Riding with the window down…

Why is it wrong for Camel cigarettes to use a cartoon character and not for junk food companies to do the same? Think about it. Obesity is a much larger (pun intended) threat to the lives of America’s children than cigarettes.

In 2008, an article reported by the BBC stated that of the 19 cartoon characters used to sell food to kids, not one of them promoted healthy food. All of these were junk food products. That doesn’t even touch on promotional marketing such as Spider-man, Shrek, and the numerous movie and television tie-in licensing. In fact, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, less than 3% of the total food ads are for healthy products.

Sure, kill Joe Camel - but how about a little protection against Ronald McDonald and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while we are at it?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has come out with a amazing new report. Apparently, when a larger vehicle crashes into a smaller one, the smaller takes more damage. I am so glad I have the lapdog for the auto industry to teach me about the basics of physics.

Yes, the IIHS took the current trendy microcars - Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, and Smart ForTwo and crashed them into larger midsize sedans. Their findings were not at all surprising, but the report was written as if it was a shocking revelation. It read like something out of Fox News teaser - “Are you driving a coffin? Find out at 10!”

The IIHS went further and blamed lower fuel consumption, saying this is why manufacturers are making smaller (more dangerous) cars. They suggest that the plan by the Obama administration making fuel economy vehicle-type-specific instead of fleet-wide will take away the incentive for manufacturers to make smaller, more fuel efficient cars. (And they are probably right)

So what’s my take? Look, I don’t care what kind of car you buy. If you need (or want) a truck - then by all means - do it. If you want fuel economy to save some bucks - more power to you. This is America. What gets me steamed is when these entities spread propaganda under the guise of public safety or information. What’s wrong with telling the truth? Why all the damn spin? Oh yeah - we’re stupid and need you, obviously more intelligent people, to help us make up our minds.

It’s true - facebook is officially mainstream.  Not only have I seen it mentioned a half dozen times on television shows now, but a LARGE number of my friends from the past have joined.

I have friended a past high school girlfriend, two former college girlfriends, a dozen relatives from around the country, and at least a dozen former high school friends in just the past two weeks.  (And I attended a country high school with a graduating class of around 50.)  These are all people that wouldn’t have gone anywhere near a social networking site just a few short months ago.  These are not cutting edge technologists - these are normal people.

So what does it all mean?  Does it mean that this bastion of uber-coolness has been invaded by the mainstream?  Yeah, it certainly has changed… but I think for the better.  Does it mean that I have to find something else to remain on the cutting edge?   Well, I kinda do that anyway.

I’m actually enjoying facebook’s explosion because it has allowed me to get in contact with so many cool people from my past.  Sure, it has changed the dynamic of how I view facebook, but its a dynamic that I like.

What are your thoughts?  When did you join?  Are you an old-timer like me, or did you just get sucked in recently?  What got you involved?

Now, I am no fan of Alexa (don’t get me started on how skewed their results are) but it looks like April of ‘08 is when facebook surpassed MySpace.  The incline in the past few months has been surprisingly steep though as it has indeed hit the mainstream.

One of the questions that has always interested me is “Are people basically good or basically evil?” I mean, we all know people who would give you the shirt off their back (and much more) without any regard for themselves. Yet, we all know people who would take the shirt off your back without any regard for you. So what IS in man’s nature? Is it self-preservation, personal gain, and selfishness or is it more about community, assisting those who are down, and “doing the right thing?”

Again, we have all met absolutely evil and selfish people - but do they outnumber the ones that are absolutely good and sharing? I am sorry to report from my perspective that it is more of the former and less of the latter. But it could just be that the evil folks in the world do such tremendous amount of damage that it is more noticeable than the millions of kinds acts performed during that same time.

What are your thoughts? We can agree that both types exist in the world - who is the larger group? Who is in charge? What can you do to affect that balance? (Personally, I find that surrounding myself with good people and putting distance between myself and the bad folks in the world, does wonders for your faith in mankind - even if it is a bit of self-delusion.)

I was rushing out to head to a lunch meeting and had to take a pause and grab a pic of this bike. It definitely proved the San Marcos Square should be referred to as the “Not So Square.”

Good times.

I caught a six pack of 16 oz. “tall boy” Dr. Pepper at H.E.B. tonight and had to grab one.  Sure, it’s not the real cane sugar Dr. Pepper - but it is cool.  It was the “Sabrosura” and “33% Mas” that caught my attention as much as the extra large cans.

Hey, it doesn’t have to make sense - it just has to be interesting to me.  The question of why Hispanics get 4 more ounces in their DP was enough of a mystery to make it interesting.  Should I be offended with the inequity or just revel in the cultural sharing?

For years, the cheapest gasoline in the state has been within blocks of the house I own in Houston. I was there earlier in the week on a video production job and wasn’t surprised to see the prices nearly 40 cents below San Marcos gas. What shocked me was this:

Nice. You see the Chevron across the street has an electronic sign - they can change the rate easily from inside the story. At this Shell, they have to go get the numbers, grab a ladder, and make the changes each time.

The rate at the Chevron? $3.19/gallon

Yes, now that the site is moved over to the new server and new host, I feel a bit more motivated to post.  That and the fact that I finally have a decent computer at home again with all my audio and video editing software.

This is another shot I took a while back - while at Buc-ees just outside of Luling, I looked over while gassing up and saw something that would go under the heading of “only in Texas.”

That’s right - while he wasn’t actually putting gasoline into the horses, he was holding his friends mount while he picked up some drinks and beef jerky.  I love this state.

We all know the value of money is shrinking… were you aware that the size is also shrinking? I was digging for change the other day and come across two nickels remarkable different in size.

I didn’t bother to write down the exact years of each coin, but did make a mental note that the smaller one is much newer. (I think the other one was from the 60’s or 70’s.)

I just saw a Traveller’s insurance commercial about re-attaching rabbit’s feet. The premise is that with their insurance you no longer need your lucky limb. It got me thinking… well, that and the fact that I am a bit loopy and its 3 AM… that might have had something to do with it.

It just struck me as totally barbaric that we find it normal to walk around with our keys attached to the severed foot of a dead rabbit. How is that any different than the witch doctor with the shrunken head or shaking a chicken claw? It seems that this veneer we call civilization is not all that thick.

And then there’s always the old saying, “It couldn’t have been too lucky for the rabbit.”