(2003-05-31) — Actor Sean Penn’s 4,161-word full-page ad in the New York Times has top agency executives rethinking the role of copywriting in great advertising. The rambling screed about patriotism, war, french fries and William Saroyan has boosted sales of mescaline overnight.
While the ad never mentions mescaline, or any hallucinogen directly, demand for the [...]
Entries from May 2003
Sean Penn’s NYT Ad Boosts Mescaline Sales
by Scott Ott · Comments Off
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Scientists Mistaken About So-Called ‘Master Gene’
by Scott Ott · Comments Off
(2003-05-30) — Scientists today admitted they were mistaken about identifying the so-called master gene, but they may have discovered the identity of the “Master Gee” from the early-80s rap group Sugar Hill Gang.
“It was an error by a grad student,” said Austin Smith, a scientist at the Univerisity of Edinburgh. “While researching on the Internet, [...]
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AOL-Microsoft Deal: ‘You Got Hacked’
by Scott Ott · Comments Off
(2003-05-30) — A landmark deal between AOL and Microsoft means that users of the AOL browser on a Windows platform will now hear “You Got Hacked” when an unauthorized user takes control of their computer.
“It used to take days or weeks before you knew that someone else was controlling your PC,” said Microsoft founder Bill [...]
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Newspaper Reality Show Spiked
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(2003-05-30) — Producers of a new reality show about professional journalists at a big-city newspaper said they’re moving on to other projects after failing to find a buyer for “Real Times.”
Members of focus groups who watched the pilot program said they couldn’t identify with the characters, and didn’t trust any of them.
“They’re always telling stories [...]
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DNC Slammed for Abandoning Affirmative Termination
by Scott Ott · Comments Off
(2003-05-30) — Civil Rights groups slammed the Democrat National Committee (DNC) today for retreating from its original plan to fire 10 black employees in a cost-cutting move.
Attorneys for the groups said that the black workers have a right to be fired before their white counterparts.
“We call on the DNC to support the concept of [...]
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Sharon Impressed That Abbas Dressed for Success
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(2003-05-30) — Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced today he agreed to meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas because he “appears to mean business. He is dressed for success.”
During talks about implementation of the so-called roadmap to peace, the neatly-groomed Palestinian wore a classic dark suit with a tightly-knotted stylish necktie.
The Israeli leader said [...]
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Krugman Reveals GOP Plot to Cut Taxes, Spending
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(2003-05-27) — New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has uncovered a Republican plot to slash taxes and spending.
Mr. Krugman unearthed the scheme by reading The Financial Times of London, the paper of record for American economics.
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