2007 April | All The Info

Rosie Leaving the View

Posted by Bob Weber on Apr 25th, 2007 in Our Changing World, TV | 1 comment

Looks like Rosie finally succumbed to my scathing postings, and The Donald’s repeated attacks and has decided to go hide.

The official story is that she couldn’t come to terms with ABC on a contract, but we all know better.

Not that I actually care. The only time I have EVER watched the view was when some brain-dead moron at ABC decided it would be a good pre-game show for the Super Bowl.

Sadly, I’m guessing Rosie isn’t actually going away and will still make annoying headlines…

The Lisa

Posted by Bob Weber on Apr 24th, 2007 in business, Our Changing World | 0 comments

Lisa Barone at Bruce Clay, INC recently discussed positioning and branding. I find this interesting for two reasons. One because I am working hard to position my own company e-Marketing Partner, and two because I am currently reading

The Lisa comments on the sights and smells of Starbucks – a company who has mastered the art of branding and positioning. Starbucks has made their name synonymous with coffee and turned what used to be a 25 cent beverage into a multi-billion dollar empire. Their achievement is admirable and very difficult to achieve. The real goal here, when it comes to branding, is finding your niche. You have to put your product in the forefront of the public’s mind, above other bloggers, coffe shops, whatever. Unfortunately, most businesses out there don’t even have the focus to know what their niche is, let alone exploit it.

If you are trying to establish yourself out in the world, take Lisa’s advice. Find your brand DNA, focus it, develop it and put it out there for the world to find. With enough work you could be the next Starbucks.

2007 Easter Jeep Safari

Posted by Bob Weber on Apr 24th, 2007 in Personal, Toys, Trips | 0 comments

Across the Rocky Mountains and past Grand Junction, just a few miles across the Utah border sits the town of Moab.

Moab is legendary with four wheelers, mountain bikers and hikers alike. With hundreds of amazing trails and fantastic canyonland scenery it is the ultimate destination for anyone interested in off-road activities.

Being short on cash, Jeff just getting started on his XJ project, and my Scout being in a perpetual state of unreadiness, Jason, Jeff and I just hopped in the Suburban and headed down for some sight seeing. We met up with Mike and his friend from Cheyenne, and had a great weekend of trail riding – I have the pictures to prove it.

Special thanks to Mike and T&T Customs for letting us ride along in their Rigs. A good time was had by all.

Virginia Tech Comments

Posted by Bob Weber on Apr 24th, 2007 in Freedom, Our Changing World, Politics | 0 comments

In the last week there have been millions of comments, stories and analysis of the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech. Rather than post comments of my own, I want to offer a couple links to some interesting articles I personally agree with.

First is this posting that analyzes the role gun control plays in school shootings.

I have an acquaintance that holds a concealed weapon permit and he explained the process to me one day. He had to take a class prior to receiving his permit. In the class the students were instructed on the responsibility of having a concealed weapon permit. They were basically told that if they were going to carry, they should carry ALL THE TIME. There is no way to know when an event like what happened at Virginia Tech is going to happen, the only way to effectivly deal with a situation is to be prepared.

I used to think I would like to have a carry permit, but after the conversation I had with this person I changed my mind. It’s a lot of repsonsibility to shoulder and I applaud anyone that has strong enough convictions to go around the public armed with the knowledge that they may have to stop a deranged lunatic.

The second article discusses the warning signs that were ignored prior to the shooting.

The shooter had obvious mental problems and the problems were reported, but this individual did not get adequate help and disaster ensued.

One last comment. While I’m NOT an advocate of ANY legislation undermining our constiutional right to bear arms, this is clearly an incident where current gun control failed. Laws were followed, firearms were purchased legally, no one beside the shooter was armed in the gun free zone, yet tragedy struck. In many cases, like columbine, gun laws were circumvented, additional laws would not have made any difference. This time, it is possible that different laws may have impacted the outcome.