From the AP:

Rep. Cynthia McKinney, the Georgia congresswoman who had a physical altercation with a police officer, is speaking out about the episode after saying she regretted the incident. But she has refused to apologize in a statement and a brief on-camera interview. The six-term congresswoman apparently struck a Capitol Police officer when he tried to stop her from entering a House office building without going through a metal detector.

Based on our most recent e-mail exchange with "A-MAN-duh," we've decided it's pointless to engage with Strumpette any further -- or rather, Furthermore.

For those of you who wish to engage in sex talk with a dude, go for it.

The jig's up. It's all over but the humiliating conclusion. Guess cranky B.L. was right all along.

Happy early April Fool's.

Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Strumpette

We stumbled across this blog this morning and it's pretty interesting -- although not necessarily safe for work. It's The Reverse Cowgirl, by author Susannah Breslin. For the lusty geeks who have been courting Strumpette, maybe it's time to find an honest woman like Susannah.

Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing

A fascinating read from Bloomberg News:

Royal Dutch Shell PLC has one word to offer on the subject of its musical oil barrels.

"What?" says Shell spokeswoman Alexandra Wright in London.

The World Cup is about to change Shell's tune.

"Oil drum music is infectious," says Sepp Blatter, the president of Federation Internationale de Football Association, soccer's global governing body and organizer of the 2006 World Cup in Germany in June...

More than a few thousand of those World Cup drummers will probably be beating Shell oil barrels...

And therein lies the corporate dilemma of Gerard Mitchell, country head of Shell Trinidad Ltd.

"It's officially against corporate policy for us to hand out oil barrels," the 37-year-old Mitchell frets. "We really don't know what to do about all this."...

A Shell executive in 1946 made history's first steel drum from an empty barrel of tractor lubricant bearing the company's distinctive clamshell insignia.

According to American jazz musician Andy Narrell, Shell oil-barrel pans made between 1946 and 1967 are as renowned and desirable as the Cremonese violins of Antonio Stradivari, Nicolo Amati and Giuseppe Guarneri. Even the barrels made today are in high demand among pan players...

"Let me state for the record that our used drums are disposed of properly and that Shell health and safety regulations prevent the use of empty drums for anything but Shell oil products."

Ten years ago, Stuart Ewen's book PR! A Social History of Spin was published. Ewen offers a stridently leftist take on the PR industry (he doesn't like us), but it's also a fascinating read.

One of my favorite parts is seeing what the newspaper editors of the early 20th century had to say about Ivy Lee [pictured], who is now considered, along with Edward Bernays, one of the "fathers" of the public relations industry. Describing one of Lee's campaigns,

The Toledo Blade reported that "throughout the Colorado troubles, pamphlets, circulars and letters fairly rained down upon the newspapers. It was a flood, a deluge. If it converted or influenced anyone, we have not heard of it.

"A broad reading of the American press indicated that the stuff went into the waste baskets throughout the country just as it did here. It swelled the postal receipts and added to the tonnage of houses that buy waste paper. But as for education, there was no result at all."

Press releases are created by committees, edited by lawyers, and then sent out at great expense through Businesswire or PRnewswire to reach the digital and physical trash bins of tens of thousands of journalists.

This madness has to end. It is wasted time and effort by hundreds of thousands of professionals.

From the AP:

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Hooters Air, which featured women in orange short-shorts and tight T-shirts on flights, will be grounded beginning next month except for private charters out of Winston-Salem, N.C.

Bob Brooks, chairman of the Hooters restaurant chain, and president Mark Peterson told The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News for a story Wednesday that the company will focus on charters for tour groups and sports teams.

"The flying industry is in a terrible mess. ... I've got a fair amount of money, but I don't have enough to fix this animal," Brooks told the newspaper. "Now I think the best thing we can do is basically put it to bed, at least for right now, until the industry changes." ...

A woman who answered the phone at the airline's Myrtle Beach office said neither Brooks nor Peterson would give interviews and referred The Associated Press to The Sun News article. A woman who answered the airline's customer service line said Hooters would take reservations until April 17. Neither woman would give her name.

Not really.

But think about it: Ben and Howard -- they could be the Ben and Jerry of freezer-burned ethics.

A tasty match, indeed.

P.S. -- Don't feel bad, Howard. A Turkish suburb has to be at least as dangerous as where Hugh Hewitt is hanging out -- and he's on the front lines.

(Via Romenesko)

Technorati tags: Journalism, PR, Ben Domenech, Howard Kaloogian, Hugh Hewitt

Since people continue to ask us about Brian Connolly, who is neither a suspect nor "person of interest" in our Strumpette investigation, we thought we'd share a few of the many, many comments posted by Brian on Steve Rubel's Micro Persuasion blog, which -- along with Edelman -- has been the focus of the Strumpette's wrath.

Here's Brian on:

Transparency --

A good sermon Father Rubel. But here are a few points to consider: transparency, empowerment and the unwashed mass ... Do you close the bathroom door? Sorry but transparency has its limitations. Ultimately, you may feel freer peeing in the wind. But I do not want to stand by you while you do it.

Steve, your value to your clients is more celebrity based than technical. You don't make anything innovative, per se; you provide opinions. Is what it is. The fleeting nature of celebrity aside, ironically the very thing you espouse as the greatest thing since sliced bread (blogging), discounts your value with every new one launched.

It looks almost totally design-less (not to be confused with minimalist). Not that there's anything wrong with that. But, that can be confused with unprofessional. Anyway, if I were Richard, I'd probably want it to fall someplace within the Edelman brand family. Doesn't appear that way.

Sharon must have taken tips from Tom Cruise on how to rev up a movie publicity tour:

Sharon Stone is telling randy teenagers to have oral sex instead of giving up their virginity.

The Aids campaigning actress -- who appears fully nude in new film, 'Basic Instinct 2' -- says it's safer than going all the way without protection.

She said: "Young people talk to me about what to do if they're being pressed for sex.

"I tell them what I believe -- oral sex is a hundred times safer than vaginal or anal sex.

"If you're in a situation where you cannot get out of sex, offer something else. I'm not embarrassed to tell them."

Here's another thought for the day, riffing off of Wednesday's:

We love branding. Helping companies develop identities, in fact, is one of our favorite things.

But you know us -- we think too much. So it occurred to us this morning (as we pore over logo alternatives for a client) that branding just might be bad for democracy, in some ways.

How so?

Well, one of the things we try to do in branding is to create an emotional attachment to the brand. We want it to have a personality, and thus, we want people to personify the brand in their minds.

But brands aren't people. And neither are the corporations they represent.

Corporations, by law, are chartered for the purpose of making money for their shareholders. They have the same rights under the law that people do, but that's where the similarities to people end.

But real people -- in the United States, in particular -- seem to think corporations act (or should act) like they do. With humanity. Factoring in all sorts of values in their decision-making beyond the profit motive.

It just doesn't work that way, though -- because it can't.

Here's an example we gave in a previous post, regarding the problem of sex and violence in the media:

Hmmm....so why does the problem never seem to get better? Quite simply, it's because a small number of publicly traded companies control most of what our children see and hear -- and the business of these corporations is to make money, not shape our children's values.

I don't blame the media conglomerates for this. Remember, these corporations are owned by you, the public. And in a free market system, a corporation's mandate is to maximize return to its shareholders. If you held stock in Viacom, for example, how would you react if the company hired a born-again Christian CEO who announced that he was pulling the plug on MTV's sexy rap videos, vowing to make similar changes across other operating units? Well, you might be outraged or delighted -- but either way, you'd dump the stock.

From the AP:

Borders and Waldenbooks stores will not stock the April-May issue of Free Inquiry magazine because it contains cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that provoked deadly protests among Muslims in several countries.

For us, the safety and security of our customers and employees is a top priority, and we believe that carrying this issue could challenge that priority.

That's OK, Condi.

Sometimes...

it's better...

if it doesn't happen.

Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Politics

Short but sweet. We think maybe she should have released a statement through her publicist.

Here's actual information on the case from Gawker.

Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Whitney Houston

From an actual interview with an actual combat reporter, here are some words that actually came out of Hugh Hewitt's mouth:

Time Baghdad correspondent Michael Ware: Let's look at it this way. I mean, you're sitting back in a comfortable radio studio, far from the realities of this war.

Hugh Hewitt: Actually, Michael, let me interrupt you.

MW: If anyone has a right...

HH: Michael, one second.

MW: If anyone has a right to complain, that's what...

HH: I'm sitting in the Empire State Building. Michael, I'm sitting in the Empire State Building, which has been in the past, and could be again, a target. Because in downtown Manhattan, it's not comfortable, although it's a lot safer than where you are, people always are three miles away from where the jihadis last spoke in America. So that's ... civilians have a stake in this. Although you are on the front line, this was the front line four and a half years ago.

As in, we can't find the URL anymore.

Hope it's nothing we said.

Update: He's back up, with an anti-Edelman rant.

He's not a suspect. He's not even a "person of interest."

But since a fair number of folks are asking us about Brian Connolly's association with the Strumpette (he does admit knowing his/her identity), we thought we'd share a little more background on Brian.

Apparently, the Chicago technology scene is a big soap opera, at least if you read something called The May Report.

Here's an excerpt from an article "of interest" in which Ron May wrote about Brian last year:

And then we come to the strange case of Brian Connolly who exited the PR business when Howard Solomon showed him the door in May of 2001, and he has not returned since. I know Connolly well enough to know that he despises what Lundin and Dever and company do. He would not condescend to this kind of work just to pay the rent.

And speaking of paying the rent, Connolly almost got kicked out of his condo, but his significant other, Vikki, saved the day by getting him to back off. Connolly got himself elected to the board of the condo and started raising he**, but the corrupt powers-that-be came down on him. Had Vikki not told Connolly that enough was enough, he might be on the street right now.

But Connolly is good for some things. He can play Diplomacy, a great game that I played when I was a kid for those of you who have never heard of it. Phil Fry who lives in Connolly's building at 111 East Chestnut (the same building is occupied by Jane Byrne and Jack Ryan --- what an odd couple!) held a Diplomacy fest not about a year ago and people even flew in for the occasion. Phil is an interesting guy. He is from Ohio, but went to Harvard and as you know, you can always tell a Harvard man, but you can't tell him much.

Connolly is now "busy" with his blog intentions. He decided initially on the name "The Bullfighter" and that blog can be found at www.thebullfighter.com. He had the template finished weeks ago. Then he wanted to write a column for the blog --- imagine that?! Writing an opinion piece for your own blog. That's so middle class in Connolly's view who fashions himself an idle aristocrat. Connolly would never want to do "work" and get caught doing it. He would rather get Tom Wolfe to do it for him. Brian won't stoop to do actual work. He will contemplate the nature of the universe before lifting a finger to do anything, however.

No, on a more serious note, the affliction Connolly suffers from, aside from an extreme case of perfectionism, is rather common in the PR business that he hails from. These people care mostly about form, not substance. They don't really have any strong opinions or issues so they worry about how they will express themselves. This is a variation on the old line that if everything is important, then nothing is important. Hence, in Connolly's case, nothing ever gets done.

Now, he has decided that "The Bullfighter" is too intense and too serious. He wants more levity so he is thinking of the name BlogOblique or maybe Utzy Information. Meanwhile, he has not written one word of substance. Do you see my point about PR? Connolly would sit and ponder what form he wants this thing to take until the cows come home.

Connolly does raise existential naval gazing to an art form, and he does it very well. Read this piece of blather on bullfighting and the meaning of life from his blog that has not been activated yet, of course, with anything like content. It is a table very elegantly set, just no food or people to eat it.

Why do we put up with this useless service? Just look at PubSub's "30 Day History" for Media Orchard. If you actually put any stock in this service, you would believe that:

1. We had no outbound links -- at all -- from March 22-28, but had 82 outbound links on March 21.

2. We had 40 entries on March 14 -- but have had only 33 entries in the two weeks since then.

Constantin, we love you, and we know it's not your fault. But if they can't do better than this, what's the point?

Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing

Here's your thought for the day:

The pharmaceutical industry has many issues. The biggest issue, however, is that pharma's ultimate goal is not to cure illness and disease, but to make money.

According to free-market fundamentalism, it's OK that pharma acts in its self-interest, because if everybody acts in their self-interest, the public interest will be served through the invisible hand of capitalism.

Unfortunately, the invisible hand -- like any other intellectual construct -- doesn't always work. For example, the public's interest in this case would be for pharma to focus its research dollars on curing illness and disease. However, if pharma actually does cure illness and disease, it doesn't make more money -- it goes out of business.

Pharma makes the most money by treating chronic illnesses and diseases that never go away. The more ailments we have, the better.

And that's where they put their R&D dollars. Make sense?

Free-market fundamentalists are like religious fundamentalists. They like to stick to their simple, comforting beliefs rather than face facts -- principally, that life is complex and that the solutions to our problems therefore also require some level of complex thinking.

Which means that even though public policy proposals like national health care plans and increased public funding for research will always be imperfect (and to some a "waste of taxpayer dollars"), they are better choices than abdicating our collective responsibility to the "free market."

Oh -- and why did we label this post "A Defense of the Pharmaceutical Industry"? Because it's not their fault; it's ours.

(If this topic interests you, this post contains some suggested viewing.)

Technorati tags: Pharmaceutical Industry, PR, Public Relations, Marketing

Add the Cardiovascular Research Foundation to the list of organizations we won't work for. Not cuz we're above the work -- we'd just have no idea what to tell them.

The scoop:

NEW YORK -- A charity foundation's former accountant, accused of embezzling heart disease research funds to pay an Ohio dominatrix to beat him, pleaded guilty Tuesday to grand larceny and admitted that he stole more than $237,000.

Abraham Alexander, 45, of East Meadow, N.Y., admitted he stole the money from the Cardiovascular Research Foundation between Nov. 2, 2003, and April 20, 2005, by using company credit cards and writing checks to himself...

At least $11,000 stolen by Alexander, who was an accounts payable executive, went to pay Through the Looking Glass, an online company run by Columbus-based dominatrix, Lady Sage, according to the Manhattan district attorney's Robert Morgenthau's office...

Lady Sage's Web site features numerous photographs of the 43-year-old pain professional in a leather, metal-studded thong and bra, high-heeled lace-up boots, a leather dress and in what appears to be a red latex rubber evening dress.

Lady Sage says on her Web site she charges $250 an hour for her services and $1,500 for eight hours. She says the client pays her expenses if she has to travel for a meet-and-beat session.

On the site, she declares, "Professional domination sessions are about good people having great fun." And, "I love nothing more than coaxing you to accept more pain and torment for my pleasure. I love holding your very soul in my hands."

Oh, great. Like we don't have enough problems without Sharon Stone playing a larcenous PR exec on Showtime's Huff. Here's how she's described in the press release:

Stone will portray a high-powered Los Angeles public relations executive who retains HUFF's (Hank Azaria) best friend and attorney Russell (Oliver Platt) after an audit reveals she has grossly over-billed her government clients. The cheated clients all hold political stances that she detests.

We didn't know much about Brian Connolly, who has been accused -- falsely, according to Brian -- of being Strumpette.

So we Googled him.

Here's some info. Official bio, from his site:

Brian Connolly is one of the founders of the Literati Group.

Brian is a mathematician turned poet, a combination that makes him a particularly passionate and effective client advocate. He's accomplished at articulating models and relationships in dynamic business situations. He's also skilled at engineering creative communications strategies that optimize outcomes.

With more than 20 years in marketing communication, Brian has provided communications counsel to clients ranging from business service firms to consumer companies. He has provided strategic and tactical support to major brands such as Sears, McDonald's Corporation, Coopers & Lybrand and T.Rowe Price, to name a few.

In the last 10 years his primary focus has been in the technology sector. His client portfolio has included IT management firms and internet security management companies, as well as companies involved with enterprise software, supply chain management and application development. As Senior Vice President and head of the Technology Practice in the Chicago office at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, he was a recognized leader in the Practice globally. At the time, Ogilvy was the #1 firm in Tech communications internationally.

Brian's career also includes senior management positions at several nationally recognized communications firms including Cone Communications/Boston, and Manning, Selvage & Lee/Chicago.

Throughout his career, Brian has always pushed the envelope to expand the depth and breathe of communications services. He launched a successful competitive intelligence firm. He was also a principal of a company offering a web platform that facilitates marketing communications automation and brand management.

Brian was on the board of the Chicago Chapter of the Association of Internet Professionals. He was also a member of the executive committee of KnockNOW.

Contact: phone 312.482.9229, e-mail connolly@literatigroup.com

According to two reliable sources, including Mike. The other source prefers to remain anonymous.

Nail, meet coffin. (We love that line. Thanks, Your Logo Here.)

Give it up, Brian.

Technorati tags: Strumpette, PR, Public Relations, Marketing

From Jessica and Jesse:

We neglected to mention this morning a blind item in Ben Widdicombe's Gatecrasher column:

"Which spokeswoman for a major cable network, who spends a lot of time hedging about the sexuality of its biggest star, has a brother who used to date the guy? Funny how she never mentioned that!"

Naturally, we have no idea what spokeswoman or what star or what brother Ben might be talking about. But we also neglected to mention this morning -- as a pal pointed out to us -- that Christa Robinson, the senior vice president of public relations at CNN, Anderson Cooper's network, is the sister of Bill Robinson, who is Diane Keaton's producing partner and is gay.

From Elinor Mills:

Oops! Google accidentally deletes its blog

Google has admitted that it accidentally deleted its own official blog on Monday night. "We've determined the cause of tonight's outage. The blog was mistakenly deleted by us (d'oh!) which allowed the blog address to be temporarily claimed by another user. This was not a hack, and nobody guessed our password. Our bad," Jason Goldman, Blogger Product Manager, wrote in a posting on the Google Blog. Apparently, the Google Blog was unavailable for a short time on Monday.

Uh-oh. The link war has escalated, putting Jeremy, David, Robert, Mike and unnamed others to shame. Alan is going nuclear.

Guess this is like any other war ... no one's exactly sure who started it.

(BTW, you'll see from our first post today that we tried to elevate the level of conversation. But every time we try to get out, they pull us back in...)

Despite what certain cranky types like B.L. say, we don't have a problem with Strumpette's "ho-ier than thou" approach to blogging.

We do, however, agree with the old saw that smart people talk about ideas, while dumb people talk about other people. We hope "Amanda" will be smart.

Having said that, the Amazing Orchardo now takes center stage to prognosticate on the future of our favorite PR vixen. (Yes, he's dumb.)

Orchardo is also tired of his predictions having to go through the Media Orchard filter, so henceforth we are required to quote him directly.

By the way, we have not mentioned this before, but Orchardo is not from the United States. We're not sure where he's from, in fact.

In any case, go for it, Orchardo:

Mibby tanks.

I beweeve dat Amanda Chapel ib a pseudonym, and dat she aldo be a pseudonympho.

Darefore, iffa she be warkin at a PR agency, she ebentually wib be discobered and summaridy fired.

That weaves two opshuns. She eeder git a book deal wike Jessica Cutler or go wookin for anober job wike Kelly Kreth.

I predix: Kreth.

The Amazing Orchardo hab spogen.

"Pseudonympho" -- good one, Orchardo.

Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing