Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Boston Shut Down By Idiotic Marketing Campaign Criminals

Having been one of, what, millions of people today who were worried that a terrorist plot may have been underway in Boston, I am still so struck by the carelessness and stupidity of it all.

Ted Turner and the Cartoon Network did not release a statement until 7:30pm EST, which infuriated the mayor of Boston and many citizens.

They 'apologized' and said they were cooperating with police in other cities to tell them where additional boxes are located.

Seattle station KOMO-TV is reporting that police officials in the city and in suburbs around the city have located and removed about five of the boxes. Other cities like New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC and seven others have been reported.

Now I will editorialize:

Turner need to be held accountable for this enormous fiasco. What happened today in Boston was no mistake or blunder.

It was terrorism, no question about it and they should be punished, especially since they did not alert city or police officials.

So that I can calm down, I am going to create a scenario of the hatching of this stupid and nefarious marketing campaign.

Imagine having been a "fly on the wall" when the folks at the Cartoon Network responsible for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force sat down to discuss the plan to promote the show.

"Hey guys, I know what we can do. Let's place suspicious-looking packages under bridges and near medical centers all over Boston, and when the bomb squads open them up, or blow up, and they see they are just the Aqua Teen Hunger Force, we'll get lots of press because the terror alert will go up and everyone will be talking about it."

Superior: "Yeah good idea!"
Everyone else in the room: "Umm, ok, I guess."
Superior: "Bully, get to work!"

Criminal idiots! Did they pass on the campaign idea to the legal department for clearance first?

They should all lose their jobs and be charged with criminal mischief and obstruction of justice, and be forced to pay back the city of Boston, state of Massachusetts and the federal agencies involved for all of their costs (which are really ours because we pay the taxes).

Think about the ambulance that couldn't get to a call quick enough because bridges and streets were closed.

Think of the businesses that may have lost hundreds of thousands. Think of the terror they instilled throughout Boston (the origin of the two planes that hit the World Trade Center buildings on 9/11).

The utter complete irresponsibility in a climate of heightened fear and anguish is simply criminal and they should be punished.

I can't wait to see how they respond to the obvious question: "Why would you do such a stupid campaign like this, especially after 9/11? Are you really that insensitive, stupid and willing to put other people's lives at stake for a 'creative' marketing campaign?

Labels: Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Boston, Boston Terror, Cartoon Channel Fiasco, offbeat, Weird News, Weird Terror Alert

Monday, January 15, 2007

Start Staring At Me!

Can you stare at someone for an extended period of time without flinching?
philip rockhammer, national association of staredown professionals, weird, strange, offbeat, weird video, staring
It's called a stare-down. Millions have tried it; few can make past a couple of minutes.

How long have you gone?

If you a stare-down professional, you may be able to make a living at it. No kidding.

Why you would want to make a living at it is a whole other story.

But each year, dozens of stare-down events take place throughout the world. (Paris Hilton should host the next one.)

The event has become so popular it is now considered a sport (see the embedded video below) by many participants and fans.

A couple of years ago film maker J.R. McCord followed Philip Rockhammer in his quest to become the NASP national champion.

When the Unflinching Triumph documentary debuted on the Internet last year, the Wall Street Journal called it one of the most worth online films to watch.