star’ and - consequently - ‘bucks’ factor is anyone’s guess. At least they make it.
