Biden goes on the View

Vice President Joe Biden faced the outspoken and witty (also in my opinion, annoying) panel of ladies as a guest on ABC's "The View." The Vice President was faced with topics that ranged from the white house posture on the Iranian nuclear threat to Biden's childhood struggles with stuttering.
More "hard hitting' questions were asked as well, especially concerning his drop of the "f" bomb during the presidential signing ceremony for the health care reform law. Biden disclosed that he didn't realize that the microphone was on him and was pretty embarrassed by the ordeal. President Obama "laughed like a devil" in the limo after the ceremony as a response to the fluke. he even admitted to liking Sarah Palin, calling her charming and nice.

Harry Potter inspired new $100 bill unveiled!

Last month, the Treasury Department announced that it was revamping the $100 bill yet again to decrease counterfeiters.

To hype up the new bill, the Treasury set up a website (www.newmoney.gov) featuring a clock counting down the hours, minutes, and seconds to its unveiling and today the clock ran down to zero.

Today at 10:15 a.m. ET, Treasury officials unveiled the new bill at a news conference with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on hand for the occasion.

The Associated Press said the new design – which employs a new “moving” microprint technology- was “like something straight out of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”

The 1996 redesign of the $100 bill featured watermarks as its chief anti-counterfeiting tool. The new bill goes way beyond that and features a security thread decades in development: the microprinted mobile image that has inspired all the Harry Potter talk.

When the bill is moved side to side, the image on the bill appears to move up and down, and when it's moved up and down, the image appears to move side to side.

The makeover is Treasury’s latest bid to keep a step ahead of counterfeiters.

Click here to view entire article and watch the $100 note unveiling video.

Texting to lose social skills?

NPR reported that daily texting among teens 12-17 has skyrocketed from 45% in 2004 to 75% , according to a new poll by Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project.

Fears circling excessive texting center on the break down of social skills, concentration in school and business/professional interaction. It worries some that young people feel more comfortable online that in person.

Personally, I don't think teens should get a cell phone until the get their driver's license. That eliminates the dependency on virtual communication until 16 and forces social skills upon them.

Click here to view the entire article.

Caleb

Barack Obama recently started his campaign to gain public support of his reform on Wall Street and the financial system. He believes that banks are still too big to fail and Obama feels the U.S. can not recover if this remains the way American banks operate. One of the biggest firms, Goldman Sachs, was recently accused by the SEC of purposefully harming investors through shady transactions and back-door deals. A search for the words "Goldman Sachs SEC" now renders an add for the website http://barackobama.com. The White House says the SEC is a completely independent organization and the president has no influence over that entity. Many wonder if the charges against Goldman Sachs have any thing to do with the president's attempt to get Americans behind his financial reform.
Read more.

For A Tiny Press, The Pulitzer Arrives Out of Nowhere

When the Pulitzer Prizes were announced this past week, no one was more surprised than fiction winner Paul Harding. His novel, Tinkers, was released by a little-known publishing company with few works of fiction to its credit, the first time a book published by a small independent press has won the Pulitzer for fiction since 1981's A Confederacy of Dunces.No one notified Paul Harding that he had won the Pulitzer. Harding was alone when he checked the Pulitzer website, curious to find out who had won.

"I came as close to actually fainting as I think I ever have, because I literally just could not believe what I saw when it came up on the website," Harding says with a laugh. "And I kept refreshing and it just kept coming up Tinkers, Tinkers, Tinkers."

The Bellevue Literary Press was not exactly known as a powerhouse in the publishing world: The staff comprises editorial director Erika Goldman and an assistant. Their office is in a most unusual setting for a publishing company, "nestled," as Goldman puts it, "within the department of medicine at the New York University School of Medicine, which is at Bellevue Hospital."

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The AP Stylebook makes a long-awaited change

Due to the commonality of the use of the word "website", the AP Stylebook officially changed "Web site" to "website" via Twitter.

Many people contacted the AP saying that they preferred the single word method, also arguing that "'Web site' is an antiquated way of writing it.

This is a good recent example of the way that language changes and evolved due to usage and the drive for a uniform method of writing.

Read more here.

Library of Congress joining the Twitter Craze?

...Not exactly.


Library of Congress has just announced that they will be archiving collected works from Twitter. Library officials stated that this is another step for the Congress to embrace social media; Twitter has declared that it is "very exciting that tweets are becoming a part of history."

Fred R. Shapiro, associate librarian and lecturer a the Yale Law School said, "This is an entirely new addition to the historical record, the second-by-second history of ordinary people." The library had previously contacted the company a few months ago in hopes of adding Twitter's content to the national archives according to Matt Raymond, the library's director of communications.

Twitter will join the "Web capture" project which began about a year ago. This project has gathered Web pages, online news articles and documents that pertain to significant events such as the presidential elections and terrorist attacks of 9/11. It has also stored 167 terabytes of digital materials which outweighs the library's collection of 21 million books.

Many have raised the concern of this possibly invading the privacy of Twitter users. Raymond assured that anything archived would not be private, "It's not as if we're after anything that's not out there already," he said.


Read the original article here.

Verizon Wireless gives fans a view of Coachella

For the first time, Verizon Wireless and Coachella will bring customers exclusive festival content to V CAST Video on their Verizon Wireless phones.

The 11th Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival will begin on Friday, April 16 and last through Sunday, April 18 in Indio, California with streaming beginning Friday, April 16 at 2 p.m.

Select musical performances from Coachella will be streamed live to Verizon Wireless customers' mobile phones including, Jay-Z, Muse, Gorillaz, Pavement, Thom Yorke, Vampire Weekend.

The live and archived video stream can be found only on V CAST-capable phones providing Verizon customers the opportunity to feel like they are on the festival grounds.

Click here for the original article

Friendship is Golden

Bacardi Gold brand is launching a new multi-million dollar three-year sponsorship deal between Bacardi U.S.A and the NBA. This is the first marketing campaign focusing on the Gold brand since the 1970s.

The tagline of the campaign is "Friendship is Golden" and features guys hanging out together watching NBA games while drinking Bacardi Gold. It is the first time any of the four major sports have signed a league-wide deal with a spirits company. Its an example of the changing face of sports marketing and spirits companies are working to appeal to an audience that was once reserved for the beer industry.

``The embrace of the NBA of spirits can be a real tipping factor in terms of what consumers think about when they drink alcoholic beverages,'' said Tom Pirko of BevMark, a beverage consulting firm.

Bacardi is also incorporating scholarships into its campaign and will provide more than

$100,000 per year to fund the new Gold Standard Scholarship Program in partnership with the

Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. It will lend its support to

the WNBA Inspiring Women Program and host an NBA D-League fantasy camp as well.

Twitter Announces New Ad-Supported Business Model

In a blog post Tuesday, Twitter unveiled plans to experiment with an ad-supported model to help the booming technology service gain revenue. The ads would be shown like regular tweets but with the word "promotion" clearly visible so a reader would know the tweet is clearly an ad. Also, the tweet would have the same guidelines as a normal tweet, a 140 character limit and the ability to reply, retweet and favorite the tweet. Most of these tweets would only be seen by users who follow certain brands who have paid for promotional tweets and would only otherwise be seen in search results with the limit of one promotional tweet per search. For more information read the full article here.

Toyota Gets SMART

While Toyota cars have been getting hated on for the past few months, the company has been working on a "swift market analysis and research team", or SMART, designed to investigate accidents where Toyota cars are involved.

SMART proved James Sikes was to blame for his 2008 Toyota Pruis allegedly running away on a California highway. SMART also determined that this could be the case with another vehicle in New York.

It is apparent Toyota is becoming more fierce with PR tactics. They have even been accused of "playing dirty"

For the full story on SMART click here.

The Streamys

Another award show has appeared during the red carpet season. However, this one is more like a virtual red carpet show. The Streamy Awards premiered for the first time on Sunday, April 11th.

What are the Streamys exactly?

"The Streamy Awards is the first and most prestigious awards ceremony devoted to honoring excellence in original web television programming and those who create it. The annual ceremony, and its live online broadcast, brings together top talent, decision-makers and influencers shaping the online entertainment industry. Awards are presented for the past years' finest achievements in a variety of categories spanning multiple disciplines, including Performance, Directing, Writing, Editing, Visual Effects, Sound, and more."

For more information on The Streamys click here.

Nike Celebrates Link to Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods has made a comeback to golf since the unflattering allegations were made against him, and Nike is celebrating their link to Tiger with a new commercial. The commercial features Tiger's late father, Earl, talking to him about taking responsibility for his actions.

"I want to find out what your thinking was; I want to find what your feelings are. And did you learn anything," Earl Woods says in the recording.

Nike put out a statement saying, "We support Tiger and his family. As he returns to golf, the ad addresses his time away from the game using the powerful words of his father."

Nike is not the only company continuing their ties with Tiger. Read the article to find out some other brands Tiger will continue to advertise.

Jessica Simpson goes All-Natural

Jessica Simpson recently began a show on VH1 called the Price of Beauty. She and her two best friends are traveling the globe to explore how different cultures define beauty and the extraordinary lengths that women will go to in order to achieve it. The casts’ own sense and definition of beauty are challenge as they visit different places. The show is something that Jessica believes stands for what she has learned to believe in – that beauty is different for everyone. After she has grown up under the microscope of the public, she has been a victim of criticism on her own beauty and body size. She believes she has grown out of caring what others think and is ready to show the world that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.

Simpson took a bold mood when she used her face as a public relation’s tactic to show that beauty doesn’t always mean the same thing to everyone. Simpson decided to go all-natural for the May cover of Marie Claire magazine because she feels she doesn’t have to “prove” herself anymore. She appears on the cover without a lick of makeup, hoping to promote her show along with inspire young girls.

Nike Releases Add that Incorporates Recent Tiger Scandal

As the Masters gets under way in Augusta, GA, Tiger Woods has finally started speaking out after months of silence and mystery. The only problem is that he isn't answering anything we don't already know. Woods has managed to avoid or divert any questions concerning his personal life. Many critics have been skeptical of his reclusive approach to his car accident and the infidelity surrounding his marriage. I think he played it perfectly.

Nike, one of Woods biggest sponsors, has released a commercial that pulls at emotions and shows Woods as merely a human being capable of mistakes but also capable of learning from them. This is huge for Nike. They could have easily stayed silent and let the media storm pass but they chose a completely different path, one that was full of risks. Nike chose to approach the problem head on. Obviously someone at Nike has huge balls. The commercial is very straight-forward showing only a live shot of Woods with his deceased father speaking in the background asking Woods what he learned from this recent experience. It is an emotion driven commercial and possibly a joint effort by Woods and Nike to enhance Woods' "I'm only human" side.

Many people seem to be over the Woods story and desperately want to just see him play golf. However, media coverage of his every move is all over television and web.

UTSA student organization launches "Smut for Smut" campaign

In March, members of the Atheist Agenda, a student organization at the University at San Antonio launched their "Smut for Smut" campaign which encourages students to turn in their religious texts for pornography.

Club members express that religious texts contain violence, torture and speak religious wars and are just as smutty as pornography.

But mostly, the student organization launched the campaign as a public relations stunt meant to ignite debate and attract new members to the club.

The "Smut for Smut" campaign drew in hundreds of students to UTSA's Sombrilla Plaza to cheer, protest or inquire about the event and to debate the role of religion in society.

The Atheist Agenda started at UTSA in 2005, and the group's first "Smut for Smut" campaign blew up into a national media sensation. Past President Thomas Jackson was flooded with interview requests and even debated Tucker Carlson, a conservative, on MSNBC.

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Status Updates or Tweets from Jail Next?

Rap artist "Lil Wayne" is keeping in touch with his fans with weekly update via the Internet on his blog. Lil Wayne's blogging has become a hot topic, along with his arrest and incarceration. "Weezy" began his blogging 8 days before being incarcerated and plans to update his blog weekly, starting April 2. He is letting his fans know he is doing well and counting down the days until his freedom. The site, weezythanxyou.com, is being used by Lil Wayne to state his feelings and philosophical musings about how jail has affected him.

He states that he’s saddened by how he hurt his children by his criminal actions that led to his incarceration and hopes that his love can help heal them from the pain his time away from them is causing.His thanking of his fans, especially those who write and inspire him lets them know how appreciative he is of their continuing support. He’ll continue posting to the blog by having a team working on the website transcribe his letters to let everyone know what’s on his mind and how he’s doing.

Read More.

Toyota hit with maximum penalty fine of more than $16M!

Toyota Motor Corp. faces a maximum penalty of more than $16 million, a record civil penalty against an automaker, for failing to promptly notify the U.S. government about defective gas pedals among its vehicles.

On Monday, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that documents gathered from the Japanese automaker showed that Toyota had known of the problem with the sticking gas pedals in late September but did not issue a recall until late January.

Because Toyota failed to notify the government of the problem when learning of it in September, the government is seeking a fine of $ 16.375 million, the maximum penalty possible.

"We now have proof that Toyota failed to live up to its legal obligations," LaHood said in a statement. "Worse yet, they knowingly hid a dangerous defect for months from U.S. officials and did not take action to protect millions of drivers and their families."

In 2004, General Motors paid a record $ 1 million fine for responding too slowly on a recall of nearly 600,000 vehicles over windshield wiper failure.

Toyota has recalled more than 6 million vehicles in the U.S., and more than 8 million worldwide, because of acceleration problems in multiple models and braking issues in the Prius hybrid.

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"YO SUMO!!" I Count!

PepsiCO is channeling its focus on a new target audience, Hispanics. The "Yo Sumo" (I count) campaign aims to encourage Hispanics to "go beyond just being counted numerically" but share their stories on how they have changed the American landscape.

The "Yo Sumo" initative will not be the only advertising directly amied at Hispanics. The 2010 Census is expected to reveal a large amount of Hispance consumers, also a growing demographic.

PepsiCo's goal is to bring the personal stories of Hispanics to life and create a compelling film. The company has partnered with Eva Longoria Parker who will direct and produce the documentary.

National Suicide Prevention Campaign for Teens

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Ad council and the Inspire USA Foundation launched a national public service announcement PSA campaign March 31 in an attempt to reduce suicide and suicide attempts among teens in the U.S.

The Teen Suicide Prevention Campaign includes television, radio, print and interactive PSAs along with posters to be spread throughout schools and malls direced towards 13 to 17-year-olds. A wide span of issues will be covered in an attempt to reach as many teens as possible including warning signs for depression, suicide, eating disorders, relationship advice and coping strategies. Reachout.com will be advertised for teens to hear success stories and strategies from other teens.

“Our new campaign with SAMHSA and Inspire USA connects with teens by identifying with the various challenges they are facing, while empowering them to cope by showing them how their peers have made it through,” said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council.

This campaign will also cover social media sites including Facebook and Twitter.

Hulu iPad App/Subscription?

Coming into only its third year of existence, Hulu finds itself one of the most popular media sites as it continues to deliver free television shows and more. However, with such tremendous success comes increased pressure from owners of the content that Hulu re-airs to generate more revenue while distributing their content. Much of the pressure is based on wishes of content suppliers to have Hulu set up a subscription service to supplement the advertising revenue. Although Hulu is against doing away with free content and becoming solely subscription based, they have spoke of possible future considerations for premium content subscriptions. Currently, Hulu is working on ideas for an Apple iPad application, which may eventually become a good test module for such a subscription based service. There is no timeline or anticipated release date for the iPad application yet. To read the entire article click here.

Disney aims to reach women using Teri Hatcher?

Disney is set to launch a new Web site aimed for women using Desperate Housewives' Teri Hatcher as their face for the site. The new Web site is said to be a "Chick's Guide to Life" which would include articles, blogs, expert advice and a video series starring Teri Hatcher.

“The site will offer a place for women to be entertained, connect with others who face the same daily challenges and become inspired along the way,” stated Emily Smith, VP of Disney Online Mom and Family Portfolio.

The Disney Online Mom and Disney Family portfolio already includes sites such as Kaboose.com, FamilyFun.com and BabyZone.com.

Original article here.

Some Tweets Are Better Left UnTweeted

Researchers at Columbia University have analyzed thousands of tweets, 52,000 to be exact, to find out what healthcare consumers are hearing about health-related issues. They searched for the word 'antibiotic,' then searched for 'cold,' 'flu' and 'share' within those tweets.

As stated in the NPR article, researches found that 170,000 users were told to use antibiotics for the flu and 850,000 were recommended them for their colds. For healthcare providers, this is cause for much frustration, as the cold and and flu are cause by viruses that are immune to antibiotics.

Be careful with who you follow and what advice is just Twittered to you. It could just be some Twit who's whale should fail. Te cuidado.

Caleb Hudgens