tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58209752009-02-20T19:03:46.161-05:00Sampling from the aisles of the information supermarketcanuckflacknoreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1132952788359077322005-11-25T16:01:00.000-05:002005-11-25T16:28:01.106-05:00

NBER and Wal-Mart over at the new blog, pt. 2 http://www.canuckflack.com/archives/001157.html

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1124186574921095032005-08-16T06:01:00.000-04:002005-08-16T06:02:54.926-04:00

New posts daily and an archive over at www.canuckflack.com

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1097181550519879392004-10-07T16:37:00.000-04:002004-10-07T16:39:10.520-04:00

You may not have noticed, but www.canuckflack.com is even better, with faux FDA nutritional information table design! Go there now - www.canuckflack.com Seacrest out!

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1069366065229108622003-11-20T17:07:00.000-05:002003-11-20T17:09:34.543-05:00

Act now! For an unlimited time offer, we're bringing you a new and updated Canuckflack! Brighter! Happier! More attuned to your personal concerns and needs! Just go to canuckflack to see the difference! That's www.canuckflack.com! Act now!

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1069340236773652272003-11-20T09:57:00.000-05:002003-11-20T09:57:41.793-05:00

Sorry about the unsteady stream of info and insight (and for those of you who visit late at night, the uneven formatting). I'm trying out a new Movable Type layout on a proprietary domain, and will move most of this blog there today. Once I get some style and formatting issues settled, I'll link to the new site here. Thanks for your patience.

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1069172425560899722003-11-18T11:33:00.000-05:002003-11-18T11:33:04.640-05:00

I don't know if it was intentional, accidental or simply the product of little experience as an English-language spokesperson, but how can you properly prepare a spokesperson when they forget basic grammar? I certainly remember my lesson from Grade 10 English: double negatives are always confusing! "We don't plan on any of the vehicles not to have incentives," Dieter Zetsche, president of

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1069081396900384592003-11-17T10:31:00.000-05:002003-11-17T10:31:57.140-05:00

Money Mart, a Canadian cheque-cashing service, is running a new television ad featuring a crotchety and miserly Scottish Uncle. The premise? It's far better to borrow against your upcoming pay cheque than from your Uncle Angus. The point is driven home when, after an extended harangue about working hard for your money, Angus pours 400 coins from his sporran onto the coffee table, and shouts "And

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1068935633605352382003-11-15T17:33:00.000-05:002003-11-15T18:44:59.610-05:00

Mike Foster, the Governor of Louisiana, is calling upon a high-profile ally to raise public awareness and build support for his wetlands preservation campaign: Tabasco, the home state company, is distributing pamphlets describing the problem and how to help with over 3 million bottles of their signature hot sauce. It should be expected, in a state that produced Huey Long and James Carville, that

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1068844962730561852003-11-14T16:22:00.000-05:002003-11-14T16:23:02.780-05:00

Interesting NYT article about the organizers and protesters preparing for the upcoming WTO conference in Miami.

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1068735874771783342003-11-13T10:24:00.000-05:002003-11-13T10:26:18.060-05:00

A government agency operating in Newfoundland has been called out for faxing one version of a release to the local (and largest) paper, then posting a different version on their website the next day. While there were relatively minor differences between the two versions, the slip-up did result in a few days of critical coverage and required a follow-up letter to the editor from the Director of

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1068672574660733962003-11-12T16:29:00.000-05:002003-11-12T16:35:04.503-05:00

So. John Kerry, presidential candidate, was a guest on the Tonight Show. ABC's the Note has some hints for other booking assistants dealing with the show: "... here is a list of acceptable people a man of John Kerry's stature may follow in the second-guest-slot on the Tonight Show: Oprah Winfrey, Tom Cruise, any non-celebrity who has performed a heroic deed." "Unacceptable choices include:

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1068660841985346532003-11-12T13:14:00.000-05:002003-11-12T13:23:00.870-05:00

Well. The Judge in the Gruner + Jahr vs. Rosie O'Donnell bunfight ruled today that no-one deserved damages. "It seems to me ... we're just dealing with bragging rights here, who wins and who loses,'' Gammerman said. With his ruling, neither side wins -- although O'Donnell could still ask for publisher Gruner+Jahr USA to cover her legal fees. Meanwhile, plain old multi-millionairre businesswoman

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1068653890895945802003-11-12T11:18:00.000-05:002003-11-12T11:18:35.450-05:00

This weekend's NYT magazine has a poetic - and wordy - look at generating buzz at the Venice Film Festival: "The goal of all the activity is, of course, the elusive thing called buzz, the deceptively soothing term that has mostly replaced words like the vaguely clinical ''hype'' and the etymologically challenged ''ballyhoo.'' ''Buzz'' sounds so restful, so natural -- like something you become

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1068485965764668472003-11-10T12:42:00.000-05:002003-11-10T12:51:34.683-05:00

The Buffalo News focuses on what seems to be a rarity: a letter to the editor from a top State Department official. While the paper paints this letter as part of the apparent "propaganda war" with the media over the Iraq war, its exchange highlights two continuing trends in how officials from federal governments work with the regional media: the continuing concentration of senior and elected

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1068483940162517442003-11-10T12:05:00.000-05:002003-11-10T12:08:35.466-05:00

Chris Allbritton liked his short stint as a journalist in Afghanistan so much, he decided to move from a technology to a foreign affairs beat. Trouble was, no-one would give him a chance to work in Iraq. Through his blog, donors provided nearly $15,000 to fund an April trip to report from Iraq. Editor&Publisher has more details: "I would have liked to go freelance with some backing of a

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1068478535520704542003-11-10T10:36:00.000-05:002003-11-10T10:49:47.263-05:00

A snippet in the NYT speaks to Richard Harris' search for an allegory for the culture and political environment surrounding us: "Until he spied the couple wearing the ears for their wedding at Walt Disney World in Florida, Robert Harris, the best-selling British author, believed he could use the Disney culture as a satirical parable for modern America. "But after 18 months of research and a

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1068473603580804752003-11-10T09:14:00.000-05:002003-11-10T09:14:14.210-05:00

Tom Murphy notes that a British firm has won a contract to help sell India as a progressive and modern country. In a related story, Promo has touched on how American firms have begun to sub-contract marketing jobs in India: "AT&T Wireless uses an Indian-built Web site, AT&T Wireless Photo Zone, to display consumer photos taken by street teams demonstrating phones like Sony Ericsson's T68i

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1068238233399616522003-11-07T15:50:00.000-05:002003-11-10T09:13:52.633-05:00

But what would your mother think? "Family Unsure What To Do With Dead Hipster's Possessions" hit too close to home, since I could imagine owning a lot of the items described in this too-accurate sendup from The Onion. How would your nerdy cousin react to your complete A-Team character t-shirt set? "... I'd like to give his dishes to Goodwill or the local church, but I'm not sure they would

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1068224020332490232003-11-07T11:53:00.000-05:002003-11-07T11:53:37.920-05:00

Somehow, the really interesting stories don't seem to jump the Atlantic - like the C4 story last night about the Queen's bisexual, heroin-addicted uncle. Here in Canada, our governing party is heading into a leadership convention in just over a week. Because we're a parliamentary democracy, that would normally mean the new party leader would become Prime Minister - unless the current Prime

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1068220922874299322003-11-07T11:02:00.000-05:002003-11-07T11:02:01.163-05:00

Back from my quick trip to Halifax and ready to blog again. I also did some training and am now fully literate in HR issues. Now, if only my employees would comply with the HR framework I was given!

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1067874106752897462003-11-03T10:36:00.000-05:002003-11-03T10:41:45.010-05:00

Well, between the scheduled power outage at the office this weekend, the unscheduled network failure today, and the three day training course I just began, the blog may suffer. So please be patient as I post using my Blackberry - which is as nimble as a 960 baud Heathkit home computer.

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1067631091326529492003-11-02T10:36:00.000-05:002003-11-02T10:36:38.963-05:00

I know I saw footage on Entertainment Tonight, but The Smoking Gun details how those wonderful American Idol producers are controlling the image of their proteges: "... if press photographers want to record Ruben, Clay, and Kelly's staged holiday frolics, they'll have to sign [an] agreement drafted by 19 Entertainment, the show's London-based producers." "In return for access and $1, shutterbugs

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1067628194163769152003-11-01T11:27:00.000-05:002003-11-01T11:58:30.570-05:00

The November issue of Folio notes the increasing popularity of advertorial content and questions its effect upon the quality of design and editorial in magazines: "These low-rent production values pose problems ... The intent ... is great, but in execution, we find that writers who wouldn't write for the magazine are producing editorials that the editors would not otherwise accept ... We find

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1067621678754196762003-10-31T12:46:00.000-05:002003-11-01T12:02:28.160-05:00

As a follow-up to the Ketchum announcement earlier this week PRWeek has run a more detailed story on the role of "influencers" in public opinion research. As you'd expect from the consulting professions, one British firm has a different name for the concept: 'Protagonists" Are you in this exclusive subset? How would you answer the following questions? "Your boss stops you to discuss a PR fiasco

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820975.post-1067620889199396462003-10-31T12:21:00.000-05:002003-10-31T12:34:47.926-05:00

So, the creator of the Playboy empire is going to start hawking Carl's Jr. burgers. I can understand the psychological leap that made William Shatner popular, but Hugh Hefner selling meat? From the WSJ: "Although to some Mr. Hefner still conjures up cocktails and smoky nightclubs, bunny costumes and sexual freedom, some marketing consultants suggest time has worn down his racier edges. "He is

canuckflacknoreply@blogger.com