Last night, after a long week of speculation and frustration in Albany, throughout New York State and across the country, the New York State Senate passed the Marriage Equality Bill, 33-29, extending equal marriage rights to same-sex couples in New York State.
There are many people to thank for making this happen, first and foremost, Governor Andrew Cuomo, who after only six months in office took a primary goal of his and made it a reality.
Said two years ago, and it still rings true today:
“We have nothing to fear from love and commitment.” – New York State Senator Diane Savino
Earlier today, ESPN columnist Jemele Hill wrote a column entitled ‘Respect David Tyree’s Convictions‘ about the Super Bowl champion’s public opposition to gay marriage in general, and the passage of a same-sex marriage bill in New York State in particular:
Tyree, whose catch in Super Bowl XLII is among the most amazing plays in NFL postseason history, has drawn widespread criticism for his strong opposition to gay marriage. The issue is a hot topic in New York, where the state legislature is currently considering whether to make New York the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage.
In a recent video for the National Organization for Marriage, Tyree said passage of a gay marriage bill would lead to “anarchy.”…
Tyree, a devout Christian, is certainly not alone in his beliefs. Though The New York Times reported recently that his views might be “evolving,” President Barack Obama, who will visit New York this week, is on record as supporting civil unions for gay couples but not same-sex marriage, citing his religious beliefs.
Hill’s argument is that, although controversial and unpalatable to those who support marriage equality – 58% of New Yorkers, Tyree has the right to his opinion and free speech to voice it, and that should be respected. In that, she is correct. According to the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, we are granted free speech and Tyree does have every right to voice his opposition to a proposed law.
However, Tyree’s position – and that of anyone who uses their religious beliefs to oppose civil marriage law – should absolutely not be tolerated. Continue reading
THIS is awesome. From the Brooklyn Industries blog, Words from the Watertower:
Earlier this month, Brooklyn Industries hosted a Design Your Own T-Shirt Booth for kids at Park Slope’s Fifth Avenue Street Fair. Dozens of kids flooded the booth to show us their talent. One lucky winner has been selected to have his/her design printed on a BKI kids t-shirt later this summer! We are keeping the winning design under wraps for now, but click on the image below or here to see a slide show of some of our favorite designs.
Coney Island, a set on Flickr.
In social media circles, the buzz leading up to the Super Bowl was all about digital and social integration in advertising. It’s not just about a funny or explosive TV ad anymore. This is the future. There were ads created and voted on by fans. Brands would be talking about their ad campaign in advance on Facebook and Twitter, leaking sneak previews on YouTube, encouraging viewers to interact with them before, during and after the game in the digital world. A commercial would no longer just a commercial. It would be an ongoing, fully conversational campaign. 2011 would kick off a whole new trend in Super Bowl advertising.
So who came out on top? PepsiCo’s Crash the Super Bowl” spots for Doritos and PepsiMax may have been put there by fans, but they employed the same old, tired slapstick humor: people throwing cans of soda that hit someone in the crotch or head and men who act like cavemen. Another, more clever, Doritos ad, “House Sitting,” was good for a laugh, but was it truly memorable? Both Pepsi Max and Teleflora stuck with the all-men-think-about-is-sex shtick. Groupon, a company with roots in social media, invested in traditional media but revealed that they never took Advertising 101 and have been subsequently slammed for poor taste.
Only a few brands actually referenced social media or new technology in the ads themselves. Best Buy was a standout, making fun of rapid changes in technology to promote their “Buy Back” program – when you want to upgrade to the newest device, they’ll buy back your old one. They featured the juxtoposition of old and new in the “classic” rock star Ozzy Osbourne and current pop star Justin Bieber. The humor in the ad isn’t forced. It feels authentic because everyone just spoofs themselves — Best Buy spoofing the latest technology, Bieber and Ozzy spoofing themselves. Authenticity. That’s what makes the social media wheel go ’round, doesn’t it?
But really, my friends, despite all the new media hype, in my book the winner was good old fashioned… Nostalgia. Sure, we’ll always have dumb men and hot women on display, but the ads that I remembered most the following day were those that allowed us to connect with icons of our past. Last year’s most memorable (and most impactful in the long-term) ad featured Betty White, an icon of the pop culture past. This year, Volkswagen’s “The Force“ revived Darth Vader through the eyes of a child, connecting many of us with one of the greatest film franchises of the last 30 years. I’m still laughing out loud every time I watch this ad. I’ve watched the Today Show interview with the kid that plays Vader. I’ve watched “The Making Of ‘The Force’“. It was real. It connected with the kid in all of us. And it stuck. The official Volkswagen account has over 28 million views for the video.
Another instant classic was NFL’s “American Family,” a montage of favorite television clips where the characters are getting ready for the Super Bowl. Retrospective montages of classic TV moments pretty much guarantee success. Who doesn’t love watching Seinfeld’s 100th episode, no matter how many times you’ve seen it before? Remember Apple’s “Hello” ad that introduced the iPhone?
So, a word to advertisers for next year: Don’t think forward. Think classic.
Thanks to Benjamin Kabak and Amanda Rykoff for passing this along. The map of the U.S., where each state (save Idaho) is represented by a locally brewed beer, comes from nominations by the GOOD community:
We asked you: What is the most awesome, best-tasting, sustainably brewed, independently owned, community-oriented craft beer brewed in your state?The map below shows the brewery in each state that received the most nominations from the GOOD community. It’s the United States of GOOD beer. Time for a road trip?
Road trip, indeed! I agree with many of these selections, though there are simply too many awesomest, best-tasting beers from California, New York, Colorado, Oregon and yes, even Texas, to choose from. But I do have to give a big Brooklyn congratulatory shoutout to Sixpoint.
Very surprised that Tampa’s Cigar City didn’t get a nod for Florida. They’re pretty much all I hear when speaking of FlaBrews.
Kona gets all the love in Hawai’i, but when you’re there, don’t miss out on Hawai’i Nui Brewing, especially their Hapa Brown Ale.
Looks like Idaho’s going to need to start lobbying for their local breweries! I’ve never had Idahoan beer, but a quick search on the Google reveals Grand Teton Brewing Co. Their beers have some great names like Sweetgrass APA, Bitch Creek ESB and Moose Juice Stout. They’ve got my vote.
Fellow beer tourists, what do you think of these selections?
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a Chicago Bears fan. That also means I’m a Chicago beer fan. I have a mild superstition about drinking a local beer from the team I’m rooting for when watching a game. So, for ten days straight, starting with the weekend of the Bears’ January 16 NFC Divisional matchup with the Seahawks, and throughout the week into their NFC Championship game against the Packers, I drank nothing but Chicago’s Goose Island. But my beer superstition couldn’t overcome Jay Cutler’s poor first half performance, or cure his torn MCL. Backup QB Todd Collins looked like he’d had about 10 beers before the game as he tried, but failed, to throw 2 interceptions before being pulled toward the end of the 3rd quarter. And though I tried to rally backup backup QB Caleb Hanie by drinking more, his furious 4th quarter 2 touchdown effort fell just short.
So now the Packers head to the Super Bowl and I’m left to feature a beer from Wisconsin. Though I’m no fan of Wisconsin sports teams, I have nothing against their beer, and there’s no lack of craft breweries to choose from. However, until last week I’d never had a beer from there. I follow Lakefront Brewery on Twitter but never tried anything of theirs. But based on the recommendation of a diehard Packers fan, Wisconsin native, who is a friend of my fiance from their college days at Notre Dame, I decided to give it a try. Continue reading
Yesterday I ranted a bit about how Tostitos was missing out on a big opportunity by not engaging with fans on Twitter in advance of and during the Fiesta Bowl and the BCS National Championship game, which they sponsor. But silly me. Who needs to market your own brand when you have one of the most famous announcers in college football and the Twitter community to do it for you?
In case you’re not a college football fan, or fell asleep before the end of the game, ESPN’s Brent Musberger, calling the play-by-play for the National Championship Game, uttered these soon-to-be famous words as Auburn lined up for what would be the game-winning, National Championship-clinching field goal:
