Lean Pockets

I usually keep Lean Pockets in our freezer for a quick and cheap snack. Probably not the most healthy thing to snack on, but I’m not into the whole fruit thing. I’ve tried most of their flavors, some good and some not so much. A couple of my favorites are ham & cheddar, whole grain supreme pizza, and meatballs and mozerella. I didn’t like the chicken fajita, cheeseburger, or philly steak flavors. I can’t do the breakfast ones either. I don’t like the texture of the faux cheese.

I found a new favorite flavor recently – Spinach Artichoke Chicken. Festival Foods, as usual, was out of nearly every other flavor, so I decided to give it a try even though it sounded gross. It was actually delicious!

April 20th, 2008  Food   Tags: Food, lean pockets, opinion, more...

Reggie White: The Half-staff Controversy

Anyone living in the Fox Valley may be familiar with the controversy of the Packers lowering the Lambeau Field flag to half-staff in honor of the late Packer defensive star Reggie White. I personally have nothing against them flying the flag at half-staff in honor of Reggie White, and I find it ironic that the same veterans who fought for our freedom would deny freedom of expression on private property.

I wouldn’t find it appropriate to fly at half-staff on public property, and find it disappointing we haven’t done it more to commemorate the troops from Wisconsin who have fallen. However, I think removing one’s right to free speech on private property is a bigger travesty than flying the flag at half-staff in memory of a football player at a football stadium.

December 28th, 2004  News & Current Events   Tags: football, hero, lambeau field, opinion, packers, reggie white, sports, more...

Satellite Radio vs. “Free Radio”

Ok, I was listening to my talk radio program this morning on WTAQ. I heard one of the ads they play regularly about why free radio is better than satellite radio (ie, XM or Sirius). To suggest that free radio is better than satellite radio, they used arguments like, “Satellite radio has too much profanity, and I worry about my kids,” and “Free radio cuts out too much when I’m obstructed by things like tall buildings or a mountain,” and “Free radio gives me local news and sports,” etc.

Alas, the marketing industry in this nation just doesn’t get it! We all understand that free content is paid for by advertisers, and we have no problem with viewing reasonable ads in exchange for free content, but there is a limit to our patience. This has already been made evident on the Internet. People are installing ad-blocking software like never before. Do they really have a problem with viewing ads in exchange for content? No way, but they do have a problem with being abused by advertisers. Things like “fly-in” Flash advertisements and annoying animations push the limits of our patience. I don’t mind viewing banners or AdWords, and I occasionally click on ads that relate to my interests, but shoving animated casino and “punch the monkey” ads down our throats just doesn’t cut it.

It’s the same with radio. We don’t mind paying for satellite radio because free radio has begun to abuse its listeners much like the Internet. I listen to WTAQ and hear the same ad telling me how they can lower my farm taxes by just giving them a call, with annoying elevator music and some pretentious blonde finance major telling me I’d be stupid not to use their service. I am not a farmer. If I was, I probably would have been convinced by the first 1000 times I’ve heard the ad. Similarly, the talk radio industry has sunken to the lowliest of advertisers, from get rich quick to lose weight in 7 days with no exercise and no diet change. We don’t mind your ads at a reasonable interval, but please, we get the point – “Investing in gold through Swiss America is my ticket to fame and fortune!”

Finally, they suggest that signal loss is a frustration among satellite radio converts. I ask you – is losing your signal when you go under and overpass any worse than WTAQ’s record of playing commercials over my radio program, censoring content because it doesn’t agree with their political agenda, or cancelling my radio program in favor of sports programs that talk about the previous day’s game and what you already saw while watching it?

*sigh*, I need a political talk radio that doesn’t cater to farmers and meat heads. Free radio has become the whore of the advertising industry, just like the Internet.

Disclaimer: I am not a subscriber to any satellite TV service, but for reasons stated above I’ve been seriously tempted. I also have nothing against farmers, but sometimes I feel like WTAQ is out of touch with their a large portion of their demographic. Perhaps they need to spin-off the politics from the sports/farm report. “Look ma’, hog futures are up 2 points, Favre sealed the Viking’s fate with a 60 yard bomb, and Rush Limbaugh thinks liberals are intolerant!”

December 24th, 2004  Entertainment & Media, News & Current Events   Tags: advertising, clueless, flash, opinion, Radio, satellite, sirius, Television, wtaq, xm, more...

The Crappier Side of Sears

Well, I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t head the news yet. Kmart is buying Sears. If I was a shareholder, I think I’d bail out once the stock rose to a level I felt was sufficiently high. Lampert is going to do to Sears what he did to Kmart.

This sounds just like the AOL/Time Warner merger, except they aren’t even bothering changing the company’s name to include Kmart (ie, “Sears Holdings”), apparently forecasting their own doom. Kmart will suck the life out of Sears.

Target is on the right track. Presentation is everything. People go to Walmart for cheap. People go to Target for nice. Where does that leave Kmart? At least Sears has Craftsman, Brand Central, and decent service plans (compared to the likes of Best Buy).

I think moving out of malls is a bad idea too. If you can find a mall, you can find a Sears (although it seems to be working for Target).

• Link: Kmart Buying Sears

November 17th, 2004  News & Current Events   Tags: craftsman, kmart, mall, merger, opinion, retail, sears, more...