Did see you see McDonalds’ new heartwarming commercial while watching the Golden Globes or NFL playoffs earlier this week? I admit that I liked it. The heartfelt ad showed a photo montage of messages posted on various McDonald’s signboards by some of the fast food restaurant’s franchises, including “Thank you Veterans”, “We Remember 9/11”, “Boston […]
Read MoreI didn’t attend the University of Oregon, but I grew up in Eugene, Oregon, so tonight’s national championship game between U of O and Ohio State is personal. Eugene’s culture is hinged on two things: U of O sports and hippies. It’s a beautiful thing. It should come as no surprise that the culture within […]
Read MoreThanksgiving is just a little more than a week away and while some of us are stocking our fridges with all the makings for a big feast, shoppers and bargain-hunters are preparing for what for them is an even bigger holiday – Black Friday. In fact, some shoppers are already camped out in front of […]
Read MoreNovember 4th has arrived and after today you no longer have to listen to the campaign advertisements, at least for awhile. Although these advertisements address some of the issues with each campaign candidate or proposition measure, they can be overbearing, aggressive, and sometimes pushing the truth. NPR’s Alisa Chang, recently reported on the “2014 Campaign […]
Read MoreWe blogged recently about the health of the magazine industry, which has experienced a 10% YOY growth in readership. The news came as a surprise to many of us, given the state of newspapers today. Unfortunately, there’s no corresponding happy news in the latest stats about the health of the newspaper industry, as measured by […]
Read MoreIn late September, the New York Times’ piece on television producer Shonda Rhimes hadn’t even appeared in the Sunday paper before the online world blew up over its seemingly racist and sexist content. Written by TV critic Alessandra Stanley, the piece on the highly successful African-American producer Shonda Rhimes starts, “When Shonda Rhimes writes her […]
Read MoreHealth agencies have been challenged for months with how best to communicate with the public and the media alike about the Ebola outbreak. The news that Thomas Eric Duncan, the Dallas man infected with Ebola, has died is likely to add to Americans’ fears about the disease, and with that fear, we are likely to […]
Read MoreAre you ready for Design Week Portland? It’s coming, and it has something to offer everyone, designer or not. From October 4-11, a series of events, open houses, installations, talks, and parties will take over spaces throughout Portland, all in celebration of design. As the website states, “Design Week Portland is a weeklong series of […]
Read MoreDoes the old adage that there’s no such thing as bad publicity still hold true? Urban Outfitters is in the hot seat over a “vintage” Kent State sweatshirt that appeared as though it had blood splatters across it. The apology The company posted an apology on twitter shortly after the first media stories about backlash […]
Read MoreLast week marked the opening day of the NFL season and within a few days the national spotlight was shining an ugly beam on one of the league’s star players. On Monday the world was seeing the horrific altercation between Baltimore Raven’s star Ray Rice and his wife Janay in a casino elevator where he […]
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