Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Cash, Bears, Bradley, Beers, Bears

These are a few of my favorite things...

Some quick hits as we bid farewell to the first twelfth of 2006:

Rosanne Cash (former beau of Nick Lowe; Lowe wrote "The Beast in Me" for her dad, Johnny) has released a new CD, "Black Cadillac," that is getting major play and positive reviews. AOL allowed users to play the entire collection over the weekend and I found it to be extremely enjoyable. It reminded me a bit of Lisa Marie Presley's first CD. You can check out the details on Cash's website here:

RosanneCash.com

Play the title cut from her CD, "Black Cadillac," here:

Black Cadillac

During his Sirius radio show the other day, Howard Stern recommended a documentary movie called "Grizzly Man." The movie recounts the travails of Timothy Treadwell who spent 13 summers in Alaska living among grizzly bears until one ate him and his girlfriend. Mary recalled the story from a Vanity Fare article.

I queued it up on the ol' Blockbuster account and "Grizzly Man" was here in a couple of days. It was quite a fascinating story, frankly. Treadwell videotaped the last five summers and snippets were incorporated into the documentary which featured interviews with friends and family about this rather flamboyant character. A strange moment: The attack on him at his camp was recorded by a camera with its lens on. The director chose to only show himself listening to what must have been a grisly grizzly attack rather than share audio excerpts.

Now, curiosity got the best of me: I didn't necessarily want to listen to him scream as he was mauled and eaten alive. I was interested in whether he recanted his love for wild, dangerous bears during the attack, however...

This is NOT a movie for Steven Colbert. Read more about it here:

GrizzlyManMovie.com

Watch an eerily prescient excerpt from "The Simpsons" about bear attacks here:

Ranger Ned

Like me, Treadwell was a Bradley University product, by the way. He arrived on a swimming scholarship under his given name, Timothy Drexler but quit in 1977 after an injury. I arrived in 1978 under NO scholarship. His experience drove him to bears; my experience drove me to beers. He probably drove a Lincoln; I definitely had a professor named Kennedy. The parallels are interesting...

Finally, what to make of the Super Bowl? I gotta go with the team that seems to have the most momentum, better defense and is lead by a coach who has actually won a Super Bowl: The Seattle Seahawks. I never thought I'd ever write that sentence. Go with the Seahawks over the Pittsburgh Steelers in an interesting game that ends 34-24.

Interesting game ... But nothing like the best Super Bowl of all time: XX! Relive those amazing Super Bowl Bears (the good, non-human-eating variety of Bears although you couldn't convince Steve Grogan of that) over at Answers.com:

The Shufflin' Crew


More later,


Mark

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Random Thoughts

A few bullet points during a time out from many projects (job search, books, playoff watching, surfing ... in no particular order). In other words, some things I think I think...

• Target has had an interesting advertising concept on aol.com. For several weeks there was a clickable ad that read: "No Paper? No Problem." When you clicked the banner, you found a web version of their Sunday insert.

Now, I just think that is kind of a snarky ad, from the newspaper industry's point of view. I am a BIG fan of Target, don't get me wrong. But I guess I don't understand the need to bite the hand that has sent potential consumers your way for so many years. It IS a big problem if you are not reading a newspaper! (Or, at least, that is the industry view.) It is almost as big of a problem if you aren't shopping at Target! And you can bet if newspapers began a campaign "Hate Target? Shop Local!" campaign for the mom & pop's out there, the red-and-white retailer would feel diminished.

I guess I would see it differently if Target had paid to have that ad each Sunday on the website of every newspaper that carried its inserts. Anyway, as it turns out, it's a moot point. The new clickable Target ad today:

"See the EXTRA in-store deals not found in the printed weekly ad."

Gee, a NEW way to diminish newspapers... Odd.

Check Out The Target Ad

• New ideas from iTunes.

My interest in the iTunes phenomenon is shared by many judging by the posts and the email. Just for fun, here are my current music suggestions from iTunes, based on my, ah, unique listening habits:

SONGS
Sunny Came Home - Shawn Colvin
Kuuipo Onaona - Pua Almeida
Carnival - Natalie Merchant
(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am - Nancy Wilson
Helena - My Chemical Romance
Sex and Candy - Marcy Playground
Cool - Lou Busch & His Orchestra
Gold Digger (featuring Jamie Foxx) - Kanye West
La Nave del Olvido - Jose Jose y Oquesta
Feels Like the First Time - Foreigner
100 Years - Five for Fighting
I Miss You (Alternate Take 1) - Elvis Presley
White Flag - Dido
Mr. Tambourine Man - The Byrds
The Blob - Aqualads

ALBUMS
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Greatest Hits - Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn - Pink Floyd
Goats Head Soup - Rolling Stones
Kerplunk - Green Day
The Very Best of Cream - Cream
Violent Femmes: Deluxe Edition - Violent Femmes

Another interesting selection of songs - though I believe Shaun Colvin, Natalie Merchant and Dido are all the same person. "The Blob" song sounds cool as did "Sex and Candy." On one hand - Foreigner and The Byrds. On the other - Kanye West and My Chemical Romance. I am nothing if not a man of diverse interests...

• Super Bowl XL

It's just me talking, but I think the Seattle Seahawks vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers matchup is gonna make a rockin' Super Bowl. I also think that after what Seattle did to shut down Carolina Panthers' star Steve Smith, Chicago Bears Defensive Coordinator Ron Rivera looks a little less than either a genius or head-coach material.

• Waikiki Tease

No, this is not a song - although it could be. Hmmm... I think I could riff on that for a bit...

I know what you're saying
That you're trying so hard to please.
Trying to make amends.
Trying to appease.
But each night when it's dark I'm lonely again
My Waikiki Tease.

© 2006 MMS Productions

OK, it took me longer to find that copyright symbol than it did to write those stirring lyrics. Can anyone set them to music? Where was I? Oh, the drink. Friday night I surfed the web for a new rum drink and came across the "Waikiki Tease." Here's the scoop:

Ingredients
1 oz. Dark Rum
3 oz. Orange Juice
2 oz. Pineapple Juice
Pour all ingredients over ice in a glass. Stir.

Now, I just tripled all the ingredients and did that three times and came up with the pitcher version (27 oz. of orange juice, 18 oz. of pineapple juice and 12 oz. of rum). Purists and mathematicians will point out that the rum did not increase in exact proportion. These folks know nothing of the power of rum!

Because I like to experiment, I used the new Dole pineapple-mango juice. And for a third of the rum, I substituted coconut rum. It's a winning combination!

You know what goes with a good party drink? Good party music! What's better than Green Day at a party? I have no idea... Direct from their very own website:

Green Day!


More later!



Mark

Monday, January 16, 2006

Just Wait 'Til Next Year!

Knowing of my great love for the Chicago Bears, a few folks have asked why I have not blogged more about them during this season of miracles.

I'm not sure why, to be honest. I thought this was a fun season - despite its sloppy end on Sunday. I guess in the back of my mind, I have been wondering whether the 2005 Bears were more like the 1984 Bears or the 1985 Bears. I think I got my answer. And as disappointed as I was with the loss to the Carolina Panthers, I think that bodes well for next year.

At least when we say "Just wait 'til next year!" it actually means something this year...

As in 1984, because the season ended with a playoff loss, I was left with the feeling that the team had finally congealed into something pretty special. I think the defense was very good and could approach greatness next year. I think the offense found a special leader with Rex Grossman (and I was particularly proud of his post-game comments and leadership vs. Peyton Manning who acted like a petulant child) and a great running back with Thomas Jones. The offensive line is one or two players away from being in the top echelon of the NFL.

That said, many of their weaknesses which they need to improve on to attain the next level were exposed Sunday. The short list:

• Coaching experience. Lovie Smith can dismiss all of the obvious coaching miscues in the game, but they were evident to even the casual observer. The game plan was skewed (run the ball, damn it!) offensive plays were coming in too slowly and the right adjustments were not being made. On the defensive side, I think Ron Rivera's coaching inexperience at the playoff level was exposed: Substitutions were awkward, people seemed to be out of place and the last two Panther touchdowns were thrown to players who were not covered. Rivera might be touted as the next great head coach in some circles, but I think he's a year or two away.

• I'd bring in some competition for punter Brad Maynard during camp this summer. Surprisingly, special teams overall Sunday graded out a "D" in my book.

• My sense is that Muhsin Muhammad is never going to make me forget about Willie Gault or even Tom Waddle. He seems to lack both speed AND heart - though he does have a mouth. He was quite vocal about quarterback Kyle Orton's game but has yet to explain the drops after Rex stepped back in as the starter. The Bears need another blazing wideout (or two) to complement Bernard Berrian who seems to be coming into his own.

• The Bears defensive secondary ended the season beat up and beat out. Of the cornerbacks, Jerry Azumah was hurt too much and Charles "Peanut" Tillman's play was increasingly erratic. On the safety side of the ball, Mike Brown was clearly injured worse than the Bears let on and Mike Green is just not very good. In the Panthers game, the Bears were apparently forced to pull a fan out of the stands named Chris Thompson to stumble onto the field and allow Steve Smith to score untouched. They need some muscle here and the emergence of Nathan Vasher is a plus - but not enough. A good area to focus on in the free agent market?

• I would still like to see the Bears employ a quality tight end.

• Draft and free-agent focus? If the Bears were to draft a guard or tackle early and spend lots more free agent money on the offensive line, I would not complain.

OK, I'll stop now before this "short list" gets too long. It was a fun ride this season with hints of greatness to come. The Bears gave fans more than we expected (especially after the 1-3 start) and showed a lot of grit and character. It was actually fun to be a Bears fan again. Plus, any year that we beat those miserable Packers twice is almost equal to a Super Bowl year for me...

Want a song to cheer you up today? Go here and turn up your speakers:

Bear Down!

More later!



Mark

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Today's Word...

Today's media buzzword: Intuitive.

It is what separates the men from the boys, or, in terms of media, the dinosaurs from the techno-revolutionaries of tomorrow.

Today's media audiences expect whatever media they are accessing at the moment to be intuitive; to be in tune with their wants and needs; to anticipate their wants and needs; to redefine their wants and needs and to exceed their expectations.

Which naturally leads us to today's tip: Big props if you can bring the "Wow!" factor. Then redefine the "Wow!" factor. Then bring it again.

Many newspapers, reluctant to seek innovations, are struggling with that concept as are broadcast television and radio operations. Yesterday's "relevance" has been supplanted by tomorrow's intuitiveness. Hence the customization featured in "new media" - i.e. the Internet and digital television (a channel for every specific taste) and, now, satellite radio - has led to new, expanding, evolving mediums leaving some old standbys struggling to maintain audience share.

This has lead to concern over the very future of some traditional mediums. In newspaperdom, for example, there is a industry-wide debate over the balancing act between the need to invest resources for further customization (i.e. notions like "tailored" newspapers, improved online experiences, zoning and advertiser-desired zip-code-specific delivery) and pressures to cut expenses to balance decreasing revenue, which has lead to profit margins lower than expected in the board room. At the very point in time that newspapers need to be more intuitive, some companies are choosing to go another direction. Witness, for example, staff cuts at large newspapers from New York to Philadelphia to Chicago. Smaller, independent and family-owned companies have had a better go of it, but this debate is occurring at all levels. Progressive companies are choosing the correct path; to sow so they shall reap.

A good example of an intuitive medium: I have been having way too much fun playing with iTunes lately. When I popped into the iTunes store the other day, I discovered a new "beta" feature called "Just For You." Inside, I found some music that iTunes had decided I might be interested in based on my downloads. Keep in mind, I mostly have downloaded Elvis songs and episodes of "The Office." Actually, that's not quite true: I have over 150 downloads in my collection. However, I was stunned to discover these 15 suggestions. See what you can glean from my listening tastes based on this list:

1.) Easy Loving - Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
2.) Wherever You Will Go - The Calling
3.) Sunny Came Home - Shawn Colvin
4.) Only Wanna Be With You - Hootie and the Blowfish
5.) Rock 'n Roll, Part 2 - Gary Glitter
6.) Voodoo Child - Jimi Hendrix
7.) Every Morning - Sugar Ray
8.) Still Waiting -Sum 41
9.) School Boy Heart - Jimmy Buffett
10.) There It Go! - Juelz Santana
11.) Lonely No More - Rob Thomas
12.) Love Will Find A Way - Pablo Cruise
13.) Tangled Up in Blue - Bob Dylan
14.) Heaven - The Psychedelic Furs
15.) Armageddon - Eddie Izzard

In addition, iTunes suggested I download these six albums:

1.) Blink-182 - Greatest Hits
2.) Who's Next - The Who
3.) London Calling - The Clash
4.) Pocket Full of Kryptonite - Spin Doctors
5.) Let Go - Avril Lavigne
6.) Songs About Jane - Maroon 5

I'm not sure what to make of either list (other than, perhaps, I've given iTunes the gross misperception that I will listen to any damned thing!). What do you think?

From that list of individual songs, I have only previously downloaded Jimi Hendrix, Sum 41, Jimmy Buffett and Bob Dylan tunes. Not a lot of Conway, Pablo and Eddie in my collection... Hootie? Come on! I'm insulted. Gary Glitter? I think I am a bit old for him...

But it was a fun discovery and I spent more time perusing this list and sampling the songs than I did with the morning newspaper and, I guess, that is my ultimate point. And the ultimate point of this new media age.

Just be intuitive!

Me? I'm downloading more Juelz Santana... Turns out, I'm totally east coast... And, clearly, as jiggy as I have always maintained...

Hey, speaking of tunes, allow me to play DJ for you on this fine afternoon and spin a platter that truly matters! Straight from his home page at nicklowe.net here's my man Nick Lowe and his take on the Johnny River classic, "The Poor Side of Town." Enjoy!

The Poor Side of Town

More later,


Mark

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Mining the Truth

I was awake at about midnight Tuesday writing my next blog (not this one) when I encountered CNN's Anderson Cooper touting the miraculous news.

Twelve of 13 miners trapped nearly 2 miles beneath the West Virginia surface for nearly two days after a mine explosion were alive!

For most of the day we had been lead to believe the news from the coal mine would be grim. The air was bad. One miner had been found dead. Then the mine car the men had used was discovered empty - an indication the men had survived a blast and had fled to a more secure area.

Then the bells at the Sago Baptist Church began to toll as word filtered from the command center at the mine that the remaining 12 men had been found alive!

For the next two hours, I was absorbed as reporters scrambled to cover the change in the course of events. Reportedly, the miners were to undergo triaged medical care and those who were in the best shape would be brought to the church to be reunited with their families.

At about 2 a.m., an agitated woman come up to Cooper to tell him "there's no miracle."

He looked stunned. And compelling television began to unfold.

I felt so bad for the poor families involved. To endure such a tragic roller-coaster ride of emotion is impossible to fathom. There appears to have been a 2- to 3-hour delay between the time the command center received the erroneous information that the remaining 12 miners were alive and the time that mine owner International Coal Group gave the correct information to grieving families: Just one miner had survived.

Why the delay? Did they not hear the bells tolling? Were they not aware of the cable news broadcasts? Were they unaware that everyone from the state's governor to a mine foreman had confirmed the news for the various media covering the story? Did they realize a Red Cross official had confirmed the rumors at the church where friends and families awaited? The mine company ultimately admitted it knew within 20-45 minutes that the first report was wrong. Why was that fact not as zealously transferred as the erroneous news?

I have a theory, honed after years of watching business leaders, politicians and other officials repeatedly bumble and stumble in the face of disaster and big news stories. This was a horrible situation made worse by the mine owner's naive, unfortunate (though understandably intentioned) decision to sequester the media away from both the command center and the church, where families were stationed. International Coal Group attempted to control the flow of information ostensibly to avoid either unnecessarily raising spirits or quashing hopes - unaware that to attempt this in an instant communications age is as problematic as catching smoke with boxing gloves. Hence, while someone at the command center may very well have overheard the original erroneous news and transmitted it back to the church via cell phone, the media was unable to check it out because its access was being blocked at two sensitive points. Conversely, members of the media were also unable to inform the command center of the obvious joy being transmitted to the rest of the world.

By all accounts, the mine rescue command center was filled with mine administrators, foremen, politicians, emergency workers, police representatives and the like. A press representative pooled from the many media covering this story should have been there as well. This person could have reported the miscommunication quickly and spared the families some of the heart-wrenching drama by reporting news in minutes, not hours.

Instead, late Wednesday afternoon it was revealed that mine officials had entrusted state police officers to ferry a message to the clergy at the church during the celebration to inform families that initial reports may have been too optimistic. That message was muddled.

Dumb. Just plain dumb. The area was crawling with communication professionals.

How many times do we have to watch clumsy officials, overly suspicious of the media, demonstrate they are far less media-savvy than they will ever comprehend? They pay big bucks to "press aides," read books on how to "deal" with the media, go to seminars on "spinning", yet they stumble repeatedly in the face of the big story because these officials spend too much time scheming to leave the media out instead of inviting the media in. The media are not the enemy. The media are the people. Never has this been more painfully evident than in the early hours of Wednesday morning as broken-hearted family members trudged out of the Sago Baptist Church to spill their hearts to American journalists.

In the end, mine officials could no more control this story than they could control the atmosphere in a dusty coal mine during a thunderstorm.

More later,


Mark

Monday, January 02, 2006

46 Resolutions

Gee, another year? Already? But 2005 was so darned much fun...

I guess that means it is time for another batch of resolutions. Since I am turning 46 this year, I figure 46 resolutions will do. I, Mark M. Sweetwood, being of relatively sound mind, hereby resolve to:

• Become gainfully employed again.

• Win the lottery, anyway.

• Keep defying the odds. In other words, business as usual.

• Surprise those who should not be surprised.

• Shock those who should not be shocked.

• Dare those who would not be dared.

• Finally realize my "memoirs" in current form really could be reduced to a mere half-hour episode of "The Office."

• Forgive more.

• Forget less.

• Maintain the high road.

• Watch for those on the low road.

• Look down on those on the low road from my perch on the high road thus ruining an otherwise perfectly good metaphor.

• Update my blog more often.

• Finish my book.

• Finish that other book.

• And that screenplay.

• Figure out a better name for my screenplay than "SuperNewspaperMediaMan."

• Change that one part in my screenplay where "SuperNewspaperMediaMan" kisses "Janey Mary" while upside down in the rain in the alley.

• Lose weight.

• Get botox.

• Get hair plugs.

• Cap my teeth.

• Work out.

• Relive my 30's.

• Laugh more.

• Cry less.

• Spend less.

• Save more.

• Downsize my world.

• Upsize my generosity.

• Do my part for peace.

• Cherish my friends.

• Vanquish my enemies.

• Vanquish my false friends.

• Cherish new enemies.

• Encourage all to read the good works of James Thurber, Homer Hickam and John Grisham.

• Emulate the good works of James Thurber, Homer Hickam and John Grisham.

• Ride that ticket to stardom with my hit series about a comical lawyer who represents miners.

• Speak out more.

• Launch my podcast.

• Help others understand new media.

• Procrastinate less.

• Procrastinate less.

• Be less repetitive.

• Be a better husband, friend, son and brother.

• Avoid travel to Florida during hurricane season.

I'll keep ya posted on my progress throughout the year...

More later!


Mark
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