Somebody Has Their Panties In An Absolut Wad

In this image released by the Mexican advertising firm of Teran/TBWA on Monday April 7, 2008, an advertisement created for Swedish Absolut Vodka which ran in Mexico, shows a map of the border of Mexico and the United States where it stood before the Mexican-American War of 1848. The Absolut vodka company apologized for the ad campaign amid angry calls for a boycott by U.S. consumers. (AP Photo/Teran/TBWA)

As someone of Mexican descent (grandparents from both sides came from Mexico), I think this is funny. It's not like they were running the ad in the States.

When I was a kid, Frito-Lay had the Frito Bandito who was used as a character to sell Fritos. No one in my family was upset but I guess other people were upset because Frito-Lay ended up pulling the ads and did away with the Frito Bandito. Either I'm insensitive or other people are too sensitive. I know that I don't have a heart of stone because I still cry every Sunday night when I watch Oprah's Big Give.

from Associated Press:
Vodka-Maker Absolut Apologizes for Ads
By MARK STEVENSON

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Absolut vodka company apologized Saturday for an ad campaign depicting the southwestern U.S. as part of Mexico amid angry calls for a boycott by U.S. consumers.

The campaign, which promotes ideal scenarios under the slogan "In an Absolut World," showed a 1830s-era map when Mexico included California, Texas and other southwestern states. Mexico still resents losing that territory in the 1848 Mexican-American War and the fight for Texas independence.

But the ads, which ran only in Mexico and have since ended, were less than ideal for Americans undergoing a border buildup and embroiled in an emotional debate over illegal immigration from their southern neighbor.

More than a dozen calls to boycott Absolut were posted on michellemalkin.com, a Web site operated by conservative columnist Michelle Malkin. The ads sparked heated comment on a half-dozen other Internet sites and blogs.

"In no way was it meant to offend or disparage, nor does it advocate an altering of borders, nor does it lend support to any anti-American sentiment, nor does it reflect immigration issues," Absolut said in a statement left on its consumer inquiry phone line.

Some fringe U.S. groups also claim the land is rightfully part of Mexico, while extreme immigration foes argue parts of the U.S. already are being overtaken by Mexico.

"In an Absolut world, a company that produces vodka fires its entire marketing department in a desperate attempt to win back enraged North American customers after a disastrous ad campaign backfires," a person using the moniker "SalsaNChips" wrote on Malkin's Web site.

A plan for comprehensive immigration reform designed to deal with an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States — the vast majority from Mexico — collapsed last summer under the emotional weight of the debate.

Absolut said the ad was designed for a Mexican audience and intended to recall "a time which the population of Mexico might feel was more ideal."

"As a global company, we recognize that people in different parts of the world may lend different perspectives or interpret our ads in a different way than was intended in that market, and for that we apologize."

Vin & Sprit, Absolut's Sweden-based parent company, will be acquired by French spirit maker Pernod Ricard SA under a deal reached last week.

Nate Berkus

So I'm watching Oprah's Big Give and tonight's show was filmed in Houston! Yes! The Bayou City! H-town! I had no idea they had been here being do-gooders. What gets me though is that when they picked teams, Nate Berkus and all of them were standing on the Sabine Street bridge which is only 2.49 miles from my doorstep!

Ya know. I could have used some decorating tips from him and I'm sure The Calvinator would have sat on his lap. UGH!

Oh well. They were all out there making kids happy so I guess I can't complain. I'm trying to figure out who in Houston can give $70,000 for a tennis lesson with Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf. And just not one person but TWO people! Yes, two people gave $70,000 each to play tennis in Vegas.

Ramblings of a Stuffy Nose, Coughing Throat & (un)Caffeinated Mind 10.2

Lipstick Jungle

Is anyone else hooked on this show?

Oprah's Big Give

Touched By An Angel aired on Sunday nights on CBS. This was a few years ago. It would make me cry. I stopped watching it for that reason and then it moved to another night of the week and then it got yanked off the air completely.

So then I started watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Well that would make me cry. I got tired of crying on Sunday nights so fortunately CBS started airing The Amazing Race and other stuff up against Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Well, now ABC is showing Oprah's Big Give and for two Sundays in a row that show has made me cry...and it has only aired twice!
If you're not familiar with the show, here is a brief synopsis.

The contestants are give some money and have a limited amount of time to make a difference in the life of someone. "Give big or go home." is the motto.

Last night the contestants were flown to Denver and were told to find somebody to help and they had to do it in 48 hours.

This is the one that made me cry: One of the contestants found an agency that helps women who are HIV positive. She took the women to a spa and to a restaurant for a nice dinner. Listening to the stories made me cry.

One may look what she did and question how this helped the women? Other contestants were giving away cash and getting stuff donated and this one contestant didn't do any of that. She treated the women with respect and made them feel good about themselves even if was just for a day.

So this show has me thinking, "If had 48 hours and $5000 to make a difference in the life of someone, what would I do?"

Dreams

I'm sure it is the medicine I'm taking because I had a really restless night and the dream(s)...it seemed like one long one...wore me out.

It started off in a restaurant banquet room. It was very bright in the room due to all of the windows. Politicians and friends were there. Not sure what was being discussed but I remember everybody started smoking cigarettes...even people that I know who don't smoke...and I was getting upset. I started telling them that there was a ban on smoking in restaurants and they said that only applied to the City of Houston, not Harris County and we weren't in Houston.

Next thing I know I'm being questioned by a Grand Jury about behavior in the banquet room. I was specifically asked if a congressman had pulled out his penis and showed it to everyone and was he hitting on male interns? I replied that I had not seen any such behavior but that people were smoking and I was really upset about that because I couldn't enjoy my food. The judge told me it only applied to the City of Houston, blah, blah, blah and I was finished in the court room.

Next thing I know I'm in a taxi with someone and the vehicle is going down a very narrow street (maybe an alley?) in New York City. Note: I don't see the driver in this dream. So then a guy jumps into the taxi with a knife and stabs the other passenger! I'm doing everything I can to get away from the guy with the knife and everything just sort of stops and goes black.

Next thing I remember I'm still in the taxi but it has been wedged between two 18-wheelers. The stabbing victim is dead and so is the guy who did the stabbing. I have to crawl over two dead bodies and squeeze through an opening to get out and then climb over one of the trucks.

The first thing I notice is how quiet it is. Remember, I'm in New York City so there should be some sound.

I walk down the narrow street and get to a big street and there is no one there. Trees are down and houses are damaged and it is wet and the sky is an ominous green. I can't figure out what happened and then it starts to rain.

Then a car comes down the wrong side of the street and the driver rolls down his window. He says, "I can't believe you survived that!" I asked him what happened and he said a tornado struck New York City and to his knowledge everybody is dead.

I look across the street and there are two women coming toward me and one of them can barely walk. They are both in business attire and one of them has a broken leg. I run over to help and I tell her that she needs to take off her stiletto heels and she refuses to do so.

The dream continues with me telling somebody about the dream and I can't get the facts in order and I really want to because I want to figure out what it means!

***end of dream***