Is It Just Me or Is the Sky Really Falling?

For all the goodwill that the Summer Olympics afforded China, I would have to say that allowing 13,000 babies to be hospitalized after drinking tainted milk formula pretty much levels the playing field and dropkicks the country back into the dark ages. And “oh by the way” they knew about this problem before the Olypmics began; some reports say as early as June. The government is blaming local officials, who are blaming the milk powder manufacturers, and the wheels on the bus go ’round and ’round. I guess we now know what that murky afternoon haze was really all about.

It occurred to me over the weekend that Microsoft may know something that the rest of us don’t. In light of the worsening economic picture, perhaps we will soon all be living a “life without walls.” And you can take this to reference Wall Street and/or the walls of your home, which continue to be foreclosed at a record pace. I get why the government is unable to step in and bail out individual homeowners, but I don’t get why it readily bails out the likes of AIG, whose freaking CEO made over $8 million in salary and bonuses last year. Oddly, a CNN survey found that many Americans (more than 60% of those surveyed) believe the government should step in and help the struggling financial institutions… just so they aren’t taxed to pay for it. Ugh.

Heroes returns to the little screen tonight… and not a second too soon.

Bad News/Good News. I’ll bet you didn’t know this… there’s a shortage of road salt this year, which has set the price of salt skyrocketing (apparently salt is the new gold). Fortunately, the price of gas got a headstart on salt; this reality will prevent the majority of U.S. drivers from being on the road this winter anyway. So, all’s well that ends well.

In the aftermath of hurricane Ike, it appears that illegal immigrants are once again welcome across the southern border of the U.S. They are helping to rebuild the devastated cities of southeast Texas. [Sarcasm alert] Let’s hope our government – local, state and federal – has the good sense to ship them all back across the border as soon as they are finished with the rebuilding effort. And by all means, let’s applaud the local businesses and residents who take advantage of the cheap labor but fail to support the cause of the immigrants. Idiots.

The Cleveland Indians are over .500 and fighting for second place, Yankee Stadium is closed for business, Brady Quinn is warming up on the sidelines, the Americans reclaimed the Ryder Cup and the Miami Dolphins put an end to the New England Patriots’ regular season winning streak.

The sky isn’t falling, there are just a bunch of nuts dropping out of trees. Be sure to buy yourself a dumbrella.

Jim Sweeney

CEO & COO

Jim is a veteran of the agency industry and the founder of Sweeney. He is uncommonly passionate about the idea of creating and implementing insanely great marketing campaigns that achieve insanely great results. He pioneered the full-service, full-circle agency model and continues to forge new ideas in an ever-changing industry. And he is accessible to everyone about anything, seemingly all the time, serving as a mentor to all agency personnel and clients.