Obviously the top story this week should be that great Steeler win in the Super Bowl, but I’ll cover that below. For all of us the big story is the on-going debate on the “Stimulus” and the parts and pieces that make it up. One part that is starting get some play was a “Buy American” provision that pretty much sounds exactly like the Buy American act that is currently on the books. Except this one brings a little more teeth to the proceedings. Unfortunately the EU did not like it very much and as of early Wednesday, President Obama was backtracking some. But the bottom line is some sort of protection needs to be built in, promoted and ENFORCED. The communist Chinese and now more intensely the Colombians are dumping material in this country when quite frankly many people need all of the business they can get. And yes I know I am being ultra protectionist here, but when it comes to glass and glazing there is nothing more galling than seeing a public building (like an airport) that features material that could’ve been manufactured and fabricated here in the US. Add to it that in 90% of the situations the traditional glazier gets cut out too and you have the recipe for disaster. So in between all of the fights on where this stimulus ends, here’s hoping that the Buy American angles are not just forgotten.
Elsewhere…
-- Speaking of the Stimulus- click here for a list of some of the “Wishes” that state and local folks want… some are verrrrrry ugly.
-- Super Bowl XLIII was fantastic and as a Steeler fan it was over the top. Somewhere my fellow Steeler fans like Ren Bartoe and Bob Lang must be in major celebratory mode. Now unlike the Seahawks from a few years ago who had fans (most notably Jerry Razwick) is anyone really a fan of the Cardinals? Anyone out there crushed by their loss? I have a feeling not.
-- The commercials by the way for the game were the worst I have ever seen. Between people trying to cut budgets and trying to be as “PC” as possible, the commercials are the biggest waste of time and money around. Aside from the Dorito’s pieces (which were written by non commercial writers by the way) the rest of the lot was terrible.
-- Did you catch the Atlantic Arena glass debacle story from USGNN earlier in the week? Evidently bullet resistant glass for a structure that large does not come cheap. It’s funny that they are more worried about the drive by’s than a possible bomb. Very rare trade off there that’s for sure.
-- I have written a few times on the following including a piece for USGlass on the scam of “magazines” calling and offering to write a “free” article about your company. The catch is that someone- either you or your customers or suppliers will have to “sponsor” it. So it’s not free. Plus these magazine do not appear anywhere- you won’t find them on a newsstand or on line- they are pretty much custom made for the suckers that fall for this scam. They have names like “Green Building News and Views” or “Executive Excellence” and it amazes me that literally everyday I get a call from either a customer of ours who got hooked on one of these or from the fake magazine themselves. Today’s call the gal told me that since 80% of companies have a rule against supplying their customers names or suppliers names (80% - boy the other 20% are dumber than sticks) that we could just “sponsor” the article ourselves! Wow isn’t that precious! Seriously folks this falls into the “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” category… and if you want pub… do it the right and old fashioned way- call up a legit magazine (like USGlass as an example) and work a deal with them.
Like the above story the scams come in all shapes and sizes- its just a shame that some people just want to steal- instead of earn.
Off to the LINKS!
The link chick has hammered me with some great ones again… I guess she has time before she starts her gig in Cuba. By the way, I heard the first thing she wants to bring to Cuba is some sort of game night dating plan… go Link Chick Go!
-- Another story on a plane that just sits on the frozen runway… how in the world have not figured this issue out yet? Every year it happens multiple times… why?
-- In China the financial crisis is driving some people to… jokes?
-- Long and odd piece on 2009 being the “Year of Panic” and just think if this guy had ever heard of the NFRC...
-- Best for last... a tremendous piece on an athlete who lost her memory during an accident but yet still soldiers on.
Video of the week:
Got to be the best commercial of the Super Bowl… shame that the competition was only between 2 spots… c’mon Hollywood let’s get creative eh! Regardless I got a kick out of this piece!
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