All Entries in the "Society" Category
A Sign for the Times We Live In
A topic on my program today dealt with the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota and their desire to have $30 fines for anyone caught texting while driving. Were it up to me, the fine would be no less than $500. It’s time to stop treating this with kid gloves. A new law and fine [...]
Eye on Monday: Sneak-a-Peek Cell Phone Technique (video)
I was speaking with a friend the other day about people and their cell phones. Namely, how folks can be in mid-sentence with you, stop abruptly, check their cell for a new text message and then continue talking as if nothing happened. Or, worse, they’ll actually interrupt you to read a text, then send a reply [...]
Eye on Monday: Greek Easter Can Be Dangerous (video)
As any of you who come to Blog Harbor on a regular basis know, I’m Greek. Greek, as in Greek Orthodox. And while I always celebrate Easter on it’s traditional day, Orthodox Easter follows the Julian Calendar which means, more often than not, Greek Easter is after Passover. So, two Easter dinners. Greek People: It’s [...]
The Three Minnesota Driving Styles Direct from Hades
Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com I often think it’s me, this uncanny ability I possess that allows me to drive directly behind, or in front of, The Driver Spawned From the Depths of Hades. And for those of you not up on your Greek mythology, Hades was the God of the Underworld, which also went by the same name. Not [...]
Eye on Monday: Earth Hour
On Saturday, March 28, 2009, close to one billion people in nearly 4000 cities across more than 80 countries came together for an event called Earth Hour. From the tiny Chatham Islands of New Zealand to the Palace of Westminster in London to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the symbolic gesture of switching off lights for one hour, beginning [...]
The Drive-Thru Window and #3418
Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com It all started out like a great idea. You drive up and order. You drive a little further and pay. Then you wait patiently before you receive what you’ve ordered. And within minutes, you’re on your way. Coffee, food, prescriptions, even alcohol - you did it all without ever getting out of the car. It’s [...]
A Trophy for Everyone: The Seeds of Entitlement
When I was growing up, I played sports. Basketball was what I eventually settled on by high school but prior to that I also played baseball and ran track. When there was a tournament during the year or the playoffs at the end of the season, there were winners and there were losers. The winners got [...]
Social Media and Beyond: Responsibility Rests with You
Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com As a man of several decades, give or take three, I have a fairly good grasp of all that I am and all that I’m not. For the purposes of this piece, I’d like to highlight what I’m not. I’m not a businessman. I’m not a PR consultant. I’m not a marketing [...]
Battle for Boulder: The Cows Strike Back
Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com I grew up on the north side of Chicago. Although the city shares a bit of history with a certain cow kicking over a lantern (or so the story goes), schoolkids weren’t brainwashed into believing cows and trouble went hand-in-hand. Quite the contrary. In the Midwest we were taught cows were good. Cows [...]
The Acronym Generation . . . Or, TAG
We’re a country that’s fond of attaching labels and nicknames to things. It’s our way of grouping; of simplifying. Labels and nicknames will stick if they create buzz. And although sense rarely factors into them, buzz is more important than sense. So making sense doesn’t always make sense. We especially like naming generations. Some of the more [...]
The Christmas Spirit and Customer Service: Return of the Grinch
By Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com Part 2 of The Christmas Spirit and Customer Service. Part 1 was published December 8, 2007 I look forward to the month of December and Christmas more than any other time of the year. The music, the decorations, the meaning of the holiday, the snow - so much good cheer in the air. [...]
Giving Thanks Shouldn’t Be So Hard
By Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com Every year in late November families and friends gather to eat, watch football, eat a little more and watch even more football. It happens on a Thursday, usually early in the afternoon. Sometimes there’s wine and other assorted alcoholic beverages to go with the food. Other times it’s simply water and [...]
Food News: Are Turkeys Mobilizing?
By Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com Driving on a major highway in suburban Minneapolis today, traffic nearly came to a halt. The reason for the hold-up was: A. An accident B. Road construction C. Turkeys Of course the answer is turkeys. Two enormous birds that looked as though they were spawned from a master race of Super Turkeys simply [...]
Election ’08: When Words Become Stars
By Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com Election years are a funny thing. From Democrats to Republicans, incumbents to hopefuls and insiders to wannabees, our country turns into something along the lines of a sideshow at a county fair. There are promises, accusations, denials, smiles, handshakes, hugs, speeches, ads, signs, buttons, music, dancing . . . and that all [...]
Sugar and Spice Not Always So Nice
By Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com My wife and I live in a lovely suburb of Minneapolis. Good schools, lots of parks and lakes, plenty of restaurants . . . nice. The other day, I went to a nice coffee shop in our nice suburb and saw a picture on the wall that wasn’t so nice. The photo showed approximately 20 young women in [...]
When the Team Goes South, Don’t Blame the Boo-Birds
By Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com When I go to sporting events, I don’t boo. It doesn’t matter if my team is playing like a bunch of sheep wearing cleats and helmets, I just don’t boo. I simply turn to my wife and berate the team . . . to her. Thankfully, after 19 years she still indulges me. [...]
Hollywood: Amateur Politicos Gone Wild
By Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com Those pesky little Hollywood celebrities, they say the darnedest things. Nothing like a good Emmy Awards broadcast to give this group of amateur political commentators their opportunity to play MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann. Is there a difference between 15 minutes of fame and 15 seconds of folly? You’ve heard the phrase “less is more?” Sometimes, [...]
