Archive for April 29th, 2011

Line drawn in sand: Obama won’t show transcripts … 3 reasons why he should.

April 29, 2011

OK, Trump got the birth certificate out of hiding.

Now, he’s pushing for Obama to reveal his college transcripts.

Go, Donald.

I’d like to see the transcripts for 3 reasons:

1) The liberal media hounded Bush for his transcripts. Why? Because they would prove that Bush was dumb.

Well, turned out that Bush didn’t challenge for valedictorian, but he was a B-C student. 

And, oh yeah, when John Kerry – intelligentsia personified – had to cough up his transcripts, it was revealed that dumb old Bush had better grades.

Hmmm.

Which leads directly to reason #2.

2)  Valerie Jarrett – one of O’s hitwoman – said yesterday:

“He’s almost 50 years old and he’s president of the United States and I don’t think anybody would debate his intelligence and so now we need to get serious … let’s just get serious and get back to focusing on what’s important,”

Sorry, Valerie, but I’m unimpressed with his intellect.

I’ve worked with dozens of people with more compelling intellects.

To be more specific, have you noticed the number of “ums” and “ahs” when the teleprompter is turned off?  Or, have you noticed how often the unplugged Obama steps in “it”.  Think: “cops acted stupidly” or “just go buy a hybrid van”.   To me, those are indicators of how well (or how poorly) a guy thinks on his feet.  Pure intellect – not dramatic reading skills.

I’d love to see him debate Paul Ryan on the budget mano-a-mano … or see him go one-on-one with Newt Gingrich on practically any issue. He’d get mopped.

Neither will happen, so if he flashes a string of straight As on a transcript, I’ll get off the case.

And, finally …

3) I’m curious re: how many courses the dude has taken in economics or business. 

The over/under is one … and I’ve taken the under on a couple of bets.  I can’t collect until the transcripts are made public.

So, I hope that the Trumpster keeps razzing Obama from bench until we see the transcripts …

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P.S. to Valerie: “focusing on what’s important” … Isn’t the Oprah interview already in the can? Gimme a break.

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For max effectiveness, place your commercials in a program’s “sweet spot” …

April 29, 2011

TakeAway:  New research done from viewership of shows on DVRs have found that — depending on the type of show — certain placement of the ad leads to better returns for recall and remembering of the ad.  

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Excerpted from AdAge, “Finding the ‘Sweet Spot’ for ads in your favorite TV shows” by Brian Steinberg , April 11, 2011

Analysis of second-by-second viewing data from Tivos/DVRs suggests that shows have a  “sweet spot” for advertisers — a particular moment where commercials running in the program were more effective and received better by the audiences watching them?

Among the findings…:

  • Attention paid to the ads accompanying initial segments of many CBS procedurals — including “CSI: Miami,” “NCIS” and “Criminal Minds” — is more substantial than that accorded ad breaks during other parts of the programs. …CBS’s programming is consumed …by viewers wanting to sample the opening segment of the show. …where a crime is committed (and, oftentimes, comes with gore or violence) and viewers are likely trying to see if they like the set-up or if they’ve seen the episode in the past, ….
  • Viewers of NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU” paid the most attention during the last ad break in the show.
  • Heavy attention is paid to different moments in different sitcoms. Viewers of ABC’s “Modern Family” and NBC’s “30 Rock” paid the most attention during the last ad breaks in the programs (which often come before quick, funny segments that run alongside credits), while viewers of CBS’s “Big Bang Theory” paid the most attention to the first ad break in the half-hour comedy.
  • Viewers pay the most attention to the last ad break of many serial dramas … the ad breaks that precede segments in which networks tantalize viewers by offering scenes from the next episode.

Studies also indicate that DVR users tend to focus more intently on the show they’ve recorded and may not multitask.

Edit by HH

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Carnival barkers cry ‘foul’ over Obama’s derogatory reference.

April 29, 2011

When President Obama released his birth certificate on Wednesday morning, he remarked: “We’re not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers.”

In the process, Obama ended up starting a new controversy  — with America’s carnival barkers

According to the Huffington Post:

Many in the carnival community were not amused by the mention of their industry.

The editor of Carnival Warehouse.com, a website dealing with the industry, thought the president should be more sensitive about singling out groups when making disparaging comments.

“I think what Obama said is the same type of stereotype that has been placed on African Americans.”

“You wouldn’t expect those comments from someone who is a minority and has faced prejudice.”

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