Real of Fake?

The photo is Robert Capa's "Falling Soldier" from the Spanish Civil War and is probably the most famous photograph from that conflict, if not of modern war itself. The photo supposedly shows the moment of death, as a soldier is struck and falls to the ground. I say "supposedly" because the authenticity of the photo is in some doubt. The New York Times has a great article on the on-going controversy, which has gained some ground lately.

Personally I don't have an opinion one way or the other, neither do I believe either answer makes the photo any less impactful or historically significant. It would be better if the photo was "real" and I understand why those in Spain may have some of their own reasons to wish it to be so, but it doesn't really take away from the photo itself. It isn't a "fake" in the strict sense of the word. Capa was 22 years old and this was taken during his very first trip out into the field. He and his wife had even changed their names to sound more like famous photographers. Endre Friedmann and Gerta Pohorylle don't sound as famous as Robert Capa and Gerda Taro I suppose.

This controversy came to my attention because Michael Mann is planning on making a film about Capa. Which side of the fence will Mann take?

G20 Pittsburgh!

The G20 Summit doesn't "officially" start until tomorrow, but already this week we've seen the beginnings of the protests. The image above is from this morning as several Greenpeace protesters dangled below the West End Bridge. {Thanks to WTAE for the image.}

I wonder what the sign is made out of? I say that because yesterday morning several hundred Climate Change protesters arrived downtown with a huge plastic banner. They arrived in a monstrous smog-producing Tour Bus, which parked itself right on Blvd of the Allies, which is one of the busiest streets in the City. The irony of those actions seemingly lost on those involved.

I'm certainly not against protesting or voicing opinions. And I also happen to be a firm believer in the freedom of open dialogue and speech. Everyone should have the right to their say. I also happen to believe that while everyone might have an opinion, that doesn't equate to everyone's opinion being of equal value. Having said that, I hope we can get through the next few days without violence, destruction of property or injuries. There have already been arrests this week. Sometimes the act of being arrested is part of the protest as well, so go figure.

The City today is virtually a ghost town and I can only imagine that the next two days will be much worse. So they have the City to themselves for the rest of the week, themselves and the Police, National Guard, FBI, Secret Service and who knows what else. We've seen fully armed helicopters flying around, which is always a lot of fun. (Not!) So to the protesters I present the following open letter on behalf of my City:

Dear Protester,

This week the G20 Summit is being held in the city of Pittsburgh and leaders from all over the world will be here. You've arrived as our guest and I'd like to extend my personal welcome. Thanks for visiting.

Pittsburgh is a great city and I am very proud to call it my home and to operate a business here. In fact, I consider Pittsburgh to be the perfect American City. Neither too big or too small, surrounded by lovely geographic features that make it unique in all the world, Pittsburgh is a truly great city. Pittsburgh also happens to symbolize the transformation of the American economy from its industrial past to its future, in technology, education, service, health care and as a leader in the "green" movement. These are just some of the reasons our City was chosen as the site of the Summit. And I think we're all proud of that. We also have some great sports teams, but that's beside the point.

I would appreciate it very much if you left it in the same condition you found it when you arrived. Make you statements, your demands, your points and go on to the next thing. There is no need for violence, destruction or anything else that involves hurting another human being. I consider Pittsburgh my home and I would appreciate it if you treated it like a home. I promise not to come to your home and cause trouble, if you can say the same.

I look forward to seeing you on the news and listening to your rants, demands and opinions. But more importantly I hope you enjoy your stay in Pittsburgh, however brief it will hopefully be.

Ominous Music Heard!

Ominous Music Heard Throughout U.S. Sends Nation Into Panic

G20 Armed Encampment

This week seemed so far away when it was first announced. The G-20 Summit hits the city of Pittsburgh this week and already it is starting to feel like an armed encampment. Convoys of National Guard trucks are moving around, helicopters are buzzing, plywood is going up on windows, the Postal Service has even removed all of the mail boxes from the streets! Someone even saw a contingent of Coast Guard officers at lunch today, perhaps as part of some river defense system?

I keep telling myself, "This is somehow good for Pittsburgh", sorta like a mantra I repeat over and over in the hopes it'll sink in. And I certainly hope it will be in the final analysis. But right now, on this side of it, it is a major pain in the... well, you know what. I made the decision several weeks ago, based on what we knew at the time, that our offices would be closed Thursday and Friday. Not because we might be the target of some bizarre protest. But mainly because the city is going to be impossible the last two days of the week. Parking downtown is shut down for all intents and purposes, transit will be running a very light schedule and many routes are being shut down and... and well no one really knows anything do they?

We've seen protests turn violent in other cities during other G20 Summits, so the possibility exists. I'm sure that the City and County are doing everything they can to prepare and that any problems can be contained and mitigated. I know I wont be coming anywhere near the city during those two days. No thanks.

It hasn't all been bad. We have gotten new lines painted on the streets. I saw that the City Police have some spiffy new hi-tech bicycles to ride around on. And litter is hard to find, as is any chairs, tables or anything else not otherwise bolted to the concrete.

Hopefully this'll all go off without a hitch. The hotels will be full, people will protest peacefully and make their points well known to those important people they want to know about them, and everything will go back to normal on Saturday. And somewhere down the road we can all look back and say, "This was good for Pittsburgh." I for one hope so. But I have my doubts.

Those Crazy Nigerians

Wow. These days my inbox is cluttered with more junk mail than I can shake a stick at, and despite my on-going efforts to try and manage it, it only seems to get worse. Having said that, I do appreciate some of the junk mail I do get. Over the years I've actually admired (in a weird sense, don't get me wrong here, they are evil.) the Nigerian scammers. The level of insane creativity they employ never ceases to amaze me. It's sooo bad and sooo obviously a scam that it is a little sad really. Its like your three year old trying to pull a fast one, it is so obvious, but you can't help but smile at the effort.

This one that I got today was so good (bad) that I thought I'd share it with you. The mere idea that the FBI would take the time to write me a personal letter assuring me that the bank in Nigeria is legit... well, it just warms the heart doesn't it?

J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW Washington, D.C. 20535-0001, USA.

We the Federal bureau of investigation (FBI) Washington, DC in conjunction with some other relevant Investigation Agencies here in the United states of America have recently been informed through our Global intelligence monitoring network that you presently have a transaction going on with the Skye Bank Of Nigeria Plc. as regards to your over-due contract payment which was fully endorsed in your favor accordingly.

It might interest you to know that we have taken out time in screening through this project as stipulated on our protocol of operation and have finally confirmed that your contract payment is 100% genuine and hitch free from all fact and of which you have the lawful right to claim your fund without any further delay.

Having said all this, we will further advise that you go ahead in dealing with the Skye Bank Of Nigeria Plc office accordingly, as we will be monitoring all their services with you as well as your correspondence at all level. In addendum, also be informed that we recently had a meeting with the Executive Director of the Skye Bank Of Nigeria Plc, in the person of Mr.Akinsola Akinfemiwa along with some of the top officials of the Ministry regarding your case and they made us to understand that your file has been held in abase depending on when you personally come for the claim.

They also told us that the only problem they are facing right now is that some unscrupulous element are using this project as an avenue to scam innocent people off their hard earned money by impersonating the Executive Director and the Skye Bank Of Nigeria Plc. We were also made to understand that a lady with name Mrs. Joan C.Bailey from Florida has already contacted them and also presented to them all the necessary documentations evidencing your claim purported to have been signed personally by you prior to the release of your contract fund valued at about US$10,000,000.00 (Ten Million United States Dollars.), but the Skye Bank Of Nigeria Plc office did the wise thing by insisting on hearing from you personally before the go ahead on wiring your fund to the Bank information’s which was forwarded to them by the above named Lady so that was the main reason why they contacted us so as to assist them in making the investigations.

They further informed us that we should warn our dear citizens who must have been informed of the contract payment, which was awarded to them from the Skye Bank Of Nigeria Plc, to be very careful prior to these irregularities so that they do not fall victim to this ugly circumstance. And should in case you are already dealing with anybody or office claiming to be from the Skye Bank Of Nigeria Plc, you are further advised to STOP further contact with them in your best interest and then contact immediately the real office of the Skye Bank Of Nigeria Plc only with the below information's accordingly:

BANK NAME: SKYE BANK OF NIGERIA PLC.
Email: skyeban-knigeplc10@live.com
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: MR. AKINSOLA AKINFEMIWA

NOTE: In your best interest, any message that does not come from the above official email address and phone numbers should not be replied to and should be disregarded accordingly for security reasons. Meanwhile, we will advise that you contact the Skye Bank Of Nigeria Plc office immediately with the above email address and request that they attend to your payment file as directed so as to enable you receive your contract fund accordingly.

Ensure you follow all their procedure as may be required by them, as that will further help hasten up the whole procedures as regards to the transfer of your fund to you as designated. Also, have in mind that the Skye Bank Of Nigeria Plc equally have their own protocol of operation as stipulated on their banking terms, so delay could be very dangerous.

Once again, we will advise that you contact them with the above email address and make sure you forward to them all the necessary information's which they may require from you prior to the release of your fund to you accordingly. All modalities has already been worked out even before you were contacted and note that we will be monitoring all your dealings with them as you proceed so you don't have anything to worry about. All we require from you henceforth is an update so as to enable us be on track with you and the Skye Bank Of Nigeria Plc. Without wasting much time, will want you to contact them immediately with the above email address to enable them attend to your case accordingly without any further delay as time is already running out.

Should in case you need any more information's in regards to this notification, feel free to get back to us so that we can brief you more as we are here to guide you during and after this project has been completely perfected and you have received your contract fund as stated.

Thank you very much for your co-operation in advance as we earnestly await your urgent response to this matter.

Best Regards,

Robert Mueller III
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Phone: (202) 657-4898

Wonder what happens if you try to call Bob? To me it would seem Bob has more important things to worry about, like Terrorists, Serial Killers, G-20 Summits, stuff like that.

Back To Blogging

Summer break is finally over and it's time to get back to blogging on a regular basis. Whew. What happened? Why did your friendly neighborhood agency owner take so much time off?

It all started with the move. Moving our offices from 101 Wood Street to 100 First Avenue might seem like an easy enough task, but boy did that take a lot of energy and effort. To be honest, we're not even 100% finished yet. While our new offices are incredible, it took an enormous effort to manage and plan. The blog started to suffer a bit during that time.

But that wasn't all. The move ignited many other things that we've been putting off doing for awhile, as such things tend to do, we started re-evaluating everything that the agency was doing. And who we were doing it with. This resulted in some serious thinking and planning, which resulted in some re-organization of the agency. We decided to mix things up a bit and start fresh in certain areas. A little house-cleaning if you will. This wasn't just about personnel, but in all aspects of how we operate, back-end and front-end. I'm happy to say that we now operate much leaner and meaner than before, which has always been pretty darn mean and lean, and that even our paperwork processes are much better.

This all took an enormous amount of time and effort from, mostly, yours truly. And as anyone who knows me also knows about me, if I can't give something 110% then I'd rather not do it. So I decided to take a break from the blog and focus on these more important things. Knowing all along that the blog would return and continue. I still believe the blog serves an important purpose. Several actually.

So I'm back. Maybe not at full steam right now, but give me some time to get back up to speed. I'll have even more news about what we've been up to this Summer. Some of the new work we've done and are working on, some of the new changes here at Giant and how exciting they are for our future, and more fun stuff to discuss.

For those of you that have stuck it out during the break, thanks. For those of you that are discovering the Giant Blog for the first time, welcome.

EDIT: I just realized that the Giant Blog is over 2 years old now! The first post was on September 7th, 2007. WOW.

Philadelphia Donor Night

Check out the PA Donor Facebook page for more information. You can find it by following the links to our Giant Ideas Facebook page.

And no I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth or anything. It's Summer and your friendly neighborhood agency has been very busy, consider it a Summer hiatus from blogging. But I'll be back soon I promise.

Awesome District 9 Trailer

'Uninvited' Theatrical Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

Michael Jackson: King of Commercials?

Like everyone this morning I am saddened by the news of Michael Jackson's death yesterday at the age of 50 and only a few weeks prior to his latest "comeback" attempt. Whatever your feelings about the life and music of Michael, and the strange road his life took over the last few decades, his place in the history of music is assured. As is his impact on all of us to one degree or another. Michael even had an impact on the world of advertising, anyone remember his hair catching on fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial? I do.

Here is one from 1984.



Ok, here is an even older one from Japan of all places.



And speaking of hair being on fire, here is the commercial that it happened during. Of course they edited it out of the final. This was a pretty big event commercial at the time, if I remember correctly.



Here's one for LA Gear that I hadn't seen before.



There are others that you can find easily enough. Next is the Man in the Mirror clip from Moonwalker. I picked this for two reasons. First I believe that more than any other of his songs, this one comes the closest to opening a window into the real Michael Jackson. A man torn between many worlds and conflicted by what he saw, not only in the world around him but in himself as well. Again, armchair analysis, but its my opinion. Secondly, in case you forget, this shows the incredible impact that the man had once upon a time.



And finally my own personal favorite Michael Jackson video, with his sister Janet, "SCREAM". When this video came out I remember watching it over and over again, very innovative at the time. Plus the attitude from Michael and Janet is just hardcore and strangely funny all at the same time. Yet another cry for help? Maybe.



Rest in Peace Michael.

The New Giant Website!

Today we have launched the New and Improved Giant Ideas main website!! Lots of work remains to be done, but we felt it was far enough along to launch. The new website is built upon a completely new foundation that allows us to update it more easily and more often, as well as offering expanded content and services - which we will be adding in the weeks and months to come. There are many exciting projects in various stages waiting to be added, including a Giant Store which will feature our own line of Giant T-Shirts and other items. It is very exciting and we look forward to your feedback about the new site.

So take a moment to go check it out and let us know what you think.

The Great Penguin Migration

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the Penguins won the Stanley Cup and all, but seriously... 200+ thousand people lining the streets downtown on a Monday? When I hear someone say that sports and entertainment is nothing more than an opiate for the masses, I usually scoff. But to be honest I'm beginning to wonder. Yes, it is exciting. Yes, they overcame great odds to win. And yes, it is good for the city that both the Steelers and the Penguins won Championships this year. Although exactly how it is good for the City is open for debate. Mostly I think it is good for those rich people who have suddenly gotten even richer. It hasn't benefitted me or my business in any way, other than negatively. And t-shirt sales. I saw a lot of people buying $25-30 t-shirts this morning. Good PR I suppose. Although it has been proven time and time again that cities with sports teams don't do as well economically as those without.

The point being that I know several people that could not get into work this morning. If I know several that means there are hundreds that stayed home, turned around and went home or joined the throng along the parade route. Hundreds of thousands that are not at work today. Several of our employees.

I don't want to complain, but seriously, shouldn't we have these parades on a Saturday or Sunday? We should, but we won't. And you know why? Because of the players, most of whom will be on a plane as soon as they can to fly home. Just like the Steelers. Most of the players don't live here in Pittsburgh, they live in their million dollar homes somewhere else, probably somewhere that gets more sun.

I don't have a problem with that and neither do the thousands lining the streets, cheering on the millionaires that play a game for a living. All while they take a day off from making their own.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins for winning the Stanley Cup last night by crushing the hated Red Wings and exacting revenge for last year's loss. Many thought such an outcome was impossible, or at least highly improbable, but the guys showed everyone just how wrong they were in grand style. Game 7 in Detroit, mostly without the play of Sidney Crosby, everyone stepped up their game and proved they deserved to be called Champions. Wow, Well played.

Photo Associated Press

The Penguins

All of us here at Giant hope the Penguins can pull it out in Detroit and bring home Lord Stanley. Go Pens!! We'll be rooting and cheering and bitting our nails right along with everyone else.

We sure had some great ideas for this season and for the run-up to the new arena. Like so many great (or giant) ideas that never see the light of day... well, those would normally never see the light of day. Until the Internet, until heads of agencies have their own blogs that is. Like the gentleman I am however, I have waited until the season is officially over, but starting next week (win or lose) I thought I would share with you just some of the ideas and concepts that you missed out on this year. The image above being just a small taste of the attitude we brought to the project.

It's a shame when great work doesn't get used and one of the things this blog affords us is the chance to share some of that work with you. So Go Pens!

The Webby Awards

You can check out other Webby Awards videos by visiting their YouTube Channel.
Editors Note: He does say a bad word at the end of this video.

The Steamiest TV Commercials Ever

What a joke. Forbes of all magazines has found time to waste in yet another endless round of meaningless "best ever" stories, this one titled the same as this post. These types of stories are so inane and pointless as to defy logic, reason and simple ice cube level intelligence it isn't even funny. But, since they took the time to write and publish it, I can manage the time to rip it to shreds.

First of all, the judges "judged" 35 commercials... TOTAL! 35 commercials? 35!!? Are you kidding me? That doesn't even need to be addressed does it?

Watch the name dropping in the article, they even mention the research company that provided the meters for the judges to vote with. What, they found it tiring to write notes on 35 commercials? Even if they watched :60's, thats a half hour tops. Just on a normal day I probably watch that many commercials at work and I don't turn on the television. (Unlike so many in the industry, I actually watch commercials. A lot of commercials.) Poor judges. The name dropping continues, as does the total lack of historical perspective from the participants. I love this quote from Liz Vanzura who is an Emerson College professor and the former global marketing director at Cadillac! (Whoa, you'd think she'd know better. Know better than to participate in a stupid "best ever" article like this one that's based on 35 commercials!) When she remarked on the famous 1994 Diet Coke ad that depicted an office full of women ogling a buff construction worker pulling off his shirt and drinking a Diet Coke. Nothing wrong with the ad, it was great actually. But get this quote, "It was the first time that a marketer turned the table and showed women appreciating male bodies." Really? C'mon Liz you can't possibly mean that. Yes the ad was a breakthrough, in the way it showed things and the mainstream appeal that it generated... but the first time? I don't think so. Not even close.

They are right about some older ads never being able to run today. So they did manage to make a single worthwhile point in the article. Sadly, that point comes at the very end. Otherwise its a load of tripe. And I wrote this post because I read it and wasted five minutes of my life doing so. I'll never get those minutes back. Ever.