Organic Vs. Non-Organic

A while back there was an article online about organic versus non-organic food and one of the comments left by someone claimed that organic farm practices are harmful to the environment ....

Hmmm, so for thousands of years, human beings have been doing more harm then good when engaging in agriculture!? As opposed to the plethora of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, GMO's, hormones, and antibiotics that have proliferated over the last century of human development which is less harmful to the environment?!

Putting that tirade aside, I wanted to conduct a taste test between organic and non-organic bananas and luckily Superstore carried the same brand of banana; Del Monte

Hands down the organic banana was more creamy, smooth, and flavorful as compared to the non-organic banana.

This difference in taste also applies to organic versus non-organic red delicious apples.

I can't speak to nutrition though, which the aforementioned article stated that there is no difference between organic versus non-organic.

I hope to conduct more organic versus non-organic taste tests in the future!

Overheated Economy

China is manipulating it's currency and currency manipulation could spread to other countries.

I read a book called The World is Curved, by David Smick, which had a chapter on China titled Tony Soprano Rides the Red Dragon. The chapter describes China's monetary policy as being run by Tony Soprano behind closed doors.

We might be crying fowl about the lack of transparency and control that led to the Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis, but if China is hiding debut or manipulating it's currency is questionable ways, and China's economy collapses, watch out!

The US has so much credit tied up in China that if China's economy fails, then all the debt that the US owes China will be called in and there is no way the US can afford to make good on that debt.

I would like to think other more qualified individuals are thinking about these doomsday scenarios, but after the Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis allowed such obviously toxic financial products to be sold to so many people, I have to wonder ....

It is damn difficult to legislate greed. But we need to try. The consequences for one country will inevitably be transfered to another.

Netflix in Canada!

Well, Blockbuster Video is declaring bankruptcy and Rogers Video is quaking in it's collective boots because of Netflix's entrance into Canada! Ok, maybe not.

If you have a Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, you may have noticed a promo for Netflix where you can get a 30 day free trial.

I was ambivalent about Netflix at first, but after some prodding from my wife, I signed up for the trial via the Playstation network.

There are four headings to choose from, new arrivals, TV series, movies, and genres. And that is pretty much it.

The selection was disappointing, but then again, I think I expected to be able to rent Iron Man 2 and brand new movie releases aren't offered by Netflix.

Movie wise, it is pretty much older titles, though you get some foreign movies thrown in as well. Where Netflix might be your game is in TV shows and documentaries, of which there were a fair number of. Apparently in Canada you are not able to download anything off of Netflix, so when that comes around there will be added value to what is offered.

Is Netflix worth the $8.99 a month? I personally don't think so, but that is just me. If you like TV and documentaries and watching the occasional older movie and don't care about the finest selection of new releases, then Netflix will probably be worth the monthly price.

Marijuana is bad m-kay!

A Winnipeg teen was shot for apparently refusing to buy some marijuana. That is how it is worded on the ticker on CBC National this morning.

The wording gives the impression that the teen that was shot is a martyr for the war on drugs, and certainly anti-drug PR machines go into overdrive when a specific type of crime related to drugs such as the one mentioned occur.

I remember years ago an anti-drug commercial airing on Fox Rochester announcing a young teenaged girl had died of an overdose related to either ecstasy or crystal meth at a rave or house party. It was very solemn and tragic sounding. To bad the commercial had to subsequently be pulled because later medical reports indicated the girls death was not specifically drug related at all!

I'm not justifying the shooting in any way. Let me be clear about that. My point is the anti-drug groups have their 'spin' on things and I am always weary of the message being sent out by any group with an agenda. Which in truth, is just about every organization out there good and/or bad.

Groups for decriminalization and legalization of marijuana, could just as easily 'spin' the aforementioned events and advocate that measures to legalize marijuana can prevent said incidents.

For now though, the anti-drug PR machines have more clout because we elect governments that consistently harp on a 'stay the course' treatment of the war on drugs. Specifically the multibillion war against marijuana which has been raging for decades.

Niche Advertising

Ok, I don't normally watch hunting shows on Saturday mornings, but I brought my car in for a tune up and on the TV in the waiting room is this hunting show on Global that I can't remember the name of, and during the commercial breaks I catch a couple of hunting goods commercials.

More specifically, commercials for hunting weapons. One was for a hunting rifle made by a company called Terra, and the other for a crossbow bolt called Excalibur. In both commercials, a lone male hunter is about in the woods stalking his prey. The prey happens to be deer in both commercials, and as the hunter is taking aim and about to fire, the benefits of each weapon are extolled by a narrator. I liked the fact that in the rifle commercial the hunter takes out a big male buck deer (they don't show the deer being taken down for obvious reasons I think) and then proudly carrying off the horns as a trophy (again, skip past the messy part!) In the other commercial the hunter doesn't seem to succeed in taking down the deer with a crossbow bolt which was a little confusing, though perhaps the idea is the bolt didn't kill the deer outright.

So, what is interesting about these commercials? I don't think they were highly 'creative' per say, though I think if you could make a hunting rifle commercial creative without being absurd or blatantly offensive, more power to you! Aside from any PETA types being horrified, it is quite clear that the aforementioned products would not be advertised, and I have not seen advertised in any other time slot and/or when a non hunting show is airing. There were other non specific commercials mixed with the hunting related commercials, but this shows that certain products are only going to be suitable to be advertised in tandem with a specific TV show.

I also know that the price for a 30 second spot on Saturday morning is pretty cheap compared to prime time slots, and the audience in question for that show is the audience those products would want to be advertised to, no matter how small said audience might be.

In the end, I think I might have to watch a few more fishing and hunting shows just to see what other commercials I might come across.

In the meantime, this is Billy Bobby signing off with "I'm goin' Waterhorse huntin' with my brand new Excalibur Crossbow!" Love that smooth recoil action!

Dissidence

In China a wife is sentenced to house arrest ...

Tensions rise with Norway ...

All over a Nobel Peace Prize in the name of democracy ...

In the West a quiet hush ...

No one dares upset the economic juggxrnaught ...

Ironically the very laptop that this is written on

Is made in China, so hypocrites are we all

New Hockey Season - New Commercials!

So a new hockey season is upon us and to kick it off I saw some new commercials.

The one stand out was the Captain Morgan commercial. Not that it was exceptional, but that the current campaign which has the slogan "Calling all Captains", seems a bit worn out with the premise of this most recent commercial being a bunch of guys at a bar who ditched their girlfriends via leaving 'versions' of themselves back home ranging from a stuffed dummy to a knight is shining armor in bed.

It is interesting to note that slogans and themes come and go as the brand chugs along. You either see a brand being tweaked by a new slogan or campaign or in some cases being a complete tear down and rebuild and reposition for a brand like the recent Old Spice campaign.

Oh, and attention to Leon's, try some creative for commercials that don't happen in the furniture store!