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March 27, 2009
Four For Friday
Q1 - Lost & Found: After three weeks on the run, earlier today a friend's cat finally returned home (much to the delight of their youngest daughter who was very skeptical about Tiger's eventual return). Name one material possession you've lost that you really wish you could find.
Q2 - Discount: In an attempt to increase business and branding, my Mom's bed & breakfast recently began offering a 50% discount on all rooms through April 15 (offer subject to availability and some restrictions do apply). Generally speaking, for any product or service, what 'percentage off' do you consider a good deal or enough of a deal to garner your serious attention and consideration?
Q3 - Groceries: Compared to this time last year, are you buying more, less, or about
the same amount of groceries? Related: What about organic fruits and vegetables?
Q4 - Preparedness : After nearly four years of declining public confidence in the nation's military preparedness, Gallup's annual World Affairs survey documents a sharp reversal. Currently, 54% of Americans say the country's national defense is about right, up from 41% a year ago. What do you think?
March 20, 2009
Four For Friday
Q1 - Replacement: If you had to choose one item from your home to represent you in a photograph, what would you choose?
Q2 - Banking: Do you bank the old-fashioned way--inside your bank's local branch--or do you conduct your banking online or through an ATM machine? Related: Do you bank with a national banking institution (think: Wells Fargo, J.P. Morgan Chase, etc.) or a locally owned community bank?
Q3 - Global Warming: Historically, support for environmental protection in the United States has been relatively nonpartisan. Republicans pointed with pride to Theodore Roosevelt's crucial role in promoting the conservation of natural resources by establishing national parks and forests, and Democrats applauded Franklin Delano Roosevelt's efforts to include conservation as part of the "New Deal" via the Soil Conservation Service and related programs. Although a majority of Americans believe the seriousness of global warming is either correctly portrayed in the news or underestimated, a record-high 41%, according to new Gallup poll, now say it is exaggerated (and most of those who feel that way are Republicans). The 2009 Gallup Environment survey measured public concern about eight specific environmental issues. Not only does global warming rank last on the basis of the total percentage concerned either a great deal or a fair amount, but it is the only issue for which public concern dropped significantly in the past year (pollution of drinking water and toxic contamination of water and soil ranked highest). Do you believe global warming is a serious problem caused by humans, a natural occurrence, or a bunch of made up hooey?
Q4 - LEGOS: On this date in 1999, LEGOLAND California--the only LEGOLAND outside of Europe--opened in Carlsbad, California. If you could afford to commission (warning: pop-up window ahead) full-time LEGO artist Sean Kenney to make anything for you, what would you ask him to create?
March 13, 2009
Four For Friday
Q1 - Work it Out: The week-long "feud of the century" reached its climax last night as Jon Stewart welcomed freshly minted nemesis Jim Cramer to "The Daily Show." Cramer, who hosts a CNBC show called "Mad Money" had figured heavily in a "Daily Show" piece highlighting that network's poor track record on the financial apocalypse ("If I only followed CNBC's advice," Stewart said then. "I'd have a million dollars today -- provided I'd started with $100 million.") When Cramer objected publicly to what he considered unfair treatment, Stewart and his writers, smelling comedy blood, turned their sights toward him. Or, as Stewart described it last night, "We threw some Boston Cream pies at CNBC, you got a little shmutz on your jacket from it, you took exception, and then we decided to hit you with more pies." If you could compel two public figures to 'work it out' on live television, who would you put into each of two chairs?
Q2 - Sacred Places: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in Borrego Springs, California, now offers an AT&T-powered Wi-Fi service enabling park visitors with wireless enabled laptop computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs) to access the Internet. Should Internet access be offered to state and national park visitors, or are some places meant to remain off the grid.
Q3 - Sentencing: Muntadhar al-Zaidi -- the Iraqi broadcast journalist who removed and then threw his shoes at George Bush in mid-December of 2008 -- was sentenced this week to three years of prison for "assaulting a foreign leader." Mr. al-Zaidi, who served as a correspondent for Iraqi-owned, Egyptian-based Al-Baghdadia TV, often reported on the plight of widows, orphans, and children in the Iraq War, and himself was kidnapped and beaten while on his way to work in central Baghdad in 2007. If the shoe was on the other foot, so to speak, and you were the judge in the case, how would you have sentenced al-Zaidi?
Q4 - Building: There's a $28 million home near mine that goes on the auction block tomorrow morning because its owner let it fall into foreclosure. If you could own any building in the world, what building would you choose to own and what would you do with it?
March 8, 2009
Cedric's Flat Stanley Arrives in Laguna Beach
 Exactly one year after Vietnam banned ownership of pet hamsters, Flat Stanley (a.k.a. Stanley Lambchops), arrived in Laguna Beach, California, to help southern Californians usher in daylight-saving time and prepare for the imminent switch to the DF (Digital Food) format. Flat Stanley, who was encouraged to virtually visit Laguna Beach by Cedric's Uncle Joe, immediately encouraged the town's residents who have not yet made the transition to the more advanced form of sustenance to do so as soon as possible, while at the same time reminding everyone who failed to do so the night before to set their clocks ahead by one hour.
"The only thing Lagunatics who currently rely on analog foods will need is a digital converter box, which you can purchase at any grocery store," Stanley said at a press conference, adding that every Laguna household is eligible for a $40 coupon to digitize its entire pantry. "Digital Format offers higher texture quality and better taste, as well as multiple spice choices and interactive capabilities. I must stress, however, that after the deadline you will no longer be able to eat your current food."
On the heels of Flat Stanley's visit to this little sea side town boasting one art gallery for every resident, President Obama announced his intention to urge the U.S. Senate to pass legislation that would require all food to be completely wireless by 2015.
Legend has it that Flat Stanley became flattened by an "enormous bulletin board while he lay in bed one night. Among other things, he soon discovers that due to his flatness he can easily be put into an envelope and mailed virtually anywhere."
Request: If you have your own Web site or blog, please help facilitate Flat Stanley's virtual journey around the Web. You can right-click the Flat Stanley image above and save it to your computer or simply link to it here. If you'd like a larger copy to download and take photos with as Flat Stanley visits you, the larger version is available at http://joekraynak.com/images/flatstanley.jpg. If you post Flat Stanley on your blog or Web site, please come back and post a comment to let us know where we can find him.
March 6, 2009
Four For Friday - The Either/Or Edition
Q1 - Homeownership: Burden or Joy?
Q2 - School Year: Make it longer to boost students' academic achievements or shorter or the same so kids can be kids?
Q3 - Weekend: Saturday morning or Sunday morning?
Q4 - Quickly: Instant Messaging or Texting?
Bonus Question:
Q5 - Newspaper: Hardcopy or Online edition?
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