A Lukewarm Reception

I wrote an email to Sprint asking them why my densely populated neighborhood in a major US city only came up with "fair" reception on their grid, meaning my cell phone might work outdoors, but most likely wouldn't work indoors at all.

I got an email response back quickly. They apologized for the "fair" reception and, as a token of their concern, added an additional 60 minutes every month onto my plan. Great! So I can not use these 60 minutes from home just like the other 700.

Phil Spector, Guilty of Murder!

Phil Spector, the legendary record producer, eccentric and recluse with a reputation for building walls around people as much as his signature music, was found guilty of second-degree murder by Los Angeles jurors today in the 2003 shooting death of cult-movie star Lana Clarkson.

ISF: I think the REAL crime here is that hairdon't.

Madonna and No-Child

Madonna will not be allowed to adopt a second child from Malawi, a 4-year-old girl named Mercy James, the African country's High Court ruled on Friday. The ruling will please campaigners who say authorities have given the singer special treatment. Malawi's government, which came under fire after Madonna adopted a 13-month-old Malawian boy, had said on Thursday it would support a second adoption. Court registrar Ken Manda told reporters Madonna's bid to adopt Mercy had been rejected because the star was not a resident of Malawi.

An AIDS epidemic in the impoverished southern African country has orphaned more than one million children. In her ruling, Judge Esimie Chombo warned against celebrity adoptions, saying they could lead to child trafficking. "Anyone could come to Malawi and quickly arrange for an adoption that might have grave consequences on the very children that the law seeks to protect," she said.

Prominent rights activist Mavuto Bamusi defined said the decision was a "defining moment for child protection" but urged the pop star to continue her charity work. "We finally appeal to Madonna to take this positively and continue to help the children of this country," he told Reuters.

ISF: Uh huh. Ask the kid about her "defining moment" twenty years from now when she has a starving kid hanging off each tit and eating what resembles shit from a clay bowl.

"We finally appeal to Madonna to take this positively and continue to help the children of this country." We hate you, but please keep sending money!

Fly the Friendly Skies. Or not. Whatever. We don't care.

I received an email today from United's E-Fares:
"Thank you for having subscribed to our E-Fares emails. These weekly emails are being discontinued, and this is the last issue that you will receive. E-Fares will continue to be available on united.com Tuesday through Friday of each week. To see these fares, you can select the E-Fares link in the News & Deals section of the United.com home page or on the Special Deals page, whenever E-Fares are available. You can also use the united.com booking tool and look for fares marked with a blue star and the label " E-Fares." We hope that you will continue to enjoy available discounted fares each week through united.com."

In other words:
"We feel confident enough in this economy to not have to use free email marketing to advertise our fares. If you want to know what they are, you can go out of your way to check our website, so we don't have to provide this service for you. In other words, please market United to yourself. For us. Thanks!"

Drop it like it's Brown!

Wrigley says it's suspending ad campaigns featuring Chris Brown as its spokesman for Doublemint gum. The company stopped short of saying they will drop the troubled R&B star completely. A company statement expresses concern about what it calls "serious allegations made against Chris Brown." He was arrested Sunday night for an alleged battery on a woman, and canceled his Grammy performance. Wrigley said it would suspend any current advertising or any related marketing until the situation is resolved, adding that the 19-year-old should be "afforded the same due process as any citizen."

ISF: Oh, come ON. It's not like he was smoking pot or anything at a party. He just beat up a girl! Give the guy a break...

Friday Morning Headlines

Two headlines on Friday morning:

(1) Economy shrinks at 3.8 percent pace in 4Q (AP) - The economy shrank at a 3.8 percent pace at the end of 2008, the worst showing in a quarter-century, as the deepening recession forced consumers and businesses to throttle back spending.

(2) Exxon Mobil sets record with $45.2 billion profit (AP)


ISF: Huh. Am I the only one who sees anything wrong with this picture?