Category: Stories

Dutch researchers say drinking a half glass of wine a day may increase life expectancy by 3.8 years. If true, I should live to the ripe old age of 185.

The filmmaker James Cameron claims to have found the lost tomb of Christ. Obviously, he’s taking some heat from Christians who won’t let a little bit of science get in the way of a good story. Personally, I like the not-too-subtle sarcasm in this quote from Cameron’s cohort, director Simcha Jacobovici:

“‘But they’re not necessarily the implications people think they are. For example, some believers are going to say, well this challenges the resurrection. I don’t know why, if Jesus rose from one tomb, he couldn’t have risen from the other tomb,’ Jacobovici told ‘Today.’”

OK, more like the dyslexic version: hair yesterday, gone today. But it’s looking more and more like I’ll have an excuse to use a comb again (and not for a comb-over): check out this new product I found on Luxist.

I’m old enough to know better, but tonight I’m going to play a pick-up hockey game. It’ll be my fourth time this year (the weather’s been cooperating despite global warming). Here’s where we play:

The rink is in my friend Kevin’s yard. It is roughly 55′ x 120′ and lit with two 1,000 watt halogen work lights. The curved driveway will make it easier for the ambulance to cart me away.

When I grow up, I want to be Park B. Smith. Or his adopted grandson. Or his friend. Or whatever else it takes to get a tour (and tasting!) of his 8,000 square foot, 65,000 bottle wine cellar.

Please click on over to The Chronic Curmudgeon to read his post titled “Fortune.” Powerful writing based on a powerful and humbling experience that will make you reassess the value you place on your freedom of speech.

Did the Bush administration fire all of its PR counselors? It sure looks like it given their recent round of media missteps. Adding to the stumbles is yesterday’s stop in Dublin, Ohio, where the President outlined his plan to expand health savings accounts. And where better to discuss health? Why, the corporate headquarters of fast-food giant Wendy’s, of course.

What is it about Texans and common sense lately? This past week, the Bush administration gave everyone a primer on what happens when you try to hide bad news. And now Texas-based RadioShack is in the barrel [free registration required] for trying to avoid the issue of its CEO falsifying his educational background.

I’m just going to assume that there’s a crisis communications playbook from the 1950s that everyone in Texas is working off of. It’s the only way to explain the head-in-the-sand denial that companies are operating in a more fluid, more transparent environment today (an environment we can thank another group of Texans for: the boys of Enron).

Renuka Rayasam at the Austin-American Statesman is reporting today that Whole Foods Market is switching to all wind power in the U.S..

I don’t know enough about the economics of the wind-powered energy industry to determine the economic benefits of Whole Foods’ decision, but my 14 years of PR experience tell me that this is a great PR decision (and I wouldn’t be shocked to learn that the company’s PR team was at the table when the debate about the merits of moving to a wind-powered infrastructure were discussed).

I don’t follow the supermarket wars as a matter of my day-to-day news reading (apparently there is a huge battle going on). But I do have a few cooking/luxury blogs loaded in my RSS reader. Whole Foods seems to get consistent buzz as the good guy (read: good customer and community citizen) in a lot of the posts. Whether that’s for the natural products they carry, their purchasing ethics, or something else, I don’t know. I just know that from a PR perspective, Whole Foods seems to be doing a lot right lately.

Their competition should start paying closer attention if they aren’t already — before they get the wind knocked out of their sales.