Ikea says, "Home is the best place in the world" especially if it’s on the ocean

One of the linguistic treasures of the English language is the strong distinction between the words "house" and "home."  I think about this a lot as I write about authentic places and how images of escape and paradise really try to make us believe that just about everything that we consume will take us to [...]

Raquel Welch at the Smithsonian ~ in a bikini

I’m in Texas this week and thought it was a good time to post some Texas-related memorabilia.
Some Texas Hold ‘em poker buffs know that an 8-3 starting hand is “Raquel Welch,” but do they know that Ms. Welch has a prominent place in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington as a statue wearing a [...]

Mattel apologizes ~ and gets slapped some more

Following up on Frankenstein Barbie, Mattel is facing heat because it looked like they had gone to China to apologize to the government and manufacturers for recalling millions of toys and darkening the reputation of Chinese industry.  Oops.  Apparently they’re now saying they were apologizing to Chinese consumers, who also happen to be customers of [...]

Dew it up ~ with tiki theater and alien surfing

Alien surfer day part two. Part one is here if you haven’t read it.

I won’t start with the obvious Rapidsea connection to the name “Mountain Dew.” It’s best to dive in with some fine tidbits from Taco Bell’s exclusive new blend of Mountain Dew called Baja Burst. That link will take you to [...]

Folk artist Earl Cunningham at the National Portrait Gallery

While in Washington over Labor Day weekend, I had the pleasure of going for the first time to the National Portrait Gallery, which I mentioned in my post on Saul Steinberg.  Currently, through November 4th, they have an exhibit on the life and works of a man named Earl Cunningham, who was born in Maine [...]

Aloha West Virginia ~ from Arlington, Virginia

I found these lamp banners in an outdoor shopping center in Arlington, Virginia over Labor Day. The image of the flowers looked awfully aloha, but I wasn’t sure what kind of flower it was. Then I found it:

After some research, I believe that it’s the Rhododendron maximum, which is the state flower of [...]

HGTV Dream Home

HGTV has left the snowy mountains of Colorado for a warmer clime. This is the new home site:

Quote on it from the video: “This homesite is amazing, but building a house here in this tropical environment will be a challenge for all involved.”
AMAZING? Just being next to the water on an island does [...]

Bush Appoints Nemo Head of EPA Beaches ~ Can Leonard Stop Him?

A recent trip to the Seattle Aquarium proved interesting. The scale of the place is great, and there are many things for the kids to do. My personal favorites were the octopus tube and the illuminated jellyfish “donut” that you get to walk through. My not-so-favorite thing was hearing the kids calling out the names [...]

The Frankenstein Bikini Approach ~ Saving Chinese-made brands

Visually, a common way of scaring people is to take a nice beach or ocean scene and totally bend our perceived perfection of the place. AdAge does that in the following article:
AdAge: “Brands Blind to China Crisis ~ Experts Slam Marketers for Sticking Their Heads in the Sand” by Mullman and Neff ~ August 20, [...]

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