Todd's Must Reads for Last Friday of the Summer

1-The Truth about Down Syndrome.
This is a terrific piece that reminds us that happiness isn't always as we conventionally see it. For individuals with DS and their families, the challenges are many, but the rewards are greater than most of us may realize.

2-End the Tyranny of 24/7 Email.
Just yesterday, I was writing about the toxicity of smart phones and what they've done (er, what we've allowed them to do) to every facet of our lives. This very good article shows how some very big companies have decided to take action and give their employees a "mandatory" break from email, the tool that prevents us from getting anything done. I've taken to shutting off my work email when I leave the office (shhhh) and not looking again until the next morning. And, guess what? The sky hasn't fallen and I haven't lost my job. I'm less agitated; enjoy my evenings more; and sleep better. Give it a try. If your boss or CEO needs to reach you, there's always texting. or Facebook messenger.

3-http://itstartswith.com/2012/07/how-to-live/
I discovered the web site itstartswith.com last night and loved the first article I read. It's a somewhat meandering riff on how to live your best life. Hold hands. Say hello. Build things. And many more. It got me to thinking (yet again) about how I want to live my days. As I learn (and forget) and learn again, it's about mindfulness, awareness, presence.

Ok, off to the gym to lift heavy shit and then my first visit to Governors Island. Book, crossword (and yes, that damn smart phone) in hand.

Bring it on.

Todd's Must Reads of the Day

1-Is Everyone a Little Bit Racist? Nicholas Krisof speaks an often unspoken truth. How many of us (white people) have black friends? How many of us ignore a young black male asking us for directions, while not hesitating at all to offer help to a white male of the same age? http://alturl.com/ubwqe

2-Plugged in Over Preppy. Over the past year, I've become absolutely convinced that smart phones are hurting us in so many ways. We don't communicate directly; we don't see what's around us; and, as this article in today's NYT says, we don't even care about what clothes we wear anymore, at least teens don't. For them, I-phones and the myriad accoutrements that are available with them are now more important to teens than tight jeans.http://alturl.com/vgrio

3-A 9-Year Old at a Shooting Range. No Words. http://alturl.com/5kztu

Vote AGAINST Obama?

I find it hard to believe that, I, a passionate Obama supporter (ok, after the Hillary debacle), is now wondering, 'what has happened?'

Maureen Dowd's piece today about his pathetic, weak, wimpy non-endorsement/endorsement of the mosque at Ground Zero nailed it: "Let me be perfectly clear, Mr. Perfectly Unclear President: You cannot take such a stand on a matter of first principle and then take it back the next morning..."

Whether it's the mosque; the reaction to the Gulf Oil Spill; the lack of singular focus on jobs, until now, I've re-buffed former Obama supporters who wondered allowed if he may be, SHOULD be a one-term President. Now, I wonder myself.

Hillary in 2012?

Milk

The movie was very good. Sean Penn was, as ever, brilliant. To think what has happened in the gay rights world since that awful day and what role Milk might have played.

Andrew Sullivan has a good take.

It Has Been Awhile...

After nearly nine months, I'm back. Not sure for how long, but here I am. A few "bullet points" to what I'm thinking:

• I can't believe that we still have 6 1/2 weeks until Obama takes office. Why does this take so long here? Other countries transition power in hours or days. We're in the midst of the worst financial crisis in 80 years? If this weren't a transition period, would we allow the government to do nothing for 8-10 weeks?
• My 93 year-old grandmother had a stroke while we where home for Thanksgiving. I think she will be ok, but, wow. Just a day before, I had spent hours chatting with her about family/life/food and all was good.
• I'm a Facebook freak. Why should I or anyone care that I "woke up at 5am today. Crap." 
• Am I the only one that still listens to podcasts?

SHE'S F*CKING MATT DAMON

CLASSIC.

What if Barack Doesn't Deliver?

Interesting comment from Gail Collins in today's New York Times:

Some of the Democratic resistance to Obama’s magic comes from people who are wary of politicians who want to win their hearts. Every great candidate has golden moments when the campaign merges perfectly into the zeitgeist of the people. But sooner or later it passes, and you’re left with a tired, flawed human being making a pitch to crowds of slightly deflated citizens. One of Hillary’s selling points is that we’re pre-deflated. We’ve known her so well for so long.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/opinion/31collins.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

The Kennedy Bounce

When I last wrote, Hillary had her New Hampshire comeback and I was ecstatic that we had a real race on our hands. I hadn't made a decision--Hillary or Barack--but wanted to see a fight for at least a few states and many more weeks.

And, I've been loving the horserace. Each day, I'm convinced the other has made the connection and is on the road to the nomination. But, maybe, just maybe, I've landed as of today.

And, it's all about Bill, unfortunately. My generation's favorite president and, at one time the man who represented just about everything I cared about (ok, not THAT), has been despicable the past few weeks. And, as so many have already said, it reminds me of everything I can't stand about politics, about Washington and yes, about "what the meaning of is is."

But it was Teddy Kennedy's endorsement today that (at least for now) sealed the deal. It is time for a big change and, Barack represents it. Sure, I wish he had more experience and, yes, I do worry about what he'll be like on Day 1. But somehow, someway, Teddy and Caroline reassured me today. And, Teddy's inclusion of "gays and lesbians" in talking about Barack was the clincher.

I don't know that this is where I'll end up when I vote next week (Mass is still very heavily in favor of Hillary), but for now, it's Barack.

Interesting commentary re. Hillary/Obama

from andrewsullivan.com:

My parents have been solid Clinton supporters for years, and they are extremely partisan. I have done everything in my power over the past six months to convince them to vote for Obama.
They finally started to move towards him over the past few weeks. Then my mother told me last night that the debate over the weekend in NH was so great - better than a debate has been in such a long time - that they simply didn't want the discussion to end. They felt it was too soon. The desire to see more discussion meshed with the media hype of "it will be over," leading them to believe that if they voted for Obama, the democratic primaries would be over. When this combined with the fact that they are old-ish and didn't stay up to watch Obama's Iowa acceptance speech (and weren't impressed with his debating), they swung back to Clinton.

Hillary? I said, Hillary?

Ok, it's not over, but this clearly isn't this the blow-out/coronation that every frigging media personality/blogger/friend of mine predicted. And, no I'm not gloating. I'm actually excited. We have a race! And shouldn't that be the case after only two pathetically small states have voted?

I was all over the media for pissing on Hillary's tears yesterday. But maybe, just maybe, voters realized those weren't manipulated, but the real deal. And, finally, maybe, Hillary showed some real human emotion.

This is getting fun.

Going Nuts About Barack

Alright, already. How many euphemisms have been said?: "riding a wave;" "changing the nation;" "a new era;" "we can all change the world together."

I don't know who I'll vote for (and, in Massachusetts, does it really matter?), but come on folks--including some of my closest friends and, especially, the media--let's cool it on Barack insanity until he's received more than 70,000 votes in a country of 250 million. He may be the right person at the right time, but I'm still not convinced. He's a junior senator with two years national experience and, prior to that, a city councilman. Don't issues matter any more? Isn't there more than hope?

Yes, I agree that Hillary can appear manipulative (but I do believe her teary speech this morning) and cold and that Bill just needs to shut up. But she's one smart woman and, yes, has experience.

Let's see this through for, oh, I don't know, at least a few weeks, before we coronate someone we hardly know, ok?

2007: The Year (Sort of ) in Review

http://www.jibjab.com/sendables/view/qIrJ1E0evHN3oDJD84cVDUsr

Benazir Bhutto

I literally gasped when I heard the news in the car this morning. Of course, it's more of a shock than a surprise. And, though I don't pretend to be an expert on international policy, I do sense from everything that I've read and heard that this is potentially a very, very significant event and one that we need to watch closely.

As a news junkie, I am always interested in knowing how the mainstream media covers these events. I listed on NPR most of the day and the coverage was terrific--mix of hard news, commentary and BBC. But I was also pleasantly surprised by the coverage n network news tonight. All three broadcasts spent atleast 40% of their airtime on the story, though ABC was the only one with its own correspondent on the ground. That said, i was dissapointed that none of the three anchors could bother to interrupt their holiday vacations to return to the studio. I tell you--Dan, Tom and Peter would have been there.

More than you need to know...

The Lives of Others

I haven't written in awhile and I'm not even sure anyone is still reading. Life has been fine, but I haven't felt the need or urge to write--until now.

I just finished watching for the second time in 24 hours, "The Lives of Others," which won this year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. The acting, the story, the cinematography are all haunting and hauntingly beautiful. And, as many reviewers have noted, it could have ended several times before it did. But it ended in the best possible way.

It's on DVD now, with some wonderful features, including a director's narrated version, which makes the second viewing essential.

Loved it. And for someone who usually can't stand subtitles or long movies and falls asleep even in the best of films, that's saying a lot.

HAPPY CHANUKAH

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1uZ_W7atDE

Sex and the City: The Movie

Can't wait:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdKGNEbU5II

Obama?

I'm a political junkie, watching and reading everything from Meet the Press, Keith Olberman, politico.com and any op-ed by Maureen Dowd, or, occasionally, Bob Herbert.

The next 350 days or so will be fascinating, but right now I'm focused on Iowa (January 3) and New Hampshire (January 8). I've been a long-time believer of the inevitability of Hilary Clinton as the Democratic nominee, but the past few weeks have tested that assumption. Polls (notoriously inaccurate in early states) now say that Obama is in the lead and the pundits seem to think so, too. I'm still not convinced that, as Bob Herbert said recently, that there is enough "there there," but I am also increasingly wary of the endless political calculations of Hilary. Still, the idea of having First Man Bill keeps me believing.

Keith Olberman

If I don't blog on any given evening, it's more than likely because I'm watching Keith Olberman on MSNBC. In simple terms, Keith is the liberal's answer to Bill O'Reilly.

But really, he's much more than that. He's handsome, first of all. Secondly, he has a brain. And he has great, really smart guests.

And, his "worst person in the world" segment is as good as any SNL "Weekend Update."

Weeknights at 8 on MSNBC. Check it out. Same time as O'Reilly, so you'll have to turn that crap off.

Vegas, Baby

I've been blog-absent for the past week. I spent most of it in Vegas for a work-related trip. It was my fourth trip to Sin City and I can't say that I miss it. Stayed at the Mandalay Bay, which was just fine, but I can't help but get irritated everytime I'm there by the boob-infested waitresses and the fugly middle-aged men ogling them like cotton candy.

It's just wrong.

Would I feel that way if it were a twenty-something chiseled dark-haired guy named Chester? Well, that person doesn't exist in Vegas, so I don't have to answer that question.

Life is Good

I'm a huge fan of consumer culture--why ideas stick, what gets people talking, etc. I thought that this article in the NY Times was great in showing how a no-budget company became a great brand.

I love my Life is Good Hat.

Millions in Sales From 3 Simple Words

By GLENN RIFKIN
Even though he broke his foot dancing at his brother’s wedding one recent weekend, life is still good for Bert Jacobs.

Mr. Jacobs is the 42-year-old co-founder of Life is good, a popular apparel brand based in Boston that is on track to break $100 million in sales this year. This is rarefied air for Mr. Jacobs, who a dozen years ago was selling T-shirts out of a battered van on the streets of Boston with his brother John, now 39.

From a single childlike drawing of a character they named Jake and their uplifting three-word slogan, the brothers have developed a fashion brand sold in 4,500 independent retail outlets in the United States and 27 other countries.

Since 1994, they have sold nearly 20 million Life is good T-shirts and now have a product line with more than 900 items, from hats to dog beds, and the company continues to grow 30 to 40 percent annually. There are now 93 independently owned Life is good retail shops selling only their merchandise, and the company plans to have a total of 200 by the end of 2009. With all that, Life is good has just 250 employees.

Life is good, which rations its use of capital letters, offers one more example of a small company creating a big brand. Though most consumers associate great brands with marketing giants like Procter & Gamble, General Motors, Apple and Nike, the ability to build a powerful brand is no longer reserved for the big spenders. Small companies with great ideas and well-planned strategies — Kryptonite bicycle locks, Stonyfield Farm yogurt, Zipcar — have spawned prominent brands.

“A big brand comes from big insights about culture and consumers and what it is that they need,” said Susan Fournier, a brand expert and associate professor of marketing at the School of Management at Boston University. “To me, that has nothing to do with big budgets.”

“Life is good tapped into an emotional ethos that struck a chord with where the culture was at a certain point in time. That is not done by a marketing budget but by their customers who become evangelists and give the brand visibility and credibility.”

Internet start-ups like Google, YouTube, Craigslist and Facebook used the Web to promote themselves and have now grown into giants themselves. Facebook, the popular social networking Web site, for example, was started in a Harvard dormitory room by three undergraduates less than four years ago, and today, with just over 300 employees, has nearly 50 million active users and has been signing up 200,000 new ones a day since January. New brands can be started online with stunning speed and efficiency by small groups of entrepreneurs who understand the impact of the viral environment of the Web.

Creating that ubiquity for a brand in the nondigital world is tougher. Though they had been reasonably content to sell enough of their wares to pay a meager rent and avoid taking real jobs, the Jacobs brothers always believed that they could make a better T-shirt and turn it into a bona fide business.

They posted their own drawings and slogans on the wall of their apartment near Boston and regularly polled friends at their frequent keg parties for feedback about their ideas. “It was truly like a focus group,” Bert Jacobs recalled.

In search of something that would resonate with a broad audience, they created Jake, a crudely drawn stick character not all that far removed from the Smiley Face, and were amazed at how he inspired an intensely positive reaction.

“This guy has life figured out,” wrote one friend next to the drawing.

They later posted a list of 50 slogans they had compiled and got a similar reaction to the unremarkable phrase “life is good.” A girlfriend concluded that the slogan with three simple words “kind of says it all.”

The brothers printed 48 test T-shirts that combined the slogan with the drawing for a street fair in Cambridge, Mass., in 1994, and sold the entire lot in 45 minutes.

That night, the brothers huddled and decided that the gold they had seemingly struck was a result of their message of optimism. “The reason people bought those shirts was because they understood it instantly,” Bert Jacobs said. “It made them smile, and it was tangible. They could reach out and get a little sunshine.”

Doug Gladstone, chief executive of Brand Content, an ad agency in Boston, agreed. “They tapped into something positive yet benign,” he said. “The product makes you feel good but it’s not over the top.”

By the end of 1994, the brothers had sold $82,000 of Life is good shirts through a couple of willing retail outlets. Within four years, they broke the $1 million barrier and believed they had found the small business they had always dreamed of and that they were sitting on an emerging brand.

The outside world did not see it that way. “It was a real uphill battle to get other people to say we had a brand,” Bert Jacobs said. “At $10 million and even $20 million in sales, they were still asking us when we were going to launch something different.”

With no business acumen, the brothers sought out successful retailers and peppered them with questions. Bert Jacobs acknowledged that smarter businessmen could have expanded the company more quickly but that was never the point.

Prof. Fournier said that slow growth is an asset for small companies trying to build brands.

“People with deep pockets put the pedal to the metal and do too much too quickly,” she said. “Big companies try to do everything in the first two years but often fall off the cliff. Small companies have to hold back and build the brand more carefully and diligently. Slow and steady often wins the race.”

The Jacobs brothers considered a consumer advertising campaign several years ago but decided to wait until growth slowed to start it. Growth has never slowed. Instead of advertising, the company spends its money on charitable fund-raising festivals for children’s causes.

“People who are facing adversity embrace our message the most,” Bert Jacobs said.

Skeptics have warned the brothers that their concept has a limited shelf life, and, indeed, they plan to extend the brand to try to keep it vibrant. Next spring, Life is good plans to start several apparel and product lines like Good Karma, Good Kids, Good Dog and Good Vibes that will aim at specific audiences. Good Karma, for example, is an environmentally sustainable clothing line. Good Kids will extend the product line for children.

Bert Jacobs is confident the brand has legs. “So much of fashion and culture is cyclical. It comes and goes,” he said. “When the trend tails off, so does your business. But optimism is not a trend. It’s empowering to celebrate life’s simple pleasures.”